Gyral Crowns Contribute to the Cortical Infrastructure of Human Face Processing

Abstract

Neuroanatomical features across spatial scales contribute to functional specialization and individual differences in behavior across species. Among species with gyrencephalic brains, gyral crown height, which measures a key aspect of the morphology of cortical folding, may represent an anatomical characteristic that importantly shapes neural function. Nevertheless, little is known about the relationship between functional selectivity and gyral crowns—especially in clinical populations. Here, we investigated this relationship and found that the size and gyral crown height of the middle, but not posterior, face-selective region on the fusiform gyrus were decreased in individuals with developmental prosopagnosia ( N  = 22; 68% female; aged 25–62) compared with neurotypical controls (NTs; N  = 25; 60% females; aged 21–55), and this difference was related to face perception. Additional analyses replicated the relationship between gyral crowns and face-selective region size in 1,053 NTs (55% females; aged 22–36). These results inform theoretical models of face processing while also providing a novel neuroanatomical feature contributing to the cortical infrastructure supporting face processing.