NIC - Gilles Pourtois

	Gilles Pourtois gilles.pourtois(a)unige.ch

Current Research and Interests During my PhD, I have tried to shed light on the functional neuro-anatomy of Multisensory Perception of Affect (MPA). MPA refers to the audio-visual integration occurring between a facial expression and a voice expression (affective tone of voice). MPA is a relevant situation to test for the modularity of the face recognition system. I have used high-density EEG recording, PET and single-pulse TMS to address this question. We have shown that face/voice interaction takes place at early stages following stimulus onset (before 200 ms post-stimulus) and mainly translates as amplitude increase of unimodal components (such as the exogenous auditory N1 component). MPA is likely to be implemented in anatomical convergence zones between the visual and auditory modality (such as found for the amygdala and the middle temporal gyrus in the left hemisphere). From behavioural experiments in normal observers and neuropsychological case studies (prosopagnosia and blindsight), we have also suggested that MPA is largely automatic and compelling. Moreover, MPA may be seen as an indirect paradigm to test for residual visual abilities following cortical blindness or prosopagnosia. All together, these preliminary results indicate that MPA is a robust perceptual phenomenon. Besides the neural bases of MPA, I have also tried to confirm, using single pulse TMS, the preferential involvement of the right posterior parietal cortex (BA 7) in visuo-spatial processing. At the NIC lab, I am continuing to explore multiple aspects of face recognition and object recognition using brain-imaging techniques (fMRI and ERPs) as well as the detailed behavioural studies of patients with selective brain damage in the University Hospital.

Selected References - Please read copyright notice - (browse all papers of the NIC)

Effects of perceptual learning on primary visual cortex activity in humans. Pourtois, G., Rauss, K. S., Vuilleumier, P., & Schwartz, S. (2008). Vision Res, 48(1), 55-62.
Simultaneous recording of EEG and facial muscle reactions during spontaneous emotional mimicry. Achaibou, A., Pourtois, G., Schwartz, S., & Vuilleumier, P. (2008). Neuropsychologia, 46(4), 1104-1113.
Investigating audiovisual integration of emotional signals in the human brain. Ethofer, T., Pourtois, G., & Wildgruber, D. (2006). Prog Brain Res, 156, 345-361.
Direct intracranial recording of body-selective responses in human extrastriate visual cortex. Pourtois, G., Peelen, M. V., Spinelli, L., Seeck, M., & Vuilleumier, P. (2007). Neuropsychologia.
Time course of brain activity during change blindness and change awareness: Performance is predicted by neural events before change onset. Pourtois, G., Di Pretto, M., Hauert, C.-A., & Vuilleumier, P. (2006). J Cogn Neurosci, 18(12), 2108-2129.
Dynamics of emotional effects on spatial attention in the human visual cortex. Pourtois, G., & Vuilleumier, P. (2006). Prog Brain Res, 156, 67-91.
Distributed and interactive brain mechanisms during emotion face perception: Evidence from functional neuroimaging. Vuilleumier, P., & Pourtois, G. (2006). Neuropsychologia.
Neural systems for orienting attention to the location of threat signals: An event-related fMRI study. Pourtois, G., Schwartz, S., Seghier, M. L., Lazeyras, F., & Vuilleumier, P. (2006). Neuroimage.
Two electrophysiological stages of spatial orienting towards fearful faces: early temporo-parietal activation preceding gain control in extrastriate visual cortex. Pourtois, G., Thut, G., Grave de Peralta, R., Michel, C., & Vuilleumier, P. (2005). Neuroimage, 26(1), 149-163.
Enhanced extrastriate visual response to bandpass spatial frequency filtered fearful faces: time course and topographic evoked-potentials mapping. Pourtois, G., Dan, E. S., Grandjean, D., Sander, D., & Vuilleumier, P. (2005). Hum Brain Mapp, 26(1), 65-79.
Portraits or people? Distinct representations of face identity in the human visual cortex. Pourtois, G., Schwartz, S., Seghier, M. L., Lazeyras, F., & Vuilleumier, P. (2005). J Cogn Neurosci, 17(7), 1043-1057.
Emotion and attention interactions in social cognition: Brain regions involved in processing anger prosody. Sander, D., Grandjean, D., Pourtois, G., Schwartz, S., Seghier, M. L., Scherer, K. R., & Vuilleumier, P. (2005). Neuroimage.
View-independent coding of face identity in frontal and temporal cortices is modulated by familiarity: an event-related fMRI study. Pourtois, G., Schwartz, S., Seghier, M. L., Lazeyras, F., & Vuilleumier, P. (2005). Neuroimage, 24(4), 1214-1224.
The voices of wrath: brain responses to angry prosody in meaningless speech. Grandjean, D., Sander, D., Pourtois, G., Schwartz, S., Seghier, M. L., Scherer, K. R., & Vuilleumier, P. (2005). Nat Neurosci, 8(2), 145-146.
Perception of facial expressions and voices and of their combination in the human brain. Pourtois, G., de Gelder, B., Bol, A., & Crommelinck, M. (2005). Cortex, 41(1), 49-59.
Dissociable roles of the human somatosensory and superior temporal cortices for processing social face signals. Pourtois, G., Sander, D., Andres, M., Grandjean, D., Reveret, L., Olivier, E., & Vuilleumier, P. (2004). Eur J Neurosci, 20(12), 3507-3515.
Electrophysiological Correlates of Rapid Spatial Orienting Towards Fearful Faces. Pourtois, G., Grandjean, D., Sander, D., & Vuilleumier, P. (2004). Cereb Cortex.
Fear recognition in the voice is modulated by unconsciously recognized facial expressions but not by unconsciously recognized affective pictures. de Gelder, B., Pourtois, G., & Weiskrantz, L. (2002). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 99(6), 4121-4126.
Semantic factors influence multisensory pairing: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Pourtois, G., & de Gelder, B. (2002). Neuroreport, 13(12), 1567-1573.
Facial expressions modulate the time course of long latency auditory brain potentials. Pourtois, G., Debatisse, D., Despland, P. A., & de Gelder, B. (2002). Brain Res Cogn Brain Res, 14(1), 99-105.
Unseen stimuli modulate conscious visual experience: evidence from inter-hemispheric summation. de Gelder, B., Pourtois, G., van Raamsdonk, M., Vroomen, J., & Weiskrantz, L. (2001). Neuroreport, 12(2), 385-391.
Event-related TMS over the right posterior parietal cortex induces ipsilateral visuo-spatial interference. Pourtois, G., Vandermeeren, Y., Olivier, E., & de Gelder, B. (2001). Neuroreport, 12(11), 2369-2374.
Early extrastriate activity without primary visual cortex in humans. Rossion, B., de Gelder, B., Pourtois, G., Guerit, J. M., & Weiskrantz, L. (2000). Neurosci Lett, 279(1), 25-28.
Affective blindsight: are we blindly led by emotions?Response to Heywood and Kentridge (2000). de Gelder, B., Vroomen, J., Pourtois, G., & Weiskrantz, L. (2000). Trends Cogn Sci, 4(4), 126-127.
Covert processing of faces in prosopagnosia is restricted to facial expressions: evidence from cross-modal bias. de Gelder, B., Pourtois, G., Vroomen, J., & Bachoud-Levi, A. C. (2000). Brain Cogn, 44(3), 425-444.
The time-course of intermodal binding between seeing and hearing affective information. Pourtois, G., de Gelder, B., Vroomen, J., Rossion, B., & Crommelinck, M. (2000). Neuroreport, 11(6), 1329-1333.
Non-conscious recognition of affect in the absence of striate cortex. de Gelder, B., Vroomen, J., Pourtois, G., & Weiskrantz, L. (1999). Neuroreport, 10(18), 3759-3763.

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