DIFFERENTIAL LOCALIZATION OF BRAIN SYSTEMS SUBSERVING MEMORY FOR NAMES AND FACES IN NORMAL SUBJECTS WITH EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS

Evidence from brain-damaged patients suggests different memory systems for verbal and nonverbal stimuli which also have different neuroanato mical substrates. We explored whether the scalp topographies of event- related potentials (ERPs) might confirm the dis-sociability of these s ystems. Unfamiliar faces and names were presented in separate conditio ns, study blocks alternating with recognition blocks. During recogniti on the familiarity of each stimulus was rated on a 4-point scale. The amplitudes of the ERPs to the study items were monotonically related i n size to the mean subsequent familiarity ratings. Memory-related ERP differences (Dm) were calculated by subtracting ERPs recorded during t he study phase to items with low subsequent familiarity ratings from i tems with high familiarity ratings. The Dm for faces and names showed stimulus-specific scalp topographies between 400 and 800 ms. These fin dings confirm that memory for names and faces is mediated by at least partially different brain systems. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland L td.