Are Neural Signatures of Familiarity Domain-General? Evidence from an Exploratory Meta-Analysis of Familiar Face Processing

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballrooms

Xiaotong (Eva) Wu^1,2, Veronica Vuong^1,2, Sophia Cadelina¹, Elvis Chow¹, Morris Moscovitch^1,2, Claude Alain^1,2; ¹University of Toronto, ²Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest

Neural responses to familiar stimuli have been extensively studied, yet whether such effects converge across sensory domains remains unclear. We conducted an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of 17 neuroimaging contrasts comparing familiar versus unfamiliar faces in healthy adults. Convergent activation was observed in medial prefrontal regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex and the medial and superior frontal gyri, consistent with person knowledge, evaluative, and self-referential processing. These clusters did not overlap with prior findings for familiar music (Vuong et al., 2023), which predominantly involve sensorimotor and insular regions, suggesting that familiarity engages domain-specific neural networks. While auditory familiarity may rely on predictive coding and temporal-motor circuits, visual face familiarity appears to preferentially recruit higher-order prefrontal systems supporting identity retrieval. These results offer a foundation for future studies investigating cross-modal representation of familiarity.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Other