Faces and word forms can co-exist in right ventro-occipital temporal cortex – evidence from left-hemisphere perinatal stroke

This study informs our understanding of the causes and consequences of lateralization for visual object processing in ventro-occipitotemporal cortex (vOTC) by demonstrating that after a large perinatal stroke to the left hemisphere, faces and words can share right vOTC territory without compromise of neural or behavioral outcomes. This suggests that the lateralization pattern typically observed in neurologically healthy adults (left-lateralization of word forms and right-lateralization of faces) is unlikely to be driven solely by competition for left vOTC territory. It highlights the influence of other factors, such as intrahemispheric connectivity and asymmetrical hemispheric processing preferences, in determining hemispheric lateralization for face processing.