Distinct information flows for different whole-body actions across LOTC subdivisions

The lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC) is crucial for object, body, and expression perception, but its functions in computing body representation and action information remain poorly understood. Using ultrahigh-field 7 T fMRI and data-driven methods, we detected four different body-selective subdivisions within the LOTC network, each with distinct connectivity profiles and differentially involved in computing different body expressions. Stronger connectivity was observed for the posterior-ventral subdivision to the visual cortex, the posterior-dorsal subdivision to the precuneus, and the anterior subdivisions to the frontal cortex, regardless of the type of threatening condition. In contrast, defensive expressions enhanced the cingulate cortex connectivity to all four LOTC subdivisions. However, aggressive expressions selectively increased the middle frontal gyrus connectivity to the anterior subdivision, while decreasing its connectivity to the posterior-dorsal subdivision. These findings go beyond classical models based on body-category selectivity in the extrastriate body area with subsequent processing of emotion expression in higher-order areas and indicate emotion expression-specific information flows of body-related computation in different LOTC subdivisions.