The human brain uses a distributed neural system for face recognition and social communication, consisting of multiple bilateral regions. This system distinguishes between invariant aspects of faces, essential for recognizing individuals, and changeable aspects like eye gaze, expression, and lip movement, which are crucial for social interaction. The system has a hierarchical organization, with a core system in the occipitotemporal regions of the extrastriate visual cortex responsible for face analysis, and an extended system involving other cognitive functions that work with the core system to extract meaning from faces. The amygdala plays a central role in processing the social relevance of facial information, particularly in detecting potential threats. The fusiform face area (FFA) in the lateral fusiform gyrus is specialized for face perception, responding more strongly to faces than to other objects. Other face-responsive regions are found in the inferior occipital gyri and the posterior superior temporal sulcus. These regions are involved in processing facial expressions, eye gaze direction, and spatial attention. The core system includes the FFA and other regions that process invariant and changeable aspects of faces. The extended system includes regions involved in spatial attention, auditory verbal comprehension, and social cognition. The perception of eye gaze direction involves the superior temporal sulcus and intraparietal sulcus, which mediate spatial attention. The perception of lip movements and speech comprehension involves the superior temporal sulcus and auditory areas. The recognition of familiar faces involves the anterior temporal regions, which are also involved in semantic knowledge about people. The perception of facial expressions involves the amygdala and insula, which process emotional content. The model of the distributed neural system for face perception includes a core system for visual analysis and an extended system for processing meaning. The core system includes the FFA, inferior occipital region, and superior temporal sulcus, while the extended system includes regions for spatial attention, auditory processing, and emotional processing. The model emphasizes the distinction between invariant and changeable aspects of faces and their roles in social communication. The study of this system provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying face perception and social cognition.The human brain uses a distributed neural system for face recognition and social communication, consisting of multiple bilateral regions. This system distinguishes between invariant aspects of faces, essential for recognizing individuals, and changeable aspects like eye gaze, expression, and lip movement, which are crucial for social interaction. The system has a hierarchical organization, with a core system in the occipitotemporal regions of the extrastriate visual cortex responsible for face analysis, and an extended system involving other cognitive functions that work with the core system to extract meaning from faces. The amygdala plays a central role in processing the social relevance of facial information, particularly in detecting potential threats. The fusiform face area (FFA) in the lateral fusiform gyrus is specialized for face perception, responding more strongly to faces than to other objects. Other face-responsive regions are found in the inferior occipital gyri and the posterior superior temporal sulcus. These regions are involved in processing facial expressions, eye gaze direction, and spatial attention. The core system includes the FFA and other regions that process invariant and changeable aspects of faces. The extended system includes regions involved in spatial attention, auditory verbal comprehension, and social cognition. The perception of eye gaze direction involves the superior temporal sulcus and intraparietal sulcus, which mediate spatial attention. The perception of lip movements and speech comprehension involves the superior temporal sulcus and auditory areas. The recognition of familiar faces involves the anterior temporal regions, which are also involved in semantic knowledge about people. The perception of facial expressions involves the amygdala and insula, which process emotional content. The model of the distributed neural system for face perception includes a core system for visual analysis and an extended system for processing meaning. The core system includes the FFA, inferior occipital region, and superior temporal sulcus, while the extended system includes regions for spatial attention, auditory processing, and emotional processing. The model emphasizes the distinction between invariant and changeable aspects of faces and their roles in social communication. The study of this system provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying face perception and social cognition.