Objective To investigate the neural processing characteristics of the top-down pathway in adults with amblyopia during face perception tasks,with a focus on event-related potential components(P1,N170),thereby elucida-ting the role of top-down pathways in face cognition.Methods Sixteen amblyopic patients(amblyopia group)and fif-teen healthy controls(control group)were recruited.Participants performed a face perception task designed in E-Prime 3.0,while behavioral metrics[false alarm rate(FAR),reaction time(RT)]and neural responses were recorded using a 64-channel EEG cap.EEG data underwent time-domain analysis,comparing group differences in behavioral performance and neurophysiological responses(mean amplitudes of P1 and N170 components).Results Preliminary behavioral analy-sis showed no significant differences in FAR or RT between groups(all P＞0.05).No significant differences were observed in P1 amplitude across any main effects or interactions(all P＞0.05).The mean P1 amplitude did not differ significantly between the amblyopia and control groups(P＞0.05).For the N170 component,significant main effects and interactions were identified across electrode sites and experimental conditions:electrode main effect:F(3,63)=29.064,P=0.000,η2=0.581;condition main effect:F(2,42)=23.677,P=0.000,η2=0.530;electrode × condition interaction:F(6,126)=5.846,P=0.002,η2=0.218.Notably,the mean N170 amplitude showed no significant group difference between amblyopic patients and healthy controls(P＞0.05).Conclusion Early visual processing(P1)remains intact in amblyopic patients,where-as altered N170 dynamics across electrodes and conditions suggest compensatory engagement of top-down pathways during face recognition in amblyopia.

Objective To investigate the neural processing characteristics of the top-down pathway in adults with amblyopia during face perception tasks,with a focus on event-related potential components(P1,N170),thereby elucida-ting the role of top-down pathways in face cognition.Methods Sixteen amblyopic patients(amblyopia group)and fif-teen healthy controls(control group)were recruited.Participants performed a face perception task designed in E-Prime 3.0,while behavioral metrics[false alarm rate(FAR),reaction time(RT)]and neural responses were recorded using a 64-channel EEG cap.EEG data underwent time-domain analysis,comparing group differences in behavioral performance and neurophysiological responses(mean amplitudes of P1 and N170 components).Results Preliminary behavioral analy-sis showed no significant differences in FAR or RT between groups(all P＞0.05).No significant differences were observed in P1 amplitude across any main effects or interactions(all P＞0.05).The mean P1 amplitude did not differ significantly between the amblyopia and control groups(P＞0.05).For the N170 component,significant main effects and interactions were identified across electrode sites and experimental conditions:electrode main effect:F(3,63)=29.064,P=0.000,η2=0.581;condition main effect:F(2,42)=23.677,P=0.000,η2=0.530;electrode × condition interaction:F(6,126)=5.846,P=0.002,η2=0.218.Notably,the mean N170 amplitude showed no significant group difference between amblyopic patients and healthy controls(P＞0.05).Conclusion Early visual processing(P1)remains intact in amblyopic patients,where-as altered N170 dynamics across electrodes and conditions suggest compensatory engagement of top-down pathways during face recognition in amblyopia.