Lingual gyrus activation has been linked to encoding of complex images. Subjects were scanned using fMRI while looking at pictures. The images were emotionally neutral, with no people in close-up. Subjects were tasked with memorizing the images for recognition at a later date. Data from the fMRI showed activation in several structures, notably the lingual gyrus. Similar activation was recorded during the recollection several weeks later. It has also been shown that activation of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex, including the lingual gyrus, is related to the processing of visual information about parts of human faces. Furthermore, the left lingual gyrus activates during memorizing and maintaining images of human faces in working memory.