Sensitivity to posed and genuine displays of happiness and sadness: A fMRI study

The ability to distinguish posed from genuine facial displays of emotion and to act accordingly is a fundamental social skill. To investigate the neural correlates underpinning this sensitivity, we compared changes in brain activity associated with judging posed and genuine facial displays of happiness and sadness using fMRI. Photographs of displays were presented to 7 right-handed females who judged whether the person was feeling the target emotion and made yes/no responses. Results showed activity increases during the observation of genuine compared to posed happy displays in the left medial superior frontal gyrus (BA 9) and the middle cingulate cortex bilaterally (BAs 24 and 31). The same comparison for sad displays showed increased activity in the left medial superior frontal gyrus (BA 8), and in the right middle and triangular inferior frontal gyri (both BA 46). Participants who exhibited higher sensitivity to sad displays showed larger activity difference in the left medial superior frontal gyrus (BA 8). The present study provides evidence of differential neural activity when judging posed versus genuine facial displays of emotions. Further research is required to elucidate how this might impact social affective neuroscience and in what ways genuine facial displays can enhance our understanding of emotion perception.     

基于偶极子特征优化的情绪重评同步EEG-fMRI源定位研究

为研究情绪重评时的大脑皮层源活动,针对情绪重评实验范式下采集的15例健康人同步EEG-fMRI数据,首先提出一种新颖的基于偶极子特征优化的融合源定位方法:根据fMRI加权最小范数估计源定位结果,采用20 ms EEG滑动时间窗,提取每个时窗内的偶极子空间融合特征,将其作为动态融合先验进行加权最小范数估计溯源;随后将该结...     

情感语言语境联想刺激模式的fMRI研究

目的：建立功能核磁共振成像（functional Magnetic Resonance Image，fMRI）的语言情感刺激模式，探讨阅读联想具有正性情感（Positive Emotion）及负性情感（Negative Emotion）的语言时，大脑激活区域的差异。方法：健康志愿者6名，均为在校研究生．以汉语为母语，平而回波序列（Echo Planar Imaging，EPI），血氧水平依赖法（Blood Oxygenation Level—dependent MRI，BOLD）组块设计（Block Design）获取功能成像。嘱受试者注视具有正性或负性情感的二字中文词汇，理解其语义后进行联想。结果：受试者理解率和合作率为100％。受试者报告可以区分出两组任务代表不同的情感。一组产生兴奋、高兴的情绪，甚至想笑；而另一组产生悲伤、难过、不安的情绪。负性语育任务激活的区域较正性语言任务激活的区域广泛。负性任务趋向于双侧激活，主要激活了双侧额上回，额中回，中央前回，顶上小叶，颞上回，颞中回；正性语肓任务主要激活了左侧额上回，中央前回，顶上小叶，颞上回，颞下回及小脑。负性语言任务还见到扣带前回、杏仁体、丘脑、尾状核头及胼胝体的激活。正性语言任务及负性语青任务可见到枕叶的双侧激活。结论：情感的处理具有偏侧性。负性情感更易被诱发，并伴随更多的脑区被激活。枕叶可能参与情感处理。     

视觉情绪刺激诱导的神经磁场研究

目的 使用脑磁图探讨健康右利手受试者给予视觉情绪图片刺激早期情绪相关脑区磁场激活特征.方法 12例健康右利手受试者,给予国际情绪图片库(IAPS)正性、中性、负性情绪图片刺激同时记录脑磁图信号,使用SPM8b软件进行数据分析,两样本t检验,设P＜0.02,K＞10体素阈值的脑区激活有意义.结果 正常人在给予正性情绪图片刺激时与给予中性情绪图片刺激时比较发现右侧的岛叶激活增强(0～100ms,t=2.87,P=0.004;100～200ms,t=2.97,P=0.004;200～300ms,t=2.67,P=0.008;300～400ms,t=2.65,P=0.007);给予负性情绪图片刺激时与给予中性情绪图片时比较发现右侧的额下回激活增强(0～100ms,t=2.27,P=0.016;100～200ms t=2.28,P=0.016;200～300ms,t=2.30,P=0.015;300～400ms,t=2.29,P=0.016);给予正性情绪图片与负性情绪图片刺激时比较未发现激活有差异的脑区.结论 正常人右侧岛叶、右侧额下回脑区在情绪唤醒度评价、趋向及回避行为评价中起作用.     

Sex differences in brain activation patterns during processing of positively and negatively valenced emotional words

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that men and women process emotional stimuli differently. In this study, we used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate gender differences in regional cerebral activity during the perception of positive or negative emotions. METHOD: The experiment comprised two emotional conditions (positively/negatively valenced words) during which fMRI data were acquired. RESULTS: Thirty-eight healthy volunteers (19 males, 19 females) were investigated. A direct comparison of brain activation between men and women revealed differential activation in the right putamen, the right superior temporal gyrus, and the left supramarginal gyrus during processing of positively valenced words versus non-words for women versus men. By contrast, during processing of negatively valenced words versus non-words, relatively greater activation was seen in the left perirhinal cortex and hippocampus for women versus men, and in the right supramarginal gyrus for men versus women. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest gender-related neural responses to emotional stimuli and could contribute to the understanding of mechanisms underlying the gender disparity of neuropsychiatric diseases such as mood disorders.     

Cognitive reappraisal during unpleasant picture processing: Subjective self‐report and peripheral physiology

Increased attention among the research community in exploring underlying mechanisms of emotion regulation has prompted a growth of experimental works in this field. Empirical studies have mainly focused on self‐reports, brain imaging, and electrophysiological measures, with only a few works exploring peripheral physiology. Additionally, most of such studies have not considered the specific stimuli content, even though prior literature has shown relevant differences in psychophysiological and subjective responses depending on picture categories. The current study assessed several peripheral correlates (startle amplitude, electrodermal changes, heart rate) of emotion regulation processes in a sample of 122 healthy participants. The task consisted of voluntary reappraisal of negative emotions prompted by unpleasant pictures (threat to others and victims), compared to a nonregulation control condition (looking at exemplars of the same categories and household objects). Results showed an effect of emotion regulation instructions in all psychophysiological and subjective measures. In peripheral physiology, greater responses were observed specifically when increasing negative emotions, concurring with previous research. Regarding specific content, our findings evidence a similar emotion regulation pattern, independently of the unpleasant category, suggesting a plausible effect of cognitive variables (such as cognitive effort) during voluntary reappraisal for both categories.     

动态表情情绪识别相关脑区的fMRI研究

目的:利用事件相关的功能核磁共振成像技术研究健康汉族女性对动态表情的识别情况并探讨其神经基础。方法:利用1.5T功能核磁共振成像系统检测13名女性健康受试者识别悲伤、喜悦及中性动态表情视频时的脑部反应。图像数据经SPM2软件处理和统计分析,获得脑区激活图。结果:与识别十字架相比,识别中性表情激活左额中回、双侧中央前回、右侧杏仁核、左顶下小叶、右中央后回以及丘脑等。与识别中性表情相比,识别喜悦表情激活右额内侧回、右额上回、右额中回、右前扣带回、左胼胝体下回、右枕上回、右枕下回、左枕中回及右颞上回等脑区,而识别悲伤表情激活左额内侧回、右额中回、左颞下回以及左颞上回等脑区。结论:面孔加工及动态表情的识别由脑内一个分布式神经网络所调控,其中额内侧回参与多种情绪的加工,可能是情绪加工的共同通路,而颞上回主要负责面部动态特征的加工。     

Emotion and resilience: a multilevel investigation of hemispheric electroencephalogram asymmetry and emotion regulation in maltreated and nonmaltreated children

The current study was a multilevel investigation of resilience, emotion regulation, and hemispheric electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry in a sample of maltreated and nonmaltreated school age children. It was predicted that the positive emotionality and increased emotion regulatory ability associated with resilient functioning would be associated with relatively greater left frontal EEG activity. The study also investigated differences in pathways to resilience between maltreated and nonmaltreated children. The findings indicated that EEG asymmetry across central cortical regions distinguished between resilient and nonresilient children, with greater left hemisphere activity characterizing those who were resilient. In addition, nonmaltreated children showed greater left hemisphere EEG activity across parietal cortical regions. There was also a significant interaction between resilience, maltreatment status, and gender for asymmetry at anterior frontal electrodes, where nonmaltreated resilient females had greater relative left frontal activity compared to more right frontal activity exhibited by resilient maltreated females. An observational measure of emotion regulation significantly contributed to the prediction of resilience in the maltreated and nonmaltreated children, but EEG asymmetry in central cortical regions independently predicted resilience only in the maltreated group. The findings are discussed in terms of their meaning for the development of resilient functioning.     

利用脑局部一致性方法对儿童全身强直发作性癫痫的研究

目的　应用静息态功能磁共振局部一致性方法研究儿童全身强直发作性癫痫患者脑区异常活动,探讨其发生的病理生理机制。 方法　对8例儿童全身强直发作性癫痫患者和30例正常儿童进行磁共振扫描,并计算全脑局部一致性的值,进行组间比较并研究局部一致性与病程的相关性。 结果　与对照组相比,癫痫组ReHo值增高的脑区为大脑深部核团（扣带回,丘脑,楔前叶等）,运动相关脑区,额下回,枕叶,颞叶和小脑;ReHo值降低的脑区为双侧额中回、右侧颞中回、左侧颞上回、双侧中央后回、左侧舌回。全身强直发作性癫痫与病程呈正相关的脑区为左侧楔前叶、左侧顶上小叶、右侧中央前回、右侧中央后回;与病程呈负相关的脑区为右侧楔前叶、右侧角回、中央旁小叶。 结论　局部一致性分析方法可以有效地反映癫痫患者异常的神经功能变化,有助于发现强直发作性癫痫发生的病理生理机制。     

Increased corticospinal excitability induced by unpleasant visual stimuli

Pleasant and unpleasant emotional stimuli are frequently conceptualized as motivators for action. This notion was examined using focal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Ten healthy participants viewed pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). During picture viewing, focal TMS was applied to the right motor cortex over the area innervating the first dorsal interosseous muscle of the left hand. Corticomotor excitability was larger while viewing negative pictures than while viewing neutral or positive images, as evidenced by greater motor evoked potentials. No difference was found between pleasant and neutral pictures. These results are consistent with models of emotion in which the neural networks underlying negative emotions have selective, direct connections to brain structures that mediate motor responses.     

Early Career Award. Clarifying the emotive functions of asymmetrical frontal cortical activity

Asymmetrical activity over the frontal cortex has been implicated in the experience and expression of emotions and motivations. Explanations of the research have suggested that relatively greater left frontal activity is associated with positive affect and/or approach motivation, and that relatively greater right frontal activity is associated with negative affect and/or withdrawal motivation. In past research, affective valence and motivational direction were confounded, as only positive (negative) affects that were associated with approach (withdrawal) motivation were examined. Consequently, this research is unable to address whether asymmetrical frontal activity is associated with affective valence, motivational direction, or some combination of valence and motivation. In this article, I review research on the emotion of anger, a negative emotion often associated with approach motivation, that suggests that asymmetrical frontal cortical activity is due to motivational direction and not affective valence. Methodological and theoretical implications for the study of the frontal asymmetry specifically, and for emotion and motivation more generally, are discussed.     

The neural correlates of attachment style during emotional processing: an activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis

Attachment style is a relatively stable trait linked to emotion regulation and coping as measured by questionnaire responses. An increasing number of functional brain imaging studies have explored the neural underpinnings of attachment style during emotional processing. However, until now, an overall picture of brain regions involved in this trait remained unexplored. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 12 peer-reviewed studies on attachment style using activation likelihood estimation (ALE) in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We observed a significant negative correlation between avoidance attachment scores and activation of left inferior frontal gyrus to emotional stimuli, implying an inhibition processing for emotional stimuli in people with high avoidance attachment. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between anxiety attachment scores and activation of left amygdala during emotional processing, which suggested an increased vigilance to emotional stimuli.     

Common and specific brain responses to scenic emotional stimuli

Processing of emotions has been an enduring topic of interest in neuroimaging research, but studies have mostly used facial emotional stimuli. The aim of this study was to determine neural networks involved in emotion processing using scenic emotional visual stimuli. One hundred and twenty photographs from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), including ecological scenes of disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness, were presented to 40 healthy participants while they underwent functional magnetic imaging resonance (fMRI). Afterwards they evaluated the emotional content of the pictures in an offline task. The occipito-temporal cortex and the amygdala–hippocampal complex showed a non-specific emotion-related activation, which was more marked in response to negative emotions than to happiness. The temporo-parietal cortex and the ventral anterior cingulate gyrus showed deactivation, with the former being marked for all emotions except fear and the latter being most marked for disgust. The fusiform gyrus showed activation in response to disgust and deactivation in response to happiness or sadness. Brain regions involved in processing of scenic emotion therefore resemble those reported for facial expressions of emotion in that they respond to a range of different emotions, although there appears to be specificity in the intensity and direction of the response.     

LORETA analysis of three-dimensional distribution of δ band activity in schizophrenia: relation to negative symptoms

We sought to determine if altered electroencephalography (EEG) activities, such as delta band activity, in specific brain regions are associated with psychotic symptoms. Data were obtained from 17 neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia and age- and sex-matched 17 healthy control subjects. Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) was used to generate current source density images of delta, theta, alpha, and beta activities. Localization of the difference in EEG activity between the two groups was assessed by voxel-by-voxel non-paired t-test of the LORETA images. Spearman's correlation coefficient was obtained to relate LORETA values of EEG current density in brain regions showing a significant between-group difference and psychopathology scores. Delta band activity, represented by LORETA current density, was greater for patients in the following areas; the left inferior temporal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right parahippocampal gyrus. LORETA values for delta band activity in the above five brain regions were negatively correlated with negative, but not positive symptoms. The results of this study suggest the role for electrophysiological changes in some of the brain regions, e.g. prefrontal cortex, in the manifestation of negative symptoms.     

Comparable fMRI activity with differential behavioural performance on mental rotation and overt verbal fluency tasks in healthy men and women

To explicate the neural correlates of sex differences in visuospatial and verbal fluency tasks, we examined behavioural performance and blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) regional brain activity, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, during a three-dimensional (3D) mental rotation task and a compressed sequence overt verbal fluency task in a group of healthy men (n=9) and women (n=10; tested during the low-oestrogen phase of the menstrual cycle). Men outperformed women on the mental rotation task, and women outperformed men on the verbal fluency task. For the mental rotation task, men and women activated areas in the right superior parietal lobe and the bilateral middle occipital gyrus in association with the rotation condition. In addition, men activated the left middle temporal gyrus and the right angular gyrus. For verbal fluency, men activated areas in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus, right cingulate gyrus, left precentral gyrus, left medial frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, thalamus, left parahippocampal gyrus and bilateral lingual gyrus, and women activated areas in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and left caudate. Despite observing task related activation in the hypothesised areas in men and women, no areas significantly differentiated the two sexes. Our results demonstrate comparable brain activation in men and women in association with mental rotation and verbal fluency function with differential performance, and provide support for sex differences in brain–behaviour relationships.     

Frontal EEG and emotion regulation: Electrocortical activity in response to emotional film clips is associated with reduced mood induction and attention interference effects

Frontal EEG activity is thought to reflect affective dispositions, but may also reflect the emotional demands of a specific context combined with the capability to regulate emotions in that context. The present study examined this hypothesis by testing whether frontal EEG activity during mood inductions versus a resting baseline predicted emotion regulation. EEG was recorded while participants (N = 66, 40 females) received a fearful, sad, or neutral mood induction. Emotion regulation was measured following the mood inductions as self-reported change in negative mood and as attention interference in a task with mood-congruent emotional distracters. Greater frontal EEG activity during the mood inductions versus baseline was associated with more effective emotion regulation: less post-induction sadness and anxiety and reduced mood-congruent attention interference effects. Effects did not differ between the left and right hemispheres. Results support the hypothesis that frontal EEG activity reflects both emotional context and emotion-regulatory capabilities.     

Increased adult neurogenesis in the subventricular zone in a rat model of sepsis

Neural mechanisms underlying word processing have been extensively studied. It has been revealed that when individuals are engaged in active word processing, a complex network of cortical regions is activated. However, it is entirely unknown whether the word-processing regions are intrinsically organized without any explicit processing tasks during the resting state. The present study investigated the intrinsic functional connectivity between word-processing regions during the resting state with the use of fMRI methodology. The low-frequency fluctuations were observed between the left middle fusiform gyrus and a number of cortical regions. They included the left angular gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, bilateral pars opercularis, and left pars triangularis of the inferior frontal gyrus, which have been implicated in phonological and semantic processing. Additionally, the activations were also observed in the bilateral superior parietal lobule and dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, which have been suggested to provide top-down monitoring on the visual-spatial processing of words. The findings of our study indicate an intrinsically organized network during the resting state that likely prepares the visual system to anticipate the highly probable word input for ready and effective processing.     

Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: Insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology

This review integrates Fredrickson's broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions with advances in affective neuroscience regarding plasticity in the neural circuitry of emotions to inform the treatment of emotion deficits within psychopathology. We first present a body of research showing that positive emotions broaden cognition and behavioral repertoires, and in so doing, build durable biopsychosocial resources that support coping and flourishing mental health. Next, by explicating the processes through which momentary experiences of emotions may accrue into self-perpetuating emotional systems, the current review proposes an underlying architecture of state-trait interactions that engenders lasting affective dispositions. This theoretical framework is then used to elucidate the cognitive–emotional mechanisms underpinning three disorders of affect regulation: depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. In turn, two mind training interventions, mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation, are highlighted as means of generating positive emotions that may counter the negative affective processes implicated in these disorders. We conclude with the proposition that positive emotions may exert a countervailing force on the dysphoric, fearful, or anhedonic states characteristic of psychopathologies typified by emotional dysfunctions.     

Neuroanatomical correlates of electrodermal skin conductance responses

We studied the electrodermal skin conductance responses (SCRs) of 36 subjects with well-characterized lesions in various regions of the cerebral hemispheres. Several lesion loci were consistently associated with defective electrodermal responding: the ventromedial frontal region (right and left), the right inferior parietal region, and the anterior cingulate gyrus (right and left). Our findings provide direct information regarding neural correlates of skin conductance responses in humans.     

Frontal EEG and emotion regulation: Electrocortical activity in response to emotional film clips is associated with reduced mood induction and attention interference effects

Frontal EEG activity is thought to reflect affective dispositions, but may also reflect the emotional demands of a specific context combined with the capability to regulate emotions in that context. The present study examined this hypothesis by testing whether frontal EEG activity during mood inductions versus a resting baseline predicted emotion regulation. EEG was recorded while participants (N = 66, 40 females) received a fearful, sad, or neutral mood induction. Emotion regulation was measured following the mood inductions as self-reported change in negative mood and as attention interference in a task with mood-congruent emotional distracters. Greater frontal EEG activity during the mood inductions versus baseline was associated with more effective emotion regulation: less post-induction sadness and anxiety and reduced mood-congruent attention interference effects. Effects did not differ between the left and right hemispheres. Results support the hypothesis that frontal EEG activity reflects both emotional context and emotion-regulatory capabilities.