From the Cover: PNAS Plus: Amygdala lesions disrupt modulation of functional MRI activity evoked by facial expression in the monkey inferior temporal cortex |
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| Authors: | Fadila Hadj-Bouziane Ning Liu Andrew H. Bell Katalin M. Gothard Wen-Ming Luh Roger B. H. Tootell Elisabeth A. Murray Leslie G. Ungerleider |
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| Affiliation: | Laboratories of aBrain and Cognition and;eNeuropsychology and;cFunctional MRI Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892;;bDepartment of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724; and;dAthinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129 |
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| Abstract: | Significance Successful social interaction depends on the ability to recognize others, evaluate their mental states (e.g. intentions, desires, and beliefs), and “read” their emotional states. Here, we show that, in monkeys, damage to the amygdala, a brain structure that is central to the expression of emotion, significantly disrupts the processing of emotional facial expression in high-level visual cortical areas involved in face recognition. These findings suggest that the projections of the amygdala to visual cortical areas likely enhance the sensory processing of biologically important signals, including those related to potential environmental threats and social contexts. |
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| Keywords: | neuroimaging nonhuman primate social stimuli temporal lobe |
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