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Sato W, Usui N, Kondo A, Kubota Y, Toichi M, Inoue Y. Impairment of unconscious emotional processing after unilateral medial temporal structure resection. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4269. [PMID: 38383855 PMCID: PMC10881984 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54868-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of the amygdala in unconscious emotional processing remains a topic of debate. Past lesion studies have indicated that amygdala damage leads to impaired electrodermal activity in response to subliminally presented emotional stimuli. However, electrodermal activity can reflect both emotional and nonemotional processes. To provide behavioral evidence highlighting the critical role of the amygdala in unconscious emotional processing, we examined patients (n = 16) who had undergone unilateral resection of medial temporal lobe structures, including the amygdala. We utilized the subliminal affective priming paradigm in conjunction with unilateral visual presentation. Fearful or happy dynamic facial expressions were presented in unilateral visual fields for 30 ms, serving as negative or positive primes. Subsequently, neutral target faces were displayed, and participants were tasked with rating the valence of these targets. Positive primes, compared to negative ones, enhanced valence ratings of the target to a greater extent when they stimulated the intact hemisphere (i.e., were presented in the contralateral visual field of the intact hemisphere) than when they stimulated the resected hemisphere (i.e., were presented in the contralateral visual field of the resected hemisphere). These results suggest that the amygdala is causally involved in unconscious emotional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Sato
- Psychological Process Research Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, 619-0288, Japan.
| | - Naotaka Usui
- National Epilepsy Center, Shizuoka Institute of Epilepsy and Neurological Disorders, Urushiyama 886, Shizuoka, 420-8688, Japan.
| | - Akihiko Kondo
- National Epilepsy Center, Shizuoka Institute of Epilepsy and Neurological Disorders, Urushiyama 886, Shizuoka, 420-8688, Japan
| | - Yasutaka Kubota
- Health and Medical Services Center, Shiga University, 1-1-1 Baba, Hikone, Shiga, 522-8522, Japan
| | - Motomi Toichi
- Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin-Kawaharacho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Yushi Inoue
- National Epilepsy Center, Shizuoka Institute of Epilepsy and Neurological Disorders, Urushiyama 886, Shizuoka, 420-8688, Japan
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2
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Dahlén AD, Schofield A, Schiöth HB, Brooks SJ. Subliminal Emotional Faces Elicit Predominantly Right-Lateralized Amygdala Activation: A Systematic Meta-Analysis of fMRI Studies. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:868366. [PMID: 35924231 PMCID: PMC9339677 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.868366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior research suggests that conscious face processing occurs preferentially in right hemisphere occipito-parietal regions. However, less is known about brain regions associated with non-conscious processing of faces, and whether a right-hemispheric dominance persists in line with specific affective responses. We aim to review the neural responses systematically, quantitatively, and qualitatively underlying subliminal face processing. PubMed was searched for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) publications assessing subliminal emotional face stimuli up to March 2022. Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analyses and narrative reviews were conducted on all studies that met ALE requirements. Risk of bias was assessed using the AXIS tool. In a meta-analysis of all 22 eligible studies (merging clinical and non-clinical populations, whole brain and region of interest analyses), bilateral amygdala activation was reported in the left (x = −19.2, y = 1.5, z = −17.1) in 59% of studies, and in the right (x = 24.4, y = −1.7, z = −17.4) in 68% of studies. In a second meta-analysis of non-clinical participants only (n = 18), bilateral amygdala was again reported in the left (x = −18, y = 3.9, z = −18.4) and right (x = 22.8, y = −0.9, z = −17.4) in 56% of studies for both clusters. In a final meta-analysis of whole-brain studies only (n=14), bilateral amygdala was also reported in the left (x = −20.2, y = 2.9, z = −17.2) in 64% of studies, and right (x = 24.2, y = −0.7, z = −17.8) in 71% of studies. The findings suggest that non-consciously detected emotional faces may influence amygdala activation, especially right-lateralized (a higher percentage of convergence in studies), which are integral for pre-conscious affect and long-term memory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia D. Dahlén
- Functional Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Aphra Schofield
- Faculty of Health, School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Helgi B. Schiöth
- Functional Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Samantha J. Brooks
- Functional Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Faculty of Health, School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, School of Human and Community Development, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Samantha J. Brooks
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3
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Abstract
The extent to which we are affected by perceptual input of which we are unaware is widely debated. By measuring neural responses to sensory stimulation, neuroscientific data could complement behavioral results with valuable evidence. Here we review neuroscientific findings of processing of high-level information, as well as interactions with attention and memory. Although the results are mixed, we find initial support for processing object categories and words, possibly to the semantic level, as well as emotional expressions. Robust neural evidence for face individuation and integration of sentences or scenes is lacking. Attention affects the processing of stimuli that are not consciously perceived, and such stimuli may exogenously but not endogenously capture attention when relevant, and be maintained in memory over time. Sources of inconsistency in the literature include variability in control for awareness as well as individual differences, calling for future studies that adopt stricter measures of awareness and probe multiple processes within subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liad Mudrik
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel;
| | - Leon Y Deouell
- Department of Psychology and The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel;
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Qiu Z, Lei X, Becker SI, Pegna AJ. Neural activities during the Processing of unattended and unseen emotional faces: a voxel-wise Meta-analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2022; 16:2426-2443. [PMID: 35739373 PMCID: PMC9581832 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00697-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Voxel-wise meta-analyses of task-evoked regional activity were conducted for healthy individuals during the unconscious processing of emotional and neutral faces with an aim to examine whether and how different experimental paradigms influenced brain activation patterns. Studies were categorized into sensory and attentional unawareness paradigms. Thirty-four fMRI studies including 883 healthy participants were identified. Across experimental paradigms, unaware emotional faces elicited stronger activation of the limbic system, striatum, inferior frontal gyrus, insula and the temporal lobe, compared to unaware neutral faces. Crucially, in attentional unawareness paradigms, unattended emotional faces elicited a right-lateralized increased activation (i.e., right amygdala, right temporal pole), suggesting a right hemisphere dominance for processing emotional faces during inattention. By contrast, in sensory unawareness paradigms, unseen emotional faces elicited increased activation of the left striatum, the left amygdala and the right middle temporal gyrus. Additionally, across paradigms, unconsciously processed positive emotions were found associated with more activation in temporal and parietal cortices whereas unconsciously processed negative emotions elicited stronger activation in subcortical regions, compared to neutral faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeguo Qiu
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia.
| | - Xue Lei
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Stefanie I Becker
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Alan J Pegna
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
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5
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Shi J, Huang H, Jiang R, Mao X, Huang Q, Li A. The Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus Plays an Important Role in Unconscious Information Processing: Activation Likelihood Estimation Analysis Based on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:781099. [PMID: 35401077 PMCID: PMC8987111 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.781099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Unconsciousness is a kind of brain activity that occurs below the level of consciousness, and the masked priming paradigm is a classic paradigm to study unconscious perceptual processing. With the deepening of unconscious perception research, different researchers mostly use different experimental materials and different masked priming paradigms in a single experiment but not for the comprehensive analysis of the unconscious information processing mechanism itself. Thus, the purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis through a cross-experimental paradigm, cross-experimental materials, and cross-experimental purposes. We used activation likelihood estimation to test functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, involving 361 subjects, 124 foci in eight studies representing direct comparison of unconscious processing with baseline, and 115 foci in 10 studies representing direct comparison of unconscious priming effects. In the comparison of unconscious processing and baseline, clusters formed in the left superior parietal gyrus, the right insular gyrus, and the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) triangular part after correcting for familywise error (FWE). In the comparison of priming effects, clusters formed in only the right IFG triangular part after correcting for FWE. Here, we found that ventral and dorsal pathways jointly regulate unconscious perceptual processes, but only the ventral pathway is involved in the regulation of unconscious priming effects. The IFG triangular part is involved in the regulation of unconscious perceptual processing and unconscious priming effects and may be an important brain area in unconscious information processing. These preliminary data provide conditions for further study of the neural correlation of unconscious information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jilong Shi
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Haojie Huang
- Department of Physical Education, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Ruichen Jiang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- School of Teacher Education, Anqing Normal University, Anqing, China
| | - Xuechen Mao
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Qin Huang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Anmin Li
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
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Sudimac S, Sale V, Kühn S. How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4446-4452. [PMID: 36059042 PMCID: PMC9734043 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01720-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Since living in cities is associated with an increased risk for mental disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression, and schizophrenia, it is essential to understand how exposure to urban and natural environments affects mental health and the brain. It has been shown that the amygdala is more activated during a stress task in urban compared to rural dwellers. However, no study so far has examined the causal effects of natural and urban environments on stress-related brain mechanisms. To address this question, we conducted an intervention study to investigate changes in stress-related brain regions as an effect of a one-hour walk in an urban (busy street) vs. natural environment (forest). Brain activation was measured in 63 healthy participants, before and after the walk, using a fearful faces task and a social stress task. Our findings reveal that amygdala activation decreases after the walk in nature, whereas it remains stable after the walk in an urban environment. These results suggest that going for a walk in nature can have salutogenic effects on stress-related brain regions, and consequently, it may act as a preventive measure against mental strain and potentially disease. Given rapidly increasing urbanization, the present results may influence urban planning to create more accessible green areas and to adapt urban environments in a way that will be beneficial for citizens' mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Sudimac
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany. .,Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Max Planck Dahlem Campus of Cognition (MPDCC), Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany. .,Max Planck Institute for Human Development, International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE), Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Vera Sale
- grid.419526.d0000 0000 9859 7917Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany ,grid.4372.20000 0001 2105 1091Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Max Planck Dahlem Campus of Cognition (MPDCC), Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Simone Kühn
- grid.419526.d0000 0000 9859 7917Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany ,grid.4372.20000 0001 2105 1091Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Max Planck Dahlem Campus of Cognition (MPDCC), Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany ,grid.13648.380000 0001 2180 3484University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistr. 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany ,grid.4372.20000 0001 2105 1091Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research Berlin, Germany and London, UK, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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7
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Facial expression recognition: A meta-analytic review of theoretical models and neuroimaging evidence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:820-836. [PMID: 34052280 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Discrimination of facial expressions is an elementary function of the human brain. While the way emotions are represented in the brain has long been debated, common and specific neural representations in recognition of facial expressions are also complicated. To examine brain organizations and asymmetry on discrete and dimensional facial emotions, we conducted an activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis and meta-analytic connectivity modelling on 141 studies with a total of 3138 participants. We found consistent engagement of the amygdala and a common set of brain networks across discrete and dimensional emotions. The left-hemisphere dominance of the amygdala and AI across categories of facial expression, but category-specific lateralization of the vmPFC, suggesting a flexibly asymmetrical neural representations of facial expression recognition. These results converge to characteristic activation and connectivity patterns across discrete and dimensional emotion categories in recognition of facial expressions. Our findings provide the first quantitatively meta-analytic brain network-based evidence supportive of the psychological constructionist hypothesis in facial expression recognition.
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8
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Biggs EE, Timmers I, Meulders A, Vlaeyen JW, Goebel R, Kaas AL. The neural correlates of pain-related fear: A meta-analysis comparing fear conditioning studies using painful and non-painful stimuli. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:52-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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9
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Günther V, Hußlack A, Weil AS, Bujanow A, Henkelmann J, Kersting A, Quirin M, Hoffmann KT, Egloff B, Lobsien D, Suslow T. Individual differences in anxiety and automatic amygdala response to fearful faces: A replication and extension of Etkin et al. (2004). Neuroimage Clin 2020; 28:102441. [PMID: 32980596 PMCID: PMC7522800 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Trait anxiety refers to the stable tendency to attend to threats and experience fears and worries across many situations. According to the widely noticed, pioneering investigation by Etkin et al. (2004) trait anxiety is strongly associated with reactivity in the right basolateral amygdala to non-conscious threat. Although this observation was based on a sample of only 17 individuals, no replication effort has been reported yet. We reexamined automatic amygdala responsiveness as a function of anxiety in a large sample of 107 participants. Besides self-report instruments, we administered an indirect test to assess implicit anxiety. To assess early, automatic stages of emotion processing, we used a color-decision paradigm presenting brief (33 ms) and backward-masked fearful facial expressions. N = 56 participants were unaware of the presence of masked faces. In this subset of unaware participants, the relationship between trait anxiety and basolateral amygdala activation by fearful faces was successfully replicated in region of interest analyses. Additionally, a relation of implicit anxiety with masked fear processing in the amygdala and temporal gyrus was observed. We provide evidence that implicit measures of affect can be valuable predictors of automatic brain responsiveness and may represent useful additions to explicit measures. Our findings support a central role of amygdala reactivity to non-consciously perceived threat in understanding and predicting dispositional anxiety, i.e. the frequency of spontaneously occurring anxiety in everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivien Günther
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anja Hußlack
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna-Sophie Weil
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Bujanow
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Anette Kersting
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Markus Quirin
- Department of Psychology, Technical University München, 80333 München, Germany; PFH Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Boris Egloff
- Department of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55122 Mainz, Germany
| | - Donald Lobsien
- Department of Neuroradiology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Suslow
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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10
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Kark SM, Slotnick SD, Kensinger EA. Forgotten but not gone: FMRI evidence of implicit memory for negative stimuli 24 hours after the initial study episode. Neuropsychologia 2020; 136:107277. [PMID: 31783080 PMCID: PMC7012535 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Endel Tulving conducted pioneering work on the explicit and implicit memory systems and demonstrated that priming effects can be long-lasting. It is also well-established that emotion can amplify explicit and implicit memory. Prior work has utilized repetition suppression (RS) of the fMRI-BOLD signal-a reduction in the magnitude of activity over repeated presentations of stimuli-to index implicit memory. Using an explicit recognition memory paradigm, we examined emotional modulation of long-term implicit memory effects as revealed by repetition suppression (i.e., comparing second-exposure forgotten items to first-exposure correct rejections). Forty-seven participants incidentally encoded line-drawings of negative, positive, and neutral scenes followed by the full color image. Twenty-four hours later, participants underwent fMRI during a recognition memory test in which old and new line-drawings were presented. Implicit and explicit memory effects were defined by the contrasts of New-Correct Rejections > Old-Misses and Old-Hits > New-Correct Rejections, respectively. Wide-spread Negative RS was found in frontal and occipito-temporal cortex that was greater than Neutral RS in the right orbito-frontal cortex and inferior frontal gyri. Valence-specific Negative RS, compared to Positive RS, was observed in the left inferior occipital gyrus. There was no strong evidence for emotional modulation of amygdala RS, but functional connectivity analyses revealed valence-specificity: Negative and positive valence were associated with repetition suppression and repetition enhancement of amygdala-occipital connectivity, respectively. Negative implicit memory patterns in most frontal regions-but not occipital areas-overlapped with explicit memory effects. Thus, implicit memory effects for a single visual stimulus presentation are modulated by emotional valence, can be observed 24hours after initial exposure, and show some overlap with explicit memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Kark
- Department of Psychology, McGuinn Hall Room 300, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
| | - Scott D Slotnick
- Department of Psychology, McGuinn Hall Room 300, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
| | - Elizabeth A Kensinger
- Department of Psychology, McGuinn Hall Room 300, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
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11
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Norris CJ. The negativity bias, revisited: Evidence from neuroscience measures and an individual differences approach. Soc Neurosci 2019; 16:68-82. [PMID: 31750790 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2019.1696225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Past research has provided support for the existence of a negativity bias, the tendency for negativity to have a stronger impact than positivity. Theoretically, the negativity bias provides an evolutionary advantage, as it is more critical for survival to avoid a harmful stimulus than to pursue a potentially helpful one. The current paper reviews the theoretical grounding of the negativity bias in the Evaluative Space Model, and presents recent findings using a multilevel approach that further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the negativity bias and underscore the importance of the negativity bias for human functioning.
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12
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Amygdala activation during unconscious visual processing of food. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7277. [PMID: 31086241 PMCID: PMC6513994 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43733-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hedonic or emotional responses to food have important positive and negative effects on human life. Behavioral studies have shown that hedonic responses to food images are elicited rapidly, even in the absence of conscious awareness of food. Although a number of previous neuroimaging studies investigated neural activity during conscious processing of food images, the neural mechanisms underlying unconscious food processing remain unknown. To investigate this issue, we measured neural activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants viewed food and mosaic images presented subliminally and supraliminally. Conjunction analyses revealed that the bilateral amygdala was more strongly activated in response to food images than to mosaic images under both subliminal and supraliminal conditions. Interaction analyses revealed that the broad bilateral posterior regions, peaking at the posterior fusiform gyrus, were particularly active when participants viewed food versus mosaic images under the supraliminal compared with the subliminal condition. Dynamic causal modeling analyses supported the model in which the subcortical visual pathway from the pulvinar to the amygdala was modulated by food under the subliminal condition; in contrast, the model in which both subcortical and cortical (connecting the primary visual cortex, fusiform gyrus, and the amygdala) visual pathways were modulated by food received the most support under the supraliminal condition. These results suggest the possibility that unconscious hedonic responses to food may exert an effect through amygdala activation via the subcortical visual pathway.
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Damjanovic L, Meyer M, Sepulveda F. Raising the alarm: Individual differences in the perceptual awareness of masked facial expressions. Brain Cogn 2017; 114:1-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2017.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Kark SM, Slotnick SD, Kensinger EA. Repetition Enhancement of Amygdala and Visual Cortex Functional Connectivity Reflects Nonconscious Memory for Negative Visual Stimuli. J Cogn Neurosci 2016; 28:1933-1946. [PMID: 27676616 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Most studies using a recognition memory paradigm examine the neural processes that support the ability to consciously recognize past events. However, there can also be nonconscious influences from the prior study episode that reflect repetition suppression effects-a reduction in the magnitude of activity for repeated presentations of stimuli-that are revealed by comparing neural activity associated with forgotten items to correctly rejected novel items. The present fMRI study examined the effect of emotional valence (positive vs. negative) on repetition suppression effects. Using a standard recognition memory task, 24 participants viewed line drawings of previously studied negative, positive, and neutral photos intermixed with novel line drawings. For each item, participants made an old-new recognition judgment and a sure-unsure confidence rating. Collapsed across valence, repetition suppression effects were found in ventral occipital-temporal cortex and frontal regions. Activity levels in the majority of these regions were not modulated by valence. However, repetition enhancement of the amygdala and ventral occipital-temporal cortex functional connectivity reflected nonconscious memory for negative items. In this study, valence had little effect on activation patterns but had a larger effect on functional connectivity patterns that were markers of nonconscious memory. Beyond memory and emotion, these findings are relevant to other cognitive and social neuroscientists that utilize fMRI repetition effects to investigate perception, attention, social cognition, and other forms of learning and memory.
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Facial Masculinity and Beardedness Determine Men’s Explicit, but Not Their Implicit, Responses to Male Dominance. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-016-0047-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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16
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Sato W, Kochiyama T, Uono S, Toichi M. Neural mechanisms underlying conscious and unconscious attentional shifts triggered by eye gaze. Neuroimage 2015; 124:118-126. [PMID: 26343316 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.08.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2014] [Revised: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral studies have shown that eye gaze triggers attentional shifts both with and without conscious awareness. However, the neural substrates of conscious and unconscious attentional shifts triggered by eye gaze remain unclear. To investigate this issue, we measured brain activity using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants observed averted or straight eye-gaze cues presented supraliminally or subliminally in the central visual field and then localized a subsequent target in the peripheral visual field. Reaction times for localizing the targets were shorter under both supraliminal and subliminal conditions when eye-gaze cues were directionally congruent with the target locations than when they were directionally neutral. Conjunction analyses revealed that a bilateral cortical network, including the middle temporal gyri, inferior parietal lobules, anterior cingulate cortices, and superior and middle frontal gyri, was activated more in response to averted eyes than to straight eyes under both supraliminal and subliminal conditions. Interaction analyses revealed that the right inferior parietal lobule was specifically active when participants viewed averted eyes relative to straight eyes under the supraliminal condition; the bilateral subcortical regions, including the superior colliculus and amygdala, and the middle temporal and inferior frontal gyri in the right hemisphere were activated in response to averted versus straight eyes under the subliminal condition. These results suggest commonalities and differences in the neural mechanisms underlying conscious and unconscious attentional shifts triggered by eye gaze.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Sato
- The Hakubi Project, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Aichi 484-8506, Japan; The Organization for Promoting Developmental Disorder Research, 40 Shogoin-Sannocho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8392, Japan.
| | - Takanori Kochiyama
- The Hakubi Project, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Shota Uono
- The Organization for Promoting Developmental Disorder Research, 40 Shogoin-Sannocho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8392, Japan
| | - Motomi Toichi
- The Organization for Promoting Developmental Disorder Research, 40 Shogoin-Sannocho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8392, Japan; Faculty of Human Health Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin-Kawaharacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
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17
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Dong G, Zhou H, Lin X, Hu Y, Lu Q. Why the processing of repeated targets are better than that of no repetition: evidence from easy-to-difficult and difficult-to-easy switching situations. Behav Brain Funct 2014; 10:4. [PMID: 24524597 PMCID: PMC3942170 DOI: 10.1186/1744-9081-10-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2013] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies have found that the processing of repeated targets are easier than that of non-repetition. Although several theories attempt to explain this issue, the underlying mechanism still remains uncovered. In this study, we tried to address this issue by exploring the underlying brain responses during this process. Methods Brain activities were recorded while thirty participants performing a Stroop task (Chinese version) in the MRI scanner. Using pseudo-random strategies, we created two types of switching conditions (easy-to-difficult; difficult-to-easy) and relevant repeating conditions. Results The results show that, in difficult-to-easy switching situation, higher brain activations are found in left precuneus than repeating ones (the precuneus is thought related with attention demands). In easy-to-difficult switching conditions, higher brain activations are found in precuneus, superior temporal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus than repeating trials (most of these regions are thought related with executive function). No overlapping brain regions are observed in con_CON and incon_INCON conditions. Beta figures of the survived clusters in different conditions, correlations between brain activations and switch cost were calculated. Conclusions The present study suggests that the feature that response time in switching trials are longer than that in repeating trials are caused by the extra endeavors engaged in the switching processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangheng Dong
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, 688 Yingbin Road, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, P,R, China.
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18
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Suslow T, Lindner C, Dannlowski U, Walhöfer K, Rödiger M, Maisch B, Bauer J, Ohrmann P, Lencer R, Zwitserlood P, Kersting A, Heindel W, Arolt V, Kugel H. Automatic amygdala response to facial expression in schizophrenia: initial hyperresponsivity followed by hyporesponsivity. BMC Neurosci 2013; 14:140. [PMID: 24219776 PMCID: PMC3832234 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-14-140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 11/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is well established that the amygdala is crucially involved in the processing of facial emotions. In schizophrenia patients, a number of neuroimaging findings suggest hypoactivation of the amygdala in response to facial emotion, while others indicate normal or enhanced recruitment of this region. Some of this variability may be related to the baseline condition used and the length of the experiment. There is evidence that schizophrenia patients display increased activation of the amygdala to neutral faces and that this is predominantly observed during early parts of the experiment. Recent research examining the automatic processing of facial emotion has also reported amygdala hyperactivation in schizophrenia. In the present study, we focused on the time-course of amygdala activation during the automatic processing of emotional facial expression. We hypothesized that in comparison to healthy subjects, patients would initially show hyperresponsivity of the amygdala to masked emotional and neutral faces. In addition, we expected amygdala deactivation in response to masked facial emotions from the first to the second phase to be more pronounced in patients than in controls. RESULTS Amygdala activation in response to angry, happy, neutral, and no facial expression (presented for 33 ms) was measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging in 30 schizophrenia patients and 35 healthy controls. Across all subjects, the bilateral amygdala response to faces (relative to the no facial expression condition) was larger in the initial phase (first half of trials) than in the second phase (second half of trials). During the initial phase, schizophrenia patients exhibited an increased right amygdala response to all faces and an increased left amygdala response to neutral faces compared with controls. During the second phase, controls manifested a higher right amygdala response for all faces and a higher left amygdala response to angry faces than patients. CONCLUSIONS Schizophrenia patients are characterized by high initial amygdala responsivity to facial expressions at an automatic processing level, which substantially decreases with time. Amygdala deactivation over time might reflect an automatic mechanism by which schizophrenia patients suppress the processing of facial stimuli. This blocking mechanism could help patients avoid overstimulation during social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Suslow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Leipzig, Semmelweisstr 10, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Christian Lindner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, Marburg 35037, Germany
| | - Kirsten Walhöfer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Maike Rödiger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Birgit Maisch
- Klinik am Schlossgarten, Am Schlossgarten 10, Dülmen 48249, Germany
| | - Jochen Bauer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Patricia Ohrmann
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Rebekka Lencer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Pienie Zwitserlood
- Department of Psychology, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Anette Kersting
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Leipzig, Semmelweisstr 10, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Walter Heindel
- Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Volker Arolt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 11, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Harald Kugel
- Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Münster 48149, Germany
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Shi H, Wang X, Yao S. Comparison of activation patterns between masking and inattention tasks: a coordinate-based meta-analysis of implicit emotional face processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:459. [PMID: 23986672 PMCID: PMC3752438 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies of implicit emotional processing are important for understanding the neural mechanisms and its social and evolutionary significance. Two major experimental tasks are used to explore the mechanisms of implicit emotional processing: masking tasks and inattention tasks, both using emotional faces as stimuli. However, it is unclear whether they have identical or distinct neural substrates since few studies have compared the two tasks. The purpose of the present study was to explore the mechanisms of implicit processing of emotional faces, and compare the activation patterns between different tasks. Through a literature search, 41 studies exploring implicit processing of emotional faces were collected. A total of 830 healthy subjects and 513 foci were obtained. Separate activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses were conducted for the entire group of studies and for different tasks for comparison purposes. The results showed that there were differences, as well as overlap, in activation patterns between masking and inattention tasks. Bilateral amygdala, middle occipital gyrus and fusiform gyrus were activated across both tasks. While masking tasks were more associated with inferior temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala, inattention tasks were more associated with right fusiform gyrus. The differences in activation patterns between masking and inattention tasks may be indicative of separate mechanisms underlying early and late stages of implicit emotional face processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huqing Shi
- Medical Psychological Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University Changsha, China
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20
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Markowitsch HJ. Memory and self-neuroscientific landscapes. ISRN NEUROSCIENCE 2013; 2013:176027. [PMID: 24967303 PMCID: PMC4045540 DOI: 10.1155/2013/176027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Relations between memory and the self are framed from a number of perspectives-developmental aspects, forms of memory, interrelations between memory and the brain, and interactions between the environment and memory. The self is seen as dividable into more rudimentary and more advanced aspects. Special emphasis is laid on memory systems and within them on episodic autobiographical memory which is seen as a pure human form of memory that is dependent on a proper ontogenetic development and shaped by the social environment, including culture. Self and episodic autobiographical memory are seen as interlocked in their development and later manifestation. Aside from content-based aspects of memory, time-based aspects are seen along two lines-the division between short-term and long-term memory and anterograde-future-oriented-and retrograde-past-oriented memory. The state dependency of episodic autobiographical is stressed and implications of it-for example, with respect to the occurrence of false memories and forensic aspects-are outlined. For the brain level, structural networks for encoding, consolidation, storage, and retrieval are discussed both by referring to patient data and to data obtained in normal participants with functional brain imaging methods. It is elaborated why descriptions from patients with functional or dissociative amnesia are particularly apt to demonstrate the facets in which memory, self, and personal temporality are interwoven.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans J. Markowitsch
- Physiological Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Universitaetsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Center of Excellence “Cognitive Interaction Technology” (CITEC), University of Bielefeld, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Hanse Institute of Advanced Science, P. O. Box 1344, 27733 Delmenhorst, Germany
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