Reflecting upon Feelings: An fMRI Study of Neural Systems Supporting the Attribution of Emotion to Self and Other

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1746-1772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin N. Ochsner ◽  
Kyle Knierim ◽  
David H. Ludlow ◽  
Josh Hanelin ◽  
Tara Ramachandran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Mixed Valence ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Self And Other

Understanding one's own and other individual's emotional states is essential for maintaining emotional equilibrium and strong social bonds. Although the neural substrates supporting reflection upon one's own feelings have been investigated, no studies have directly examined attributions about the internal emotional states of others to determine whether common or distinct neural systems support these abilities. The present study sought to directly compare brain regions involved in judging one's own, as compared to another individual's, emotional state. Thirteen participants viewed mixed valence blocks of photos drawn from the International Affective Picture System while whole-brain fMRI data were collected. Preblock cues instructed participants to evaluate either their emotional response to each photo, the emotional state of the central figure in each photo, or (in a baseline condition) whether the photo was taken indoors or outdoors. Contrasts indicated (1) that both self and other judgments activated the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), the superior temporal gyrus, and the posterior cingulate/precuneus, (2) that self judgments selectively activated subregions of the MPFC and the left temporal cortex, whereas (3) other judgments selectively activated the left lateral prefrontal cortex (including Broca's area) and the medial occipital cortex. These results suggest (1) that self and other evaluation of emotion rely on a network of common mechanisms centered on the MPFC, which has been hypothesized to support mental state attributions in general, and (2) that medial and lateral PFC regions selectively recruited by self or other judgments may be involved in attention to, and elaboration of, internally as opposed to externally generated information.

Brain responses to peer feedback in social media are modulated by valence and personality dimensions in late adolescence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrik Wikman ◽  
Mona Moisala ◽  
Artturi Ylinen ◽  
Jallu Lindblom ◽  
Sointu Leikas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Brain Responses

Previous studies have examined the neural correlates of receiving negative feedback from peers during virtual social interaction in young people. However, there is a lack of studies using platforms adolescents use in daily life. In the present study, 92 participants ages 17 to 20 performed a task that involved receiving positive and negative feedback from peers in a Facebook-like platform, while brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We also studied the effects of real-life habits of social media use on neural sensitivity to negative feedback. Peer feedback was shown to activate clusters in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), superior temporal gyrus and sulcus (STG/STS), and occipital cortex (OC). Negative feedback was related to greater activity in the VLPFC, MPFC, and anterior insula than positive feedback, replicating previous findings on peer feedback and social rejection. Habits of social media use did not correlate with brain responses to negative feedback.

scholarly journals Emotional modulation of cortical activity during gum-chewing: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoko Hasegawa ◽  
Ayumi Sakuramoto ◽  
Joe Sakagami ◽  
Masako Shiramizu ◽  
Tatsuya Suzuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Gum Chewing

Abstract Evidence indicates that distinct brain regions are associated with various emotional states. Cortical activity may be modulated by emotional states that are triggered upon chewing with various flavors. We examined cortical activity during chewing with different tastes/odors using multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Thirty-six right-handed subjects participated in a crossover-design trial. Subjects chewed flavorful (palatable) or less flavorful (unpalatable) gum for 5 minutes. During gum-chewing these subjects experienced positive and negative emotions, respectively. Subjects rated the taste/odor/deliciousness of each gum with a visual analog scale. Bilateral hemodynamic responses in the frontal to parietal lobes, bilateral masseter muscle activation, and heart rate were measured during gum-chewing. Data changes during gum-chewing were evaluated. Subjects’ ratings of the tastes and odors of each gum differed (p<0.001). Hemodynamic response changes were significantly elevated in the bilateral primary sensorimotor cortex during gum-chewing, in comparison to resting. The hemodynamic responses of wide brain regions showed little difference between the gum conditions; however, a difference was detected in the corresponding left frontopolar/dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Muscle activation and heart rate were not significantly different between the gum conditions. Differential processing in the left prefrontal cortex might be responsible for emotional states caused by palatable and unpalatable foods.

scholarly journals O4.4. REAL TIME FMRI NEUROFEEDBACK TARGETING STG AND DMN REDUCES AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S10-S10
Author(s):  
Margaret Niznikiewicz ◽  
Kana Okano ◽  
Clemens Bauer ◽  
Paul Nestor ◽  
Elizabetta Del Re ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Default Mode Network ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Central Executive ◽  
Auditory Hallucinations ◽  
Default Mode ◽  
Central Executive Network ◽  
Voice Recording

Abstract Background Auditory hallucinations (AH) are one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia (SZ) and constitute a significant source of suffering and disability. One third of SZ patients experience pharmacology-resistant AH, so an alternative/complementary treatment strategy is needed to alleviate this debilitating condition. In this study, real-time functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging neurofeedback (rt-fMRI NFB), a non-invasive technique, was used to help 10 SZ patients modulate their brain activity in key brain regions belonging to the network involved in the experience of auditory hallucinations. In two experiments we selected two different brain targets. 1. the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and 2. default mode network (DMN)-central executive network (CEN) connectivity. STG is a key area in the neurophysiology of AH. Hyperactivation of the default mode network (DMN) and of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) in SZ has been shown in imaging studies. Furthermore, several studies point to reduced anticorrelation between the DMN and the central executive network (CEN). Finally, DMN hyperconnectivity has been associated with positive symptoms such as AHs while reduced DMN anticorrelations have been associated with cognitive impairment. Methods In the STG-focused NFB experiment, subjects were trained to upregulate the STG activity while listening to their own voice recording and downregulate it while ignoring a stranger’s voice recording in the course of 21 min NFB session. Visual feedback was provided to subjects at the end of each run from their own STG activity in the form of a thermometer. AH were assessed with auditory hallucination scale pre-NFB and within a week after the NFB session. The DMN-CEN focused NFB experiment was conducted about 1 month later to minimize the carry over effects from the STG-focused NFB and was designed to help SZ patients modulate their DMN and CEN networks. DMN and CEN networks were defined individually for each subject. The goal of the task was to increase CEN-DMN anti-correlations. To achieve that patients were provided with meditation strategies to guide their performance. Feedback was provided in the form of a ball that traveled up if the modulation of DMN-CEN connectivity was successful and traveled down if it was not successful. AH measures were taken before the NFB session and within a week after the session. Results In the STG-focused NFB task, significant STG activation reduction was found in the comparison of pre- relative to post-NFB in the condition of ignoring another person’s voice (p&lt;0.05), FWE-TFCE corrected. AH were also significantly reduced (p&lt;0.01). Importantly, significant correlation was found between reductions in the STG activation and AH reductions (r=.83). In the DMN-CEN focused NFB task, significant increase in the anti-correlations between medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (p&lt;0.05) was observed as well as significant reduction in the mPFC-PCC connectivity (p &lt;0.05), in the pre-post NFB comparisons. AH were significantly reduced in post- relative to pre-NFB comparison (p&lt;0.02). Finally, there was a significant correlation between individual scores in mPFC-STG connectivity and AH reductions. Discussion These the two experiments suggest that targeting both the STG BOLD activation and DMN-CEN connectivity in NFB tasks aimed at AH reduction result both in brain changes and in AH reductions. Together, these results provide strong preliminary support for the NFB use as a means to impact brain function leading to reductions in AH in SZ. Importantly, these results suggest that AH result from brain abnormalities in a network of brain regions and that targeting a brain region belonging to this network will lead to AH symptom reduction.

scholarly journals The Effects of Tryptamine Psychedelics in the Brain: A meta-Analysis of Functional and Review of Molecular Imaging Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Castelhano ◽  
Gisela Lima ◽  
Marta Teixeira ◽  
Carla Soares ◽  
Marta Pais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Molecular Mimicry ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
The Brain

There is an increasing interest in the neural effects of psychoactive drugs, in particular tryptamine psychedelics, which has been incremented by the proposal that they have potential therapeutic benefits, based on their molecular mimicry of serotonin. It is widely believed that they act mainly through 5HT2A receptors but their effects on neural activation of distinct brain systems are not fully understood. We performed a quantitative meta-analysis of brain imaging studies to investigate the effects of substances within this class (e.g., LSD, Psilocybin, DMT, Ayahuasca) in the brain from a molecular and functional point of view. We investigated the question whether the changes in activation patterns and connectivity map into regions with larger 5HT1A/5HT2A receptor binding, as expected from indolaemine hallucinogens (in spite of the often reported emphasis only on 5HT2AR). We did indeed find that regions with changed connectivity and/or activation patterns match regions with high density of 5HT2A receptors, namely visual BA19, visual fusiform regions in BA37, dorsal anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and regions involved in theory of mind such as the surpramarginal gyrus, and temporal cortex (rich in 5HT1A receptors). However, we also found relevant patterns in other brain regions such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Moreover, many of the above-mentioned regions also have a significant density of both 5HT1A/5HT2A receptors, and available PET studies on the effects of psychedelics on receptor occupancy are still quite scarce, precluding a metanalytic approach. Finally, we found a robust neuromodulatory effect in the right amygdala. In sum, the available evidence points towards strong neuromodulatory effects of tryptamine psychedelics in key brain regions involved in mental imagery, theory of mind and affective regulation, pointing to potential therapeutic applications of this class of substances.

Nonlinear modulation of interacting between COMT and depression on brain function

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 6-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Gong ◽  
C. He ◽  
Y. Yin ◽  
Q. Ye ◽  
F. Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Processing System ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan ◽  
Functional Connectivity Density ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Disease States ◽  
Nonlinear Modulation

AbstractBackground:The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is related to dopamine degradation and has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, how this gene affects brain function properties in MDD is still unclear.Methods:Fifty patients with MDD and 35 cognitively normal participants underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. A voxelwise and data-drive global functional connectivity density (gFCD) analysis was used to investigate the main effects and the interactions of disease states and COMT rs4680 gene polymorphism on brain function.Results:We found significant group differences of the gFCD in bilateral fusiform area (FFA), post-central and pre-central cortex, left superior temporal gyrus (STG), rectal and superior temporal gyrus and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC); abnormal gFCDs in left STG were positively correlated with severity of depression in MDD group. Significant disease × COMT interaction effects were found in the bilateral calcarine gyrus, right vlPFC, hippocampus and thalamus, and left SFG and FFA. Further post-hoc tests showed a nonlinear modulation effect of COMT on gFCD in the development of MDD. Interestingly, an inverted U-shaped modulation was found in the prefrontal cortex (control system) but U-shaped modulations were found in the hippocampus, thalamus and occipital cortex (processing system).Conclusion:Our study demonstrated nonlinear modulation of the interaction between COMT and depression on brain function. These findings expand our understanding of the COMT effect underlying the pathophysiology of MDD.

scholarly journals Dominance and Submission: The Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex and Responses to Status Cues

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 713-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail A. Marsh ◽  
Karina S. Blair ◽  
Matthew M. Jones ◽  
Niveen Soliman ◽  
R. J. R. Blair
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Choice Behavior ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Human Society ◽  
High Status ◽  
Superior Temporal Cortex ◽  
Status Cues ◽  
The Right ◽  
Opposite Gender

Status hierarchies constitute a fundamental organizing principle of human society. However, little is known about the neural systems that process nonverbal cues that indicate status. Preliminary neuropsychological work has suggested a role for the ventrolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VLPFC/VMPFC) and the superior temporal cortex (STC). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to delineate the nature of these roles. Analyses revealed signal changes in the right VLPFC in connection with two primary functions attributed to status cues. Status cues moderate behavior and the right VLPFC showed increased signal for high-status relative to neutral and low-status cues. The VLPFC also showed increased signal for high-status cues displayed by individuals of the opposite gender to the perceiver; this may be relevant to the role status cues play in moderating mate choice behavior. Connectivity results indicated significant positive connectivity between the VLPFC and both the VMPFC and the STC. We suggest that the VLPFC retrieves information from these regions when processing hierarchy cues to facilitate socially adaptive behavior.

scholarly journals A common neural system mediating two different forms of social judgement

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 1183-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hall ◽  
H. C. Whalley ◽  
J. W. McKirdy ◽  
R. Sprengelmeyer ◽  
I. M. Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural System ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Social Judgement ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Social Tasks

BackgroundA wide range of neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), are associated with impairments in social function. Previous studies have shown that individuals with schizophrenia and ASD have deficits in making a wide range of social judgements from faces, including decisions related to threat (such as judgements of approachability) and decisions not related to physical threat (such as judgements of intelligence). We have investigated healthy control participants to see whether there is a common neural system activated during such social decisions, on the basis that deficits in this system may contribute to the impairments seen in these disorders.MethodWe investigated the neural basis of social decision making during judgements of approachability and intelligence from faces in 24 healthy participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We used conjunction analysis to identify common brain regions activated during both tasks.ResultsActivation of the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, inferior prefrontal cortex and cerebellum was seen during performance of both social tasks, compared to simple gender judgements from the same stimuli. Task-specific activations were present in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the intelligence task and in the inferior and middle temporal cortex in the approachability task.ConclusionsThe present study identified a common network of brain regions activated during the performance of two different forms of social judgement from faces. Dysfunction of this network is likely to contribute to the broad-ranging deficits in social function seen in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and ASD.

scholarly journals Cortical Regions Involved in the Generation of Musical Structures during Improvisation in Pianists

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 830-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara L. Bengtsson ◽  
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi ◽  
Fredrik Ullén
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Posterior Part ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Musical Creation

Studies on simple pseudorandom motor and cognitive tasks have shown that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and rostral premotor areas are involved in free response selection. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether these brain regions are also involved in free generation of responses in a more complex creative behavior: musical improvisation. Eleven professional pianists participated in the study. In one condition, Improvise, the pianist improvised on the basis of a visually displayed melody. In the control condition, Reproduce, the participant reproduced his previous improvisation from memory. Participants were able to reproduce their improvisations with a high level of accuracy, and the contrast Improvise versus Reproduce was thus essentially matched in terms of motor output and sensory feedback. However, the Improvise condition required storage in memory of the improvisation. We therefore also included a condition FreeImp, where the pianist improvised but was instructed not to memorize his performance. To locate brain regions involved in musical creation, we investigated the activations in the Improvise-Reproduce contrast that were also present in FreeImp contrasted with a baseline rest condition. Activated brain regions included the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the presupplementary motor area, the rostral portion of the dorsal premotor cortex, and the left posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus. We suggest that these regions are part of a network involved in musical creation, and discuss their possible functional roles.

scholarly journals Neural underpinnings of morality judgment and moral aesthetic judgment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuping Cheng ◽  
Xue Wen ◽  
Guozhen Ye ◽  
Yanchi Liu ◽  
Yilong Kong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Aesthetic Judgment ◽  
Aesthetic Pleasure ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Motor Representations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain

AbstractMorality judgment usually refers to the evaluation of moral behavior`s ability to affect others` interests and welfare, while moral aesthetic judgment often implies the appraisal of moral behavior's capability to provide aesthetic pleasure. Both are based on the behavioral understanding. To our knowledge, no study has directly compared the brain activity of these two types of judgments. The present study recorded and analyzed brain activity involved in the morality and moral aesthetic judgments to reveal whether these two types of judgments differ in their neural underpinnings. Results reveled that morality judgment activated the frontal, parietal and occipital cortex previously reported for motor representations of behavior. Evaluation of goodness and badness showed similar patterns of activation in these brain regions. In contrast, moral aesthetic judgment elicited specific activations in the frontal, parietal and temporal cortex proved to be involved in the behavioral intentions and emotions. Evaluation of beauty and ugliness showed similar patterns of activation in these brain regions. Our findings indicate that morality judgment and moral aesthetic judgment recruit different cortical networks that might decode others' behaviors at different levels. These results contribute to further understanding of the essence of the relationship between morality judgment and aesthetic judgment.

scholarly journals Early and late neural correlates of mentalizing: ALE meta-analyses in adults, children and adolescents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn V Fehlbaum ◽  
Réka Borbás ◽  
Katharina Paul ◽  
Simon b Eickhoff ◽  
Nora m Raschle
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Inferior Temporal Cortex ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Right Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Meta Analyses

Abstract The ability to understand mental states of others is referred to as mentalizing and enabled by our Theory of Mind. This social skill relies on brain regions comprising the mentalizing network as robustly observed in adults but also in a growing number of developmental studies. We summarized and compared neuroimaging evidence in children/adolescents and adults during mentalizing using coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses to inform about brain regions consistently or differentially engaged across age categories. Adults (N = 5286) recruited medial prefrontal and middle/inferior frontal cortices, precuneus, temporoparietal junction and middle temporal gyri during mentalizing, which were functionally connected to bilateral inferior/superior parietal lobule and thalamus/striatum. Conjunction and contrast analyses revealed that children and adolescents (N = 479) recruit similar but fewer regions within core mentalizing regions. Subgroup analyses revealed an early continuous engagement of middle medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and right temporoparietal junction in younger children (8–11 years) and adolescents (12–18 years). Adolescents additionally recruited the left temporoparietal junction and middle/inferior temporal cortex. Overall, the observed engagement of the medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and right temporoparietal junction during mentalizing across all ages reflects an early specialization of some key regions of the social brain.

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