Neural integration in body perception

The perception of other people is instrumental in guiding social interactions. For example, the appearance of the human body cues a wide range of inferences regarding sex, age, health, and personality, as well as emotional state and intentions, which influence social behavior. To date, most neuroscience research on body perception has aimed to characterize the functional contribution of segregated patches of cortex in the ventral visual stream. In light of the growing prominence of network architectures in neuroscience, the current article reviews neuroimaging studies that measure functional integration between different brain regions during body perception. The review demonstrates that body perception is not restricted to processing in the ventral visual stream but instead reflects a functional alliance between the ventral visual stream and extended neural systems associated with action perception, executive functions, and theory of mind. Overall, these findings demonstrate how body percepts are constructed through interactions in distributed brain networks and underscore that functional segregation and integration should be considered together when formulating neurocognitive theories of body perception. Insight from such an updated model of body perception generalizes to inform the organizational structure of social perception and cognition more generally and also informs disorders of body image, such as anorexia nervosa, which may rely on atypical integration of body-related information.ISSN:0898-929XISSN:1530-889

High Field fMRI Reveals Thalamocortical Integration of Segregated Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Mediodorsal and Intralaminar Thalamic Nuclei

Thalamocortical loops, connecting functionally segregated, higher order cortical regions, and basal ganglia, have been proposed not only for well described motor and sensory regions, but also for limbic and prefrontal areas relevant for affective and cognitive processes. These functions are, however, more specific to humans, rendering most invasive neuroanatomical approaches impossible and interspecies translations difficult. In contrast, non-invasive imaging of functional neuroanatomy using fMRI allows for the development of elaborate task paradigms capable of testing the specific functionalities proposed for these circuits. Until recently, spatial resolution largely limited the anatomical definition of functional clusters at the level of distinct thalamic nuclei. Since their anatomical distinction seems crucial not only for the segregation of cognitive and limbic loops but also for the detection of their functional interaction during cognitive–emotional integration, we applied high resolution fMRI on 7 Tesla. Using an event-related design, we could isolate thalamic effects for preceding attention as well as experience of erotic stimuli. We could demonstrate specific thalamic effects of general emotional arousal in mediodorsal nucleus and effects specific to preceding attention and expectancy in intralaminar centromedian/parafascicular complex. These thalamic effects were paralleled by specific coactivations in the head of caudate nucleus as well as segregated portions of rostral or caudal cingulate cortex and anterior insula supporting distinct thalamo–striato–cortical loops. In addition to predescribed effects of sexual arousal in hypothalamus and ventral striatum, high resolution fMRI could extent this network to paraventricular thalamus encompassing laterodorsal and parataenial nuclei. We could lend evidence to segregated subcortical loops which integrate cognitive and emotional aspects of basic human behavior such as sexual processing

Covert brand recognition engages emotion-specific brain networks

Consumer goods' brands have become a major driver of consumers' choice: they have got symbolic, relational and even social properties that add substantial cultural and affective value to goods and services. Therefore, measuring the role of brands in consumers' cognitive and affective processes would be very helpful to better understand economic decision making. This work aimed at finding the neural correlates of automatic, spontaneous emotional response to brands, showing how deeply integrated are consumption symbols within the cognitive and affective processes of individuals. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was measured during a visual oddball paradigm consisting in the presentation of scrambled pictures as frequent stimuli, colored squares as targets, and brands and emotional pictures (selected from the International Affective Picture System [IAPS]) as emotionally-salient distractors. Affective rating of brands was assessed individually after scanning by a validated questionnaire. Results showed that, similarly to IAPS pictures, brands activated a well-defined emotional network, including amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, highly specific of affective valence. In conclusion, this work identified the neural correlates of brands within cognitive and affective processes of consumers

Lying about the Valence of Affective Pictures: An fMRI Study

The neural correlates of lying about affective information were studied using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methodology. Specifically, 13 healthy right-handed Chinese men were instructed to lie about the valence, positive or negative, of pictures selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) while their brain activity was scanned by a 3T Philip Achieva scanner. The key finding is that the neural activity associated with deception is valence-related. Comparing to telling the truth, deception about the valence of the affectively positive pictures was associated with activity in the inferior frontal, cingulate, inferior parietal, precuneus, and middle temporal regions. Lying about the valence of the affectively negative pictures, on the other hand, was associated with activity in the orbital and medial frontal regions. While a clear valence-related effect on deception was observed, common neural regions were also recruited for the process of deception about the valence of the affective pictures. These regions included the lateral prefrontal and inferior parietal regions. Activity in these regions has been widely reported in fMRI studies on deception using affectively-neutral stimuli. The findings of this study reveal the effect of valence on the neural activity associated with deception. Furthermore, the data also help to illustrate the complexity of the neural mechanisms underlying deception

Temporal and spatial neural dynamics in the perception of basic emotions from complex scenes

The different temporal dynamics of emotions are critical to understand their evolutionary role in the regulation of interactions with the surrounding environment. Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics underlying the perception of four basic emotions from complex scenes varying in valence and arousal (fear, disgust, happiness and sadness) with the millisecond time resolution of Electroencephalography (EEG). Event-related potentials were computed and each emotion showed a specific temporal profile, as revealed by distinct time segments of significant differences from the neutral scenes. Fear perception elicited significant activity at the earliest time segments, followed by disgust, happiness and sadness. Moreover, fear, disgust and happiness were characterized by two time segments of significant activity, whereas sadness showed only one long-latency time segment of activity. Multidimensional scaling was used to assess the correspondence between neural temporal dynamics and the subjective experience elicited by the four emotions in a subsequent behavioral task. We found a high coherence between these two classes of data, indicating that psychological categories defining emotions have a close correspondence at the brain level in terms of neural temporal dynamics. Finally, we localized the brain regions of time-dependent activity for each emotion and time segment with the low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography. Fear and disgust showed widely distributed activations, predominantly in the right hemisphere. Happiness activated a number of areas mostly in the left hemisphere, whereas sadness showed a limited number of active areas at late latency. The present findings indicate that the neural signature of basic emotions can emerge as the byproduct of dynamic spatiotemporal brain networks as investigated with millisecond-range resolution, rather than in time-independent areas involved uniquely in the processing one specific emotion. Keywords: basic emotions, EEG, LORETA, ERP, IAPS, time, rapid perceptio

Exposure to negative socio-emotional events induces sustained alteration of resting-state brain networks in older adults

Basic emotional functions seem well preserved in older adults. However, their reactivity to and recovery from socially negative events remain poorly characterized. To address this, we designed a ‘task–rest’ paradigm in which 182 participants from two independent experiments underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while exposed to socio-emotional videos. Experiment 1 (N = 55) validated the task in young and older participants and unveiled age-dependent effects on brain activity and connectivity that predominated in resting periods after (rather than during) negative social scenes. Crucially, emotional elicitation potentiated subsequent resting-state connectivity between default mode network and amygdala exclusively in older adults. Experiment 2 replicated these results in a large older adult cohort (N = 127) and additionally showed that emotion-driven changes in posterior default mode network–amygdala connectivity were associated with anxiety, rumination and negative thoughts. These findings uncover the neural dynamics of empathy-related functions in older adults and help understand its relationship to poor social stress recovery

The Dissociation of Valence and Intensity Using Alliesthesia and Thermal Stimulation

Psychological models have proposed that valence, how pleasant or unpleasant a stimulus is perceived, and intensity, the strength with which a stimulus is perceived, constitute two primary dimensions that describe affective experience. However, the inherent relationship between valence and intensity has limited imaging studies of these models and the neural substrates are poorly understood. For example, it is not known if the neural representations for each dimension are discrete or shared. To overcome these limitations, we applied properties of alliesthesia, the phenomenon where the valence of a stimulus is dependent upon the physiological state of the body, using thermal stimuli to the hand in combination with whole-body warming and cooling. In this way, we were able to manipulate the hedonic aspect of our thermal stimuli independent of their perceived intensity. Brain regions correlating with stimulus valence included the medial orbitofrontal cortex, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala, whereas stimulus intensity was correlated with activity in the insula, thalamus and striatum, among others. Our results suggest segregated patterns of neural activity underlying perceptions of valence and intensity, consistent with dimensional models of emotion

Controle cognitivo associado à indução de irritabilidade: um estudo de RMf usando recordações autobiográficas

OBJECTIVE: Despite the relevance of irritability emotions to the treatment, prognosis and classification of psychiatric disorders, the neurobiological basis of this emotional state has been rarely investigated to date. We assessed the brain circuitry underlying personal script-driven irritability in healthy subjects (n = 11) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. METHOD: Blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes were recorded during auditory presentation of personal scripts of irritability in contrast to scripts of happiness or neutral emotional content. Self-rated emotional measurements and skin conductance recordings were also obtained. Images were acquired using a 1,5T magnetic resonance scanner. Brain activation maps were constructed from individual images, and between-condition differences in the mean power of experimental response were identified by using cluster-wise nonparametric tests. RESULTS: Compared to neutral scripts, increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal during irritability scripts was detected in the left subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and in the left medial, anterolateral and posterolateral dorsal prefrontal cortex (cluster-wise p-value < 0.05). While the involvement of the subgenual cingulate and dorsal anterolateral prefrontal cortices was unique to the irritability state, increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal in dorsomedial and dorsal posterolateral prefrontal regions were also present during happiness induction. CONCLUSION: Irritability induction is associated with functional changes in a limited set of brain regions previously implicated in the mediation of emotional states. Changes in prefrontal and cingulate areas may be related to effortful cognitive control aspects that gain salience during the emergence of irritability.OBJETIVO: Apesar da relevância de emoções de irritabilidade para o tratamento, prognóstico e classificação dos transtornos psiquiátricos, as bases neurobiológicas deste tipo de estado emocional foram raramente investigadas até hoje. Este estudo avaliou os circuitos cerebrais subjacentes à irritabilidade induzida por scripts pessoais em voluntários saudáveis (n = 11) usando ressonância magnética funcional. MÉTODO: Mudanças no sinal dependente do nível de oxigenação sanguínea (blood-oxygen level dependent signal) foram registradas durante a apresentação por via auditiva de scripts pessoais de irritabilidade em contraste com scripts de felicidade ou de conteúdo emocional neutro. Escores em escalas de autoavaliação emocional e medidas de condutância da pele também foram obtidos. A aquisição de imagens foi realizada em aparelho de ressonância magnética de 1,5 T. Os mapas de ativação cerebral foram construídos a partir das imagens individuais, e as diferenças entre as condições experimentais foram investigadas utilizando testes não-paramétricos baseados em permutações. RESULTADOS: Em comparação com scripts neutros, a apresentação de scripts de irritabilidade levou a aumentos de sinal dependente do nível de oxigenação sanguínea na porção subgenual do giro do cíngulo anterior esquerdo e nas porções medial, ântero-lateral e póstero-lateral do córtex pré-frontal dorsal (cluster-wise p-valor < 0,05). Enquanto o envolvimento do cíngulo anterior subgenual e do córtex pré-frontal dorsal antero-lateral surgiu apenas em associação com o estado de irritabilidade, aumentos do sinal dependente do nível de oxigenação sanguínea nas porções dorso-medial e dorsal póstero-lateral do córtex pré-frontal também estiveram presentes durante indução de felicidade. CONCLUSÃO: Indução de irritabilidade está associada a mudanças de atividade funcional num conjunto restrito de regiões cerebrais previamente implicadas na mediação de estados emocionais. Mudanças na atividade de porções do giro do cíngulo e pré-frontais podem estar relacionadas a esforço de controle cognitivo associado à expressão de emoções de irritabilidade

Exploring Emotions Using Invasive Methods: Review of 60 Years of Human Intracranial Electrophysiology

Over the past 60 years, human intracranial electrophysiology (HIE) has been used to characterize seizures in patients with epilepsy. Secondary to the clinical objectives, electrodes implanted intracranially have been used to investigate mechanisms of human cognition. In addition to studies of memory and language, HIE methods have been used to investigate emotions. The aim of this review is to outline the contribution of HIE (electrocorticography, single-unit recording and electrical brain stimulation) to our understanding of the neural representations of emotions. We identified 64 papers dating back to the mid-1950s which used HIE techniques to study emotional states. Evidence from HIE studies supports the existence of widely distributed networks in the neocortex, limbic/paralimbic regions and subcortical nuclei which contribute to the representation of emotional states. In addition, evidence from HIE supports hemispheric dominance for emotional valence. Furthermore, evidence from HIE supports the existence of overlapping neural areas for emotion perception, experience and expression. Lastly, HIE provides unique insights into the temporal dynamics of neural activation during perception, experience and expression of emotional states. In conclusion, we propose that HIE techniques offer important evidence which must be incorporated into our current models of emotion representation in the human brain