Consensus Paper: Cerebellum and Emotion

Over the past three decades, insights into the role of the cerebellum in emotional processing have substantially increased. Indeed, methodological refinements in cerebellar lesion studies and major technological advancements in the field of neuroscience are in particular responsible to an exponential growth of knowledge on the topic. It is timely to review the available data and to critically evaluate the current status of the role of the cerebellum in emotion and related domains. The main aim of this article is to present an overview of current facts and ongoing debates relating to clinical, neuroimaging, and neurophysiological findings on the role of the cerebellum in key aspects of emotion. Experts in the field of cerebellar research discuss the range of cerebellar contributions to emotion in nine topics. Topics include the role of the cerebellum in perception and recognition, forwarding and encoding of emotional information, and the experience and regulation of emotional states in relation to motor, cognitive, and social behaviors. In addition, perspectives including cerebellar involvement in emotional learning, pain, emotional aspects of speech, and neuropsychiatric aspects of the cerebellum in mood disorders are briefly discussed. Results of this consensus paper illustrate how theory and empirical research have converged to produce a composite picture of brain topography, physiology, and function that establishes the role of the cerebellum in many aspects of emotional processing

Anger is associated with reward-related electrocortical activity: Evidence from the reward positivity

Item does not contain fulltextPrevious research indicates that the reward positivity (RewP), an electrophysiological correlate of sensitivity and biases towards rewarding stimuli, is modulated by affective and motivational variables. Studies have provided evidence that states and traits associated with negative affect and reduced approach motivation are correlated with smaller RewP amplitudes. However, the possible confound of affective valence and motivational direction was not addressed in these studies. In the present study, we examined if anger, an emotion associated with negative affect and increased approach motivation, would affect RewP amplitude. We also investigated if RewP amplitude was related to the motivational properties of reward stimuli. One hundred male participants completed two emotion inductions intended to elicit feelings of either neutrality or anger. Each was followed by a simple gambling task, in which correct choices were followed by images of women in lingerie or swimwear. Although the RewP was elicited following each induction, there was no difference in amplitude between the neutral and anger induction. However, RewP amplitude was positively correlated with how much participants liked the reward stimuli, and this correlation was statistically larger following the anger induction. These results support a motivational interpretation for the differences in RewP amplitude reported in previous studies, suggesting that motivational direction and intensity, rather than affective valence, underlie differences in RewP amplitude. Moreover, the RewP appears to be affected by interactions between motivational state and the motivational value of reward stimuli.10 p

A review of social neuroscience research on anger and aggression

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Internal market and euro crisis: labour law under the gun of the European Union?

The European Union has become the battle ground for a growing conflict between labour protection in the member states and the economic rules of the internal market. This paper traces the emergence and development of that conflict through the case-law of the European Court of Justice. It structures the case-law in varying models of conflict resolution: labour is not a commodity; labour is exempted from market law; labour and market in balance; and market primacy and labour subordination. It offers a critical assessment of the foundations and internal contradictions of a case-law that is still developing and presents an alternative model for equilibrium between equal principles. The paper also addresses the increasing legal ramifications of the euro crisis. It sketches how labour market reforms that have been adopted at state level under the pressure of the crisis are increasingly the target of legal contestation from the perspective of European and international labour law principles