Valence, gender, and lateralization of functional brain anatomy in emotion: a meta-analysis of findings from neuroimaging

Wager, Tor D.; Phan, K. Luan; Liberzon, Israel; Taylor, Stephan F.

doi:10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00078-8

Cited by 994 publications

(751 citation statements)

References 113 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

630

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The regions activated by the unpleasant pictures are in accordance with those associated with aversive stimuli found in previous studies on emotional processing (24). Among these regions, the PHG is of particular interest, because its activation was previously found during the anticipation of highly painful thermal stimuli (13).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Cerebral and spinal modulation of pain by emotions

Roy

Piché

Chen

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

214

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Emotions have powerful effects on pain perception. However, the brain mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown. In this study, we combined functional cerebral imaging with psychophysiological methods to explore the neural mechanisms involved in the emotional modulation of spinal nociceptive responses (RIII-reflex) and pain perception in healthy participants. Emotions induced by pleasant or unpleasant pictures modulated the responses to painful electrical stimulations in the right insula, paracentral lobule, parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus, and amygdala. Right insula activation covaried with the modulation of pain perception, consistent with a key role of this structure in the integration of pain signals with the ongoing emotion. In contrast, activity in the thalamus, amygdala, and several prefrontal areas was associated with the modulation of spinal reflex responses. Last, connectivity analyses suggested an involvement of prefrontal, parahippocampal, and brainstem structures in the cerebral and cerebrospinal modulation of pain by emotions. This multiplicity of mechanisms underlying the emotional modulation of pain is reflective of the strong interrelations between pain and emotions, and emphasizes the powerful effects that emotions can have on pain. Descending pain-modulatory pathways originate from various cerebral structures involved in emotions (6-8) and sensorimotor functions (9). These regions are thought to affect spinal nociception through their projections to several brainstem structures, including the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), rostroventral medulla (RVM), dorsolateral pontine tegmentum (DLPT), and nucleus cuneiformis (NCF) (10). All of these structures are thus potential cerebral sources of the descending modulation of pain by emotions. In turn, the modulation of spinal activity is expected to affect the transmission of nociceptive signals and the response of their target brain regions through the multiple ascending pathways. However, the important interconnectivity between emotional brain networks and areas implicated in the affective dimension of pain suggests that additional supraspinal mechanisms might also contribute to the emotional modulation of pain experiences. Among the potential cortical candidates, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (11) and the insula (12) are well positioned to contribute to the emotional modulation of pain.Whereas the ACC appears to be involved in the motoric and motivational aspects of pain and emotions, the insula is thought to generate subjective interoceptive feelings as a result of the gradual posterior-to-anterior integration of primary interoceptive information with contextual emotional and cognitive information (12).The cerebral correlates of the emotional modulation of pain perception have been explored in two brain imaging studies. In one study, pain-related activation in the entorhinal cortex was increased by expectation-induced anticipatory anxiety of a highly painful stimulation (13). Also, the increased activation in the entorhinal...

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Cerebral and spinal modulation of pain by emotions

Roy

Piché

Chen

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

214

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Patients with right-sided lesions demonstrate impairment in visual identification of emotional stimuli compared to those with left-sided lesions (Borod et al, 1998), and emotionally salient stimuli are processed more rapidly when presented to the left visual field or right hemisphere (Burton and Levy, 1989). Functional MRI studies have also implicated the right temporal cortex in emotional processing (Narumoto et al, 2001;Wager et al, 2003). The right hemisphere is considered dominant in other functions relevant for integrative perceptual processing, including self-recognition, familiarity detection, and self-other boundary evaluations (Devinsky, 2000(Devinsky, , 2009.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Right inferior longitudinal fasciculus lesions disrupt visual-emotional integration

Fischer

Perez

Prasad³

et al. 2016

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The mechanism by which the brain integrates visual and emotional information remains incompletely understood, and can be studied through focal lesions that selectively disrupt this process. To date, three reported cases of visual hypoemotionality, a vision-specific form of derealization, have resulted from lesions of the temporo-occipital junction. We present a fourth case of this rare phenomenon, and investigate the role of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) in the underlying pathophysiology. A 50-year-old right-handed male was found to have a right medial temporal lobe tumor following new-onset seizures. Interstitial laser ablation of the lesion was complicated by a right temporo-parieto-occipital intraparenchymal hemorrhage. The patient subsequently experienced emotional estrangement from visual stimuli. A lesion overlap analysis was conducted to assess involvement of the ILF by this patient's lesion and those of the three previously described cases, and diffusion tensor imaging was acquired in our case to further investigate ILF disruption. All four lesions specifically overlapped with the expected trajectory of the right ILF, and diminished structural integrity of the right ILF was observed in our case. These findings implicate the ILF in visual hypoemotionality, suggesting that the ILF is critical for integrating visual information with its emotional content.

show abstract

“…At a broader level, the MPFC is a key region in emotional processing. 50,52 Indeed, emotional films, pictures and recall as well positive and negative emotion separately engaged the MPFC. 14,15 One hypothesis is that the MPFC is involved in the cognitive aspects (for example, attention to emotion, appraisal/identification of emotion) of emotional processing.…”

Section: Functional Correlates Of Trait Anhedoniamentioning

confidence: 96%

Individual differences in trait anhedonia: a structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging study in non-clinical subjects

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anhedonia, the reduced capacity to gain pleasure from pleasurable experiences, is a key symptom of major depression and schizophrenia. Reduced hedonic capacity can also be measured as an enduring trait in non-clinical subjects. Such altered hedonic capacity is likely the result of a basic neuropsychophysiological dysfunction and a vulnerability marker that potentially precedes and contributes to the liability of developing psychiatric disorders. The characterization of the structural and functional neural correlates of trait anhedonia in nonclinical individuals may provide new insights for the early detection of such psychiatric diseases. Twenty-nine non-clinical subjects were scanned at the Montreal Neurological Institute. Trait anhedonia was measured using the Chapman Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale. Semi-automated and automated structural MRI segmentation techniques were used to explore structural correlates of trait anhedonia. Seventeen of the 29 subjects also underwent a functional imaging task where responses to the viewing of affective stimuli were examined to identify the functional correlates of trait anhedonia. Trait anhedonia was inversely related to anterior caudate volume, but positively related to ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity during the processing of positive information. These findings may reflect a specific kind of vulnerability for the development of psychiatric affective disorders and suggest that trait anhedonia may be linked to a volumetric reduction in the basal ganglia and to a prefrontal functional abnormality during hedonic processing.

show abstract

Valence, gender, and lateralization of functional brain anatomy in emotion: a meta-analysis of findings from neuroimaging

Cited by 994 publications

References 113 publications

Cerebral and spinal modulation of pain by emotions

Cerebral and spinal modulation of pain by emotions

Right inferior longitudinal fasciculus lesions disrupt visual-emotional integration

Individual differences in trait anhedonia: a structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging study in non-clinical subjects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About