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Limbic activation and psychophysiologic responses to aversive visual stimuli. Interaction with cognitive task
I Liberzon1, S F Taylor, L M Fig
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Summary
Emotional stimuli activate brain regions like the amygdala and thalamus, alongside physiological responses. Task instructions can modulate this limbic activation, impacting emotional processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychophysiology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Emotional stimuli elicit distinct brain and physiological responses.
- The role of cognitive tasks in modulating emotional processing remains an area of investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map regional brain activity and peripheral psychophysiological responses to emotional stimuli.
- To investigate whether cognitive task instructions can modulate limbic activation.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous measurement of brain activity using [15O]water positron emission tomography (PET) and peripheral psychophysiology.
- Subjects viewed neutral or aversive pictures under two cognitive tasks: rating or recognition memory.
Main Results:
- Aversive stimuli increased activity in the amygdala, thalamus, midbrain, and prefrontal cortex, accompanied by elevated skin conductance responses (SCR).
- Significant correlations between brain activity and SCR were found in the thalamus and right amygdala.
- Limbic activation was greater during picture rating compared to recognition memory.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive demands can modulate limbic system activity during emotional processing.
- Task instructions influence the neural and physiological responses to emotional stimuli.