Related Experiment Videos
Task instructions modulate neural responses to fearful facial expressions
Kezia Lange1, Leanne M Williams, Andrew W Young
1Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom.
Biological Psychiatry
|February 1, 2003
Summary
Task instructions significantly alter brain responses to fearful faces. Neural activity in the hippocampus and occipital gyrus was highest during passive viewing and lowest during explicit emotional tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Social Neuroscience
Background:
- The amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortices are implicated in processing fearful facial expressions.
- The influence of task instructions on these neural responses remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different task instructions modulate neural responses to fearful facial expressions.
- To examine brain activation patterns under passive viewing, gender-decision, and emotionality judgment tasks.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
- Nine healthy male volunteers viewed alternating blocks of fearful and neutral facial expressions.
- Three conditions were tested: passive viewing, gender-decision task, and emotionality judgment task.
Main Results:
- Task instructions significantly affected neural activation in the left hippocampus and left inferior occipital gyrus.
- Maximal activation occurred during passive viewing, while minimal activation was observed during the explicit emotional task.
- Ventral frontal cortex activation was associated with the gender-decision and explicit emotional tasks, but not passive viewing.
Conclusions:
- Neural responses to fearful facial expressions are demonstrably modulated by task instructions.
- The cognitive demands of the task influence the intensity and location of brain activation.