Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System

Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System

The limbic system, often called the "emotional brain," is a complex set of structures located deep within the brain. The intricate network of the limbic system supports a wide range of psychological functions, from emotional regulation to memory formation and sensory processing. This functional brain region encompasses specific parts of the diencephalon and the cerebrum, integrating the higher mental functions of the cerebral cortex with the primitive emotional responses of the deep brain...

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.

Physiology of Emotion

Physiology of Emotion

The physiology of emotions is a multifaceted process involving the autonomic nervous system, brain structures, hormones, and neurotransmitters. This intricate interplay dictates how emotions manifest in the body and influence behavior.
Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a critical role in emotional responses by regulating involuntary physiological functions. It consists of two main components: the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic system...

Visual System

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

Vision

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Emotions, the amygdala, and the right hemisphere.

Brain research·2026

Same author

Differential aspects of familiar people recognition disorders in right and left variants of semantic dementia: A critical review.

Journal of neuropsychology·2026

Same author

Foreign Language Learning in Older Adults Modifies Resting-State Functional Connectivity Between the Subcortical Structures and the Cortex.

Aging medicine (Milton (N.S.W))·2026

Same author

Theoretical, Clinical, and Rehabilitative Aspects of Anosognosia an Extended Editorial.

Brain sciences·2026

Same author

Pulse waveform and current direction alter network-level TMS-induced functional connectivity: Evidence from TMS-EEG.

NeuroImage·2026

Same author

MCI-LB brain networks reorganization in relation to specific cognitive domains deficits.

Scientific reports·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Published on: February 1, 2012

Brain structures activated by overt and covert emotional visual stimuli.

Elisabetta Sabatini¹, Stefania Della Penna, Raffaella Franciotti

¹Servizio di Neuropsicologia, Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore di Roma, Policlinico A. Gemelli, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. elisabetta.sabatini@rm.unicatt.it

Brain Research Bulletin

|June 2, 2009

Summary

The amygdala and connected brain areas process emotional visual stimuli unconsciously. The anterior insula, fusiform gyrus, and temporal sulcus are involved in subliminal processing of pain-conditioned stimuli.

More Related Videos

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Published on: August 26, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Published on: February 1, 2012

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Published on: August 26, 2011

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroimaging

Background:

The amygdala's role in processing emotional visual stimuli, even subliminally, is established.
Research is needed to understand how other amygdala-connected regions activate during conscious and unconscious emotional stimulus presentation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate neural responses in brain areas connected to the amygdala during overt and covert presentation of conditioned emotional visual stimuli.
To determine the involvement of specific brain networks in the unconscious processing of emotional visual stimuli.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used in 10 healthy volunteers.
Participants were presented with conditioned emotional visual stimuli under both overt (75 ms) and covert (15 ms with masking) conditions.
Stimuli included angry faces associated with pain (CS+), happy (H), and neutral (N) faces.

Main Results:

A network including the anterior insula, fusiform gyrus, and superior temporal sulcus showed activation during subliminal processing of visual emotional stimuli.
The anterior insula responded to both overt and covert presentations of the conditioned stimulus.
The posterior insula selectively responded to the overt presentation of the pain-associated face (CS+).

Conclusions:

The anterior insula, fusiform gyrus, and superior temporal sulcus cooperate with the amygdala in the unconscious processing of visual emotional stimuli.
A dissociation exists between the anterior and posterior insula in processing emotional stimuli, with the anterior insula involved in subliminal processing and the posterior insula in consciously perceived pain-associated stimuli.