Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
Published on: August 26, 2011
Brain activation patterns associated with the human comfortability of residential environments: 3.0-T functional MRI
Gwang-Won Kim1, Gwang-Woo Jeong
1aResearch Institute for Medical Imaging, Chonnam National University Medical School bDepartment of Radiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Residential environments are important in the daily lives of individuals, especially in terms of cognitive psychophysiology. This study compared the neural responses to two extreme residential environments: comfortable versus uncomfortable. Thirteen healthy individuals underwent a 3.0-T functional MRI while viewing images representing comfortable and uncomfortable residential environments. During exposure to the comfortable scenery, significant activation was observed in the calcarine gyrus selectively, whereas the uncomfortable scenery induced significant activation in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, which are related to cognitive control, as well as in the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, and insula, which are involved in the regulation and expression of emotion. Such differential brain activation patterns may reflect the neural networks mediating cognitive and emotional responses to residential environments. These findings would be helpful for understanding the neural mechanism associated with human comfortability for their residential environments.
Related Concept Videos
Optimal Arousal Theory
Inverted U-Shaped Performance Curve
The...
Association Areas of the Cortex
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,...
Stereotype Content Model
Sympathetic Activation

