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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
Published on: August 26, 2011
Case report: stimulation of the right amygdala induces transient changes in affective bias
Kelly R Bijanki1, Christopher K Kovach2, Laurie M McCormick1
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, USA.
Background:
Sensitive outcome measures are needed to quantify the effects of neuromodulation in mood disorders.
Objective:
This study examined the utility of a novel affective bias (AB) task in identifying transient mood changes induced by amygdala stimulation in a single rare participant.
Methods:
Localized, pulsed electrical stimulation was delivered for 8 min during measures of AB and self-reported mood. Responses were compared with those gathered without stimulation on the same day in the same setting, using paired t-tests.
Results:
Stimulation of the basolateral nucleus of the right amygdala at 50 Hz, 15 V, and 200 μs pulse-width produced a significant positive shift in AB (t = -2.864, df = 53, P = .006), despite equivocal findings on self-reported mood (t = -.184, df = 12, P = .857).
Conclusion:
Affective bias may be more sensitive to stimulation-induced fluctuations in mood than subjective report, suggesting utility as an outcome measure in neuromodulation studies.
