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Related Experiment Video

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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
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Human thalamic and amygdala modulation in emotional scene perception.

David W Frank1, Dean Sabatinelli1

  • 1Department of Psychology, BioImaging Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Department of Neuroscience, BioImaging Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Brain Research
|September 1, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Emotional scene perception involves the amygdala and visual cortex. This study reveals that higher-order visual thalamic structures also process emotional scene value, aiding attention to relevant cues.

Keywords:
AmygdalaEmotionMediodorsal nucleusPerceptionPulvinarThalamus

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Emotional scene perception engages the ventral occipitotemporal cortex and amygdala.
  • Existing research emphasizes amygdala feedback to visual cortex for emotional processing.
  • The role of high-order thalamic nuclei (mediodorsal nucleus and pulvinar) in emotional scene perception remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the involvement of the amygdala, mediodorsal nucleus (MDN), pulvinar, and extrastriate visual regions in emotional scene perception.
  • To explore the temporal dynamics of emotional discrimination across these brain regions.
  • To determine if higher-order visual thalamic structures are sensitive to the emotional valence of complex scenes.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
  • Participants viewed a balanced set of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant natural scenes.
  • Activity was recorded in the amygdala, MDN, pulvinar, and ventral visual areas.

Main Results:

  • All investigated regions (amygdala, MDN, pulvinar, ventral visual cortex) showed increased activity for emotionally arousing scenes compared to neutral scenes.
  • The timing of emotional discrimination suggests an early role for the amygdala in evaluating scene emotion.
  • Higher-order visual thalamic nuclei demonstrated sensitivity to the emotional value of complex visual stimuli.

Conclusions:

  • Emotional scene perception involves a network including the amygdala, higher-order visual thalamic structures, and visual cortical areas.
  • The mediodorsal nucleus and pulvinar are sensitive to emotional scene content.
  • These thalamic structures, along with the amygdala and fusiform gyrus, may modulate visual attention towards motivationally significant cues.