Intrinsic connectivity in the human brain does not reveal networks for 'basic' emotions

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Two models explain the brain basis of emotion: basic emotion theory and conceptual act theory.
• Basic emotion theory posits innate, specific brain networks for each emotion.
• Conceptual act theory suggests emotions arise from interactions of domain-general brain networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural basis of emotion by comparing basic emotion theory and conceptual act theory.
• To determine if distinct brain networks underlie specific emotion categories.

Main Methods:

• Utilized resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI).
• Generated whole-brain rs-fcMRI maps for anger, sadness, fear, disgust, and happiness using meta-analysis peak coordinates.
• Examined spatial overlap and conjunctions of these emotion maps.

Main Results:

• No specific brain network was identified for each individual emotion category.
• The variance in emotion maps was explained by known domain-general brain networks.
• The salience network was consistently observed across all emotion categories.

Conclusions:

• Results refute the existence of distinct, innate brain networks for basic emotions.
• Findings support the conceptual act theory, indicating emotions are constructed from interacting domain-general brain systems.
• The intrinsic architecture of the human brain does not support emotion-specific networks.