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Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face
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Facial Expressions Evoke Differential Neural Coupling in Macaques
Ning Liu1, Fadila Hadj-Bouziane2, Rosalyn Moran3
1Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|January 14, 2016
Summary
Emotional faces alter neural connections in the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Primate Studies
Background:
- Face perception involves a widespread brain network in humans and monkeys.
- Emotional facial expressions elicit stronger neural responses than neutral ones (valence effect).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how emotional facial expressions modulate functional connectivity within face-processing brain regions.
- To test the hypothesis that specific neural pathways are differentially affected by various emotional expressions.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) were employed in three monkeys.
- Bayesian model selection was used to analyze neural interactions between key brain areas: inferior temporal cortex (TEO, TE), amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC).
Main Results:
- The valence effect was mediated by feedback connections from the amygdala to TEO/TE and VLPFC to the amygdala/TE.
- Fearful faces enhanced amygdala feedback to TEO/TE.
- Threatening faces reduced amygdala and VLPFC modulation of TE, while appeasing faces reduced VLPFC modulation of the amygdala.
Conclusions:
- Neural coupling dynamically changes during the perception of behaviorally significant facial expressions.
- These alterations in effective connectivity are crucial for effective social communication.
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