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The pontine-driven somatic gaze tract contributes to affective processing in humans
Jing Jun Wong1, Dorita H F Chang2, Di Qi1
1State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Neuropsychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Neuroimage
|March 6, 2020
Summary
Subcortical brain structures, particularly the brain stem, play a crucial role in processing emotions like arousal and valence. This research reveals a visual pathway from the eye to the brain stem influencing affective responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Affective Science
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- The role of subcortical structures in affective processing remains unclear.
- The gerbil retino-raphe pathway influences affective behavior.
- The human pontine region is implicated in emotion processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if visual pathways to the brain stem contribute to affective processing.
- To explore the role of optic chiasm-brain stem tracts in emotion perception.
Main Methods:
- Neuroimaging techniques were used to analyze brain structure and function.
- Diffusion imaging measured diffusivity along optic chiasm-brain stem tracts.
- Task-evoked functional connectivity analyses examined brain activity during visual affective processing.
Main Results:
- Optic chiasm-brain stem diffusivity predicted perceived arousal and valence.
- The brain stem, specifically the pons, is involved early in visual affective processing.
- A feedforward model showed unidirectional projections from the pons to cortico-limbic regions.
Conclusions:
- Affective processing involves brain regions beyond the traditional cortico-limbic network.
- The pons plays a significant, early role in visual affective processing.
- This phylogenetically older pathway may have adaptive benefits for affect detection.
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