Changes in functional connectivity associated with facial expression processing over the working adult lifespan
Thomas Murray1, Justin O'Brien2, Noam Sagiv2
1Psychology Department, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom.
Summary
Brain connectivity for processing negative emotions declines with age, potentially impacting neural networks before recognition accuracy decreases. This study examined age-related changes in brain networks linked to emotion processing in adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Aging
- Affective Computing
Background:
- Facial emotion recognition, particularly for negative emotions, declines with age, possibly starting in middle age.
- Previous research suggests age-related changes in neural responses to emotional expressions, but network connectivity alterations remain unclear.
- Understanding age-related changes in brain network connectivity is crucial for comprehending emotional processing across the lifespan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of participant age on whole-brain connectivity within emotion processing networks.
- To examine age-related changes in connectivity involving the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and right posterior superior temporal sulcus (rpSTS).
- To determine if age-related declines in connectivity differ for negative versus positive or neutral emotional expressions.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess whole-brain connectivity in healthy adults aged 20-65.
- Participants completed an implicit affect processing task using facial expressions (anger, fear, happiness, neutral).
- Emotion recognition accuracy was measured using a separate labelling task.
Main Results:
- Age was negatively associated with connectivity between the left amygdala and left occipital pole.
- Connectivity between the rpSTS and orbitofrontal cortex, and mPFC and cingulate/insular cortex, also showed age-related declines.
- These age-related connectivity declines were more pronounced for negative emotional expressions compared to happy and neutral ones.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide evidence for a specific age-related decline in neural network connectivity for processing negative emotions.
- Changes in brain network connectivity may occur during the working adult lifespan before significant deficits in emotion recognition are apparent.
- This suggests a potential neural basis for age-related shifts in emotional processing that precedes observable behavioral changes.
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