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Updated: Aug 17, 2025
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Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
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Face emotional expressions influence interhemispheric inhibition
Nicola Loi1, Francesca Ginatempo1, Miriam Carta1
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
Psychophysiology
|December 16, 2022
Summary
Viewing fearful and sad faces reduces interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) in the primary motor cortex (M1). This suggests emotional faces impact brain connectivity, potentially influencing motor responses to negative stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Social interactions rely on processing facial expressions.
- Negative facial expressions increase primary motor cortex (M1) excitability.
- Interhemispheric interactions and sensory-motor integration involve M1 and are modulated by emotions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how viewing emotional faces influences M1 interhemispheric connections and sensory-motor integration.
- To determine if these processes mediate M1 excitability changes induced by emotional faces.
Main Methods:
- Standardized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocols were used.
- Interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) and short-afferent inhibition (SAI) were measured.
- Participants viewed seven different facial expressions (neutral, sad, fear, disgust, surprise, happy).
Main Results:
- Viewing fearful faces significantly reduced IHI compared to neutral and happy faces.
- Viewing sad faces also significantly reduced IHI compared to neutral faces.
- No significant effect of emotional faces on SAI was observed.
Conclusions:
- Sensory-motor integration does not mediate the M1 excitability increase from viewing negative faces.
- Reduced IHI may underlie the effect of negative facial expressions on M1.
- This depression of IHI could facilitate symmetrical hand-avoiding movements to aversive stimuli.
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