An fMRI-informed EEG model of the amygdala is associated with salience network dynamics during naturalistic emotional...

The amygdala-derived EEG-fMRI pattern (Amyg-EFP) is an EEG model of fMRI amygdala activity with demonstrated therapeutic implications in neurofeedback interventions aimed at emotion regulation. Yet, its distributed neural correlates and potential relevance for emotional processing, independent of active modulation by neurofeedback, remain unexplored. This study aimed to characterize the distributed brain activations captured by the Amyg-EFP during passive processing of naturalistic emotional stimuli. Using simultaneous EEG-fMRI during stimulation with emotional movie and music excerpts in 71 healthy participants, we examined the spatiotemporal coupling between the Amyg-EFP and fMRI activations across the brain. We further measured the correlation of the Amyg-EFP with individual emotional reactivity ratings of the movie stimuli. Results revealed a correspondence between Amyg-EFP signal modulation and salience-network dynamics, tracking the anterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and salience-coactivated amygdala subregions. This association was specific to the Amyg-EFP, as a control EFP derived from the ventral striatum showed a different coupling pattern. In addition, the Amyg-EFP, but not the control EFP, was associated with emotional reactivity ratings of movie stimuli. Together, these findings tie localized amygdala activity captured by the Amyg-EFP, with broader salience-network dynamics and with individual reactivity, during the processing of emotional stimuli. Thereby, this study highlights the relevance of the Amyg-EFP for emotional reactivity, and its potential as a target in brain-based interventions for psychiatric disorders characterized by emotional dysregulation.