Time-locked brain activity associated with emotion: a pilot MEG study.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To examine the time course of brain activation in response to emotionally evocative pictures.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES:
Regions of the brain involved in the processing of affective stimuli in response to picture sets rated unpleasant, pleasant and affectively neutral, as well as the order of activation of each region, were investigated using magnetoencephalography in 10 normal adult volunteers.

RESULTS:
Spatiotemporal maps were found consisting of two basic components. The first involving activation in the occipital and basal aspects of the temporal cortex- lasted, on average, 270 ms post-stimulus. The second component involving activation in the mesial temporal lobes (MTL) extended from 270 to 850 ms post-stimulus. After (serial) activating the mesial temporal lobe structures or simultaneous (parallel) to it, activation is also observed in the frontal structures.

CONCLUSIONS:
The temporal organization in the brain of an emotional stimulus requires the serial and alternating engagement of frontal and posterior cortices. It is suggested that lesions to the brain may disrupt this temporal course, altering the emotional response commonly observed in patients with brain injury.

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Author information

Author/s: Leon-Carrion, Jose (J); McManis, Mark H (MH); Castillo, Eduardo M (EM); Papanicolaou, Andrew C (AC);

Affiliation: Human Neuropsychology Laboratory, Departamento de Psicologia Experimental, University of Seville, Seville, Spain. leoncarrion(-atsign-)us.es

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Brain injury : [BI] (Brain Inj), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jul; vol 20 (issue 8) : pp 857-65

Dates: Created 2006/10/24; Completed 2007/03/08;

PMID: 17060152, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Brain Mapping - instrumentation; methods
Emotions - physiology
Female
Frontal Lobe - physiology
Humans
Magnetoencephalography - instrumentation; methods

Magnetoencephalography - instrumentation; methods
Male
Middle Aged
Occipital Lobe - physiology
Pilot Projects
Temporal Lobe - physiology
Visual Perception - physiology

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