Amygdala response to both positively and negatively valenced stimuli

Abstract

Human lesion and functional imaging data suggest a central role for the amygdala in the processing of negative stimuli. To determine whether the amygdala's role in affective processing extends beyond negative stimuli, subjects viewed pictures that varied in emotional content (positive vs negative valence) and arousal level (high vs low) while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. Amygdala activation, relative to a low arousal and neutral valence picture baseline, was significantly increased for both positively and negatively valenced stimuli and did not differ for the two valences. There were no laterality effects. Whereas arousal level appeared to modulate the amygdala response for negative stimuli, all positively valenced pictures (both high and low in arousal) produced significant amygdala responses. These results clearly demonstrate a role for the amygdala in processing emotional stimuli that extends beyond negative and fearful stimuli.

Neural evidence that three dimensions organize mental state representation: Rationality, social impact, and valence

“…Of note, however, is that we find a unique spatial distribution associated with this dimension. Previous work has associated the processing of positive vs. negative stimuli with specific neural networks, including the mesolimbic dopamine system (23), as well as other limbic structures, such as the amygdala (24). Supplementary univariate analyses do show that the VMPFC, a region involved in reward and value more generally, tracks the positivity of mental states (Fig.…”

The self-regulating brain and neurofeedback: Experimental science and clinical promise

“…For example, because both negative and positive emotions stimulate amygdala activation (e.g., Garavan, Pendergrass, Ross, Stein, & Risinger, 2001;Hamann, Ely, Hoffman, & Kilts, 2002;Yang et al, 2002), some experimenters take care to instruct participants to adopt positive mental strategies (Young et al, 2014;Zotev, Phillips, Young, Drevets, & Bodurka, 2013). Similar considerations surface concerning up-regulation of the anterior insula, which responds strongly to disgust (e.g., Phillips et al, 1997;Wicker et al, 2003), and to modifying ACC activity, which relates to a wide spectrum of cognitive processes (e.g., Bush, Luu, & Posner, 2000;Etkin, Egner, & Kalisch, 2011).…”

Reduced left subgenual anterior cingulate cortical activity during withdrawal-related emotions in melancholic depressed female patients

“…The fact that emotional valence and arousal may be controlled by different neural systems -the negative and neutral baby faces are not equal in arousal levels - (Garavan et al, 2001;Gerber et al, 2008) and that some of the participants were mothers, might have introduced extra variability in our data. That all our subjects were AD-free when scanned can be considered as a major advantage of the study (Kumari et al, 2003;Serra et al, 2006).…”