Event‐related potential (ERP) asymmetries to emotional stimuli in a visual half‐field paradigm

Abstract

To investigate the hypothesis of a right hemispheric superiority in negative emotional processing, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 17 sites (Fz, Cz, Pz, F3/4, F7/8, C3/4, T7/8, P3/4, P7/8, O1/2) in a visual half-field paradigm. While maintaining fixation, right-handed women viewed pictures of patients with dermatological diseases before (negative) and after (neutral) cosmetic surgery. A principal components analysis with Varimax rotation performed on ERPs revealed factors identified as N1, N2, early P3, late P3, and slow wave. Repeated measures analyses of variance performed on factor scores revealed a significant effect of emotional content for all factors except for N1. However, asymmetries in emotional processing were restricted to N2 and early P3, with maximal effects over the right parietal region. N2-P3 amplitude was augmented for negative and reduced for neutral stimuli over right hemisphere regions. Visual field presentation interacted with these asymmetries in enhancing amplitudes contralaterally for early but ipsilaterally for late ERP components. Overall, findings for N2 and P3 support theories of an asymmetry in emotional processing.

Peripherally Presented Emotional Scenes: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Early ERP Responses

“…This unexpected result could be considered as rather inconsistent with the classic ERP pattern showing enhanced ERPs effects for unpleasant stimuli compared to neutral ones [19]. However, other studies showed higher early [56] or late [57] ERP amplitudes for neutral compared to unpleasant stimuli, at least in central vision. Thus, the classical view of amplitudes superiority for emotional laden stimuli should not be considered as a systematic rule.…”

The appraisal of facial beauty is rapid but not mandatory

“…Interestingly, the early ERP modulation covered the time range of the N170, a component that has been related to configural processing of facial features and holistic face perception (see, e.g., Bentin stimuli's increased motivational significance and arousal value (e.g., Kayser et al, 1997;Schupp et al, 2000). Enhanced P300 amplitudes for nonemotional stimuli were found when the ERP-eliciting stimulus was attended (e.g., Johnson, 1988), infrequent, or task relevant (e.g., Picton & Hillyard, 1988.…”

Neurocognitive effects of phobia-related stimuli in animal-fearful individuals

“…The results of such studies have suggested that electrical responses in cortical pathways of sensory, perceptual, and cognitive processing are modulated by emotion in humans (Carretié, MartinLoeches, Hinojosa, & Mercado, 2001;Cuthbert, Schupp, Bradley, Birbaumer, & Lang, 2000;Cuthbert, Schupp, Bradley, McManis, & Lang, 1998;Kayser et al, 1997;Keil et al, 2002;Keil et al, 2001;Schupp et al, 2000). The studies converged to show a sustained late (Ͼ300 msec) positive potential (LPP) with a focus over the parietal scalp in response to emotionally arousing-either pleasant or unpleasant-pictures.…”