“…Given their roles, the interaction between the dlPFC and amygdala, depending on the directionality, may be important in directing conscious awareness toward and regulating emotional responses to salient emotional stimuli ( Dolcos et al, 2006 ; Banks et al, 2007 ; Costafreda et al, 2008 ; Etkin et al, 2015 ). Despite this, previous research examining the directionality of these interactions has not examined whether facial expressions with differing arousal ratings, such as fearful and sad expressions, differently modulate this relationship ( Sladky et al, 2015 ; Vai et al, 2015 ; Willinger et al, 2019 ). The sparse anatomic connectivity between these regions additionally suggests that the regulatory role of the dlPFC on the amygdala is likely dependent on interactions with mediatory regions including the vmPFC ( Phillips et al, 2003 ; Ray and Zald, 2012 ).…”