Fate of unattended fearful faces in the amygdala is determined by both attentional resources and cognitive modulation

被引:281
作者
Pessoa, L [1 ]
Padmala, S [1 ]
Morland, T [1 ]
机构
[1] Brown Univ, Dept Psychol, Providence, RI 02912 USA
关键词
amygdala response; attentional resources; cognitive modulation;
D O I
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.05.048
中图分类号
Q189 [神经科学];
学科分类号
071006 ;
摘要
The evidence for amygdala processing of emotional items outside the focus of attention is mixed. We hypothesized that differences in attentional demands may, at least in part, explain prior discrepancies. In the present study, attention was manipulated by parametrically varying the difficulty of a central task, allowing us to compare responses evoked by unattended emotion-laden faces while the attentional load of a central task was varied. Reduced responses to unattended emotional stimuli may also reflect an active suppression of amygdala responses during difficult non-emotional tasks (cognitive modulation). To explicitly assess cognitive modulation, an experimental condition was used in which subjects performed the central task without the presence of irrelevant emotional stimuli. Our findings revealed that amygdala responses were modulated by the focus of attention. Stronger responses were evoked during a sex task (when faces were attended) relative to a bar-orientation task (when faces were unattended). Critically, a valence effect was observed in the right amygdala during low attentional demand conditions, but not during medium or high demand conditions. Moreover, performing a difficult non-emotional task alone was associated with signal decreases in a network of brain regions, including the amygdala. Such robust decreases demonstrate that cognitive modulation comprises a powerful factor in determining amygdala responses. Collectively, our findings reveal that both attentional resources and cognitive modulation govern the fate of unattended fearful faces in the amygdala. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:249 / 255
页数:7
相关论文
共 28 条
[1]  
Anderson AK, 2003, J NEUROSCI, V23, P5627
[2]   Detection versus estimation in event-related fMRI: Choosing the optimal stimulus timing [J].
Birn, RM ;
Cox, RW ;
Bandettini, PA .
NEUROIMAGE, 2002, 15 (01) :252-264
[3]   State anxiety modulation of the amygdala response to unattended threat-related stimuli [J].
Bishop, SJ ;
Duncan, J ;
Lawrence, AD .
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 2004, 24 (46) :10364-10368
[4]   Control of goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention in the brain [J].
Corbetta, M ;
Shulman, GL .
NATURE REVIEWS NEUROSCIENCE, 2002, 3 (03) :201-215
[5]   AFNI: Software for analysis and visualization of functional magnetic resonance neuroimages [J].
Cox, RW .
COMPUTERS AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, 1996, 29 (03) :162-173
[6]   Reciprocal suppression of regional cerebral blood flow during emotional versus higher cognitive processes: Implications for interactions between emotion and cognition [J].
Drevets, WC ;
Raichle, ME .
COGNITION & EMOTION, 1998, 12 (03) :353-385
[7]   The role of spatial attention in the processing of facial expression: An ERP study of rapid brain responses to six basic emotions [J].
Eimer, Martin ;
Holmes, Amanda ;
McGlone, Francis P. .
COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE, 2003, 3 (02) :97-110
[8]  
Ekman P., 1976, PICTURES FACIAL AFFE
[9]   Spatial registration and normalization of images [J].
Friston, KJ ;
Ashburner, J ;
Frith, CD ;
Poline, JB ;
Heather, JD ;
Frackowiak, RSJ .
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, 1995, 3 (03) :165-189
[10]   Fear appears fast:: Temporal course of startle reflex potentiation in animal fearful subjects [J].
Globisch, J ;
Hamm, AO ;
Esteves, F ;
Öhman, A .
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, 1999, 36 (01) :66-75