Face value: emotion categorization augments gamma oscillations in the prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Face value: emotion categorization augments gamma oscillations in the prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex Avgusta Shestyuk1*, Heidi Kirsch2, Edward Chang2, Nicholas M. Barbaro2, Nathan E. Crone3 and Robert T. Knight1 1 Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, United States 2 University of California, San Francisco, United States 3 Johns Hopkins University, United States Activity in the fronto-pariatal cortical regions in response to facial stimuli has been observed in several studies. However, it remains unclear whether this activation is automatic or can be modulated by depth of processing and emotional properties of facial expressions. To examine this question, intracranial electrocorticogram (ECoG) signals were recorded in 4 subjects with intractable epilepsy. Participants completed two tasks with the same stimulus set: an explicit emotional categorization (i.e, discriminating between angry and neutral facial expressions), and a perceptual gender categorization task (i.e., discriminating between male and female faces). The task order was counterbalanced, and each stimulus was presented for 300 ms. Increases in spectral power in the gamma range (70-150 Hz) were used to index functional activation of the underlying cortex. Subjects found the perceptual task easier and more automatic than the emotional categorization task, as evidenced by shorter reaction times and fewer errors. There were no differences in reaction times between angry and neutral faces. Electrodes positioned over the left inferior-middle frontal and inferior parietal cortices recorded an increase in gamma power during the explicit emotional categorization relative to perceptual categorization (p < .01). Angry faces categorized based on emotion elicited greater gamma responses than neutral faces (p < .01). When present, increased gamma oscillations in the prefrontal cortex were time-locked (~250 ms) to stimulus presentation and lasted until subjects made the response. These results highlight the role of the fronto-temporal brain areas (also implicated in attention, working memory, and mimicking) in processing of emotional facial information and response selection. Funding: Supported by NIH Grants: MH075317, NS21135, NS065120. Keywords: gamma band, Intra-cranial Electrophysiology Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Abstracts Citation: Shestyuk A, Kirsch H, Chang E, Barbaro NM, Crone NE and Knight RT (2011). Face value: emotion categorization augments gamma oscillations in the prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00066 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 15 Nov 2011; Published Online: 25 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Avgusta Shestyuk, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, United States, ashestyuk@berkeley.edu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Avgusta Shestyuk Heidi Kirsch Edward Chang Nicholas M Barbaro Nathan E Crone Robert T Knight Google Avgusta Shestyuk Heidi Kirsch Edward Chang Nicholas M Barbaro Nathan E Crone Robert T Knight Google Scholar Avgusta Shestyuk Heidi Kirsch Edward Chang Nicholas M Barbaro Nathan E Crone Robert T Knight PubMed Avgusta Shestyuk Heidi Kirsch Edward Chang Nicholas M Barbaro Nathan E Crone Robert T Knight Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.