Abstract
The word 'e-motion' derives from the Latin word 'ex-moveo' which literally means 'moving away from something/somebody'. Emotions are thus fundamental to prime action and goal-directed behavior with obvious implications for individual's survival. However, the brain mechanisms underlying the interactions between emotional and motor cortical systems remain poorly understood. A recent diffusion tensor imaging study in humans has reported the existence of direct anatomical connections between the amygdala and sensory/(pre)motor cortices, corroborating an initial observation in animal research. Nevertheless, the functional significance of these amygdala-sensory/(pre)motor pathways remain uncertain. More specifically, it is currently unclear whether a distinct amygdala-sensory/(pre)motor circuit can be identified with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). This is a key issue, as rs-fMRI offers an opportunity to simultaneously examine distinct neural circuits that underpin different cognitive, emotional and motor functions, while minimizing task-related performance confounds. We therefore tested the hypothesis that the amygdala and sensory/(pre)motor cortices could be identified as part of the same resting-state functional connectivity network. To this end, we examined independent component analysis results in a very large rs-fMRI data-set drawn from the Human Connectome Project (n=820 participants, mean age: 28.5years). To our knowledge, we report for the first time the existence of a distinct amygdala-sensory/(pre)motor functional network at rest. rs-fMRI studies are now warranted to examine potential abnormalities in this circuit in psychiatric and neurological diseases that may be associated with alterations in the amygdala-sensory/(pre)motor pathways (e.g. conversion disorders, impulse control disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis).
Highlights
The English word ‘e-motion’ originates from the Latin word ‘ex-moveo’ which literally means ‘moving away from somebody/ something’
We were able to confirm that the remaining Independent Component Analysis (ICA) components contained a number of well-known motor, visual, cognitive and emotional networks that have been previously identified in past resting-state studies (Raichle, 2015)
The current data support the existence of a distinct amygdala-sensory/(pre)-motor circuit at rest in a homogeneous and large sample of n = 820 participants drawn from the Human Connectome Project public repository (Van Essen et al, 2013)
Summary
The English word ‘e-motion’ originates from the Latin word ‘ex-moveo’ which literally means ‘moving away from somebody/ something’. The tight link between emotions and action control may have ancient evolutionary roots as animals/individuals need to quickly adjust their behavior to environmental stimuli with rapidly changing affective value (i.e. threats vs rewards). This implies that fast and direct interactions between emotional and sensory-motor cortical systems may occur to mediate such adaptive behaviors. The baso-lateral amygdalar complex, which in turn receives the majority of the inputs directed to the amygdala, showed greater structural connectivity with the OFC, FG, and STG relative to the motor cortices (Grezes et al, 2014). The existence of direct connections between an output nucleus of the amygdala and a set of cortical areas involved in motor planning may represent a key mechanism by which the amygdala influences goal-directed behavior over and above its wellknown effects on autonomic and stereotypical motor responses (as those mediated via the hypothalamus and brainstem) (Grezes et al, 2014)
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