Field Of Affective Neuroscience Research Articles

Amygdala fMRI-A Critical Appraisal of the Extant Literature.

Even before the advent of fMRI, the amygdala occupied a central space in the affective neurosciences. Yet this amygdala-centred view on emotion processing gained even wider acceptance after the inception of fMRI in the early 1990s, a landmark that triggered a goldrush of fMRI studies targeting the amygdala in vivo. Initially, this amygdala fMRI research was mostly confined to task-activation studies measuring the magnitude of the amygdala's response to emotional stimuli. Later, interest began to shift more towards the study of the amygdala's resting-state functional connectivity and task-based psychophysiological interactions. Later still, the test-retest reliability of amygdala fMRI came under closer scrutiny, while at the same time, amygdala-based real-time fMRI neurofeedback gained widespread popularity. Each of these major subdomains of amygdala fMRI research has left its marks on the field of affective neuroscience at large. The purpose of this review is to provide a critical assessment of this literature. By integrating the insights garnered by these research branches, we aim to answer the question: What part (if any) can amygdala fMRI still play within the current landscape of affective neuroscience? Our findings show that serious questions can be raised with regard to both the reliability and validity of amygdala fMRI. These conclusions force us to cast doubt on the continued viability of amygdala fMRI as a core pilar of the affective neurosciences.

The EEG microstate representation of discrete emotions

Understanding how human emotions are represented in our brain is a central question in the field of affective neuroscience. While previous studies have mainly adopted a modular and static perspective on the neural representation of emotions, emerging research suggests that emotions may rely on a distributed and dynamic representation. The present study aimed to explore the EEG microstate representations for nine discrete emotions (Anger, Disgust, Fear, Sadness, Neutral, Amusement, Inspiration, Joy and Tenderness). Seventy-eight participants were recruited to watch emotion eliciting videos with their EEGs recorded. Multivariate analysis revealed that different emotions had distinct EEG microstate features. By using the EEG microstate features in the Neutral condition as the reference, the coverage of C, duration of C and occurrence of B were found to be the top-contributing microstate features for the discrete positive and negative emotions. The emotions of Disgust, Fear and Joy were found to be most effectively represented by EEG microstate. The present study provided the first piece of evidence of EEG microstate representation for discrete emotions, highlighting a whole-brain, dynamical representation of human emotions.

Cortical Asymmetries and Connectivity Patterns in the Valence Dimension of the Emotional Brain.

Understanding the neurophysiology of emotions, the neuronal structures involved in processing emotional information and the circuits by which they act, is key to designing applications in the field of affective neuroscience, to advance both new treatments and applications of brain-computer interactions. However, efforts have focused on developing computational models capable of emotion classification instead of on studying the neural substrates involved in the emotional process. In this context, we have carried out a study of cortical asymmetries and functional cortical connectivity based on the electroencephalographic signal of 24 subjects stimulated with videos of positive and negative emotional content to bring some light to the neurobiology behind emotional processes. Our results show opposite interhemispheric asymmetry patterns throughout the cortex for both emotional categories and specific connectivity patterns regarding each of the studied emotional categories. However, in general, the same key areas, such as the right hemisphere and more anterior cortical regions, presented higher levels of activity during the processing of both valence emotional categories. These results suggest a common neural pathway for processing positive and negative emotions, but with different activation patterns. These preliminary results are encouraging for elucidating the neuronal circuits of the emotional valence dimension.

(Emotion‐centered) problem‐solving therapy: An update

Problem‐solving therapy (PST) is a psychosocial intervention, typically considered to be a member of the cognitive and behaviour therapies family, and is based on a biopsychosocial, diathesis‐stress model of psychopathology. The overarching goal of this approach is to promote the successful adoption of adaptive problem‐solving attitudes and the effective implementation of certain behaviours as a means of coping with life stressors in order to attenuate the negative effects of such events on physical and mental well‐being. Over the past several decades, in addition to accumulating strong support for its efficacy as a clinical intervention, similar to many other forms of psychotherapy, PST has undergone various evolutionary changes. Developed primarily as a more cognitive‐based approach, due to the large body of literature in the field of affective neuroscience that underscores the importance of the impact of affect on problem solving, PST has evolved into emotion‐centered problem‐solving therapy (EC‐PST). This article provides for a brief excursion into the historical roots of PST and why it has evolved into EC‐PST, as well as providing support for its characterisation as a transdiagnostic approach. In addition, several meta‐analyses that underscore its efficacy are described, as well as the most recent clinical guidelines that comprise EC‐PST.

On Need, Necessity, and the Source of Narcissism.

Even Freud had a difficult time explaining narcissism. It may account for why he only wrote one paper explicitly concerning this topic. The author proposes that the field of affective neuroscience has developed theoretical concepts that were not available to Freud, and that have created the potential for discussion of how narcissism may begin to explain much of the rampant disagreements among psychoanalysts studying the field of psychoanalysis. Specifically, the author suggests that a source of narcissism in the mammalian brain/mind is beginning to be knowable through advances in knowledge from the collective baseline of neurophysiology, affective as well cognitive neuroscience, and psychoanalysis.

Combining the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure and the Recording of Event Related Potentials in the Analysis of Racial Bias: a Preliminary Study

The current study examined racial bias among White individuals residing in Ireland using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). In addition, neural activity, measured with electroencephalograms (EEGs), was recorded while participants completed the IRAP. On some blocks of trials, participants were required to respond quickly and accurately in a pro-White and anti-Black manner, whereas on other blocks they were required to respond in the opposite manner (anti-White or pro-Black). The difference in response latencies between these two types of trials provided an index of racial bias, and event-related potentials (ERPs), derived from the EEG signals, provided a simultaneous measure of brain activity during these responses. Results revealed anti-Black and pro-White biased responding on the IRAP in terms of differential response latencies. In addition, greater positivity in the ERP signals located in the frontal sites was recorded when participants responded in a pro-Black or anti-White pattern relative to a pro-White or anti-Black pattern. These results are broadly consistent with those of previous literature in the area and suggest that the IRAP is a potentially useful methodology for research in the field of affective neuroscience.

\u201cEmbodied Body Language\u201d: an electrical neuroimaging study with emotional faces and bodies

To date, most investigations in the field of affective neuroscience mainly focused on the processing of facial expressions, overlooking the exploration of emotional body language (EBL), its capability to express our emotions notwithstanding. Few electrophysiological studies investigated the time course and the neural correlates of EBL and the integration of face and body emotion-related information. The aim of the present study was to investigate both the time course and the neural correlates underlying the integration of affective information conveyed by faces and bodies. We analysed EEG activities evoked during an expression matching task, requiring the judgment of emotional congruence between sequentially presented pairs of stimuli belonging to the same category (face-face or body-body), and between stimuli belonging to different categories (face-body or body-face). We focused on N400 time window and results showed that incongruent stimuli elicited a modulation of the N400 in all comparisons except for body-face condition. This modulation was mainly detected in the Middle Temporal Gyrus and within regions related to the mirror mechanism. More specifically, while the perception of incongruent facial expressions activates somatosensory-related representations, incongruent emotional body postures also require the activation of motor and premotor representations, suggesting a strict link between emotion and action.

Special edition on positive emotions.

Special edition on positive emotions.

Comment: The Methodological and Conceptual Utility of Differentiating Emotional Arousal

The concept of psychophysiological arousal as a component of emotional behavior has a long history, but has not attracted the research attention paid to valence in the burgeoning field of affective neuroscience. The potency of emotional stimuli is often poorly balanced in studies designed to assess appetitive and aversive stimulus processing, and thus I applaud Picard and colleagues’ choice to highlight the arousal dimension of emotional behavior. Any attempt to understand the nature of human emotion must carefully balance the evocative impact of appetitive and aversive processes. By focusing on the contribution of arousal to emotional processing, Picard advances this goal. In this comment I suggest methodological and conceptual refinements that may help to strengthen the multiple arousal theory perspective.

Primary process emotion, identity, and culture: cultural identification's roots in basic motivation.

PRIMARY PROCESS EMOTIONS, IDENTITY, AND CULTURE The study of culture and psychology has generated a number of influential theoretical perspectives (e.g., Henrich et al., 2010; Markus and Kitayama, 2010). Less attention, however, has been directed at the psychological basis of cultural experience. What is it about cultural symbols that leads humans everywhere to create them? And, why do certain cultural symbols, be they religion, guns, food, or music hold such emotional weight for many of us? A simple answer could be “Humans can only survive in groups. We need shared symbols to communicate and cooperate with each other” This is essentially true, but here I argue that primary-process emotions identified by the field of affective neuroscience, further reflected upon in the context of several developmental theories, can elucidate the emotional nature of cultural experience. Culture, we shall see, is important not just because it teaches the skills needed to survive in a particular social and physical environment: It also satisfies a primary emotional need for security and predictability. I argue that a primitive attachment to culture goes beyond cognitive abilities and language to the very basis of human emotion and motivation. Thinking about cultural symbols in this way helps to understand the strength, and it can be argued, irrationality, of feelings and behaviors sometimes associated with them.

What affective neuroscience means for science of consciousness.

The field of affective neuroscience has emerged from the efforts of Jaak Panksepp in the 1990s and reinforced by the work of, among others, Joseph LeDoux in the 2000s. It is based on the ideas that affective processes are supported by brain structures that appeared earlier in the phylogenetic scale (as the periaqueductal gray area), they run in parallel with cognitive processes, and can influence behaviour independently of cognitive judgements. This kind of approach contrasts with the hegemonic concept of conscious processing in cognitive neurosciences, which is based on the identification of brain circuits responsible for the processing of (cognitive) representations. Within cognitive neurosciences, the frontal lobes are assigned the role of coordinators in maintaining affective states and their emotional expressions under cognitive control. An intermediary view is the Damasio-Bechara Somatic Marker model, which puts cognition under partial somatic-affective control. We present here our efforts to make a synthesis of these views, by proposing the existence of two interacting brain circuits; the first one in charge of cognitive processes and the second mediating feelings about cognitive contents. The coupling of the two circuits promotes an endogenous feedback that supports conscious processes. Within this framework, we present the defence that detailed study of both affective and cognitive processes, their interactions, as well of their respective brain networks, is necessary for a science of consciousness.

The Future of Cognitive Therapy and Research is Bright and Clear

Founded in 1977, Cognitive Therapy and Research has become an established, respected, high-quality interdisciplinary journal that focuses on the investigation of all aspects of mental disorders and their treatments with a family of interventions known as behavioral and cognitive therapy (CT). This treatment approach, pioneered by Dr. Aaron T. Beck who serves on our Board of Associate Editors, has become the most effective therapeutic approach for virtually all mental disorders. CT is one of the greatest success stories in psychology in part because it is firmly grounded in science. In fact, it could be argued that CT has evolved throughout the years from a treatment approach to a mature scientific discipline. Carefully controlled experimental studies using cuttingedge technologies to examine cognitive processes have become standard tools to many of my colleagues, as are randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy of specific CT techniques. The willingness to embrace the scientific method and to open ourselves up to scientific scrutiny by formulating testable theories has contributed to the success of CT. However, despite this clear success, there is still room for further improvement and many important questions still remain unanswered. For example, combining CT and traditional pharmacotherapy is typically not much more effective, and can be even detrimental in the long-term, as compared to monotherapy. A better understanding of the treatment mechanisms can shed light on this and might further enhance the efficacy of CT. The search for the generative mechanism is not limited to psychological constructs, but also includes physiological, biological, and genetic variables. In addition, contextual, cultural, and social factors need to be considered when investigating mental disorders. These factors are closely linked to a fundamental shift that has occurred in psychology. This shift emphasizes research on emotions, emotion regulation strategies (such as acceptance, reappraisal, suppression, mindfulness, etc.) and the interplay between emotions, cognitions, behaviors, and social factors. In fact, psychology might be undergoing an emotional revolution, and neuroscience has begun to merge with psychology and emotion research. The formulation of the new field of affective neuroscience, which examines the biological correlates of affective states and emotions, is certainly a telling example. I am convinced that Cognitive Therapy and Research will soon become a major outlet for studies that reflect these new trends that are driven by research on emotion regulation, affective neuroscience, neurobiological correlates of CT, and neuromarkers of CT response. I am very excited about the new challenges and yet humbled and honored for having the privilege to serve as editor of Cognitive Therapy and Research. Thanks to Dr. Ingram and his excellent editorial team, the journal is in excellent shape. We receive approximately 200 unsolicited manuscripts per year, and the journal has a solid impact rating and strong visibility. My stellar editorial team and I invite submissions from diverse areas of psychology focusing on cognitions, cognitive processes, and behavioral and cognitive therapies. In addition, I strongly encourage submissions focusing on treatment mechanisms and predictors, experimental psychopathology, biomarkers, neuroscience, genetics, and pharmacotherapy. In addition, the scope of the journal includes dissemination, as well as S. G. Hofmann (&) Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA e-mail: shofmann@bu.edu

P03-25 - Emotional intelligence in psychiatry: A review

BackgroundEmotional intelligence is a term coined by Salovey & Mayer and is defined by these authors as a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to perceive and identify emotions, to discriminate among them and to use the information to improve cognitive processes, and manage one's and others’emotions. There are also mixed models of emotional intelligence that imply a broader concept of intelligence, including mental abilities and personality characteristics.AimTo discuss the relevance of emotional intelligence in Psychiatry. To review recent studies of emotional intelligence in psychiatric disorders.MethodsReview of the literature. MEDLINE and PubMed databases searches for peer-reviewed studies, published between 2000 and 2010, using combinations of the Medline Subject Heading terms emotional intelligence, trait emotional intelligence, ability emotional intelligence and psychiatry, mental disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, social phobia, eating disorders.ResultsThere are few studies in the literature addressing this topic. Emotional intelligence is a complex concept, with different theories defending distinct conceptualizations. The studies reviewed showed lower levels of emotional intelligence across different psychiatric disorders.ConclusionsThe field of affective neuroscience is of major importance in Psychiatry and has added important clues to the understanding of psychopathology. Although emotional intelligence is a recent and understudied topic in Psychiatry it can help to understand mental disorders and bring new insights to the comprehension of psychopathology.

The limbic system conception and its historical evolution.

Throughout the centuries, scientific observers have endeavoured to extend their knowledge of the interrelationships between the brain and its regulatory control of human emotions and behaviour. Since the time of physicians such as Aristotle and Galen and the more recent observations of clinicians and neuropathologists such as Broca, Papez, and McLean, the field of affective neuroscience has matured to become the province of neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, neurologists, and psychiatrists. It is accepted that the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and insula participate in the majority of emotional processes. New imaging technologies and molecular biology discoveries are expanding further the frontiers of knowledge in this arena. The advancements of knowledge on the interplay between the human brain and emotions came about as the legacy of the pioneers mentioned in this field. The aim of this paper is to describe the historical evolution of the scientific understanding of interconnections between the human brain, behaviour, and emotions.

Dissecting the Neural Mechanisms Mediating Empathy

Empathy is thought to play a key role in motivating prosocial behavior, guiding our preferences and behavioral responses, and providing the affective and motivational base for moral development. While these abilities have traditionally been examined using behavioral methods, recent work in evolutionary biology, developmental and cognitive neuroscience has begun to shed light on the neural circuitry that instantiate them. The purpose of this article is to critically examine the current knowledge in the field of affective neuroscience and provide an integrative and comprehensive view of the computational mechanisms that underlie empathy. This framework is of general interest and relevance for theory as well as for assisting future research in the domains of affective developmental neuroscience and psychopathology.

Affective Neuroscience: Past, Present, and Future

The discipline of affective neuroscience is concerned with the underlying neural substrates of emotion and mood. This review presents an historical overview of the pioneering work in affective neuroscience of James and Lange, Cannon and Bard, and Hess, Papez, and MacLean before summarizing the current state of research on the brain regions identified by these seminal researchers. We also discuss the more recent strides made in the field of affective neuroscience. A final section considers different hypothetical organizations of affective neuroanatomy and highlights future directions for the discipline.

P02-207 Affective neuroscience: A crucial role in psychiatry

Background:Neuroscience has been a growing revolutionary field of scientific knowledge. The increasing recognition of the importance of emotional processes and subjective experience in several aspects of human behaviour parallel the growing amount of research in the field of affective neuroscience. Affective neuroscience studies the brain mechanisms subjacent to emotional behaviour.Aim:To discuss the relevance of affective neuroscience research in social and biological sciences, namely within psychiatric and psychological researches.Methods:Review of the literature. MEDLINE and PubMed databases searches for peer-reviewed studies, published between 1994 and 2008, using combinations of the Medline Subject Heading terms affective neuroscience, emotions, affective sciences and psychiatry, psychology, biological sciences, social sciences.Results:Several studies addresses brain functions and how emotions relate to genetics, learning, primary motivations, stress response and human behaviour. Some actual areas of research within affective neuroscience include: emotional learning, affective behaviour, emotional empathy, psychosomatic medicine, functional and structural biomarkers, emotional disorders and stress response, among others.Discussion:In Psychiatry, affective neurosciences find application in understanding the neurobiology of mood disorders, the neural control of interpersonal and social behaviour and the emotional systems that underlie psychopathology. Affective neuroscience reflects the integration of knowledge across disciplines allowing a broader understanding of human functioning. The field of affective neuroscience is an exciting field of future psychiatric research and it provides an investigational framework for studying psychiatric morbidity.

Assessing the Neuronal Serotonergic Target-based Antidepressant Stratagem: Impact of In Vivo Interaction Studies and Knockout Models

Depression remains a challenge in the field of affective neuroscience, despite a steady research progress. Six out of nine basic antidepressant mechanisms rely on serotonin neurotransmitter system. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the significance of serotonin receptors (5-HT1-3,6,7), its signal transduction pathways and classical down stream targets (including neurotrophins, neurokinins, other peptides and their receptors) in antidepressant drug action. Serotonergic control of depression embraces the recent molecular requirements such as influence on proliferation, neurogenesis, plasticity, synaptic (re)modeling and transmission in the central nervous system. The present progress report analyses the credibility of each protein as therapeutically relevant target of depression. In vivo interaction studies and knockout models which identified these targets are foreseen to unearth new ligands and help them transform to drug candidates. The importance of the antidepressant assay selection at the preclinical level using salient animal models/assay systems is discussed. Such test batteries would definitely provide antidepressants with faster onset, efficacy in resistant (and co-morbid) types and with least adverse effects. Apart from the selective ligands, only those molecules which bring an overall harmony, by virtue of their affinities to various receptor subtypes, could qualify as effective antidepressants. Synchronised modulation of various serotonergic sub-pathways is the basis for a unique and balanced antidepressant profile, as that of fluoxetine (most exploited antidepressant) and such a profile may be considered as a template for the upcoming antidepressants. In conclusion, 5-HT based multi-targeted antidepressant drug discovery supported by in vivo interaction studies and knockout models is advocated as a strategy to provide classic molecules for clinical trials.

51. The international affective digitized sounds (IADS): Their use in the field of affective neuroscience

51. The international affective digitized sounds (IADS): Their use in the field of affective neuroscience