The role of the basolateral amygdala in the perception of faces in natural contexts.
Journal: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
Volume: 371
Issue: 1693
Year of Publication: 2016
Affiliated Institutions:
Brain and Emotion Laboratory, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan , EV Maastricht, The Netherlands Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Tilburg University, Warandelaan , LE Tilburg, The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa.
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan , CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Global Risk Governance Program, Department of Public Law and Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town, University Avenue, Rondebosch , Cape Town, South Africa DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, DVC Research Office, University of Witwatersrand, York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Department of Psychiatry and Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa.
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan , CS Utrecht, The Netherlands Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IDM), University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory , Cape Town, South Africa.
Brain and Emotion Laboratory, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Oxfordlaan , EV Maastricht, The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa b.degelder@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Abstract summary
The amygdala is a complex structure that plays its role in perception and threat-related behaviour by activity of its specific nuclei and their separate networks. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated the role of the basolateral amygdala in face and context processing. Five individuals with focal basolateral amygdala damage and 12 matched controls viewed fearful or neutral faces in a threatening or neutral context. We tested the hypothesis that basolateral amygdala damage modifies the relation between face and threatening context, triggering threat-related activation in the dorsal stream. The findings supported this hypothesis. First, activation was increased in the right precentral gyrus for threatening versus neutral scenes in the basolateral amygdala damage group compared with the control group. Second, activity in the bilateral middle frontal gyrus, and left anterior inferior parietal lobule was enhanced for neutral faces presented in a threatening versus neutral scene in the group with basolateral amygdala damage compared with controls. These findings provide the first evidence for the neural consequences of basolateral amygdala damage during the processing of complex emotional situations.
Authors & Co-authors:
Hortensius Ruud R
Terburg David D
Morgan Barak B
Stein Dan J DJ
van Honk Jack J
de Gelder Beatrice B
Study Outcome
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