The role of the amygdala in emotional expression perception: Neuropsychological and intracranial electroencephalography studies

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K04185
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Sato Wataru 京都大学, こころの未来研究センター, 特定准教授 (50422902)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 表情 / 扁桃体 / 知覚

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The detection of emotional facial expressions is important in social interaction. However, its neural mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate this issue, we conducted a neuropsychological experiment with unilateral amygdala-damaged patients. Participants detected normal expressions of anger and happiness and their anti-expressions within crowds of neutral expressions. Reaction times were shorter for normal expressions than for anti-expressions when stimuli were presented to the intact, but not lesioned, hemispheres. The results suggest that the amygdala is indispensable in the rapid detection of emotional expressions. Next, we analyzed intracranial electroencephalography data recorded from the amygdala and inferior occipital gyrus during the observation of faces using dynamic causal modeling. Rapid bidirectional modulatory effects were shown between these regions. These results suggest that the amygdala and visual cortices communicate rapidly for the efficient processing of faces.

Free Research Field

実験心理学