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Central control of heart rate changes during visual affective processing as revealed by fMRI

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Kuniecki M., Urbanik A., Sobiecka B., Kozub J., Binder M.

Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis

2003

vol. 63

issue 1

39-48

In the present study we addressed the question of central control of heart rate (HR) in emotions. Parallel measurement of HR changes and changes of local intensity of blood flow as indexed by fMRI in a procedure eliciting emotions allowed us to pinpoint areas of the brain responsible for HR variations during emotional arousal. In condition eliciting positive emotions we detected activation of occipito-temporal regions, anterior insula, and hypothalamus. In condition eliciting negative emotions we also detected activation of occipito-temporal regions and additionally activation of bilateral anterior insulae, right amygdala and right superior temporal gyrus. The results show that structures constituting neural network involved in HR control during emotional arousal are affect specific. Particularly the central circuit controlling HR in negative affect includes the amygdala, while central circuit controlling HR in positive affect includes the hypothalamus. Additionally activation of bilateral occipito-temporal cortex proves enhancement of visual processing of emotional material as compared to neutral material in both positive and negative affect. This might be attributed to top-down processes originating in the frontal lobe and related to shifting attention to the emotionally relevant stimuli. Activation of insular cortex is probably related to autonomic arousal accompanying watching emotional content (e.g. sweating, heart-rate changes etc.). Activation of the amygdala in the negative condition supports the well documented engagement of this structure in processing of fear and disgust.

Brain correlates of right-handedness

73%

Gut M., Urbanik A., Forsberg L., Binder M., Rymarczyk K., Sobiecka B., Kozub J., Grabowska A.

Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis

2007

vol. 67

issue 1

43-51

Recent development of neuroimaging techniques has opened new possibilities for the study of the relation between handedness and the brain functional architecture. Here we report fMRI measurements of dominant and non-dominant hand movement representation in 12 right-handed subjects using block design. We measured possible asymmetry in the total volume of activated neural tissue in the two hemispheres during simple and complex finger movements performed either with the right hand or with the left hand. Simple movements consisted in contraction/extension of the index finger and complex movements in successive finger-thumb opposition from little finger to index finger. A general predominance of left-hemisphere activation relative to right hemisphere activation was found. Increasing the complexity of the motor activity resulted in an enlargement of the volume of consistently activated areas and greater involvement of ipsilateral areas, especially in the left hemisphere. Movements of the dominant hand elicited large contralateral activation (larger than movements of the non-dominant hand) and relatively smaller ipsilateral activation. Movements of the non-dominant hand resulted in a more balanced pattern of activation in the two hemispheres, due to relatively greater ipsilateral activation. This suggests that the dominant (right) hand is controlled mainly by the contralateral (left) hemisphere, whereas the non-dominant hand is controlled by both left and right hemispheres. This effect is especially apparent during execution of complex movements. The expansion of brain areas involved in motor control in the hemisphere contralateral to the dominant hand may provide neural substrate for higher efficiency and a greater motor skill repertoire of the preferred hand.

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2 Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis

1 2007

1 2003

2 Binder M.

2 Kozub J.

2 Sobiecka B.

2 Urbanik A.

1 Forsberg L.

1 Grabowska A.

1 Gut M.

1 Kuniecki M.

1 Rymarczyk K.

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Central control of heart rate changes during visual affective processing as revealed by fMRI

Brain correlates of right-handedness