Corticolimbic mechanisms in emotional decisions.
Midline frontolimbic networks are engaged in monitoring simple actions. They may also provide evaluative control for more complex decisions. Subjects read a trait-descriptive word and responded either "yes" or "no" within 1,500 ms whether it was self-descriptive. By 300 ms, an electrophysiological discrimination between good and bad words was seen over centromedial regions of the frontal lobe for both friend and self-decisions. By 350 ms, an interaction effect between evaluation and endorsement appeared, and by 500 ms, activity specific to self-evaluation was seen in both anterior and posterior midline sites. An evaluative decision thus begins by recruiting motivational and semantic influences within limbic networks, and these influences appear to shape the development of the decision within multiple neocortical regions.
Tucker
Don M
DM
Department of Psychology, University of Oregon and Electrical Geodesics, Inc., Eugene 97403, USA. dtucker@egi.com
Luu
Phan
P
Desmond
Richard E
RE
Hartry-Speiser
Ann
A
Davey
Colin
C
Flaisch
Tobias
T
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008032:Limbic System / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012660:Semantics; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted