Relationship between disgust sensitivity, trait anxiety and brain activity during disgust induction.
We examined the influence of disgust sensitivity and trait anxiety on disgust processing via functional magnetic resonance imaging. Data of 63 healthy females were combined across four studies, where the same disgusting and affectively neutral pictures had been presented. The disgust pictures, rated as highly repulsive, provoked activation in the occipital cortex, the left prefrontal cortex and both amygdalae. Disgust sensitivity and trait anxiety were positively, and independently from each other, correlated with the activation of the right amygdala. This points to the role of the amygdala as an integrative brain structure, whose activation can be modulated by different affective styles.
Schienle
Anne
A
Department of Clinical and Physiological Psychology and Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany. Anne.Schienle@psychol.uni-giessen.de
Schäfer
Axel
A
Stark
Rudolf
R
Walter
Bertram
B
Vaitl
Dieter
D
D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging