The neural bases of emotion regulation: reappraisal and suppression of negative emotion.
BACKGROUND
Emotion regulation strategies are thought to differ in when and how they influence the emotion-generative process. However, no study to date has directly probed the neural bases of two contrasting (e.g., cognitive versus behavioral) emotion regulation strategies. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine cognitive reappraisal (a cognitive strategy thought to have its impact early in the emotion-generative process) and expressive suppression (a behavioral strategy thought to have its impact later in the emotion-generative process).


METHODS
Seventeen women viewed 15 sec neutral and negative emotion-eliciting films under four conditions--watch-neutral, watch-negative, reappraise-negative, and suppress-negative--while providing emotion experience ratings and having their facial expressions videotaped.


RESULTS
Reappraisal resulted in early (0-4.5 sec) prefrontal cortex (PFC) responses, decreased negative emotion experience, and decreased amygdala and insular responses. Suppression produced late (10.5-15 sec) PFC responses, decreased negative emotion behavior and experience, but increased amygdala and insular responses.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings demonstrate the differential efficacy of reappraisal and suppression on emotional experience, facial behavior, and neural response and highlight intriguing differences in the temporal dynamics of these two emotion regulation strategies.
Goldin
Philippe R
PR
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA. pgoldin@stanford.edu
McRae
Kateri
K
Ramel
Wiveka
W
Gross
James J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology*; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000503:physiopathology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D020649:Pulvinar / Q000503:physiopathology; D012919:Social Behavior; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology
D010100:Oxygen