Differential amygdala activation to negative and positive emotional pictures during an indirect task.
The role of the amygdala for the processing of valence and arousal is a matter of debate. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we tested valence-specific amygdala effects during attentional distraction. Subjects attended to a matching task in the foreground of neutral pictures, and of negative and positive pictures matched for arousal. Negative pictures elicited stronger amygdala activation than neutral or positive pictures, suggesting valence-specific amygdala responses under attentional load.
Straube
Thomas
T
Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Am Steiger 3//1, D-07743 Jena, Germany. straube@biopsy.uni-jena.de
Pohlack
Sebastian
S
Mentzel
Hans J
HJ
Miltner
Wolfgang H R
WH
D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods
D010100:Oxygen