Distinct processing of facial emotion of own-race versus other-race.
We investigated the neural basis underlying the effect of race on incidental facial emotional processing using functional MRI. Thirteen healthy Korean men underwent functional MRI while viewing photographs of Korean (own-race) and Caucasian (other-race) emotional faces while performing a sex discrimination task. Responses to other-race relative to own-race neutral faces replicated previous studies: activations were obtained in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex/medial frontal cortex. Direct contrasts between-race emotional faces (happy and sad) also showed differential effects: the contrast of own-race relative to other-race had more activations in limbic areas (amygdala and hippocampus), whereas the contrast of other-race relative to own-race had more activations in frontal, occipital, and parietal lobes. Our findings provide evidence for differential processing of emotional faces as a function of race.
Lee
Kyoung-Uk
KU
Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Khang
Hyun Soo
HS
Kim
Ki-Tae
KT
Kim
Young-Joo
YJ
Kweon
Yong-Sil
YS
Shin
Yong-Wook
YW
Kwon
Jun Soo
JS
Ho
Shao-Hsuan
SH
Garfinkel
Sarah N
SN
Chae
Jeong-Ho
JH
Liberzon
Israel
I
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation
D010100:Oxygen