title: The role of negative affectivity and social inhibition in perceiving social threat: an fMRI study.
abstract: Personality is associated with specific emotion regulation styles presumably linked with unique brain activity patterns. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 26 individuals, the neural responses to threatening (fearful and angry) facial and bodily expressions were investigated in relation to negative affectivity and social inhibition. A negative correlation was observed between negative affectivity and activation of the amygdala, fusiform gyrus, insula and hippocampus. Increased activation following threatening stimuli was observed in the left temporo-parietal junction and right extrastriate body area correlating with more social inhibition traits. Interestingly, the orbitofrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus, inferior frontal gyrus (Brodmann area 45) and temporal pole correlated negatively with negative affectivity and positively with social inhibition. Whereas individuals with increased negative affectivity tend to de-activate the core emotion system, socially inhibited people tend to over-activate a broad cortical network. Our findings demonstrate effects of personality traits on the neural coding of threatening signals.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive and Affective Neurosciences Laboratory, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands; CoRPS - Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mariska Esther
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kret
authors.affiliation: CoRPS - Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Denollet
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, U960 INSERM & Département d'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grèzes
authors.affiliation: Cognitive and Affective Neurosciences Laboratory, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands; Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA. Electronic address: b.degelder@uvt.nl.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de Gelder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen