title: Antecedent descriptions change brain reactivity to emotional stimuli: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of an extrinsic and incidental reappraisal strategy.
abstract: In the present study we investigated whether individuals would take advantage of an extrinsic and incidental reappraisal strategy by giving them precedent descriptions to attenuate the emotional impact of unpleasant pictures. In fact, precedent descriptions have successfully promoted down-regulation of electrocortical activity and physiological responses to unpleasant pictures. However, the neuronal substrate underlying this effect remains unclear. Particularly, we investigated whether amygdala and insula responses, brain regions consistently implicated in emotional processing, would be modulated by this strategy. To achieve this, highly unpleasant pictures were shown in two contexts in which a prior description presented them as taken from movie scenes (fictitious) or real scenes. Results showed that the fictitious condition was characterized by down-regulation of amygdala and insula responses. Thus, the present study provides new evidence on reappraisal strategies to down-regulate emotional reactions and suggest that amygdala and insula responses to emotional stimuli are adaptive and highly flexible.
authors.affiliation: Polo Universitário de Rio das Ostras, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio das Ostras, Brazil.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mocaiber
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Erthal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joffily
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Volchan
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen