Temporal dynamics of motor cortex excitability during perception of natural emotional scenes.
Although it is widely assumed that emotions prime the body for action, the effects of visual perception of natural emotional scenes on the temporal dynamics of the human motor system have scarcely been investigated. Here, we used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to assess motor excitability during observation and categorization of positive, neutral and negative pictures from the International Affective Picture System database. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) from TMS of the left motor cortex were recorded from hand muscles, at 150 and 300 ms after picture onset. In the early temporal condition we found an increase in hand motor excitability that was specific for the perception of negative pictures. This early negative bias was predicted by interindividual differences in the disposition to experience aversive feelings (personal distress) in interpersonal emotional contexts. In the later temporal condition, we found that MEPs were similarly increased for both positive and negative pictures, suggesting an increased reactivity to emotionally arousing scenes. By highlighting the temporal course of motor excitability during perception of emotional pictures, our study provides direct neurophysiological support for the evolutionary notions that emotion perception is closely linked to action systems and that emotionally negative events require motor reactions to be more urgently mobilized.
Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Roma, Italy, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italia Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Roma, Italy, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italia.
Sara
S
Borgomaneri
Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Roma, Italy, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italia Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Roma, Italy, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italia.
Valeria
V
Gazzola
Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Roma, Italy, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italia Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Roma, Italy, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italia Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Roma, Italy, The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italia alessio.avenanti@unibo.it.
Alessio
A
Avenanti
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004576:Electromyography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
corticospinal excitability; emotional scenes; motor reactions; neural dynamics; personal distress; transcranial magnetic stimulation