title: Top-down control of visual responses to fear by the amygdala.
abstract: The visual cortex is sensitive to emotional stimuli. This sensitivity is typically assumed to arise when amygdala modulates visual cortex via backwards connections. Using human fMRI, we compared dynamic causal connectivity models of sensitivity with fearful faces. This model comparison tested whether amygdala modulates distinct cortical areas, depending on dynamic or static face presentation. The ventral temporal fusiform face area showed sensitivity to fearful expressions in static faces. However, for dynamic faces, we found fear sensitivity in dorsal motion-sensitive areas within hMT+/V5 and superior temporal sulcus. The model with the greatest evidence included connections modulated by dynamic and static fear from amygdala to dorsal and ventral temporal areas, respectively. According to this functional architecture, amygdala could enhance encoding of fearful expression movements from video and the form of fearful expressions from static images. The amygdala may therefore optimize visual encoding of socially charged and salient information.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom, and Wellcome Centre for Imaging Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furl
authors.forename: Richard N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Henson
authors.forename: Karl J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Friston
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Calder
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*