title: Ventromedial prefrontal cortex mediates visual attention during facial emotion recognition.
abstract: The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is known to play a crucial role in regulating human social and emotional behaviour, yet the precise mechanisms by which it subserves this broad function remain unclear. Whereas previous neuropsychological studies have largely focused on the role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in higher-order deliberative processes related to valuation and decision-making, here we test whether ventromedial prefrontal cortex may also be critical for more basic aspects of orienting attention to socially and emotionally meaningful stimuli. Using eye tracking during a test of facial emotion recognition in a sample of lesion patients, we show that bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage impairs visual attention to the eye regions of faces, particularly for fearful faces. This finding demonstrates a heretofore unrecognized function of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex-the basic attentional process of controlling eye movements to faces expressing emotion.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA2 Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA.
authors.forename: Carissa L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Philippi
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA2 Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA3 Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 750 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, USA.
authors.forename: Julian C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Motzkin
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53792, USA.
authors.forename: Mustafa K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Baskaya
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719, USA mrkoenigs@wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koenigs
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005133:Eye Movements; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology
keywords: attention; emotion; eye tracking; lesion studies; prefrontal cortex; social cognition