Neural correlates of subjective arousal and valence in health and panic disorder.

Aberrant emotion processing is a core characteristic of panic disorder (PD). Findings concerning the underlying neural pathways remain inconsistent. We applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the context of a task based on the circumplex model of affect. This model links affective states to two underlying neurophysiological systems: arousal and valence. Twenty-two healthy participants and 20 participants with PD rated arousal and valence in response to affective faces during fMRI. In healthy controls, we found that arousal modulated the hemodynamic response in the parahippocampus, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the cuneus during face perception. Valence and extreme ratings of valence modulated the hemodynamic response in temporal, parietal, somatosensory, premotor and cerebellar regions. Comparing healthy controls to participants with PD, we found that healthy controls showed a stronger modulation of the hemodynamic response during face perception associated with extreme ratings of valence in the parahippocampus and the supplementary motor area. This suggests parahippocampal dysfunction in the processing of highly valenced affective faces in PD, which may underlie aberrant contextualization of strong affective stimuli. Our findings need to be interpreted with care as they were adjusted for multiple comparisons using a liberal correction procedure.

Depression is associated with hyperconnectivity of an introspective socio-affective network during the recall of formative relationship episodes.

BACKGROUND: Depression and the experience of early adversity are associated with impairments in interpersonal and social cognitive functioning. The neural mechanisms involved in these impairments remain insufficiently understood. METHODS: In a sample of 48 depressed and 50 healthy participants, we explored seed-to-voxel functional connectivity (FC) during the recall of formative relationship episodes using functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: While depressive symptoms were associated with increased FC of brain regions that form an introspective socio-affective network, such as the precuneus, bilateral anterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, left amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex, early adversity linked to decreased FC of brain regions mediating emotion processing such as the bilateral anterior insula and increased FC of the bilateral parahippocampal gyrus. LIMITATIONS: We report both results that are corrected for the number of seeds tested in FC analyses using strict Bonferroni adjustments and unadjusted results as part of an exploratory analysis. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that depression and early adversity are associated with differential FC patterns in the brain during the recall of formative relationship episodes. Hyperconnectivity of an introspective socio-affective network associated with depressive symptoms may link to enhanced self-focus and emotional reactivity. Patterns of neural activation associated with early adversity may underpin numbed affective states or enhanced affective memory regulation. Overall, these findings inform about the neural underpinnings of a reflective ability that is predictive of the adaptation to depression and to early adversity and relevant for psychotherapy outcomes.

Thinking about the past to shape the present: neural activation during the recall of relationship episodes.

Reflecting on oneself and others in relationships is an ability that is central to our social existence. Specifically, considering formative autobiographical experiences in relationships may contribute to more flexibility in perceiving, as well as in shaping present relationships. Reflecting on such experiences mobilizes different social cognitive and affective processes. We aim to explore the neural basis of these processes. With a newly developed functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) task, we investigated brain activation in 35 healthy individuals during recall of relationship episodes involving themselves or others. We found that recalling formative episodes involving themselves modulated brain activity in the right parahippocampus, left precuneus, bilateral fusiform gyrus, bilateral insula, and left presupplementary motor area. These areas are involved in memory processes, self-generated thought, and affective experience. The recall of relationship episodes involving others led to similar activation patterns. Our results underscore the close link between self-reflection, understanding others, and memory processes and emphasize the role of affective dimensions for self-relevant experiences. They contribute to a growing body of research on neural mechanisms involved in complex social cognitive processes decisive for our capacity to navigate our social environment.