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Dickenson JA, Diamond L, King JB, Jenson K, Anderson JS. Understanding heterosexual women's erotic flexibility: the role of attention in sexual evaluations and neural responses to sexual stimuli. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:447-465. [PMID: 32415978 PMCID: PMC7308660 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many women experience desires, arousal and behavior that run counter to their sexual orientation (orientation inconsistent, 'OI'). Are such OI sexual experiences cognitively and neurobiologically distinct from those that are consistent with one's sexual orientation (orientation consistent, 'OC')? To address this question, we employed a mindful attention intervention-aimed at reducing judgment and enhancing somatosensory attention-to examine the underlying attentional and neurobiological processes of OC and OI sexual stimuli among predominantly heterosexual women. Women exhibited greater neural activity in response to OC, compared to OI, sexual stimuli in regions associated with implicit visual processing, volitional appraisal and attention. In contrast, women exhibited greater neural activity to OI, relative to OC, sexual stimuli in regions associated with complex visual processing and attentional shifting. Mindfully attending to OC sexual stimuli reduced distraction, amplified women's evaluations of OC stimuli as sexually arousing and deactivated the superior cerebellum. In contrast, mindfully attending to OI sexual stimuli amplified distraction, decreased women's evaluations of OI stimuli as sexually arousing and augmented parietal and temporo-occipital activity. Results of the current study constrain hypotheses of female erotic flexibility, suggesting that sexual orientation may be maintained by differences in attentional processing that cannot be voluntarily altered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna A Dickenson
- Human Sexuality, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Lisa Diamond
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Jace B King
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.,Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
| | - Kay Jenson
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Anderson
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.,Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
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52
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Sánchez-Núñez P, Cobo MJ, Vaccaro G, Peláez JI, Herrera-Viedma E. Citation Classics in Consumer Neuroscience, Neuromarketing and Neuroaesthetics: Identification and Conceptual Analysis. Brain Sci 2021; 11:548. [PMID: 33925436 PMCID: PMC8146570 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromarketing, consumer neuroscience and neuroaesthetics are a broad research area of neuroscience with an extensive background in scientific publications. Thus, the present study aims to identify the highly cited papers (HCPs) in this research field, to deliver a summary of the academic work produced during the last decade in this area, and to show patterns, features, and trends that define the past, present, and future of this specific area of knowledge. The HCPs show a perspective of those documents that, historically, have attracted great interest from a research community and that could be considered as the basis of the research field. In this study, we retrieved 907 documents and analyzed, through H-Classics methodology, 50 HCPs identified in the Web of Science (WoS) during the period 2010-2019. The H-Classic approach offers an objective method to identify core knowledge in neuroscience disciplines such as neuromarketing, consumer neuroscience, and neuroaesthetics. To accomplish this study, we used Bibliometrix R Package and SciMAT software. This analysis provides results that give us a useful insight into the development of this field of research, revealing those scientific actors who have made the greatest contribution to its development: authors, institutions, sources, countries as well as documents and references.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Sánchez-Núñez
- Joint-PhD Programme in Communication, Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
- Center for Applied Social Research (CISA), Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain; (G.V.); (J.I.P.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Manuel J. Cobo
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidad de Cádiz, 11202 Cádiz, Spain;
| | - Gustavo Vaccaro
- Center for Applied Social Research (CISA), Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain; (G.V.); (J.I.P.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Department of Languages and Computer Science, Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - José Ignacio Peláez
- Center for Applied Social Research (CISA), Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain; (G.V.); (J.I.P.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Department of Languages and Computer Science, Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Enrique Herrera-Viedma
- Andalusian Research Institute on Data Science and Computational Intelligence, Department of Computer Science and AI, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain;
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Clemente A, Pearce MT, Skov M, Nadal M. Evaluative judgment across domains: Liking balance, contour, symmetry and complexity in melodies and visual designs. Brain Cogn 2021; 151:105729. [PMID: 33887654 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Evaluative judgment-i.e., assessing to what degree a stimulus is liked or disliked-is a fundamental aspect of cognition, facilitating comparison and choosing among alternatives, deciding, and prioritizing actions. Neuroimaging studies have shown that evaluative judgment involves the projection of sensory information to the reward circuit. To investigate whether evaluative judgments are based on modality-specific or modality-general attributes, we compared the extent to which balance, contour, symmetry, and complexity affect liking responses in the auditory and visual modalities. We found no significant correlation for any of the four attributes across sensory modalities, except for contour. This suggests that evaluative judgments primarily rely on modality-specific sensory representations elaborated in the brain's sensory cortices and relayed to the reward circuit, rather than abstract modality-general representations. The individual traits art experience, openness to experience, and desire for aesthetics were associated with the extent to which design or compositional attributes influenced liking, but inconsistently across sensory modalities and attributes, also suggesting modality-specific influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Clemente
- Human Evolution and Cognition Research Group (EvoCog), University of the Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Marcus T Pearce
- School of Electronic Engineering & Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, UK; Centre for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Martin Skov
- Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark; Center for Decision Neuroscience, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
| | - Marcos Nadal
- Human Evolution and Cognition Research Group (EvoCog), University of the Balearic Islands, Spain.
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Schmidt C, Gleesborg C, Schmidt H, Kvamme TL, Lund TE, Voon V, Møller A. A bias towards natural rewards away from gambling cues in gamblers undergoing active treatment. Brain Res 2021; 1764:147479. [PMID: 33852890 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disorders of substance and behavioral addiction are believed to be associated with a myopic bias towards the incentive salience of addiction-related cues away from general rewards in the environment. In non-treatment seeking gambling disorder patients, neural activity to anticipation of monetary rewards is enhanced relative to erotic rewards. Here we focus on the balance between anticipation of reward types in active treatment gamblers relative to healthy volunteers. METHODS Fifty-three (25 gambling disorder males, 28 age-matched male healthy volunteers) were scanned with fMRI performing a Monetary Incentive Delay task with monetary and erotic outcomes. RESULTS During reward anticipation, gambling disorder was associated with greater left orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatal activity to erotic relative to monetary reward anticipation compared to healthy volunteers. Lower impulsivity correlated with greater activity in the dorsal striatum and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex to erotic anticipation in gambling disorder subjects. In the outcome phase, gambling disorder subjects showed greater activity in the ventral striatum, ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex to both reward types relative to healthy volunteers. CONCLUSIONS These findings contrast directly with previous findings in non-treatment seeking gambling disorder. Our observations highlight the role of treatment state in active treatment gambling disorder, emphasizing a potential influence of treatment status, gambling abstinence or cognitive behavioral therapy on increasing the salience of general rewards beyond that of gambling-related cues. These findings support a potential therapeutic role for targeting the salience of non-gambling related rewards and potential biomarkers for treatment efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper Schmidt
- Department of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University, Rendsburggade 14, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark; Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience/MINDLab, Danish Neuroscience Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET-Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, Indgang J, Plan 2, J220, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Herchel Smith Building for Brain & Mind Sciences, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom.
| | - Carsten Gleesborg
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience/MINDLab, Danish Neuroscience Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET-Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, Indgang J, Plan 2, J220, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Hema Schmidt
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience/MINDLab, Danish Neuroscience Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET-Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, Indgang J, Plan 2, J220, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Timo L Kvamme
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience/MINDLab, Danish Neuroscience Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Psychological Institute, Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 10, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Torben E Lund
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience/MINDLab, Danish Neuroscience Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Valerie Voon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Herchel Smith Building for Brain & Mind Sciences, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom; Behavioral and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2, 3EB, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Rd, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB21 5HH, United Kingdom
| | - Arne Møller
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience/MINDLab, Danish Neuroscience Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET-Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, Indgang J, Plan 2, J220, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
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The endocannabinoid system in humans: significant associations between anandamide, brain function during reward feedback and a personality measure of reward dependence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1020-1027. [PMID: 33007775 PMCID: PMC8114914 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00870-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Preclinical evidence indicates that the endocannabinoid system is involved in neural responses to reward. This study aimed to investigate associations between basal serum concentrations of the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) with brain functional reward processing. Additionally, a personality measure of reward dependence was obtained. Brain functional data were obtained of 30 right-handed adults by conducting fMRI at 3 Tesla using a reward paradigm. Reward dependence was obtained using the subscale reward dependence of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). Basal concentrations of AEA and 2-AG were determined in serum. Analyzing the fMRI data, for AEA and 2-AG ANCOVAs were calculated using a full factorial model, with condition (reward > control, loss > control) and concentrations for AEA and 2-AG as factors. Regression analyses were conducted for AEA and 2-AG on TPQ-RD scores. A whole-brain analysis showed a significant interaction effect of AEA concentration by condition (positive vs. negative) within the putamen (x = 26, y = 16, z = -8, F13.51, TFCE(1, 54) = 771.68, k = 70, PFWE = 0.044) resulting from a positive association of basal AEA concentrations and putamen activity to rewarding stimuli, while this association was absent in the loss condition. AEA concentrations were significantly negatively correlated with TPQ reward dependence scores (rspearman = -0.56, P = 0.001). These results show that circulating AEA may modulate brain activation during reward feedback and that the personality measure reward dependence is correlated with AEA concentrations in healthy human volunteers. Future research is needed to further characterize the nature of the lipids' influence on reward processing, the impact on reward anticipation and outcome, and on vulnerability for psychiatric disorders.
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Alarbeed S, Jaafo MH. Analysis of upper lip appearance after surgical lip augmentation procedure "VY in VY": Progress of results. JOURNAL OF STOMATOLOGY, ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY 2021; 123:248-256. [PMID: 33771741 DOI: 10.1016/j.jormas.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Many materials and techniques were used for lip augmentation, whereas in the last years all attention is paid for filling material, and long-lasting surgical techniques were ignored. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study includes 12 candidate patients for upper lip augmentation; all are females, their age range 21-24 years. Standardized anterior and lateral photographs of each subject were taken at: preoperative, 2, 4, and 12 months later, and were analysed using digital imaging software to quantify postoperative changes. We used t-test of correlated samples to detect any statistical significance and Interclass correlation coefficient test (ICC) for reliability that proved the reliability and reproducibility of our method. RESULTS there were statistically significant improvements in al parameters that characterize the fullness of the upper lip. These changes was observed from the 2nd month (P<0.05) and continued improving until the 4th month (P<0.05), after that they appeared to be stable (P>0.05). These changes were at the 12th month postoperative in: upper white lip (-9%), upper red lip (53%), upper red lip area (63%), protrusion (41%) and nasolabial angle (-7%). There was no statistical significance in the change of Cupid's bow curvature (P-value = 0.104 > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS VY in VY for upper lip augmentation improves the parameters that define the youthful and fully appearance of the upper lip and the progress of results may be predictable. These improvements appear to be stable from the 4th month. Also, it doesn't change the Cupid's bow curvature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shadi Alarbeed
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Damascus Dental School, Mazzeh Highway, Damascus, Syria.
| | - Mhd Hassan Jaafo
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Damascus Dental School, Mazzeh Highway, Damascus, Syria
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57
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Sex Differences in the Motivation for Viewing Sexually Arousing Images. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-021-00276-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSexual motivation strongly influences mate choice and dating behavior and can be triggered by merely viewing sexually arousing visual images, such as erotic pictures and movies. Previous studies suggested that men, more than women, tend to search for sexual cues that signal promiscuity in short-term mates. However, it remains to be tested whether sex differences in the motivation to view sexual cues can be observed by using robust and well-controlled behavioral measures. To this end, we employed a pay-per-view key-pressing task. Japanese self-identified heterosexual male and female participants viewed images of men, women, or couples with two levels of sexual arousal (sexual vs. less sexual). Participants could alter the viewing time of a presented image according to their willingness to keep viewing it. Male participants were the most eager to view sexually arousing images of the opposite sex, whereas female participants were more strongly motivated to view less sexual images of couples. Such sex differences may reflect differentiated reproductive strategies between men and women in terms of men’s motivation toward promiscuity and women’s motivation toward long-term relationships.
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58
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Human brain activity reflecting facial attractiveness from skin reflection. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3412. [PMID: 33619295 PMCID: PMC7900112 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82601-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial attraction has a great influence on our daily social interactions. Previous studies have mainly focused on the attraction from facial shape and expression. We recently found that faces with radiant skin appear to be more attractive than those with oily-shiny or matte skin. In the present study, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and psychological experiments to determine the human brain activity that reflects facial attractiveness modulated by these skin reflection types. In the fMRI experiment, female subjects were shown successive images of unfamiliar female faces with matte, oily-shiny, or radiant skin. The subjects compared each face with the immediately preceding face in terms of attractiveness, age, and skin reflection, all based on the skin. The medial part of the orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) was significantly more active when comparing attractiveness than when comparing skin reflection, suggesting that the mOFC is involved in processing facial attractiveness from skin reflection. In the psychological experiment, attractiveness rating was highest for radiant skin, followed by oily-shiny, and then matte skin. Comparison of the results of these experiments showed that mOFC activation level increased with attractiveness rating. These results suggest that the activation level of the mOFC reflects facial attractiveness from skin reflection.
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Malloy TE, DiPietro C, DeSimone B, Curley C, Chau S, Silva C. Facial attractiveness, social status, and face recognition. VISUAL COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2021.1884630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Habel U, Regenbogen C, Kammann C, Stickel S, Chechko N. Male brain processing of the body odor of ovulating women compared to that of pregnant women. Neuroimage 2021; 229:117733. [PMID: 33484852 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Female chemical signals underlie the advertising of sexual receptivity and fertility. Whether the body odor of a pregnant woman also has a signaling function with respect to male behavior is yet to be conclusively established. This study examines how the body odors of ovulating and pregnant women differentially affect the behavior of heterosexual men. Body odor samples were collected from 5 pregnant women and 5 matched controls during ovulation. In a double-blind functional magnetic resonance imaging design, 18 heterosexual men were exposed to female body odors during ovulation (OV) and pregnancy (PRG) while being required to indicate the attractiveness of concurrently presented female portrait images. The participants were also required to indicate whether they assumed a depicted woman was pregnant. While neither OV nor PRG altered the perceived attractiveness of a presented face, the men tended to identify the women as pregnant while exposed to a PRG body odor. On the neural level, OV activated a network of the frontotemporal and limbic regions, while PRG activated the superior medial frontal gyrus. The results suggest that the detection of sexual availability activates the male brain regions associated with face processing and reward/motivation, whereas sensing pregnancy activates a region responsible for empathy and prosocial behavior. Thus, the female body odor during pregnancy likely helps foster circumstances conducive to the future care of offspring while the body odor advertising sexual availability promotes mating behavior. The brains of heterosexual men may be capable of unconsciously discriminating between these two types of olfactory stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johne Strasse, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
| | - Christina Regenbogen
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johne Strasse, 52425 Jülich, Germany; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catharina Kammann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Susanne Stickel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johne Strasse, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
| | - Natalia Chechko
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johne Strasse, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
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Abstract
Beauty filters, while often employed for retouching photos to appear more attractive on social media, when used in excess cause images to give a distorted impression. The neural mechanisms underlying this change in facial attractiveness according to beauty retouching level remain unknown. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging in women as they viewed photos of their own face or unknown faces that had been retouched at three levels: no, mild, and extreme. The activity in the nucleus accumbens (NA) exhibited a positive correlation with facial attractiveness, whereas amygdala activity showed a negative correlation with attractiveness. Even though the participants rated others' faces as more attractive than their own, the NA showed increased activity only for their mildly retouched own face and the amygdala exhibited greater activation in the others' faces condition than the own face condition. Moreover, amygdala activity was greater for extremely retouched faces than for unretouched or mildly retouched faces for both conditions. Frontotemporal and cortical midline areas showed greater activation for one's own than others' faces, but such self-related activation was absent when extremely retouched. These results suggest that neural activity dynamically switches between the NA and amygdala according to perceived attractiveness of one's face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chisa Ota
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tamami Nakano
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,PRESTO, Japan Science Technology, Saitama, Japan
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Preliminary effects of prefrontal tDCS on dopamine-mediated behavior and psychophysiology. Behav Brain Res 2021; 402:113091. [PMID: 33359843 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The ability to manipulate dopamine in vivo through non-invasive, reversible mechanisms has the potential to impact clinical, translational, and basic research. Recent PET studies have demonstrated increased dopamine release in the striatum after bifrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We sought to extend this work by examining whether bifrontal tDCS could demonstrate an effect on behavioral and physiological correlates of subcortical dopamine activity. We conducted a preliminary between-subjects study (n = 30) with active and sham tDCS and used spontaneous eye blink rate (EBR), facial attractiveness ratings, and greyscales orienting bias as indirect proxies for dopamine functioning. The initial design and analyses were pre-registered (https://osf.io/gmnpc). Stimulation did not significantly affect any of the three measures, though effect sizes were often moderately large and were all in the predicted directions. Additional exploratory analyses suggested that stimulation's effect on EBR might depend on pre-stimulation dopamine levels. Our results suggest that larger samples than those that are standard in tDCS literature should be used to assess the effect of tDCS on dopamine using indirect measures. Further, exploratory results add to a growing body of work demonstrating the importance of accounting for individual differences in tDCS response.
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63
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Luo P, Yin M, Li Y. Different effects of facial attractiveness on empathic responses in counselors and matched controls. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-01301-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Fuseda K, Katayama J. A New Technique to Measure the Level of Interest Using Heartbeat-Evoked Brain Potential. J PSYCHOPHYSIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Interest is a positive emotion related to attention. The event-related brain potential (ERP) probe technique is a useful method to evaluate the level of interest in dynamic stimuli. However, even in the irrelevant probe technique, the probe is presented as a physical stimulus and steals the observer’s attentional resources, although no overt response is required. Therefore, the probe might become a problematic distractor, preventing deep immersion of participants. Heartbeat-evoked brain potential (HEP) is a brain activity, time-locked to a cardiac event. No probe is required to obtain HEP data. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether the HEP can be used to evaluate the level of interest. Twenty-four participants (12 males and 12 females) watched attractive and unattractive individuals of the opposite sex in interesting and uninteresting videos (7 min each), respectively. We performed two techniques each for both the interesting and the uninteresting videos: the ERP probe and the HEP techniques. In the former, somatosensory stimuli were presented as task-irrelevant probes while participants watched videos: frequent (80%) and infrequent (20%) stimuli were presented at each wrist in random order. In the latter, participants watched videos without the probe. The P2 amplitude in response to the somatosensory probe was smaller and the positive wave amplitudes of HEP were larger while watching the videos of attractive individuals than while watching the videos of unattractive ones. These results indicate that the HEP technique is a useful method to evaluate the level of interest without an external probe stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Fuseda
- Department of Psychological Science, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan
| | - Jun’ichi Katayama
- Department of Psychological Science, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan
- Center for Applied Psychological Science (CAPS), Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan
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Chuan-Peng H, Huang Y, Eickhoff SB, Peng K, Sui J. Seeking the "Beauty Center" in the Brain: A Meta-Analysis of fMRI Studies of Beautiful Human Faces and Visual Art. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:1200-1215. [PMID: 33089442 PMCID: PMC8058033 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00827-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
During the past two decades, cognitive neuroscientists have sought to elucidate the common neural basis of the experience of beauty. Still, empirical evidence for such common neural basis of different forms of beauty is not conclusive. To address this question, we performed an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis on the existing neuroimaging studies of beauty appreciation of faces and visual art by nonexpert adults (49 studies, 982 participants, meta-data are available at https://osf.io/s9xds/ ). We observed that perceiving these two forms of beauty activated distinct brain regions: While the beauty of faces convergently activated the left ventral striatum, the beauty of visual art convergently activated the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC). However, a conjunction analysis failed to reveal any common brain regions for the beauty of visual art and faces. The implications of these results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu Chuan-Peng
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Mainz, Germany.
| | - Yi Huang
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Kaiping Peng
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Sui
- School of Psychology, the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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66
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Lim S, Yoon S, Kwon J, Kralik JD, Jeong J. Retrospective Evaluation of Sequential Events and the Influence of Preference-Dependent Working Memory: A Computational Examination. Front Comput Neurosci 2020; 14:65. [PMID: 33013339 PMCID: PMC7516338 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2020.00065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans organize sequences of events into a single overall experience, and evaluate the aggregated experience as a whole, such as a generally pleasant dinner, movie, or trip. However, such evaluations are potentially computationally taxing, and so our brains must employ heuristics (i.e., approximations). For example, the peak-end rule hypothesis suggests that we average the peaks and end of a sequential event vs. integrating every moment. However, there is no general model to test viable hypotheses quantitatively. Here, we propose a general model and test among multiple specific ones, while also examining the role of working memory. The models were tested with a novel picture-rating task. We first compared averaging across entire sequences vs. the peak-end heuristic. Correlation tests indicated that averaging prevailed, with peak and end both still having significant prediction power. Given this, we developed generalized order-dependent and relative-preference-dependent models to subsume averaging, peak and end. The combined model improved the prediction power. However, based on limitations of relative-preference-including imposing a potentially arbitrary ranking among preferences-we introduced an absolute-preference-dependent model, which successfully explained the remembered utilities. Yet, because using all experiences in a sequence requires too much memory as real-world settings scale, we then tested "windowed" models, i.e., evaluation within a specified window. The windowed (absolute) preference-dependent (WP) model explained the empirical data with long sequences better than without windowing. However, because fixed-windowed models harbor their own limitations-including an inability to capture peak-event influences beyond a fixed window-we then developed discounting models. With (absolute) preference-dependence added to the discounting rate, the results showed that the discounting model reflected the actual working memory of the participants, and that the preference-dependent discounting (PD) model described different features from the WP model. Taken together, we propose a combined WP-PD model as a means by which people evaluate experiences, suggesting preference-dependent working-memory as a significant factor underlying our evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sewoong Lim
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Sangsup Yoon
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jaehyung Kwon
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jerald D Kralik
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jaeseung Jeong
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
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67
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Gellner AK, Voelter J, Schmidt U, Beins EC, Stein V, Philipsen A, Hurlemann R. Molecular and neurocircuitry mechanisms of social avoidance. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 78:1163-1189. [PMID: 32997200 PMCID: PMC7904739 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03649-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Humans and animals live in social relationships shaped by actions of approach and avoidance. Both are crucial for normal physical and mental development, survival, and well-being. Active withdrawal from social interaction is often induced by the perception of threat or unpleasant social experience and relies on adaptive mechanisms within neuronal networks associated with social behavior. In case of confrontation with overly strong or persistent stressors and/or dispositions of the affected individual, maladaptive processes in the neuronal circuitries and its associated transmitters and modulators lead to pathological social avoidance. This review focuses on active, fear-driven social avoidance, affected circuits within the mesocorticolimbic system and associated regions and a selection of molecular modulators that promise translational potential. A comprehensive review of human research in this field is followed by a reflection on animal studies that offer a broader and often more detailed range of analytical methodologies. Finally, we take a critical look at challenges that could be addressed in future translational research on fear-driven social avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Kathrin Gellner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jella Voelter
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 7, 26160, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schmidt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry Und Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Eva Carolina Beins
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Valentin Stein
- Institute of Physiology II, University Hospital Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexandra Philipsen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - René Hurlemann
- Division of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany. .,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 7, 26160, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany. .,Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
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68
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Duarte IC, Coelho G, Brito-Costa S, Cayolla R, Afonso S, Castelo-Branco M. Ventral Caudate and Anterior Insula Recruitment During Value Estimation of Passionate Rewarding Cues. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:678. [PMID: 32848534 PMCID: PMC7403482 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
“Wanting”, a component of reward processing, is a motivational property that guides decision making in goal-oriented behavior. This includes behavior aiming at supporting relational bonds, even at the group level. Accordingly, group belongingness works as this motivational property, which is fundamentally different from romantic or maternal love. While primary rewards (or learned associations, such as money) have been largely used to study the conceptual framework associated with “wanting,” other cues triggering behavior, such as passionate motives, are less well-studied. We investigated the neural correlates of value estimation of a passion-driven incentive in neuropsychologically defined football fans. We asked the participants (n = 57) to compute the value of football tickets (the cues that trigger passionate behavior in this “tribal love” context). The trials were all different, comprising tickets for different matches. The participants had no restrictions on the amount to be introduced. This enabled a parametric functional magnetic resonance imaging design based on the explicit estimated value given by the participants in a trial-by-trial approach. Using a whole-brain approach (to prevent biased focus on value-related regions), only the activity in the ventral caudate and left anterior insula showed a critical relationship with the reported value. Higher normalized values led to more activity in the striatum and left insula. The parametric map shows that these regions encode the magnitude of incentive by indexing self-relevant value. Other regions were involved in value computation, such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, but did not exhibit parametric patterns. The involvement of the nucleus accumbens in value estimation was only found in region of interest -based analysis, which emphasizes the role of the ventral caudate for the presently studied social “reinforcer” cue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Catarina Duarte
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo Coelho
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sónia Brito-Costa
- Human Potential Development Center, Institute of Applied Research, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Cayolla
- Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,Porto Business School, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sónia Afonso
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel Castelo-Branco
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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69
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Shang J, Liu Z, Yang H, Wang C, Zheng L, Chen W, Liu CH. Perceptual Advantage of Animal Facial Attractiveness: Evidence From b-CFS and Binocular Rivalry. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1670. [PMID: 32754100 PMCID: PMC7367084 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has shown that attractive human faces enjoy an advantage in both conscious and preconscious processing. Here we examined whether this preference for attractiveness is exclusive to human faces by measuring participants’ sensitivity to the attractiveness of cat and tiger faces. Experiment 1 measured the time taken to break continuous flash suppression (b-CFS), whereas Experiment 2 measured the dominant time in binocular rivalry (BR). The results showed that attractive cat faces were detected more quickly (Experiment 1) and dominated for longer time in visual awareness (Experiment 2). However, no effect of attractiveness was found for tiger faces in Experiment 1, while attractive tiger faces also dominated for longer time in visual awareness in Experiment 2. The results provide first evidence that the preference for attractive animal faces can be shown involuntarily or without apparent conscious control. The findings suggest that human preference for facial attractiveness may contain an aesthetic element rather than being a purely adaptive means for mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junchen Shang
- College of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Zhihui Liu
- College of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Hong Yang
- College of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Chengyu Wang
- College of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Lingya Zheng
- College of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Wenfeng Chen
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Chang Hong Liu
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
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70
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Reppa I, McDougall S, Sonderegger A, Schmidt WC. Mood moderates the effect of aesthetic appeal on performance. Cogn Emot 2020; 35:15-29. [PMID: 32734827 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2020.1800446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Aesthetically appealing stimuli can improve performance in demanding target localisation tasks compared to unappealing stimuli. Two search-and-localisation experiments were carried out to examine the possible underlying mechanism mediating the effects of appeal on performance. Participants (N = 95) were put in a positive or negative mood prior to carrying out a visual target localisation task with appealing and unappealing targets. In both experiments, positive mood initially led to faster localisation of appealing compared to unappealing stimuli, while an advantage for appealing over unappealing stimuli emerged over time in negative mood participants. The findings are compatible with the idea that appealing stimuli may be inherently rewarding, with aesthetic appeal overcoming the detrimental effects of negative mood on performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Reppa
- Psychology Department, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Siné McDougall
- Psychology Department, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK
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71
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Beauty and Attractiveness in the Human Voice. J Voice 2020; 36:507-514. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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72
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Lin T, Fischer H, Johnson MK, Ebner NC. The effects of face attractiveness on face memory depend on both age of perceiver and age of face. Cogn Emot 2020; 34:875-889. [PMID: 31747845 PMCID: PMC7237279 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2019.1694491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Face attractiveness can influence memory for previously seen faces. This effect has been shown to differ for young and older perceivers. Two parallel studies examined the moderation of both the age of the face and the age of the perceiver on the relationship between facial attractiveness and face memory. Study 1 comprised 29 young and 31 older participants; Study 2 comprised 25 young and 24 older participants. In both studies, participants completed an incidental face encoding and a surprise old/new recognition test with young and older faces that varied in face attractiveness. Face attractiveness affected memory for young but not older faces. In addition, young but not older perceivers showed a linear effect of facial attractiveness on memory for young faces, while both young and older perceivers showed a quadratic effect on memory for young faces. These findings extend previous work by demonstrating that the effect of facial attractiveness on face memory is a function of both the age of the perceiver and the age of the face. Factors that could account for such moderations of face and perceiver age on the associations between face attractiveness and face memory are discussed (e.g. age differences in social goals and face similarity/distinctiveness).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Håkan Fischer
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Natalie C. Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Florida Institute of Cybersecurity Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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73
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Kopiś N, Francuz P, Zabielska-Mendyk E, Augustynowicz P. Feeling Other People's Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study on Facial Attractiveness and Emotional Empathy. Adv Cogn Psychol 2020; 16:169-175. [PMID: 32685061 PMCID: PMC7355155 DOI: 10.5709/acp-0294-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy is the ability to understand and react to other people's inner states. Neuroimaging evidence suggests that there are two aspects of empathy which are subserved by distinct brain networks. The emotional aspect of empathy is reflected by bottom-up processes and the cognitive aspect of empathy is influenced by top-down processes. Both aspects can be studied by measuring the reaction of participants exposed to the pictures of models who feel physical pain, for example, having a needle stuck in their cheek. The early event-related potential (ERP) N2 has been reported in observing other’s physical pain and has been suggested as a biomarker of the emotional aspect of empathy. The present study investigated the time course of processing other’s pain and the influence of face attractiveness on the early ERP component. Participants (N = 24) viewed photos of physically attractive and unattractive men and women during painful (a needle in the check) and nonpainful stimulation (Q-tip touching the skin). N1 and P2 components were sensitive to face attractiveness. The amplitude of the N2 component was more positive for the stimuli associated with pain than for neutral stimuli, but only for unattractive faces. Therefore, we suggest that a difference in the N2 amplitude to pain in unattractive faces most likely reflects a difference in emphatic response depending on facial attractiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Kopiś
- Department of Experimental Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland1
| | - Piotr Francuz
- Department of Experimental Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland1
| | - Emilia Zabielska-Mendyk
- Department of Experimental Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland1
| | - Paweł Augustynowicz
- Department of Experimental Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland1
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74
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Dubey I, Georgescu AL, Hommelsen M, Vogeley K, Ropar D, Hamilton AFDC. Distinct neural correlates of social and object reward seeking motivation. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:4214-4229. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Indu Dubey
- Division of Psychology School of Applied Social Sciences, De Montfort University Leicester UK
- School of Psychology University of Nottingham Nottingham UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience University College London London UK
| | - Alexandra L. Georgescu
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience University College London London UK
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King’s College London Guy’s Campus, Addison House LondonSE1 1ULUK
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital Cologne Cologne Germany
| | - Maximilian Hommelsen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital Cologne Cologne Germany
- Computational Neurology Group Cognitive Neuroscience – Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM‐3) Research Center Juelich Juelich Germany
| | - Kai Vogeley
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy University Hospital Cologne Cologne Germany
- Social Cognition Group Cognitive Neuroscience – Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM‐3) Research Center Juelich Juelich Germany
| | - Danielle Ropar
- School of Psychology University of Nottingham Nottingham UK
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75
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Balconi M, Kopis N, Angioletti L. Does aesthetic judgment on face attractiveness affect neural correlates of empathy for pain? A fNIRS study. Exp Brain Res 2020; 238:2067-2076. [PMID: 32638037 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-05867-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Empathy for pain is at the basis of altruistic behaviors and is known to be modulated by variables such as group membership, pleasantness or unpleasantness of situations and social relationships. Also, face attractiveness and aesthetic judgment might play a role when observing a person in painful conditions, by increasing individuals' empathic responsiveness. Indeed, physical attractiveness can modify both the perception of the face itself and its reception in a social context. In the present study, we aimed to assess cortical activity when attention is focused on the aesthetic features of an individual showing painful feelings. Brain activity (optical imaging: functional near-infrared spectroscopy, fNIRS), considered in its hemodynamic components (oxygenated [oxy-Hb] and deoxygenated hemoglobin [deoxy-Hb]) was monitored when 22 subjects (Mage = 24.9; SD = 3.6) observed faces (attractive; unattractive) that received painful stimulations (pain; no pain) and were asked to judge the attractiveness and pain condition of the face. Specifically, we targeted the left and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), sensory cortex, and temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). Analyses revealed significant lower oxy-Hb levels in left IFG compared to right hemispheric channels when asking participants to rate faces attractiveness independently from the stimulus features. Besides, lower levels of deoxy-Hb were detected in the right TPJ for unattractive faces compared to attractive faces. Overall, present findings highlighted that the formulation of an aesthetic judgment and face attractiveness plays a relevant role in empathic concerns and this seems to be able to overlay painful appraisal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Balconi
- Department of Psychology, Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo Gemelli, 1, 20123, Milan, Italy
| | - Natalia Kopis
- John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Laura Angioletti
- Department of Psychology, Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo Gemelli, 1, 20123, Milan, Italy.
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76
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Brady WJ, Crockett MJ, Van Bavel JJ. The MAD Model of Moral Contagion: The Role of Motivation, Attention, and Design in the Spread of Moralized Content Online. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020; 15:978-1010. [DOI: 10.1177/1745691620917336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
With more than 3 billion users, online social networks represent an important venue for moral and political discourse and have been used to organize political revolutions, influence elections, and raise awareness of social issues. These examples rely on a common process to be effective: the ability to engage users and spread moralized content through online networks. Here, we review evidence that expressions of moral emotion play an important role in the spread of moralized content (a phenomenon we call moral contagion). Next, we propose a psychological model called the motivation, attention, and design (MAD) model to explain moral contagion. The MAD model posits that people have group-identity-based motivations to share moral-emotional content, that such content is especially likely to capture our attention, and that the design of social-media platforms amplifies our natural motivational and cognitive tendencies to spread such content. We review each component of the model (as well as interactions between components) and raise several novel, testable hypotheses that can spark progress on the scientific investigation of civic engagement and activism, political polarization, propaganda and disinformation, and other moralized behaviors in the digital age.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jay J. Van Bavel
- Department of Psychology, New York University
- Center for Neural Science, New York University
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77
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Lawrence KE, Hernandez LM, Eilbott J, Jack A, Aylward E, Gaab N, Van Horn JD, Bernier RA, Geschwind DH, McPartland JC, Nelson CA, Webb SJ, Pelphrey KA, Bookheimer SY, Dapretto M. Neural responsivity to social rewards in autistic female youth. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:178. [PMID: 32488083 PMCID: PMC7266816 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0824-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism is hypothesized to be in part driven by a reduced sensitivity to the inherently rewarding nature of social stimuli. Previous neuroimaging studies have indicated that autistic males do indeed display reduced neural activity to social rewards, but it is unknown whether this finding extends to autistic females, particularly as behavioral evidence suggests that affected females may not exhibit the same reduction in social motivation as their male peers. We therefore used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine social reward processing during an instrumental implicit learning task in 154 children and adolescents (ages 8-17): 39 autistic girls, 43 autistic boys, 33 typically developing girls, and 39 typically developing boys. We found that autistic girls displayed increased activity to socially rewarding stimuli, including greater activity in the nucleus accumbens relative to autistic boys, as well as greater activity in lateral frontal cortices and the anterior insula compared with typically developing girls. These results demonstrate for the first time that autistic girls do not exhibit the same reduction in activity within social reward systems as autistic boys. Instead, autistic girls display increased neural activation to such stimuli in areas related to reward processing and salience detection. Our findings indicate that a reduced sensitivity to social rewards, as assessed with a rewarded instrumental implicit learning task, does not generalize to affected female youth and highlight the importance of studying potential sex differences in autism to improve our understanding of the condition and its heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Lawrence
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Leanna M Hernandez
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Jeffrey Eilbott
- Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington D.C., USA
| | - Allison Jack
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, USA
| | - Elizabeth Aylward
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, USA
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, USA
| | - John D Van Horn
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | - Raphael A Bernier
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
- Department of Neurology and Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - James C McPartland
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, USA
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, USA
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Sara J Webb
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- Center on Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, USA
| | - Kevin A Pelphrey
- Department of Neurology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | - Susan Y Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Mirella Dapretto
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA.
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78
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Bellucci G, Münte TF, Park SQ. Effects of a dopamine agonist on trusting behaviors in females. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:1671-1680. [PMID: 32107571 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05488-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Trust is central to bonding and cooperation. In many social interactions, individuals need to trust another person exclusively on the basis of their subjective impressions of the other's trustworthiness. Such impressions can be formed from social information from faces (e.g., facial trustworthiness and attractiveness) and guide trusting behaviors via activations of dopaminergic brain regions. However, the specific dopaminergic effects on impression-based trust are to date elusive. Here, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design, we administrated a D2/D3 dopamine agonist (pramipexole) to 28 healthy females who subsequently played a one-shot trust game with partners of varying facial trustworthiness. Our results show that by minimizing facial attractiveness information, we could isolate the specific effects of facial trustworthiness on trust in unknown partners. Despite no modulation of trustworthiness impressions, pramipexole intake significantly impacted trusting behaviors. Notably, these effects of pramipexole on trusting behaviors interacted with participants' hormonal contraceptive use. In particular, after pramipexole intake, trust significantly decreased in hormonal contraceptive non-users. This study fills an important gap in the experimental literature on trust and its neural dynamics, unearthing the cognitive and neural modulations of trusting behaviors based on trustworthiness impressions of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Bellucci
- Department of Psychology I, University of Lübeck, 23562, Lübeck, Germany.
- Department of Computational Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Thomas F Münte
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, 23562, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Soyoung Q Park
- Department of Psychology I, University of Lübeck, 23562, Lübeck, Germany
- Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
- Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetes, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
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79
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Acevedo BP, Poulin MJ, Collins NL, Brown LL. After the Honeymoon: Neural and Genetic Correlates of Romantic Love in Newlywed Marriages. Front Psychol 2020; 11:634. [PMID: 32457675 PMCID: PMC7223160 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In Western culture, romantic love is commonly a basis for marriage. Although it is associated with relationship satisfaction, stability, and individual well-being, many couples experience declines in romantic love. In newlyweds, specifically, changes in love predict marital outcomes. However, the biological mechanisms underlying the critical transition to marriage are unknown. Thus, for the first time, we explored the neural and genetic correlates of romantic love in newlyweds. Nineteen first-time newlyweds were scanned (with functional MRI) while viewing face images of the partner versus a familiar acquaintance, around the time of the wedding (T1) and 1 year after (T2). They also provided saliva samples for genetic analysis (AVPR1a rs3, OXTR rs53576, COMT rs4680, and DRD4-7R), and completed self-report measures of relationship quality including the Eros (romantic love) scale. We hypothesized that romantic love is a developed form of the mammalian drive to find, and keep, preferred mates; and that its maintenance is orchestrated by the brain's reward system. Results showed that, at both time points, romantic love maintenance (Eros difference score: T2-T1) was associated with activation of the dopamine-rich substantia nigra in response to face images of the partner. Interactions with vasopressin, oxytocin, and dopamine genes implicated in pair-bonding (AVPR1a rs3, OXTR rs53576, COMT rs4680, and DRD4-7R) also conferred strong activation in the dopamine-rich ventral tegmental area at both time points. Consistent with work highlighting the role of sexual intimacy in relationships, romantic love maintenance showed correlations in the paracentral lobule (genital region) and cortical areas involved in sensory and cognitive processing (occipital, angular gyrus, insular cortex). These findings suggest that romantic love, and its maintenance, are orchestrated by dopamine-, vasopressin- and oxytocin-rich brain regions, as seen in humans and other monogamous animals. We also provide genetic evidence of polymorphisms associated with oxytocin, vasopressin and dopamine function that affect the propensity to sustain romantic love in early stage marriages. We conclude that romantic love maintenance is part of a broad mammalian strategy for reproduction and long-term attachment that is influenced by basic reward circuitry, complex cognitive processes, and genetic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca P. Acevedo
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Michael J. Poulin
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Nancy L. Collins
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Lucy L. Brown
- Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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80
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Troiani V, Patti MA, Adamson K. The use of the orbitofrontal H-sulcus as a reference frame for value signals. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 51:1928-1943. [PMID: 31605399 PMCID: PMC8103953 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the factors that drive organization and function of the brain is an enduring question in neuroscience. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structure and function have been mapped in primary sensory cortices based on knowledge of the organizational principles that likely drive a given region (e.g., aspects of visual form in primary visual cortex and sound frequency in primary auditory cortex) and knowledge of underlying cytoarchitecture. The organizing principles of higher-order brain areas that encode more complex signals, such as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), are less well understood. One fundamental component that underlies the many functions of the OFC is the ability to compute the reward or value of a given object. There is evidence of variability in the spatial location of responses to specific categories of objects (or value of said objects) within the OFC, and several reference frames have been proposed to explain this variability, including topographic spatial gradients that correspond to axes of primary versus secondary rewards and positive versus negative reinforcers. One potentially useful structural morphometric reference frame in the OFC is the "H-sulcus," a pattern formed by medial orbital, lateral orbital and transverse orbital sulci. In 48 human subjects, we use a structural morphometric tracing procedure to localize functional activation along the H-sulcus for face and food stimuli. We report the novel finding that food-selective responses are consistently found within the caudal portion of the medial orbital sulcus, but no consistency within the H-sulcus for response to face stimuli. These results suggest that sulcogyral anatomy of the H-sulcus may be an important morphological metric that contributes to the organizing principles of the OFC response to certain stimulus categories, including food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Troiani
- Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Geisinger, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
- Department of Imaging Science and Innovation, Center for Health Research, Geisinger, Danville, Pennsylvania
- Neuroscience Institute, Geisinger, Danville, Pennsylvania
- Department of Basic Sciences, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, Pennsylvania
| | - Marisa A. Patti
- Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Geisinger, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
| | - Kayleigh Adamson
- Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Geisinger, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
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81
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Kramer RS, Mulgrew J, Anderson NC, Vasilyev D, Kingstone A, Reynolds MG, Ward R. Physically attractive faces attract us physically. Cognition 2020; 198:104193. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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82
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Perkins KA, Karelitz JL, Boldry MC. Reinforcement Enhancing Effects of Nicotine Via Patch and Nasal Spray. Nicotine Tob Res 2020. [PMID: 29514317 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/nty038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Confirming preclinical findings, nicotine in humans (via smoking) enhances reinforcement from nondrug rewards. Recent demonstration of similar effects with nicotine via e-cigarettes suggests they may also occur when using nicotine replacement therapies (NRT). METHODS Effects of nicotine via NRT patch or nasal spray were assessed on responding reinforced by music, video, or monetary rewards, or for no reward (control). Nontreatment seeking smokers (N = 31) participated in three virtually identical experimental sessions, each following overnight abstinence (CO ≤ 10 ppm). In a fully within-subjects design using a double-dummy procedure, these sessions involved: (1) nicotine patch (Nicoderm 14 mg) plus placebo spray, (2) placebo patch plus nicotine spray (Nicotrol, 2 × 1 mg/trial), or (3) placebo patch plus placebo spray. Session order was counter-balanced. RESULTS Relative to placebo, reinforced responding due to nicotine via spray or patch was greater for video reward (both p < .01) but not for music reward (both p > .10). Similar results for NRT spray and patch confirms preclinical findings indicating no difference between fast and slow nicotine delivery, respectively, on reinforcement enhancing effects. Withdrawal relief was unrelated to these effects of nicotine via NRT on nondrug reinforcement. CONCLUSIONS Nicotine from NRT has some reinforcement enhancing effects in humans, possibly in a manner consistent with nicotine via e-cigarettes but not tobacco smoking. Our findings could suggest differential dose-dependency of available rewards to enhanced reinforcement by nicotine. Such effects may help contribute to the efficacy of NRT for aiding smoking cessation, but more research focusing on dose-dependency of these nicotine actions is needed. IMPLICATIONS Acute nicotine from smoking enhances reinforced responding for nondrug sensory rewards. Yet, nonsmoked nicotine, including from NRT medications of patch and nasal spray, may act more selectively across rewards, perhaps due to lower dosing exposure. Our results suggest that nicotine via NRT enhances responding for visual (video) reward, but not from auditory (music) reward, just as in prior results using e-cigarettes. Withdrawal relief from NRT was unrelated to reinforced responding, consistent with positive (and not negative) reinforcement from this nicotine. Further research evaluating the dose-response effects of nicotine may clarify differences in enhanced reinforcement depending on the type of available reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Perkins
- Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Joshua L Karelitz
- Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Margaret C Boldry
- Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
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83
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Kou H, Xie Q, Bi T. Mechanisms for the Cognitive Processing of Attractiveness in Adult and Infant Faces: From the Evolutionary Perspective. Front Psychol 2020; 11:436. [PMID: 32218762 PMCID: PMC7078348 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on the cognitive processing of facial attractiveness has mainly focused on adult faces. Recent studies have revealed that the cognitive processing of facial attractiveness in infant faces is not the same as that in adult faces. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize the evidence on the processing of facial attractiveness in each kind of face and compare their underlying mechanisms. In this paper, we first reviewed studies on the cognitive processing of facial attractiveness in adult faces, including attentional and mnemonic processing, and then discussed the underlying mechanisms. Afterward, studies on facial attractiveness in infant faces were reviewed, and the underlying mechanisms were also discussed. Direct comparisons between the two kinds of cognitive processing were subsequently made. The results showed that the mechanisms for the processing of attractiveness in adult faces and infant faces are mainly motivated by the perspectives of mate selection and raising offspring, respectively, in evolutionary psychology. Finally, directions for future research are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Kou
- Center for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou, China
| | - Qinhong Xie
- School of Criminal Justice, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
| | - Taiyong Bi
- Center for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou, China
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84
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Zeki S, Chén OY. The Bayesian‐Laplacian brain. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 51:1441-1462. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Semir Zeki
- Laboratory of Neurobiology University College London London UK
| | - Oliver Y. Chén
- Laboratory of Neurobiology University College London London UK
- Department of Psychology Yale University New Haven CT USA
- Department of Engineering Science University of Oxford Oxford UK
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85
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Han S, Liu S, Gan Y, Xu Q, Xu P, Luo Y, Zhang L. Repeated exposure makes attractive faces more attractive: Neural responses in facial attractiveness judgement. Neuropsychologia 2020; 139:107365. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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86
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Yang L, Demetriou L, Wall MB, Mills EG, Zargaran D, Sykes M, Prague JK, Abbara A, Owen BM, Bassett PA, Rabiner EA, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS. Kisspeptin enhances brain responses to olfactory and visual cues of attraction in men. JCI Insight 2020; 5:133633. [PMID: 32051344 PMCID: PMC7098781 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.133633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Successful reproduction is a fundamental physiological process that relies on the integration of sensory cues of attraction with appropriate emotions and behaviors and the reproductive axis. However, the factors responsible for this integration remain largely unexplored. Using functional neuroimaging, hormonal, and psychometric analyses, we demonstrate that the reproductive hormone kisspeptin enhances brain activity in response to olfactory and visual cues of attraction in men. Furthermore, the brain regions enhanced by kisspeptin correspond to areas within the olfactory and limbic systems that govern sexual behavior and perception of beauty as well as overlap with its endogenous expression pattern. Of key functional and behavioral significance, we observed that kisspeptin was most effective in men with lower sexual quality-of-life scores. As such, our results reveal a previously undescribed attraction pathway in humans activated by kisspeptin and identify kisspeptin signaling as a new therapeutic target for related reproductive and psychosexual disorders. Kisspeptin enhances brain processing in response to olfactory and visual cues of attraction and is most effective in men with lower sexual quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Yang
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Edouard Ga Mills
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - David Zargaran
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Sykes
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Julia K Prague
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Bryn M Owen
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eugenii A Rabiner
- Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander N Comninos
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
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87
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Dougherty LR. Designing mate choice experiments. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:759-781. [PMID: 32022418 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The important role that mate choice plays in the lives of animals is matched by the large and active research field dedicated to studying it. Researchers work on a wide range of species and behaviours, and so the experimental approaches used to measure animal mate choice are highly variable. Importantly, these differences are often not purely cosmetic; they can strongly influence the measurement of choice, for example by varying the behaviour of animals during tests, the aspects of choice actually measured, and statistical power. Consideration of these effects are important when comparing results among studies using different types of test, or when using laboratory results to predict animal behaviour in natural populations. However, these effects have been underappreciated by the mate choice literature to date. I focus on five key experimental considerations that may influence choice: (i) should mating be allowed to occur, or should a proxy behavioural measure of preference be used instead? (ii) Should subjects be given a choice of options? (iii) Should each subject be tested more than once, either with the same or different stimuli? (iv) When given a choice, how many options should the subject choose between? (v) What form should the experimental stimuli take? I discuss the practical advantages and disadvantages of common experimental approaches, and how they may influence the measurement of mate choice in systematic ways. Different approaches often influence the ability of animals to perceive and compare stimuli presented during tests, or the perceived costs and benefits of being choosy. Given that variation in the design of mate choice experiments is likely unavoidable, I emphasise that there is no single 'correct' approach to measuring choice across species, although ecological relevance is crucial if the aim is to understand how choice acts in natural populations. I also highlight the need for quantitative estimates of the sizes of potentially important effects, without which we cannot make informed design decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam R Dougherty
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7RB, UK
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88
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Turner MP, Fischer H, Sivakolundu DK, Hubbard NA, Zhao Y, Rypma B, Bäckman L. Age-differential relationships among dopamine D1 binding potential, fusiform BOLD signal, and face-recognition performance. Neuroimage 2020; 206:116232. [PMID: 31593794 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial recognition ability declines in adult aging, but the neural basis for this decline remains unknown. Cortical areas involved in face recognition exhibit lower dopamine (DA) receptor availability and lower blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal during task performance with advancing adult age. We hypothesized that changes in the relationship between these two neural systems are related to age differences in face-recognition ability. To test this hypothesis, we leveraged positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure D1 receptor binding potential (BPND) and BOLD signal during face-recognition performance. Twenty younger and 20 older participants performed a face-recognition task during fMRI scanning. Face recognition accuracy was lower in older than in younger adults, as were D1 BPND and BOLD signal across the brain. Using linear regression, significant relationships between DA and BOLD were found in both age-groups in face-processing regions. Interestingly, although the relationship was positive in younger adults, it was negative in older adults (i.e., as D1 BPND decreased, BOLD signal increased). Ratios of BOLD:D1 BPND were calculated and relationships to face-recognition performance were tested. Multiple linear regression revealed a significant Group × BOLD:D1 BPND Ratio interaction. These results suggest that, in the healthy system, synchrony between neurotransmitter (DA) and hemodynamic (BOLD) systems optimizes the level of BOLD activation evoked for a given DA input (i.e., the gain parameter of the DA input-neural activation function), facilitating task performance. In the aged system, however, desynchronization between these brain systems would reduce the gain parameter of this function, adversely impacting task performance and contributing to reduced face recognition in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monroe P Turner
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
| | - Håkan Fischer
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dinesh K Sivakolundu
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Nicholas A Hubbard
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Yuguang Zhao
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Bart Rypma
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lars Bäckman
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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89
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Løseth GE, Eikemo M, Leknes S. Effects of opioid receptor stimulation and blockade on touch pleasantness: a double-blind randomised trial. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:411-422. [PMID: 30951167 PMCID: PMC6523440 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The μ-opioid receptor (MOR) system has long been thought to underpin the rewarding properties of pleasant touch. Numerous non-human animal studies implicate MORs in social behaviours involving touch, but little is currently known about MOR involvement in human touch reward. Here, we employed a bi-directional pharmacological double-blind crossover design to assess the role of the human MOR system for touch pleasantness and motivation. Forty-nine male volunteers received 10 mg per-oral morphine, 50 mg per-oral naltrexone and placebo before being brushed on their forearm at three different velocities (0.3, 3 and 30 cm/s). In a touch liking task, pleasantness ratings were recorded after each 15 s brushing trial. In a touch wanting task, participants actively manipulated trial duration through key presses. As expected, 3 cm/s was the preferred velocity, producing significantly higher pleasantness ratings and wanting scores than the other stimuli. Contrary to our hypothesis, MOR drug manipulations did not significantly affect either touch pleasantness or wanting. The null effects were supported by post hoc Bayesian analyses indicating that the models with no drug effect were more than 25 times more likely than the alternative models given the data. We conclude that μ-opioid signalling is unlikely to underpin non-affiliative touch reward in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guro E Løseth
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Blindern, N Oslo, Norway
| | - Marie Eikemo
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Blindern, N Oslo, Norway.,Department of Diagnostic Physics, Oslo University Hospital, Nydalen, N Oslo, Norway
| | - Siri Leknes
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Blindern, N Oslo, Norway
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90
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Øvervoll M, Schettino I, Suzuki H, Okubo M, Laeng B. Filtered beauty in Oslo and Tokyo: A spatial frequency analysis of facial attractiveness. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227513. [PMID: 31935264 PMCID: PMC6959585 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Images of European female and male faces were digitally processed to generate spatial frequency (SF) filtered images containing only a narrow band of visual information within the Fourier spectrum. The original unfiltered images and four SF filtered images (low, medium-low, medium-high and high) were then paired in trials that kept constant SF band and face gender and participants made a forced-choice decision about the more attractive among the two faces. In this way, we aimed at identifying those specific SF bands where forced-choice preferences corresponded best to forced-choice judgements made when viewing the natural, broadband, facial images. We found that aesthetic preferences dissociated across SFs and face gender, but similarly for participants from Asia (Japan) and Europe (Norway). Specifically, preferences when viewing SF filtered images were best related to the preference with the broadband face images when viewing the highest filtering band for the female faces (about 48-77 cycles per face). In contrast, for the male faces, the medium-low SF band (about 11-19 cpf) related best to choices made with the natural facial images. Eye tracking provided converging evidence for the above, gender-related, SF dissociations. We suggest greater aesthetic relevance of the mobile and communicative parts for the female face and, conversely, of the rigid, structural, parts for the male face for facial aesthetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morten Øvervoll
- Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø (The Arctic University of Norway), Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Hikaru Suzuki
- Department of Psychology, Senshu University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Matia Okubo
- Department of Psychology, Senshu University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bruno Laeng
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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91
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Prounis GS, Ophir AG. One cranium, two brains not yet introduced: Distinct but complementary views of the social brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:231-245. [PMID: 31743724 PMCID: PMC6949399 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Social behavior is pervasive across the animal kingdom, and elucidating how the brain enables animals to respond to social contexts is of great interest and profound importance. Our understanding of 'the social brain' has been fractured as it has matured. Two drastically different conceptualizations of the social brain have emerged with relatively little awareness of each other. In this review, we briefly recount the history behind the two dominant definitions of a social brain. The divide that has emerged between these visions can, in part, be attributed to differential attention to cortical or sub-cortical regions in the brain, and differences in methodology, comparative perspectives, and emphasis on functional specificity or generality. We discuss how these factors contribute to a lack of communication between research efforts, and propose ways in which each version of the social brain can benefit from the perspectives, tools, and approaches of the other. Interface between the two characterizations of social brain networks is sure to provide essential insight into what the social brain encompasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- George S Prounis
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Alexander G Ophir
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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92
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Neural correlates of moral goodness and moral beauty judgments. Brain Res 2020; 1726:146534. [PMID: 31669285 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.146534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The objects of moral goodness and moral beauty judgments both generally refer to the positive moral acts or virtues of humans, and goodness must precede moral beauty. The main difference is that moral beauty, but not moral goodness, triggers emotional elevation. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms involved in both judgments. In the current study, 28 healthy female participants were scanned when they rated the good and beautiful extent of positive moral acts in daily life depicted in scene drawings to investigate the neural systems supporting moral goodness and moral beauty, specifically to test whether neural activity associated with moral beauty is same or different than moral goodness. The conjunction analysis of the contrasts between moral goodness judgment and moral beauty judgment identified the involvement of the left inferior orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), suggesting that the two judgments recruited the activity of a common brain region. Importantly, compared with the moral goodness judgment, the moral beauty judgment induced greater activity in more advanced cortical regions implicated in elevated emotions, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and the left temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). These regions have been strongly correlated with the cognitive aspects of moral cognition, including theory of mind (ToM). In addition, moral beauty judgment also activated brain regions implicated in empathy including the midline structures and the anterior insula. Based on these results, the brain harbors neural systems for common and for domain-specific evaluations of moral goodness and moral beauty judgments. Our study thus provides novel and compelling neural evidence for the essence of moral beauty and advances the current knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying the beauty-is-good stereotype.
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93
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Pereira JA, Sepulveda P, Rana M, Montalba C, Tejos C, Torres R, Sitaram R, Ruiz S. Self-Regulation of the Fusiform Face Area in Autism Spectrum: A Feasibility Study With Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:446. [PMID: 31920602 PMCID: PMC6933482 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most important and early impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the abnormal visual processing of human faces. This deficit has been associated with hypoactivation of the fusiform face area (FFA), one of the main hubs of the face-processing network. Neurofeedback based on real-time fMRI (rtfMRI-NF) is a technique that allows the self-regulation of circumscribed brain regions, leading to specific neural modulation and behavioral changes. The aim of the present study was to train participants with ASD to achieve up-regulation of the FFA using rtfMRI-NF, to investigate the neural effects of FFA up-regulation in ASD. For this purpose, three groups of volunteers with normal I.Q. and fluent language were recruited to participate in a rtfMRI-NF protocol of eight training runs in 2 days. Five subjects with ASD participated as part of the experimental group and received contingent feedback to up-regulate bilateral FFA. Two control groups, each one with three participants with typical development (TD), underwent the same protocol: one group with contingent feedback and the other with sham feedback. Whole-brain and functional connectivity analysis using each fusiform gyrus as independent seeds were carried out. The results show that individuals with TD and ASD can achieve FFA up-regulation with contingent feedback. RtfMRI-NF in ASD produced more numerous and stronger short-range connections among brain areas of the ventral visual stream and an absence of the long-range connections to insula and inferior frontal gyrus, as observed in TD subjects. Recruitment of inferior frontal gyrus was observed in both groups during FAA up-regulation. However, insula and caudate nucleus were only recruited in subjects with TD. These results could be explained from a neurodevelopment perspective as a lack of the normal specialization of visual processing areas, and a compensatory mechanism to process visual information of faces. RtfMRI-NF emerges as a potential tool to study visual processing network in ASD, and to explore its clinical potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime A. Pereira
- Laboratory for Brain Machine Interfaces and Neuromodulation, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pradyumna Sepulveda
- Laboratory for Brain Machine Interfaces and Neuromodulation, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mohit Rana
- Laboratory for Brain Machine Interfaces and Neuromodulation, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Cristian Montalba
- Biomedical Imaging Center, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cristian Tejos
- Biomedical Imaging Center, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rafael Torres
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ranganatha Sitaram
- Laboratory for Brain Machine Interfaces and Neuromodulation, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sergio Ruiz
- Laboratory for Brain Machine Interfaces and Neuromodulation, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
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94
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Young KS, Hasratian AM, Parsons CE, Zinbarg RE, Nusslock R, Bookheimer SY, Craske MG. Positive social feedback alters emotional ratings and reward valuation of neutral faces. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2019; 73:1066-1081. [PMID: 31696785 DOI: 10.1177/1747021819890289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Evaluation of facial and vocal emotional cues is vital in social interactions but can be highly influenced by characteristics of the observer, such as sex, age, and symptoms of affective disorders. Our evaluations of others' emotional expressions are likely to change as we get to know them and anticipate how they are likely to behave. However, the role of associative learning in the evaluation of social cues remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated whether emotional ratings (valence and arousal) and reward valuation ("liking" and "wanting" measures) of neutral facial expressions can be altered through associative learning. We also examined whether emotional ratings and reward valuation varied with symptoms of anxiety and depression, disorders known to impair socio-affective functioning. Participants (N = 324) were young adults, ranging in scores across dimensions of depression and anxiety symptoms: "general distress" (common to depression and anxiety), "anhedonia-apprehension" (more specific to depression), and "fears" (more specific to anxiety). They rated neutral faces and completed a probabilistic learning task that paired images of neutral faces with positive or negative social feedback. Results demonstrated that pairing neutral faces with positive social feedback increased ratings of arousal, valence, and reward valuation (both "liking" and "wanting"). Pairing neutral faces with negative feedback reduced valence ratings and reduced "wanting," but did not impact arousal ratings or "liking." Symptoms of general distress were associated with negative bias in valence ratings, symptoms of anhedonia-apprehension were associated with reduced "wanting," and symptoms of fears were associated with altered accuracy over trials. Notably, the association between general distress and negative bias was reduced following the associative learning task. This suggests that disrupted evaluation of social cues can be improved through brief training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S Young
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Anxiety and Depression Research Center (ADRC), Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Anni M Hasratian
- Anxiety and Depression Research Center (ARC), Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Christine E Parsons
- Interacting Minds Centre (IMC), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Richard E Zinbarg
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Robin Nusslock
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Susan Y Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Anxiety and Depression Research Center (ADRC), Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
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95
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Kytö E, Bult H, Aarts E, Wegman J, Ruijschop RM, Mustonen S. Comparison of explicit vs. implicit measurements in predicting food purchases. Food Qual Prefer 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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96
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Salomon T, Botvinik-Nezer R, Oren S, Schonberg T. Enhanced striatal and prefrontal activity is associated with individual differences in nonreinforced preference change for faces. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 41:1043-1060. [PMID: 31729115 PMCID: PMC7268020 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing effective preference modification paradigms is crucial to improve the quality of life in a wide range of behaviors. The cue‐approach training (CAT) paradigm has been introduced as an effective tool to modify preferences lasting months, without external reinforcements, using the mere association of images with a cue and a speeded button response. In the current work for the first time, we used fMRI with faces as stimuli in the CAT paradigm, focusing on face‐selective brain regions. We found a behavioral change effect of CAT with faces immediately and 1‐month after training, however face‐selective regions were not indicative of behavioral change and thus preference change is less likely to rely on face processing brain regions. Nevertheless, we found that during training, fMRI activations in the ventral striatum were correlated with individual preference change. We also found a correlation between preference change and activations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex during the binary choice phase. Functional connectivity among striatum, prefrontal regions, and high‐level visual regions was also related to individual preference change. Our work sheds new light on the involvement of neural mechanisms in the process of valuation. This could lead to development of novel real‐world interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Salomon
- Department of Neurobiology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Rotem Botvinik-Nezer
- Department of Neurobiology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shiran Oren
- Department of Neurobiology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tom Schonberg
- Department of Neurobiology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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97
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Cummings JR, Mamtora T, Tomiyama AJ. Non-food rewards and highly processed food intake in everyday life. Appetite 2019; 142:104355. [PMID: 31291596 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.104355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Reducing intake of highly processed, energy-dense food may prevent chronic disease. One proposed intervention strategy for reducing intake of these foods is to increase non-food reward experiences (e.g., music, socializing, art) in their place. However, research supporting this strategy has yet to establish temporal order between non-food reward experiences and highly processed food intake, and has yet to test mediators. The current study sought to build upon this literature with an ambulatory electronic diary study wherein the time-specific associations between non-food reward experiences and highly processed food intake were observed. A sample of 84 young adults reported on multiple types of non-food reward experiences and highly processed food intake hourly for two weekdays and two weekend days through an application on their personal electronic devices. Time-lagged analysis was employed to predict the odds of highly processed food intake in the following hour from non-food rewards experienced in the current hour. Secondary (e.g., receiving positive social feedback) and hedonic (e.g., viewing pleasant images) non-food reward experiences in the current hour predicted greater instead of lower odds of highly processed food intake in the following hour. These associations were mediated by increased subjective pleasure. Purely eudaimonic (e.g., affirming values), social (e.g., cooperating with others), and primary (e.g., having sex) reward experiences generally did not predict odds of highly processed food intake in the following hour. These results suggest that-at least for young adults-many non-food reward experiences may fail to reduce highly processed food intake, and some may even backfire. A different intervention strategy targeting reward processes implicated in highly processed food intake (e.g., interfering with conditioned learned associations) may prove a more promising avenue for improving physical health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna R Cummings
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Tanvi Mamtora
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - A Janet Tomiyama
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
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98
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Yoon S, Lim S, Kwon J, Kralik JD, Jeong J. Preference-based serial decisions are counterintuitively influenced by emotion regulation and conscientiousness. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222797. [PMID: 31584942 PMCID: PMC6777784 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Our decisions have a temporally distributed order, and different choice orders (e.g., choosing preferred items first or last) can lead to vastly different experiences. We previously found two dominant strategies (favorite-first and favorite-last) in a preference-based serial choice setting (the 'sushi problem'). However, it remains unclear why these two opposite behavioral patterns arise: i.e., the mechanisms underlying them. Here we developed a novel serial-choice task, using pictures based on attractiveness, to test for a possible shared mechanism with delay discounting, the 'peak-end' bias (i.e., preference for experienced sequences that end well), or working-memory capacity. We also collected psychological and clinical metric data on personality, depression, anxiety, and emotion regulation. We again found the two dominant selection strategies. However, the results of the delay, peak-end bias, and memory capacity tasks were not related to serial choice, while two key psychological metrics were: emotion regulation and conscientiousness (with agreeableness also marginally related). Favorite-first strategists actually regulated emotions better, suggesting better tolerance of negative outcomes. Whereas participants with more varied strategies across trials were more conscientious (and perhaps agreeable), suggesting that they were less willing to settle for a single, simpler strategy. Our findings clarify mechanisms underlying serial choice and show that it may reflect a unique ability to organize choices into sequences of events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangsup Yoon
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sewoong Lim
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehyung Kwon
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jerald D. Kralik
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (JJ); (JDK)
| | - Jaeseung Jeong
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail: (JJ); (JDK)
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99
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Medial Cortical Structures Mediate Implicit Trustworthiness Judgments about Kin Faces, but Not Familiar Faces: A Brief Report. PSYCH 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/psych1010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Human kin recognition activates substrates of the extended facial processing network, notably the right-hemisphere structures involved in self-face recognition and posterior medial cortical substrates. To understand the mechanisms underlying prosociality toward kin faces in comparison to other familiar faces, we investigated the neural correlates of implicit trustworthiness ratings to faces of actual kin and personal friends, controlling for activation to distracter faces. When controlling for activation associated with unknown faces, trustworthiness ratings of faces of kin, compared to friends, were associated with increased activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate, and precuneous. On the other hand, trustworthiness ratings of friend faces, relative to kin faces, were associated with the lateral occipital gyrus and insular cortex. Trustworthiness ratings for unknown faces were only associated with activation in the fusiform gyrus. These findings suggest that we should employ medial cortical substrates known to be part of the self-other network when making implicit social judgements about kin, but not other classes of facial stimuli.
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100
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Kim HE, Hong YJ, Kyeong S, Kim JJ. Different neural substrates at first impressions of same-sex and opposite-sex faces in women. Neurosci Lett 2019; 709:134389. [PMID: 31349014 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
First impressions follow a complex process that is greatly influenced by the facial attributes and the sex of the displayer. This study aimed to evaluate whether the initial impression formed in friendship decisions is processed differently between the same-sex and opposite-sex targets in women. Twenty-four healthy female volunteers participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, in which they appraised a given face and decided whether they wanted to befriend the target. Then, a post-scan subjective rating was performed for facial components such as cheerfulness, good-looks, and uniqueness. The data were used to perform univariate whole-brain analysis to identify the neural substrates of sex bias in impression formation, and exploratory parametric modulation analysis to examine the parametric effects of facial components. Results showed that a composite of diverse areas including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and posterior superior temporal sulcus were more engaged when viewing male faces than female faces. Parametric analysis revealed that bilateral lingual gyrus activities showed a negative parametric effect with cheerfulness for male faces, whereas left inferior parietal lobule activity showed a positive parametric effect with good-looks for female faces. During the formation of first impressions, diffuse areas related to emotion processing and conflict-monitoring were utilized when a person of the opposite sex was encountered compared to encounters with a person of the same sex. The perceived cheerfulness of a male face also showed a negative relationship with the identification of facial emotion in the male face; the more a female face was considered good-looking, a greater feeling of uneasiness appeared to be elicited. The findings from this study provide further evidence of sex bias in women during friendship encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hesun Erin Kim
- Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon-Ju Hong
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sunghyon Kyeong
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Jin Kim
- Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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