The Mapping of The Mapping of EmotionEmotion

Dr. Essi VidingDr. Essi VidingInstitute of Psychiatry,Institute of Psychiatry,King’s College LondonKing’s College London& Department of Psychology, University College & Department of Psychology, University College LondonLondon

e.viding@iop.kcl.ac.uke.viding@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Mapping of what and Mapping of what and where of the emotionwhere of the emotion Does it need to be a conscious Does it need to be a conscious

experience for it to be an experience for it to be an emotion?emotion?

Simple or complex phenomena?Simple or complex phenomena? What is the purpose of emotions?What is the purpose of emotions? ‘‘Where’ are they in the brain?Where’ are they in the brain? Are emotions opposite of rational?Are emotions opposite of rational?

Emotions as Response Emotions as Response PatternsPatterns

Emotional responses can be:Emotional responses can be: Behavioral: expression of emotionBehavioral: expression of emotion AutonomicAutonomic HormonalHormonal

In humans, and higher primates, In humans, and higher primates, awareness of body states contributes to awareness of body states contributes to emotion and to a feeling state emotion and to a feeling state – However, the body state cannot be However, the body state cannot be

distinguished as a specific emotion if it does distinguished as a specific emotion if it does not have a corresponding ‘object’ in the not have a corresponding ‘object’ in the surroundings surroundings

– I.e. bodily responses are too general, not I.e. bodily responses are too general, not specific enoughspecific enough

Does it need to be Does it need to be conscious to be an conscious to be an emotion?emotion? Conscious feelings do not equate Conscious feelings do not equate

emotionemotion– Basic emotion/affective functions Basic emotion/affective functions

exist in animals with considerably exist in animals with considerably smaller brains than humanssmaller brains than humans

– Emotional learning can occur Emotional learning can occur without explicit awarenesswithout explicit awareness

Mood does not equate emotionMood does not equate emotion

Simple or complex Simple or complex phenomena?phenomena? If you want to study it in rats, it If you want to study it in rats, it

has to be (or become) simplehas to be (or become) simple

Emotion as a response to Emotion as a response to reinforcement or punishment reinforcement or punishment (Rolls, 1998)(Rolls, 1998)

Mapping emotions in Mapping emotions in the reinforcement the reinforcement spacespace Rolls Rolls

– (Emotional Brain, 1998)(Emotional Brain, 1998)

Positive reinforcer

Omission of positivereinforcer

OR

Termination ofnegative reinforcer

Omission of negative reinforcer

OR

Termination ofnegative reinforcer

Negative reinforcer

Rege Anger Frustration

Grief Sadness

Ecstasy

Elation

Pleasure

Relief

Apprehension

Fear

Terror

Purpose of emotions?Purpose of emotions?

Evolutionary functions of emotionEvolutionary functions of emotion

ProtectionProtection Territory defenseTerritory defense Approach behavioursApproach behaviours

Protection/territory defense:Protection/territory defense:– Threat behavior:Threat behavior:

A species-typical behavior that warns A species-typical behavior that warns another animal that it may be attacked another animal that it may be attacked if it does not flee of show submissive if it does not flee of show submissive behavior.behavior.

Defensive behavior/submission:Defensive behavior/submission: A species-typical behavior by which an A species-typical behavior by which an

animal defends itself against the threat animal defends itself against the threat of another animalof another animal

e.g. throat baring in dogse.g. throat baring in dogs

The Mapping The Mapping of Emotionof Emotion

‘‘Where’ are the Where’ are the emotions in the brain?emotions in the brain? Emotion CircuitryEmotion Circuitry

– AmygdalaAmygdala– Orbitofrontal CortexOrbitofrontal Cortex– Anterior Cingulate CortexAnterior Cingulate Cortex– InsulaInsula

Different roles – but nothing in Different roles – but nothing in the brain acts in isolationthe brain acts in isolation

Brain Mechanisms for Brain Mechanisms for EmotionEmotion

Role of the AmygdalaRole of the Amygdala

– Lateral/basolateral nuclei:Lateral/basolateral nuclei: Nuclei of the amygdala that receive sensory Nuclei of the amygdala that receive sensory

information from the neocortex, thalamus, and information from the neocortex, thalamus, and hippocampus and send projections to the hippocampus and send projections to the ventral striatum, the dorsomedial nucleus of the ventral striatum, the dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus, and the central nucleus.thalamus, and the central nucleus.

– ‘‘Quick and dirty’ processing of information Quick and dirty’ processing of information with potential relevance for survivalwith potential relevance for survival

Fear and the Role of the AmygdalaFear and the Role of the Amygdala

– Basal nucleus:Basal nucleus: A group of subnuclei of the amygdala A group of subnuclei of the amygdala

that receive sensory input from the that receive sensory input from the basolateral nuclei and relay information basolateral nuclei and relay information to other amygdaloid nuclei and to the to other amygdaloid nuclei and to the periaqueductal gray matter periaqueductal gray matter (fight/flight/freezing response).(fight/flight/freezing response).

The Role of the AmygdalaThe Role of the Amygdala

– Central nucleus:Central nucleus: The region of the amygdala that receives The region of the amygdala that receives

information from the basolateral division and information from the basolateral division and sends projections to a wide variety of regions in sends projections to a wide variety of regions in the brain, involved in emotional responses.the brain, involved in emotional responses.

Projections to pons, insula, hypothalamus, and Projections to pons, insula, hypothalamus, and medula for expression and integration of medula for expression and integration of emotional responsesemotional responses

The Role of the AmygdalaThe Role of the Amygdala

– Conditioned emotional responses Conditioned emotional responses (CERs):(CERs):

Most emotional responses are a result of Most emotional responses are a result of Pavlovian conditioningPavlovian conditioning

– A previously neutral stimulus can take on the A previously neutral stimulus can take on the come to elicit an emotional response if paired come to elicit an emotional response if paired with a naturally aversive/reinforcing stimuluswith a naturally aversive/reinforcing stimulus

When a tone is paired a few times with a foot-shock, rat freezing responses start at the tone, prior to the onset of the shock.

The role of AmygdalaThe role of Amygdala

Amygdala as a stimulus-Amygdala as a stimulus-reinforcement associatorreinforcement associator

The Role of the AmygdalaThe Role of the Amygdala

– Perception of emotional expressionsPerception of emotional expressions Particularly negative emotional Particularly negative emotional

expressionsexpressions

– Human brain imaging studiesHuman brain imaging studies

fMRI: Fearful fMRI: Fearful expressionexpression Amygdala Amygdala activationactivation

Brains from Ahmad Hariri’s study

Amygdala pathologyAmygdala pathology

Patients with amygdala damagePatients with amygdala damage– Poor conditioned emotional responsePoor conditioned emotional response– Poor recognition of fearPoor recognition of fear– Recent data suggests that amygdala Recent data suggests that amygdala

patients fail to focus on the eyespatients fail to focus on the eyes most informative part of the face when recognising fearmost informative part of the face when recognising fear

Psychopaths – amygdala dysfunction?Psychopaths – amygdala dysfunction?– low amygdala reactivity to emotionslow amygdala reactivity to emotions– difficulty learning from punishmentdifficulty learning from punishment

Anxiety - amygdala hyperreactivity?Anxiety - amygdala hyperreactivity?– Oversensitive threat system?Oversensitive threat system?

‘‘Where’ are the Where’ are the emotions in the brain?emotions in the brain? Emotion CircuitryEmotion Circuitry

– AmygdalaAmygdala– Orbitofrontal CortexOrbitofrontal Cortex– Anterior Cingulate CortexAnterior Cingulate Cortex– InsulaInsula

Different roles – but nothing in Different roles – but nothing in the brain acts in isolationthe brain acts in isolation

Brain Mechanisms for Brain Mechanisms for EmotionsEmotions

Orbitofrontal Cortex:Orbitofrontal Cortex: The region of the prefrontal cortex at the The region of the prefrontal cortex at the

base of the anterior frontal lobes.base of the anterior frontal lobes. Receives input from dorsomedial thalamus, Receives input from dorsomedial thalamus,

ventral tegmentum, and amygdala.ventral tegmentum, and amygdala. Outputs to cingulate, hippocampus, Outputs to cingulate, hippocampus,

temporal lobe, amygdala, and temporal lobe, amygdala, and hypothalamus.hypothalamus.

Involved in using emotion to guide actionsInvolved in using emotion to guide actions

Orbitofrontal Orbitofrontal pathologypathology Patients with orbitofrontal Patients with orbitofrontal

damage:damage:– Lack of emotion in decision makingLack of emotion in decision making

(lack of risk aversion)(lack of risk aversion)

– Poor social judgment (antisocial Poor social judgment (antisocial behavior)behavior)

– Poor emotional control (anger)Poor emotional control (anger)

‘‘Where’ are the Where’ are the emotions in the brain?emotions in the brain? Emotion CircuitryEmotion Circuitry

– AmygdalaAmygdala– Orbitofrontal CortexOrbitofrontal Cortex– Anterior Cingulate CortexAnterior Cingulate Cortex– InsulaInsula

Different roles – but nothing in Different roles – but nothing in the brain acts in isolationthe brain acts in isolation

Brain Mechanisms for Brain Mechanisms for EmotionsEmotions

Cingulate CortexCingulate Cortex Body representations of emotionBody representations of emotion Feelings of emotionFeelings of emotion Regulation of emotional responses Regulation of emotional responses

– Coupling with amygdala activity in fMRI Coupling with amygdala activity in fMRI studiesstudies

Anterior cingulate Anterior cingulate pathologypathology

Implicated in emotional disorders Implicated in emotional disorders such as such as – DepressionDepression– SchizophreniaSchizophrenia

‘‘Where’ are the Where’ are the emotions in the brain?emotions in the brain? Emotion CircuitryEmotion Circuitry

– AmygdalaAmygdala– Orbitofrontal CortexOrbitofrontal Cortex– Anterior Cingulate CortexAnterior Cingulate Cortex– InsulaInsula

Different roles – but nothing in Different roles – but nothing in the brain acts in isolationthe brain acts in isolation

Brain Mechanisms for Brain Mechanisms for EmotionsEmotions InsulaInsula

– Role in processing convergent information Role in processing convergent information to produce an to produce an emotionally relevant emotionally relevant context for sensory experiencecontext for sensory experience, such as , such as disgust and feelings of unease disgust and feelings of unease

Warning of potentially noxious stimuliWarning of potentially noxious stimuli

– An important role in pain experienceAn important role in pain experience Codes for affective aspects of pain Codes for affective aspects of pain

– Receives an input from central nucleus of Receives an input from central nucleus of amygdalaamygdala

fMRI: Disgusted fMRI: Disgusted expression expression right insula right insula activationactivation

Perception of Perception of disgusted faces disgusted faces preferentially preferentially activated insulaactivated insula

Insula pathologyInsula pathology

Obsessive-Compulsive disorderObsessive-Compulsive disorder– Higher brain activation to disorder Higher brain activation to disorder

relevant stimuli, as well as other relevant stimuli, as well as other disgusting stimulidisgusting stimuli

‘‘Where’ are the Where’ are the emotions in the brain?emotions in the brain? Emotion CircuitryEmotion Circuitry

– AmygdalaAmygdala– Orbitofrontal CortexOrbitofrontal Cortex– Anterior Cingulate CortexAnterior Cingulate Cortex– InsulaInsula

Different parts of the circuitry Different parts of the circuitry selectively affected in different selectively affected in different disordersdisorders

‘‘Where’ are the Where’ are the emotions in the brain?emotions in the brain? Emotion CircuitryEmotion Circuitry

– AmygdalaAmygdala– Orbitofrontal CortexOrbitofrontal Cortex– Anterior Cingulate CortexAnterior Cingulate Cortex– InsulaInsula

Different roles – but nothing in the brain Different roles – but nothing in the brain acts in isolationacts in isolation

Brain in action: Example of the complex circuit Brain in action: Example of the complex circuit of brain areas involved in emotion processingof brain areas involved in emotion processing

Video from Ahmad Hariri

Brain in action: Example of the Brain in action: Example of the complex circuit of brain areas complex circuit of brain areas

involved in emotion processinginvolved in emotion processing

Initial amygdala response Initial amygdala response not not much conscious processingmuch conscious processing

The anterior cingulate rides to the The anterior cingulate rides to the rescue of amygdala and regulates rescue of amygdala and regulates the initial emotional responsethe initial emotional response

Finally the complex emotion of Finally the complex emotion of ‘embarrassment’ sets in‘embarrassment’ sets in

Are the emotions Are the emotions opposite of rational?opposite of rational? Yes and no.Yes and no. Can serve us well in situations where Can serve us well in situations where

we need to react quicklywe need to react quickly– i.e. gut reaction can initiate the best i.e. gut reaction can initiate the best

responseresponse Can give us non-verbal cues about Can give us non-verbal cues about

people’s trustworthiness and intentionspeople’s trustworthiness and intentions Emotional responses can also go awry Emotional responses can also go awry

and make everyday life difficultand make everyday life difficult– Different emotional disorders have different Different emotional disorders have different

‘brain signature’ as briefly discussed during ‘brain signature’ as briefly discussed during this presentationthis presentation

Exciting future Exciting future directions in emotion directions in emotion researchresearch Nature-nurture interplayNature-nurture interplay

– Genetic and environmental Genetic and environmental influences on emotional responsivityinfluences on emotional responsivity

SummarySummary

Emotions can be conceptualised as Emotions can be conceptualised as reactions to reinforcing/punishing (threat) reactions to reinforcing/punishing (threat) ‘object’ in the surroundings‘object’ in the surroundings

Their purpose is to warn us and guide usTheir purpose is to warn us and guide us– Approach or avoid?Approach or avoid?

A large and varied brain circuitry subserves A large and varied brain circuitry subserves emotion perception and regulation of emotion perception and regulation of emotional responsesemotional responses– Emotional disorders as malfunctioning of the Emotional disorders as malfunctioning of the

circuitrycircuitry The genetic and environmental influences The genetic and environmental influences

to the functioning of that circuitry a hot to the functioning of that circuitry a hot new research topicnew research topic