Neuroscience 2000 Abstract
Presentation Number: | 403.1 |
---|---|
Abstract Title: | Excess and lack of fear: an fMRI study with social phobics and psychopaths. |
Authors: |
Birbaumer, N.*1
; Veit, R.1
; Flor, H.2
; Patrick, C.3
1Inst. of Behav. Neurobiology, Univ. of Tübingen, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany 2Dep. of Neuropsych., Central Inst. of Mental Health, D-68072 Mannheim, Germany 3Dep. of Psychol., Univ. of Minnesota, 55455, MN |
Primary Theme and Topics |
I. Neural Basis of Behavior - 110. Motivation and emotion |
Secondary Theme and Topics | J. Disorders of the Nervous System and Aging<br />- 140. Neuropsychiatric disorders |
Session: |
403. Motivation and human emotion Slide |
Presentation Time: | Tuesday, November 7, 2000 8:00 AM-8:15 AM |
Location: | Room 291 |
Keywords: | Emotion, Prefrontal, Amygdala, Fear |
Lack of conditioned fear seems to be one of the main factors underlying antisocial behavior and psychopathy. Brain structures and mechanisms involved in excessive fear in 5 social phobics and lack of fear in 4 emotionally detached psychopaths with extensive criminal records were compared with 7 matched healthy controls in a classical conditioning paradigm using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Two slightly different neutral faces served as CS+ or CS- and painful mechanical pressure stimuli as US. Imaging was performed using a 1.5 T whole body MRI system (SPM 99b). Psychopaths showed no activation of anterior cingulate, insular cortex and orbitofrontal cortex, areas that are important in the processing of emotional stimuli.They also revealed reduced amygdala activation to the CS+ during acquisition. The social phobics demonstrated excessive activation of orbitofrontal cortex to both faces during habituation as well as acquisition. Amygdala and insular cortex showed higher activation to CS+ than CS- stimuli during acquisition. During extinction, amygdala activation continued to be present. Healthy controls showed significant activation to CS+ as compared to the CS- only in the acquistion phase limited to anterior insula and anterior cingulate. Differential amygdala activation was present only at the beginning of the acquisition phase. The data strongly suggest reduction of neural activity in cortical and subcortical areas responsible for conditioned avoidance learning in psychopaths and overactivity in social phobics.
Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Sample Citation:
[Authors]. [Abstract Title]. Program No. XXX.XX. 2000 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. New Orleans, LA: Society for Neuroscience, 2000. Online.
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