Structural connections support emotional connections: Uncinate Fasciculus microstructure is related to the ability to decode facial emotion expressions.
Structural connections support emotional connections: Uncinate Fasciculus microstructure is related to the ability to decode facial emotion expressions.
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DOI：
10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.11.006
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发表时间：
2020-08
期刊：
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Lawrence AD
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Coad BM;Postans M;Hodgetts CJ;Muhlert N;Graham KS;Lawrence AD
钩束（UF）是连接额叶和前颞叶区域的联合纤维束。UF中断见于与社会行为受损相关的几种疾病，但其功能作用尚不清楚。在这里，我们开始测试的假设，UF是重要的面部表情处理，适应性社会行为的基本能力。在两个独立的实验中，在健康成人，我们使用高角分辨率弥散加权成像（HARDI）和约束球面去卷积（CSD）纤维束成像虚拟解剖的UF，加上一个控制束（皮质脊髓束（CST）），并量化，通过分数各向异性（FA），在道微观结构的个体差异。在实验1中，参与者完成了阅读眼睛中的思想任务（RMET），这是一种经过充分验证的面部表情解码分析。在实验2中，一组不同的参与者完成了RMET，加上面部情绪辨别的奇怪情绪任务。在这两个实验中，参与者还完成了一个控制奇数身份的面部身份识别任务。在实验1中，FA的右半球，但不是左半球，UF显着相关性与性能的RMET任务，特别是情感，但不是中性的表达。UF FA与面孔身份辨别能力无显著相关性。在实验2中，FA的右半球，但不是左半球，UF再次显着相关的性能上的情感项目从RMET，连同性能上的面部情绪辨别任务。同样，UF FA和面部身份识别性能之间没有显着的关联。我们的研究结果强调了右半球UF微结构对解码面部情绪表达能力的个体间差异的贡献，并可能解释为什么这种途径的中断会影响社会行为。我们研究了面部表情解码技能的白色微结构相关性。重点是一个关键的边缘束，钩束（UF）的作用。正确的UF微结构与面部表情解码技能有关。UF微结构与面部身份识别技能无关。右UF在面部表情的情绪处理中具有独特的作用。
The Uncinate Fasciculus (UF) is an association fibre tract connecting regions in the frontal and anterior temporal lobes. UF disruption is seen in several disorders associated with impaired social behaviour, but its functional role is unclear. Here we set out to test the hypothesis that the UF is important for facial expression processing, an ability fundamental to adaptive social behaviour. In two separate experiments in healthy adults, we used high-angular resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (HARDI) and constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) tractography to virtually dissect the UF, plus a control tract (the corticospinal tract (CST)), and quantify, via fractional anisotropy (FA), individual differences in tract microstructure. In Experiment 1, participants completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task (RMET), a well-validated assay of facial expression decoding. In Experiment 2, a different set of participants completed the RMET, plus an odd-emotion-out task of facial emotion discrimination. In both experiments, participants also completed a control odd-identity-out facial identity discrimination task. In Experiment 1, FA of the right-, but not the left-hemisphere, UF was significantly correlated with performance on the RMET task, specifically for emotional, but not neutral expressions. UF FA was not significantly correlated with facial identity discrimination performance. In Experiment 2, FA of the right-, but not left-hemisphere, UF was again significantly correlated with performance on emotional items from the RMET, together with performance on the facial emotion discrimination task. Again, no significant association was found between UF FA and facial identity discrimination performance. Our findings highlight the contribution of right-hemisphere UF microstructure to inter-individual variability in the ability to decode facial emotion expressions, and may explain why disruption of this pathway affects social behaviour. We studied white matter microstructure correlates of facial emotion decoding skills. Focused on the role of a key limbic tract, the Uncinate Fasciculus (UF). Right UF microstructure linked to facial expression decoding skills. UF microstructure not related to facial identity discrimination skills. Right UF has a distinct role in the processing of facial expressions of emotion.