Recognizing Threat: A Simple Geometric Shape Activates Neural Circuitry for Threat Detection
Recognizing Threat: A Simple Geometric Shape Activates Neural Circuitry for Threat Detection
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DOI：
10.1162/jocn.2009.21111
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发表时间：
2009-08-01
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Zhu, David C.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Larson, Christine L.;Aronoff, Joel;Zhu, David C.
事实证明，快速识别危险的迫切需要依赖于专用神经电路中的优先处理。在之前的行为研究中，我们检查了表达愤怒时的面部模式，我们发现证据表明，包含向下 V 形角的简单非上下文几何形状会激活威胁感。我们在这里报告说，已知许多现实的、情境威胁性的显示所调动的神经回路也是由这种 V 形运动模式的最简单形式（向下的三角形）触发的。具体来说，我们表明，仅包含向下的 V 形的简单几何形状比相同的向上的 V 形的呈现更能引起杏仁核、膝下前扣带皮层、颞上回和梭状回以及纹状外视觉区域的更大激活。因此，这个简单的 V 形能够激活神经网络，实例化威胁和负面影响的检测，这表明对潜在危险的识别可能部分基于非常简单的、与上下文无关的视觉线索。
The urgent need to recognize danger quickly has been shown to rely on preferential processing in dedicated neural circuitry. In previous behavioral studies examining the pattern of the face when displaying anger, we found evidence that simple noncontextual geometric shapes containing downward-pointing V-shaped angles activate the perception of threat. We here report that the neural circuitry known to be mobilized by many realistic, contextual threatening displays is also triggered by the simplest form of this V-shaped movement pattern, a downward-pointing triangle. Specifically, we show that simple geometric forms containing only downward-pointing V-shapes elicit greater activation of the amygdala, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and fusiform gyrus, as well as extra-striate visual regions, than do presentations of the identical V-shape pointing upward. Thus, this simple V-shape is capable of activating neural networks instantiating detection of threat and negative affect, suggesting that recognition of potential danger may be based, in part, on very simple, context-free visual cues.