Exploration of the neural correlates of ticklish laughter by functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Exploration of the neural correlates of ticklish laughter by functional magnetic resonance imaging.
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通过功能磁共振成像探索痒笑的神经相关性。
DOI：
10.1093/cercor/bhs094
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发表时间：
2013
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
M. Celio
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
E. Wattendorf;B. Westermann;K. Fiedler;E. Kaza;M. Lotze;M. Celio
由挠痒痒引起的笑声是一种原始的发声形式。它在出生后生命的早期阶段进化，似乎独立于高级皮层回路。临床病理观察使人们怀疑下丘脑直接参与笑声的产生。在这项功能性磁共振成像调查中，健康的参与者被要求1)在允许笑的情况下挠他们的右脚底，2)被要求忍住笑，3)被要求主动笑。与其他两种情况相比，伴随着不由自主的笑声的挠痒痒激活了下丘脑外侧、顶盖、杏仁核和右小脑的区域。在自发笑和非自发笑时观察到导水管周围灰质的激活，而在抑制笑时则没有。目前的研究结果表明，下丘脑活动在引起健康个体的易痒笑声中起着至关重要的作用。下丘脑促进对刺激的先天行为反应，并向导水管周围灰质发送投射，而导水管周围灰质本身是控制发声的重要综合中心。我们的研究结果与已发表的有关幽默笑声的数据进行了比较，结果显示，这涉及到一组共同的皮层下中心。
The burst of laughter that is evoked by tickling is a primitive form of vocalization. It evolves during an early phase of postnatal life and appears to be independent of higher cortical circuits. Clinicopathological observations have led to suspicions that the hypothalamus is directly involved in the production of laughter. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation, healthy participants were 1) tickled on the sole of the right foot with permission to laugh, 2) tickled but asked to stifle laughter, and 3) requested to laugh voluntarily. Tickling that was accompanied by involuntary laughter activated regions in the lateral hypothalamus, parietal operculum, amygdala, and right cerebellum to a consistently greater degree than did the 2 other conditions. Activation of the periaqueductal gray matter was observed during voluntary and involuntary laughter but not when laughter was inhibited. The present findings indicate that hypothalamic activity plays a crucial role in evoking ticklish laughter in healthy individuals. The hypothalamus promotes innate behavioral reactions to stimuli and sends projections to the periaqueductal gray matter, which is itself an important integrative center for the control of vocalization. A comparison of our findings with published data relating to humorous laughter revealed the involvement of a common set of subcortical centers.