Neurocognitive Mechanisms: Appetitive & Aversive Emotion

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DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant) Our group has been developing a theoretical integration of attentional and emotional processing and the regional brain mechanisms that subserve that processing. The integration draws on concepts and empirical work in studies of unselected normals as well as a variety of dysfunctional populations. Accordingly, our work involves both general principles and a focus on individual differences in attentional mechanisms, regional brain involvement, and the resulting modulation of emotional processing and emotional behavior. We have been particularly interested in region-specific differentiation of neural activity in anxiety and depression and in the affects of anxiety and depression on attentional processing. The proposed project will focus our work on psychological and neural phenomena believed to be especially important in drug abuse, such as when individuals face emotionally challenging stimuli. We will test hypoththeses about regional brain mechanisms involved in pleasant and unpleasant emotion, specifically related to processing of appetitive and aversive stimuli. The research plan involves exploratory protocol development work on two fronts: subject characterization instruments and & fMRI scan parameters. Both of these development efforts arise directly from our recent behavioral, EEG, and fMRI research on attentional and emotional processes, with an increasing emphasis on individual differences in mechanisms of emotional suppression. Subject characterization is needed (a) to provide clear tests of the effects of certain individual differences on emotional processing and (b) as a potential means of evaluating risk for drug abuse. fMRI scan parameter development is needed to pursue our recent findings involving orbitofrontal cortex, which is likely to be particularly important in emotion and emotion regulation. Accordingly, in the first year of the 3-year project period two behavioral studies are proposed, to develop and validate the emotional challenge protocol. In parallel, extensive fMRI pilot work will be conducted to optimize imaging of orbitofirontal cortex. In years 2 and 3, an emotional challenge experiment will be conducted using the improved fMRI scan parameters.