Neural underpinnings of emotional responding and regulation: antecedents and correlates

我们的研究将探讨大脑对负面情绪材料反应的个体差异的起源。科学家们注意到，每个人的大脑对情感材料的反应都有很大的差异。在某些情况下，大脑的情感区域对负面材料反应过度，相关的调节区域在控制这种反应方面效果不佳。这种大脑活动模式可能会导致比正常情况下更强烈的情绪反应，以及随后抑制情绪反应的困难。到目前为止，人们对这种个体差异的起源知之甚少。基因似乎是影响的一个来源，但也有证据表明，环境经验可能很重要，特别是那些发生在个人生命早期的经验。我们将通过对一大群年轻人进行大脑扫描来研究与情绪相关的大脑活动的起源，我们从出生起就一直在研究这些年轻人。我们将使用与这些人的早期家庭和人际关系经验有关的详细信息来研究影响大脑活动关键方面的因素。反过来，这可能会告诉我们更多关于心理困难的起源，这些心理困难涉及情绪反应的干扰，如抑郁症。

Our research will examine the origins of individual differences in brain responding to negative emotional material. Scientists have noted that individuals show significant variation in how their brains respond to emotional material. In some cases, emotional areas of the brain overrespond to negative material, and associated regulatory areas are less effective in controlling this responding. This pattern of brain activity may lead to stronger emotional reactions than normal, as well as difficulties in subsequently damping down emotional reactions. As yet, little is known about the origins of such individual differences in responding to negative emotional cues. Genes appear to be one source of influence, but there is also evidence to suggest that environmental experiences may be important, particularly those that occur early in an individual’s life. We will study the origins of emotion-relevant brain activity by conducting brain scans in a large group of young adults whom we have been studying since birth. We will use detailed information relating to the early family and interpersonal experiences of these individuals to examine the factors that contribute to key aspects of brain activity. This, in turn, may tell us more about the origins of psychological difficulties that involve disturbances in emotional responding, such as depressive disorder.