Cited by 196Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Individual differences in some (but not all) medial prefrontal regions reflect cognitive demand while regulating unpleasant emotion

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Urry, Heather L., van Reekum, Carien M., Johnstone, Tom, Davidson, Richard J.·2009·NeuroImage

Abstract

The present study investigated the premise that individual differences in autonomic physiology could be used to specify the nature and consequences of information processing taking place in medial prefrontal regions during cognitive reappraisal of unpleasant pictures. Neural (blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging) and autonomic (electrodermal [EDA], pupil diameter, cardiac acceleration) signals were recorded simultaneously as twenty-six older people (ages 64-66 years) used reappraisal to increase, maintain, or decrease their responses to unpleasant pictures. EDA was higher when increasing and lower when decreasing compared to maintaining. This suggested modulation of emotional arousal by reappraisal. By contrast, pupil diameter and cardiac acceleration were higher when increasing and decreasing compared to maintaining. This suggested modulation of cognitive demand. Importantly, reappraisal-related activation (increase, decrease>maintain) in two medial prefrontal regions (dorsal medial frontal gyrus and dorsal cingulate gyrus) was correlated with greater cardiac acceleration (increase, decrease>maintain) and monotonic changes in EDA (increase>maintain>decrease). These data indicate that these two medial prefrontal regions are involved in the allocation of cognitive resources to regulate unpleasant emotion, and that they modulate emotional arousal in accordance with the regulatory goal. The emotional arousal effects were mediated by the right amygdala. Reappraisal-related activation in a third medial prefrontal region (subgenual anterior cingulate cortex) was not associated with similar patterns of change in any of the autonomic measures, thus highlighting regional specificity in the degree to which cognitive demand is reflected in medial prefrontal activation during reappraisal.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.05.069

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  • The finding of cardiac differences between active and passive strategies is in accordance with Urry et al.35, which presented sympathetic activation for active cognitive reappraisal strategies, measured by pupil diameter or IBI.

    “This finding is in accordance with Urry et al.35, which presented sympathetic activation in respect to the use of active cognitive reappraisal strategies, either by the pupil diameter or by IBI measure.”

    From Ventrolateral but not Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex tDCS effectively impact emotion reappraisal – effects on Emotional Experience and Interbeat Interval (2018) · cites this paper as [35]

    The Results (Effects of Reappraisal on Autonomic Physiology; page unavailable) report greater cardiac acceleration and pupil diameter during active increase and decrease reappraisal than during maintenance. However, the paper interprets those two measures as evidence of greater cognitive demand, not specifically sympathetic activation; it identifies EDA as the relatively pure sympathetic measure (Abstract; page unavailable). (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The current experiment opted explicitly not to place the reference electrode in the contralateral supraorbital region because some studies suggest a role of the medial prefrontal cortex in cognitive reappraisal, which would be problematic.

    “In addition, the current experiment opted explicitly not to place the reference electrode in the contralateral supraorbital region, as some studies have suggested a role of the medial prefrontal cortex in the employment of strategies of cognitive reappraisal35,39, which would be problematic for the”
  • The medial prefrontal cortex has a role in the employment of strategies of cognitive reappraisal.

    “suggested a role of the medial prefrontal cortex in the employment of strategies of cognitive reappraisal35,39”
  • Reappraisal paradigms require cognitive effort and external attention, which produces large de-activations in the vmPFC across many paradigms.

    “One difficulty with reappraisal paradigms is that they require cognitive effort and external attention [56,57], which produces large de-activations in vmPFC across many paradigms [17].”
  • Ex-partner versus Friend was predicted by increased activity in dmPFC, right TPJ, precuneus, and other regions associated with negative emotion and its regulation.

    “Ex-partner versus Friend was predicted by increased activity in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), right temporal parietal junction (TPJ) and precuneus, which are reliably associated with mentalizing about others38,39, and several other regions associated with negative emotion and its regulation20,40,41, including thalamus, supplementary motor area and inferior frontal gyrus.”

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Authors
Urry, H. L., van Reekum, C. M., Johnstone, T., & Davidson, R. J.
Affiliations
  • Tufts University (US)
  • University of Reading (GB)
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
Corresponding author
Urry, Heather L.
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-09
Volume
47
Issue
3
Pages
852-863
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2146530076
Cited by
196
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 15
FWCI
7.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Swinburne figshare (Swinburne University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • National Institutes of Health (5p01ag021079-08)
  • National Institute on Aging (P01-AG021079)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (P50-MH 52354, R37-MH-43454, P50MH052354, P50MH069315, R37MH043454)
  • National Center for Research Resources (M01RR003186, M01 RR-03186)
  • NIH Clinical Center
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
cognitive reappraisal, emotion regulation, negative emotions, medial prefrontal cortex, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, autonomic physiology, electrodermal activity, pupil size, heart rate acceleration, cognitive demand, emotional arousal, amygdala, older adults, individual differences
MeSH terms
Aged, Arousal, Autonomic Nervous System, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Emotions, Female, Humans, Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted, Individuality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Prefrontal Cortex

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