The DOI matches its Crossref record; 54 of the 54 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Human Amygdala Sensitivity to the Pupil Size of Others
Open accessAbstract
Stimulation of the amygdala produces pupil dilation in animal and human subjects. The present study examined whether the amygdala is sensitive to variations in the pupil size of others. Male subjects underwent event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging while passively viewing unfamiliar female faces whose pupils were either unaltered (natural variations in large and small pupils) or altered to be larger or smaller than their original size. Results revealed that the right amygdala and left amygdala/substantia innominata were sensitive to the pupil size of others, exhibiting increased activity for faces with relatively large pupils. Upon debrief, no subject reported being aware that the pupils had been manipulated. These results suggest a function for the amygdala in the detection of changes in pupil size, an index of arousal and/or interest on the part of a conspecific, even in the absence of explicit knowledge.
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“For example, people with large pupils are commonly rated as more attractive and activate neural responses in the amygdala [35,36], and a recent study demonstrates that human participants evaluate those with dilating pupils as more friendly, attractive and trustworthy and behave more cooperatively with them in the trust game [37].”
From Are dark-eyed dogs favoured by humans? Domestication as a potential driver of iris colour difference between dogs and wolves (2023) · cites this paper as [36]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“humans have a cognitive tendency to perceive emotional arousal based on iris–pupil contrast and make inferences about a person's personality [33–37].”
From Are dark-eyed dogs favoured by humans? Domestication as a potential driver of iris colour difference between dogs and wolves (2023) · cites this paper as [36]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“Seeing others' dilated pupils also causes significantly higher amygdala activation than viewing undilated pupils, an effect that nonetheless appears to be unrelated to subjective reports of attractiveness (Demos et al., 2008;Amemiya and Ohtomo, 2012).”
From Oxytocin enhances pupil dilation and sensitivity to 'hidden' emotional expressions (2013) · cites this paper as Demos et al., 2008
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Self-citationA differential neural response in the human amygdala to fearful and happy facial expressions
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Emotion and Cognition: Insights from Studies of the Human Amygdala
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“In this way, amygdala activity potentiates neuronal responses in sensory cortical regions that may, in turn, facilitate subsequent information processing (Amaral et al. 1992; Kapp et al. 1992; Whalen 1998; Morris et al. 2001; Pessoa et al. 2006; Phelps 2006 ).”
BackgroundResponse and Habituation of the Human Amygdala during Visual Processing of Facial Expression
Breiter, H. C., Etcoff, N. L., Whalen, P. J., Kennedy, W. A., Rauch, S. L., Buckner, R. L., Strauss, M. M., Hyman, S. E., & Rosen, B. R. (1996) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80219-6 · Cited by 1,711
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Research works printed but not linked: 1
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Fear, faces, and the human amygdala
Adolphs, R. (2008) · Current Opinion in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/j.conb.2008.06.006 · Cited by 502
Arousal Effects on Pupil Size, Heart Rate, and Skin Conductance in an Emotional Face Task
Wang, C., Baird, T., Huang, J. C. H., Coutinho, J., Brien, D. C., & Munoz, D. P. (2018) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2018.01029 · Cited by 340
Looser, C. E., & Wheatley, T. P. (2010) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797610388044 · Cited by 233
Eye tracking and visual attention to threating stimuli in veterans of the Iraq war
Kimble, M. O., Fleming, K., Bandy, C., Kim, J., & Zambetti, A. (2010) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.12.006 · Cited by 156
Oxytocin enhances pupil dilation and sensitivity to 'hidden' emotional expressions
Leknes, S., Wessberg, J., Ellingsen, D.-M., Chelnokova, O., Olausson, H., & Laeng, B. (2013) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nss062 · Cited by 151
Metadata
- Authors
- Demos, K. E., Kelley, W. M., Ryan, S. L., Davis, F. C., & Whalen, P. J.
- Affiliations
- Dartmouth College (US)
- Corresponding author
- Demos, K.E.
- ORCID
- Demos, K.E.
- Venue
- Cerebral Cortex
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2008-03-27
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2729-2734
- ISSN
- 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2199
- PMC
- PMC2583162
- OpenAlex
- W2119582005
- Cited by
- 112
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 5.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Dartmouth College
- U.S. Public Health Service (080716, 069315)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH080716, 080716, 069315)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- amygdala, pupil size, social perception, facial expressions, arousal detection, substantia innominata, face perception, unconscious processes, pupillometry
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Amygdala, Arousal, Cues, Facial Expression, Female, Humans, Functional Laterality, Male, Pupil, Visual Acuity, Visual Perception, Knowledge, Young Adult
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