A new study published in Biological Psychiatry, by Elsevier, suggests that the lateral prefrontal cortex LPFC is a brain region that may help people to control their emotional reactions
Trang 1DON’T MAKE THAT FACE AT ME!
The Prefrontal Cortex And Emotion Regulation
Philadelphia, PA, 2 March 2010 - Think back to your last fight with someone you love How did
you feel afterwards? How did you behave? Conflict with a loved one often leaves a person feeling
terrible and then behaving badly So much so that these scenarios have become soap opera
clichés After an argument, one partner may brood, slam the door, and then drive to a local bar to
drown their sorrows in alcohol These dramas rarely have happy endings Given these stereotypes,
how do people control their emotional reactions and prevent emotional storms and their attendant
use of intoxicating substances?
A new study published in Biological Psychiatry, by Elsevier, suggests that the lateral prefrontal
cortex (LPFC) is a brain region that may help people to control their emotional reactions to negative
facial expressions from their romantic partners
Christine Hooker and her colleagues recruited healthy, adult participants in committed relationships
The research subjects viewed positive, negative, and neutral facial expressions of their partners
during a brain scan In an online daily diary, participants reported conflict occurrence, level of
negative mood, rumination, and substance use
They found that LPFC activity in response to the laboratory-based affective challenge predicted
self-regulation after an interpersonal conflict in daily life When there was no interpersonal conflict, LPFC
activity was not related to mood or behavior the next day However, when an interpersonal conflict
did occur, LPFC activity predicted mood and behavior the next day, such that lower activity was
related to higher levels of negative mood, rumination, and substance use
The study findings suggest that low LPFC function may be a risk-factor for mood and behavioral
problems after a stressful interpersonal event
The constructive management of negative emotional states that emerge inevitably within romantic
relationships can be a critical facet of coping with the world These relationships frequently serve as
emotional havens from the stresses of the working world Yet these relationships also may augment
rather than reduce life stress When that happens, problematic behaviors such as over-eating and
substance abuse may increase
Dr John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, commented on the importance of these findings:
“When activated in the context of intense emotion, it appears that the LPFC helps us to manage the
intensity of negative emotions that emerge in social relationships When this brain region does not
efficiently activate or when the intensity of the conflict is very high, people need to learn behavioral
strategies to cope with the emotional response For some people this strategy can be as simple as
counting to 10 before doing something that they might regret later.”
March 2, 2010
Maureen Hunter Strategic Marketing Manager - Elsevier 215-239-3674
m.hunter@elsevier.com
Trang 2This study raises an important question How can clinicians enhance the function of the LPFC when its function is compromised? Cognitive and behavioral strategies may be important treatment components
As Dr Hooker explained, their findings “suggest that imaging can provide potentially useful
information about who may be vulnerable to mood and behavioral problems after a stressful event
We hope that future research will build on this idea and explore ways that imaging can be used to inform people about their emotional vulnerabilities.”
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Notes to Editors:
The article is “Neural Activity to a Partner's Facial Expression Predicts Self-Regulation After Conflict”
by Christine I Hooker, Anett Gyurak, Sara C Verosky, Asako Miyakawa, and Özlem Ayduk Hooker
is affiliated with the Psychology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts Gyurak and Ayduk are affiliated with the Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley
in Berkeley, California Verosky and Miyakawa are with the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute,
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California The article appears in Biological Psychiatry,
Volume 67, Issue 5 (March 1, 2010), published by Elsevier
The authors’ disclosures of financial and conflicts of interests are available in the article
John H Krystal, M.D is Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and a research psychiatrist at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System His disclosures of financial and conflicts of interests are available at
http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/bps/Biological_Psychiatry_Editorial_Discl osures_08_01_09.pdf
Full text of the article mentioned above is available upon request Contact Maureen Hunter at m.hunter@elsevier.com to obtain a copy or to schedule an interview
About Biological Psychiatry
This international rapid-publication journal is the official journal of the Society of Biological
Psychiatry It covers a broad range of topics in psychiatric neuroscience and therapeutics Both basic and clinical contributions are encouraged from all disciplines and research areas relevant to the pathophysiology and treatment of major neuropsychiatric disorders Full-length and Brief
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