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Threat sensitivity as assessed by automatic amygdala response to fearful faces predicts speed of visual search for facial expression

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Abstract

It has been argued that the amygdala represents an integral component of a vigilance system that is primarily involved in the perception of ambiguous stimuli of biological relevance. The present investigation was conducted to examine the relationship between automatic amygdala responsivity to fearful faces which may be interpreted as an index of trait-like threat sensitivity and spatial processing characteristics of facial emotions. During 3T fMRI scanning, pictures of human faces bearing fearful, angry, and happy expressions were presented to 20 healthy volunteers using a backward masking procedure based on neutral facial expressions. Subsequently, a computer-based face-in-the-crowd task using schematic face stimuli was administered. The neural response of the (right) amygdala to masked fearful faces correlated consistently with response speed to negative and neutral faces. Neither amygdala activation during the masked presentation of angry faces nor amygdala activation during the presentation of happy faces was correlated with any of the response latencies in the face-in-the-crowd task. Our results suggest that amygdala responsivity to masked facial expression is differentially related to the general visual search speed for facial expression. Neurobiologically defined threat sensitivity seems to represent an important determinant of visual scanning behaviour.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Street 11, 48149, Muenster, Germany

    Patricia Ohrmann, Astrid Veronika Rauch, Jochen Bauer, Volker Arolt & Thomas Suslow

  2. Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Street 33, 48149, Muenster, Germany

    Harald Kugel & Walter Heindel

Authors
  1. Patricia Ohrmann
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  2. Astrid Veronika Rauch
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  3. Jochen Bauer
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  4. Harald Kugel
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  5. Volker Arolt
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  6. Walter Heindel
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  7. Thomas Suslow
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Correspondence to Patricia Ohrmann or Thomas Suslow.

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Ohrmann, P., Rauch, A.V., Bauer, J. et al. Threat sensitivity as assessed by automatic amygdala response to fearful faces predicts speed of visual search for facial expression. Exp Brain Res 183, 51–59 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-007-1022-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-007-1022-0

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