The experiments described in this proposal will investigate how emotional processing regulates attentional control, and uncover the neural substrates of this regulatory circuit. Previous research has described the neural circuits involved in emotional stimulus processing and attentional control mechanisms, but few have investigated the link between the two systems. The integration of these two systems may have an impact on the nature of emotional disorders (i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder) and attentional disorders (i.e. neglect). If the communication between these systems is known, different approaches which might uncover new information toward the investigation of these disorders may be taken. This proposal will use hemodynamic, electrophysiological, and behavioral methods to investigate the question of how emotional processing affects attentional control. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Event Related Potential (ERP) measures will be used in parallel to understand both the anatomical substrates of this modulation as well as the time-course under which it occurs.
| Fichtenholtz, Harlan M; Hopfinger, Joseph B; Graham, Reiko et al. (2009) Event-related potentials reveal temporal staging of dynamic facial expression and gaze shift effects on attentional orienting. Soc Neurosci 4:317-31 |
| Fichtenholtz, Harlan M; Hopfinger, Joseph B; Graham, Reiko et al. (2007) Happy and fearful emotion in cues and targets modulate event-related potential indices of gaze-directed attentional orienting. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2:323-33 |
