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Transcranial magnetic stimulation of medial–frontal cortex impairs the processing of angry facial expressions

Nature Neuroscience volume 4, pages 17–18 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that the recognition of different emotional states involves at least partly separable neural circuits. Here we assessed the discrimination of both anger and happiness in healthy subjects receiving transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the medial–frontal cortex or over a control site (mid-line parietal cortex). We found that TMS over the medial–frontal cortex impairs the processing of angry, but not happy, facial expressions of emotion.

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Figure 1: Site of stimulation and reaction time in the facial expression discrimination tasks.
Figure 2: Reaction time as a function of emotional intensity.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Perrett for the facial expression stimuli used in this investigation. This study was supported by a MRC non-clinical training fellowship to C.J.H.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK

    C. J. Harmer & G. M. Goodwin

  2. MRC Human Movement and Balance Unit, Institute of Neurology, 8-11 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK

    K. V. Thilo & J. C. Rothwell

Authors
  1. C. J. Harmer
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  2. K. V. Thilo
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  3. J. C. Rothwell
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  4. G. M. Goodwin
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Correspondence to C. J. Harmer.

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Harmer, C., Thilo, K., Rothwell, J. et al. Transcranial magnetic stimulation of medial–frontal cortex impairs the processing of angry facial expressions. Nat Neurosci 4, 17–18 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/82854

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