fMRI brown bag: August 12, 2024
The intersections of emotion, decision-making, and memory in the human brain
Abstract: In neuroscience, understanding the interplay between emotion, decision-making, and memory is paramount. This talk delves into the intricate interactions that shape our decisions, drawing upon our recent empirical studies. Firstly, with sEEG, we explore how emotion system affects our fast decisions(escaping decision). Our study demonstrated that Slow fear circuits support effective escape decision making, and the fast fear circuits will affect slow fear circuits under rapid attacks. Then, we further investigate the role of cognitive and emotive system in punishment decision in both children and adults brain with sEEG. Activities in the emotive system(e.g., amygdala, insula) and evaluation system(e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC))) encode the inferred intentions during TPP with distinct activation patterns between adults and children. Adults rely more on subcortical-cortical (amygdala to vmPFC) and cortico-cortical (IPL to vmPFC) connectivity in the TPP decision, while children showes more subcortical-subcortical (insula to amygdala) connectivity during the intuitive TPP decision. Findings support the hierarchical development model of neural circuitry, where subcortical regions maturing earlier than cortical regions. Lastly, the relationships between decision, emotion and memory have been explored. We conducted an information-sending task (IST) accompanied by pre-scan and post-scan memory tests, where participants were induced to keep lying, stay honest, or in between. We found that unethical amnesia was accompanied by metacognition decline induced by consistent dishonesty, which was correlated with attenuated brain activity in the caudate and hippocampus through time, confirming the hypothesis that false memory as the repeated lies became truth with less conflict as time lapsed. We also found that memory change was a result of interaction among regions related to emotion, cognitive control and reward.
Throughout this talk, we integrate findings from behavioral experiments, different modality of neuroimaging, and computational modeling. In conclusion, the dynamic intersections of emotion, decision-making, and memory within the human brain are intricate and multifaceted. By understanding the roles of both emotive and cognitive systems and their interactions, we gain profound insights into how our decisions are formed and retained, ultimately informing strategies to enhance social functioning and overall well-being.