Open AccessRepresentation of perceived sound valence in the human brain
Author(s) -
Viinikainen Mikko,
Kätsyri Jari,
Sams Mikko
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.21362
Subject(s) - valence (chemistry) , psychology , emotional valence , insula , amygdala , hum , salience (neuroscience) , auditory cortex , active listening , sensory system , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , audiology , cognition , communication , chemistry , medicine , art , organic chemistry , performance art , art history
Abstract Perceived emotional valence of sensory stimuli influences their processing in various cortical and subcortical structures. Recent evidence suggests that negative and positive valences are processed separately, not along a single linear continuum. Here, we examined how brain is activated when subjects are listening to auditory stimuli varying parametrically in perceived valence (very unpleasant–neutral–very pleasant). Seventeen healthy volunteers were scanned in 3 Tesla while listening to International Affective Digital Sounds (IADS‐2) in a block design paradigm. We found a strong quadratic U‐shaped relationship between valence and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal strength in the medial prefrontal cortex, auditory cortex, and amygdala. Signals were the weakest for neutral stimuli and increased progressively for more unpleasant or pleasant stimuli. The results strengthen the view that valence is a crucial factor in neural processing of emotions. An alternative explanation is salience, which increases with both negative and positive valences. Hum Brain Mapp 33:2295–2305, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.