Functional networks for the processing of complex images: temporal dynamics of emotions

LUCIANNA, FACUNDO ADRIÁN; GRIMA MURCIA, MARIA D.; PIZÁ, ALVARO GABRIEL; SOLETTA, JORGE HUMBERTO; SORIA, JUAN CARLOS; ALBARRACÍN, ANA LÍA; FARFÁN, FERNANDO DANIEL; FELICE, CARMELO JOSÉ; FERNÁNDEZ JOVER, EDUARDO

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 2nd FALAN Congress; 2016

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias

Emotion plays an important role in human?human communication and interaction. Emotion theorists have long held that a fundamental characteristic of an emotion is how its constituent processes change and interact over time. In this study, an experimental protocol, based on EEG and graph theory, is proposed to reveal the spatio-temporal dynamics of brain activity associated to emotions. Complex pictures derived from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) were presented to each experimental subject while an EEG was recorded. The functional connectivity was established by using Directed Tranfer Funcion (DTF), and the clustering coefficient was purposed for to quantifies these functional networks. Our preliminary results show specific clusterings and significant lateralization in parietal areas between 50 and 500 ms after of emotional image presentation. From 550ms these tends to disappear gradually. The lateralization is given by a clustering higher in left hemisphere, when the subject observes unpleasant images, than when observes pleasant images. The average DTF shows that information flows of greater significance leave from CP3 channel for unpleasant images, while for pleasant images leave CP4 channel but with less intensity. Our approach not only reveals the lateralization of functional networks during the processing of complex images, but also demonstrates that negative emotions evoke stronger neural connections between functional networks of brain.