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

LUCIANNA FA; GRIMA MD; PIZÁ AG; SOLETTA JH; SORIA JC; ALBARRACIN, AL; FARFÁN FD; FELICE CJ; FERNANDEZ E

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 2nd FALAN Congress; 2016

FALAN

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. Assessing these temporal dynamics of emotion in the brain is critical for understanding the neural representation of emotions as well as advancing theories of emotional processing. 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 (64 recording channels at a sampling rate of 1000 Hz) 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 (strong connections) 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.