Fearful faces selectively increase corticospinal motor tract excitability: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study
Source
Psychophysiology, 45, 3, (2008), pp. 345-348ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor
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Organization
SW OZ DCC CO
Journal title
Psychophysiology
Volume
vol. 45
Issue
iss. 3
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 345
Page end
p. 348
Subject
Action, intention, and motor controlAbstract
Fearful facial expressions are danger signals that rapidly trigger a cascade of neurobiological processes defensibly associated with action preparation. However, direct evidence for the activating effects of fearful facial expressions on the motor system is absent. The current transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study investigated whether fearful facial expressions selectively increase corticospinal motor tract (CST) excitability. Focal TMS was applied over the left primary motor cortex during the exposure of fearful, happy, and neutral facial expressions in 12 healthy right-handed volunteers. Changes in CST excitability using the motor evoked potential (MEP) were recorded. Results showed significant selective increases in MEP to fearful facial expressions. These findings provide the first direct evidence for selective increases in CST excitability to threat and contribute to evolutionary views on emotion and action preparedness.
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