About this Research Topic
Human affective neuroscience has increasingly recognized the importance of emotion. The brain mechanisms underlying interpersonal and social behavior are at the focus of vanguard research. Two neurological structures are strongly involved in emotional processing: the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. It is assumed that the amygdala subserves a highly rapid, automatic detection of emotional stimuli. In addition, the prefrontal cortex is being increasingly recognized as the cognitive modulator of such amygdala-mediated processing in complex situations. Each structure plays a key role at different levels of processing. While bottom-up processing relies on the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex is associated with top-down processing. Nevertheless, effective phenomena should not be regarded as isolated entities but as a multi-component process. It involves interactions within and among functional brain networks associated with various aspects of processing.
The main goal of this research topic is to provide empirical evidence of the different emotional processing strategies. Specifically, we aim to clarify the relationship between affective processing and its underlying neural substrate. Since studies of individuals with brain damage have provided knowledge about the neural basis of cognition, it seemed necessary to deepen the understanding of emotional processing. In particular, it is needed to highlight how both bottom-up and top-down emotional processing are affected either in neurodegenerative diseases, acquired brain damage, and aging. This knowledge can be used to develop new hypotheses and therapeutic strategies in the future.
We welcome original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, brief research reports, opinions and perspectives that will support the study of the following topics:
- Implicit and explicit emotional processing in general
- Neural substrate involved in explicit and implicit emotional processing
- Interactions between emotion and cognition
- Impairments on implicit and explicit emotional processing caused by acquired brain damage: stroke, traumatic brain injury, vascular dementia, etc.
- Impairments on implicit and explicit emotional processing in neurodegenerative diseases: multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, etc.
- Impairments on implicit and explicit emotional processing in non-dementia ageing
- Neuroimage studies of emotional processing.
The main goal of this research topic is to provide empirical evidence of the different emotional processing strategies. Specifically, we aim to clarify the relationship between affective processing and its underlying neural substrate. Since studies of individuals with brain damage have provided knowledge about the neural basis of cognition, it seemed necessary to deepen the understanding of emotional processing. In particular, it is needed to highlight how both bottom-up and top-down emotional processing are affected either in neurodegenerative diseases, acquired brain damage, and aging. This knowledge can be used to develop new hypotheses and therapeutic strategies in the future.
We welcome original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, brief research reports, opinions and perspectives that will support the study of the following topics:
- Implicit and explicit emotional processing in general
- Neural substrate involved in explicit and implicit emotional processing
- Interactions between emotion and cognition
- Impairments on implicit and explicit emotional processing caused by acquired brain damage: stroke, traumatic brain injury, vascular dementia, etc.
- Impairments on implicit and explicit emotional processing in neurodegenerative diseases: multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, etc.
- Impairments on implicit and explicit emotional processing in non-dementia ageing
- Neuroimage studies of emotional processing.
Keywords: emotional processing, cognitive abilities, explicit and implicit processing, brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases, ageing
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
