3. Localizing Vocal Emotions
Jane E. Warren, Disa A. Sauter, Frank Eisner, Jade Wiland, M. Alexander Dresner, Richard J. S. Wise, Stuart Rosen, and Sophie K. Scott
The sound of laughter or cheering typically makes us smile or laugh. Warren et al. wanted to know how this happens. A facial expression showing an emotion can produce a so-called "mirror" response or similar facial expression in an observer. The authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine whether similar mirror responses were also triggered by vocal expressions of emotion. Study participants were asked to listen to human voices conveying positive valence such as amusement and triumph. Listening to these "positive-valence" vocalizations activated specific premotor areas in the left posterior inferior frontal region, an area involved in control of facial movement. The activation was not attributable to facial movement per se. Thus, listening to vocal expressions of emotions appears to automatically engage preparation for orofacial gestures corresponding to the emotional content of the stimulus.
4. Ginkgo biloba and Oligomeric A in Worms
Yanjue Wu, Zhixin Wu, Peter Butko, Yves Christen, Mary P. Lambert, William L. Klein, Christopher D. Link, and Yuan Luo
Ginkgo biloba, the ancient plant that fed dinosaurs, is widely used in patients with Alzheimers disease AD). This week, Wu et al. examined the effects of a standard preparation of plant extract, EGb 761, in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nematodes do not express endogenous amyloid (A), the peptide that oligomerizes and form deposits in AD brains. Nonetheless, tra
'"/>
Contact: Sara Harris
sharris@sfn.org
202-962-4000
Society for Neuroscience
12-Dec-2006