Effects of gaze on amygdala sensitivity to anger and fear faces.

The amygdala is thought to be part of a neural system responsive to potential threat (1). Consistent with this is the amygdala’s well-documented sensitivity to fear faces. What is puzzling, however, is the paucity of evidence for a similar involvement of the amygdala in the processing of anger displays. To address this apparent anomaly, researchers have speculated that the amygdala is involved not only in detecting threat but also in deciphering the source of threat, particularly when it is ambiguous (2). Virtually all studies to date investigating facial affect have used only direct-gaze facial displays. The issue of gaze becomes pertinent because anger faces signal impending aggression on the part of the expressor, whereas fear faces indicate potential environmental threat perceived by the expressor. Thus, when coupled with direct gaze (i.e., eye contact with observer) anger faces should indi-