Brain connectivity in listening to affective stimuli: a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study and implications for psychotherapy.

To investigate the functional connectivity among amygdala, insula, and auditory cortex during affective auditory stimulation and its relevance for psychotherapy, the authors recorded, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses of these brain regions in 20 healthy adults while listening to affective sounds (laughing and crying). Their connectivity was analyzed by time-series panel analysis. The authors found significant positive associations among brain regions, with time-lagged associations generally directed from the right to the left hemisphere. Associations between amygdalar and cortical regions, however, were negative; specifically, activations of the left auditory cortex preceded decreases of the right amygdala. This suggested that affect regulation using cognitive control may have been achieved through active inhibition of amygdalar structures by the cortex. The authors discuss the implications of the findings for the change mechanisms inherent in psychotherapy.