Lieberman Matthew D, Eisenberger Naomi I, Crockett Molly J, Tom Sabrina M, Pfeifer Jennifer H, Way Baldwin M
University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA.
Psychol Sci. 2007 May;18(5):421-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x.
Putting feelings into words (affect labeling) has long been thought to help manage negative emotional experiences; however, the mechanisms by which affect labeling produces this benefit remain largely unknown. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest a possible neurocognitive pathway for this process, but methodological limitations of previous studies have prevented strong inferences from being drawn. A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of affect labeling was conducted to remedy these limitations. The results indicated that affect labeling, relative to other forms of encoding, diminished the response of the amygdala and other limbic regions to negative emotional images. Additionally, affect labeling produced increased activity in a single brain region, right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (RVLPFC). Finally, RVLPFC and amygdala activity during affect labeling were inversely correlated, a relationship that was mediated by activity in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). These results suggest that affect labeling may diminish emotional reactivity along a pathway from RVLPFC to MPFC to the amygdala.
长期以来，人们一直认为将情感诉诸文字（情感标注）有助于管理负面情绪体验；然而，情感标注产生这种益处的机制在很大程度上仍不为人知。最近的神经影像学研究为这一过程提出了一条可能的神经认知途径，但先前研究的方法局限性阻碍了得出有力的推断。为弥补这些局限性，开展了一项关于情感标注的功能磁共振成像研究。结果表明，与其他形式的编码相比，情感标注减弱了杏仁核和其他边缘区域对负面情绪图像的反应。此外，情感标注使单个脑区——右侧腹外侧前额叶皮层（RVLPFC）的活动增加。最后，情感标注期间RVLPFC和杏仁核的活动呈负相关，这种关系由内侧前额叶皮层（MPFC）的活动介导。这些结果表明，情感标注可能会沿着一条从RVLPFC到MPFC再到杏仁核的途径减弱情绪反应性。
