Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2012 Feb;7(2):145-59. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsq092. Epub 2011 Jan 5.
The present study examined the neural correlates of long-term intense romantic love using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Ten women and 7 men married an average of 21.4 years underwent fMRI while viewing facial images of their partner. Control images included a highly familiar acquaintance; a close, long-term friend; and a low-familiar person. Effects specific to the intensely loved, long-term partner were found in: (i) areas of the dopamine-rich reward and basal ganglia system, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and dorsal striatum, consistent with results from early-stage romantic love studies; and (ii) several regions implicated in maternal attachment, such as the globus pallidus (GP), substantia nigra, Raphe nucleus, thalamus, insular cortex, anterior cingulate and posterior cingulate. Correlations of neural activity in regions of interest with widely used questionnaires showed: (i) VTA and caudate responses correlated with romantic love scores and inclusion of other in the self; (ii) GP responses correlated with friendship-based love scores; (iii) hypothalamus and posterior hippocampus responses correlated with sexual frequency; and (iv) caudate, septum/fornix, posterior cingulate and posterior hippocampus responses correlated with obsession. Overall, results suggest that for some individuals the reward-value associated with a long-term partner may be sustained, similar to new love, but also involves brain systems implicated in attachment and pair-bonding.
本研究采用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）技术，探讨了长期强烈浪漫爱情的神经相关性。10 名女性和 7 名男性，平均结婚 21.4 年，在观看伴侣面部图像时接受了 fMRI 检查。对照图像包括一位高度熟悉的熟人、一位亲密的长期朋友和一位不太熟悉的人。研究发现，与强烈喜爱的长期伴侣相关的特定效应存在于：（i）多巴胺丰富的奖励和基底神经节系统的区域，如腹侧被盖区（VTA）和背侧纹状体，与早期浪漫爱情研究的结果一致；（ii）与母婴依恋相关的几个区域，如苍白球（GP）、黑质、中缝核、丘脑、脑岛、前扣带回和后扣带回。与广泛使用的问卷中的神经活动相关的相关性表明：（i）VTA 和尾状核的反应与浪漫爱情得分和将他人纳入自我有关；（ii）GP 的反应与基于友谊的爱情得分有关；（iii）下丘脑和后海马体的反应与性行为频率有关；（iv）尾状核、隔核/穹窿、后扣带回和后海马体的反应与痴迷有关。总的来说，研究结果表明，对于一些人来说，与长期伴侣相关的奖励价值可能与新的爱情一样持久，但也涉及到与依恋和伴侣关系相关的大脑系统。
