Brain Activation Imaging in Emotional Decision Making and Mental Health: A Review-Part 1.

In part 1 of this article, we describe an approach and methodology that bridges 2 worlds: the internal, subjective experience of emotions and thoughts, and the external world of brain electrical activity. Using a novel event-related brain activation imaging method, we demonstrate that within single trials, short-term mental processes, on the order of 100 ms, can be clearly related to observed brain activation in controlled experiments. We use an ipsative assessment validation process that combines self-report with real-time EEG recordings to provide a combined picture of both the mental and the brain activity, during short-term reactions, emotions, and decisions regarding controlled information. Part 2 provides a detailed description of the emerging emotional decision-making model.