Neural Changes Associated with Emotion Processing in Children Experiencing Peer Rejection: A Functional MRI Study.
10.3346/jkms.2014.29.9.1293
- Author:
Hyun Seung LEE
1
;
Ji Eun LEE
;
Kyoung Uk LEE
;
Young Hoon KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. pedkyh@catholic.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Peer Rejection;
Child;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging;
Emotional Face Processing
- MeSH:
Anxiety;
Brain/*physiology;
Brain Mapping;
Child;
Depression;
*Emotions;
Facial Expression;
Female;
Humans;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging;
Male;
Peer Group;
Questionnaires;
*Social Distance
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2014;29(9):1293-1300
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
This study was performed to investigate differences between children who did and did not experience peer rejection in psychological state through surveys and in emotion processing during an interpersonal stress challenge task to reflect naturalistic interpersonal face-to-face relationships. A total of 20 right-handed children, 10 to 12 yr of age, completed self-rating questionnaires inquiring about peer rejection in school, depression, and anxiety. They then underwent an interpersonal stress challenge task simulating conditions of emotional stress, in reaction to positive, negative and neutral facial expression stimuli, using interpersonal feedbacks, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) for an analysis of neural correlates during the task. Ten were the peer-rejection group, whereas the remainder were the control group. Based on the behavioral results, the peer-rejection group exhibited elevated levels of depression, state anxiety, trait anxiety and social anxiety as compared to the control group. The FMRI results revealed that the peer-rejection group exhibited greater and remarkably more extensive activation of brain regions encompassing the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in response to negative feedback stimuli of emotional faces. The different brain reactivities characterizing emotion processing during interpersonal relationships may be present between children who do and do not experience peer rejection.
