Signatures of emotional words

IF 21.2 1区医学 Q1 NEUROSCIENCES

Nature neuroscience Pub Date : 2025-03-07 DOI:10.1038/s41593-025-01916-3

Henrietta Howells

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Language is deeply imbued with emotion. Valence processing of emotional words has been well studied with neuroimaging; however, the neurochemical correlates remain unexplored. In model organisms, dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine neuromodulators are recruited during valence processing. A recent publication in Cell Reports describes the release patterns of these monoamines in humans performing an emotional Stroop task. Using a neurochemical inference strategy, the authors monitored dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine simultaneously in the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus in people performing the task while undergoing surgery for deep-brain stimulation for the treatment of essential tremor. The same electrochemical monitoring approach and task were used in a second cohort, which consisted of patients with epilepsy with stereo-EEG electrodes implanted in the anterior cingulate. The authors show distinct dynamics for different neuromodulators when words with positive or negative valence were presented, with some regional differences. They also observed left, but not right, hemisphere changes in dopamine release in response to positive words only, which echoes some theories of lateralized emotion processing. This promising methodology adds another dimension for the exploration of the spatiotemporal organization of the brain.

Original reference: Cell Rep. 44, 115162 (2025)

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来源期刊

Nature neuroscience 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

38.60

自引率

1.20%

发文量

212

审稿时长

1 months

期刊介绍： Nature Neuroscience, a multidisciplinary journal, publishes papers of the utmost quality and significance across all realms of neuroscience. The editors welcome contributions spanning molecular, cellular, systems, and cognitive neuroscience, along with psychophysics, computational modeling, and nervous system disorders. While no area is off-limits, studies offering fundamental insights into nervous system function receive priority. The journal offers high visibility to both readers and authors, fostering interdisciplinary communication and accessibility to a broad audience. It maintains high standards of copy editing and production, rigorous peer review, rapid publication, and operates independently from academic societies and other vested interests. In addition to primary research, Nature Neuroscience features news and views, reviews, editorials, commentaries, perspectives, book reviews, and correspondence, aiming to serve as the voice of the global neuroscience community.