Effective connectivity within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex-hippocampus-amygdala network during the elaboration of emotional autobiographical memories
Published in NeuroImage, 189, 316-328, 2019
By N. E. Nawa and H. Ando
Paper URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30665009/
Short summary: Using fMRI and dynamic causal modeling, we characterized the connections within a relevantq triadic network (vmPFC-amygdala-hippocampus), and examined how the connections were modulated by the emotional intensity experienced during an event, and the valence of the affect evoked when recollecting autobiographical memories. Results primarily indicated the existence of a vmPFC to hippocampus effective connectivity during memory elaboration. Furthermore, the strength of the connectivity increased when participants relived memories of highly emotionally arousing events or that elicited stronger positive affect. These results indicate that the vmPFC drives hippocampal activity during memory elaboration, and plays a critical role in shaping affective responses that emanate from AMs.