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Content archived on 2024-06-18

Exploring the Effects of Emotion on Human Cognition

Objective

Emotions evoke a profound modulation of human cognition. Emotional events are susceptible to preferential perceptual processing and are more likely to be remembered than neutral ones. But how does the emotionality of a stimulus lead to enhanced perception and memory? The series of experiments proposed will investigate the underlying human neurobiological mechanisms by which emotion modulates these two cognitive processes. This will proceed through the integration of basic psychological tasks, human psychopharmacology and an examination of functional neuronal measures in humans, employing intracranial EEG recordings from patients with depth electrodes, magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The core hypothesis is that emotions evoke an amygdala-dependent modulation of other brain areas; higher-order visual cortex and hippocampus for effects on perception and memory, respectively. A central theme is that the noradrenergic (NA) system is critical for this interplay between different brain areas. Emotions can also evoke deleterious effects on memory, particularly for stimuli that precede the emotional event, but the mechanisms underlying this are also poorly understood. Initial experiments presented here will characterise the temporal profile of this retrograde amnesia, as well as the neurophysiological and biochemical correlates. The next study, to be performed in the context of simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings, tests whether response inhibition-induced associative memory impairment has a NA basis. A final study examines how the spatial frequency of emotional stimuli modulates both perceptual and memory-related neuronal activity in healthy controls and patients with depression, a condition characterised by abnormal emotional processing. Thus, by employing a combination of neuroscience techniques, the proposed studies will address a number of critical, outstanding questions regarding the way in which emotion modulates cognition.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG
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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG)

Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID
EU contribution
€ 100 000,00
Address
CALLE RAMIRO DE MAEZTU 7 EDIFICIO RECTORADO
28040 MADRID
Spain

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Region
Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

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