Functional Neuroanatomy of Emotion Perception, Recognition, Learning, and Memory

The long-term goals of this study are to understand the neural substrates of aversive Pavlovian conditioning in human subjects. The general approach is to use whole brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to describe brain regions and circuits that contribute to the acquisition and performance of this form of learning. The specific aims of this proposal are: 1. To identify brain regions that respond to aversive stimuli. 2. To identify brain regions primarily responsible for the expression of cognitive and autonomic responses versus those involved in stimulus processing and memory encoding. 3. To relate patterns of activity within selected brain areas to implicit versus explicit memory performance. 4. To compare the parallel development of implicit and explicit knowledge about stimulus relationships during Pavlovian delay and trace fear conditioning. 5. To test specific predictions regarding the nature of learning-related activity in the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortex as they develop during conditioning and to integrate these findings into a more general theoretical understanding of memory phenomena in humans.