Researchers map how the brain regulates emotions

Emotion regulation involves distinct brain activity patterns that can be separated from emotion generation, according to a Dartmouth-led fMRI study published in Nature Neuroscience. Using computational analysis of two independent fMRI datasets, the researchers identify multiple emotion-regulation systems and show that anterior prefrontal cortex and higher cortical regions track reappraisal, making people more resilient to negative stimuli. The amygdala responds to aversive experiences whether or not participants successfully self-regulate. The study also links emotion-regulation brain maps to neurotransmitter receptor systems, highlighting cannabinoid, opioid, and serotonin receptors. It raises the idea that receptor targeting could help explain how drugs, including psychedelic treatments associated with the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, may affect mental health by changing self-regulation processes.