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Emotional Words Evoke Region and Valence-Specific Patterns of Concurrent Neuromodulator Release in Human Thalamus and Cortex

59 Pages Posted: 14 Aug 2024 Publication Status: Published

See all articles by Seth R. Batten

Seth R. Batten

Virginia Tech

Alec Hartle

Virginia Tech

Leonardo S. Barbosa

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

Beniamino Hadj-Amar

Rice University

Dan Bang

Virginia Tech

Natalie Melville

Virginia Tech

Tom Twomy

Virginia Tech

Jason P. White

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

Alexis Torres

Arizona State University (ASU)

Xavier Celaya

Arizona State University (ASU)

Samuel M. McClure

Arizona State University (ASU)

Gene A. Brewer

Arizona State University (ASU)

Terry Lohrenz

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

Kenneth T. Kishida

Wake Forest University - School of Medicine

Robert W. Bina

University of Arizona, Phoenix - Banner University Medical Center

Mark R. Witcher

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

Marina Vannucci

Rice University

Brooks Casas

Virginia Tech

Pearl Chiu

Virginia Tech

Read Montague

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

William Matthew Howe

Virginia Tech

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Abstract

Words represent a uniquely human information channel– humans use words to express thoughts and feelings, and to assign emotional valence to experience. Work from model organisms suggests that valence assignments are carried in part by the neuromodulators dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Here, we ask whether valence signaling by these neuromodulators extends to word semantics in humans by measuring sub-second neuromodulator dynamics in N = 19 individuals evaluating positive, negative, and neutrally valenced words. Results from thalamus show that dopamine and serotonin carry information about word valence but with opposite polarity. Results from the anterior cingulate cortex show that dopamine carries word valence-related information in a strong hemisphere-dependent fashion. Overall, these experiments provide the first direct evidence that neuromodulator-dependent valence signaling extends to word semantics in humans and that these signals exhibit a substantial degree of regional specificity.

Keywords: anterior cingulate cortex, cortex, dopamine, emotional valence, human brain, norepinephrine, serotonin, electrochemistry, thalamus, word valence

Suggested Citation

Batten, Seth R. and Hartle, Alec and Barbosa, Leonardo S. and Hadj-Amar, Beniamino and Bang, Dan and Melville, Natalie and Twomy, Tom and White, Jason P. and Torres, Alexis and Celaya, Xavier and McClure, Samuel M. and Brewer, Gene A. and Lohrenz, Terry and Kishida, Kenneth T. and Bina, Robert W. and Witcher, Mark R. and Vannucci, Marina and Casas, Brooks and Chiu, Pearl and Montague, Read and Howe, William Matthew and Administrator, Sneak Peek, Emotional Words Evoke Region and Valence-Specific Patterns of Concurrent Neuromodulator Release in Human Thalamus and Cortex. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4925283 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4925283
This version of the paper has not been formally peer reviewed.

Alec Hartle

Virginia Tech ( email )

Leonardo S. Barbosa

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute ( email )

Beniamino Hadj-Amar

Rice University ( email )

6100 South Main Street
Houston, TX 77005-1892
United States

Dan Bang

Virginia Tech ( email )

Natalie Melville

Virginia Tech ( email )

Tom Twomy

Virginia Tech ( email )

Jason P. White

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute ( email )

Alexis Torres

Arizona State University (ASU) ( email )

Xavier Celaya

Arizona State University (ASU) ( email )

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
411 North Central Avenue, Suite 600
Phoenix, AZ 85004-0685

Samuel M. McClure

Arizona State University (ASU) ( email )

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
411 North Central Avenue, Suite 600
Phoenix, AZ 85004-0685

Gene A. Brewer

Arizona State University (ASU) ( email )

555 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85004
United States

Terry Lohrenz

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute ( email )

2 Riverside Circle
Roanoke, VA 24016
United States

Kenneth T. Kishida

Wake Forest University - School of Medicine ( email )

Robert W. Bina

University of Arizona, Phoenix - Banner University Medical Center ( email )

Mark R. Witcher

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine ( email )

Roanoke, 24016
United States

Marina Vannucci

Rice University ( email )

6100 South Main Street
Houston, TX 77005-1892
United States

Brooks Casas

Virginia Tech ( email )

Pearl Chiu

Virginia Tech ( email )

Read Montague

Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute ( email )

2 Riverside Circle
Roanoke, VA 24016
United States
540-526-2000 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://research.vtc.vt.edu/employees/read-montague/

William Matthew Howe

Virginia Tech ( email )

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