To lose the frame of action: A selective deficit in avoiding unpleasant objects following a unilateral temporal lobe lesion

Abstract

Studies on emotion and its neurobiology have been far more focused on the recognition of emotion than on actions that are caused by emotional states. We investigate the performance of a patient, HS, with a unilateral lesion to the left temporal pole and orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) (including left amygdala), on a well-established approach/avoid task that taps into emotion-driven action. The striking finding of the present study is a remarkable, and selective, slowing of HS's avoidance of unpleasant items in her (impaired) contralesional field. This finding suggests that the left temporal lobe and OFC structures, including the amygdala, appear to be involved in the action component of emotion, specifically in avoiding negative items.

Keywords:

• Amygdala
• Approach
• Avoid
• Emotion
• Action

Special thanks go to Professor Bob Rafal, who referred HS as a suitable candidate for research, obtained the MRI scan, and was present at the patient's testing session.