Central and autonomic nervous system integration in emotion

Brain Cogn. 2003 Jun;52(1):79-87. doi: 10.1016/s0278-2626(03)00011-3.

Abstract

Emotions involve physiological responses that are regulated by the brain. The present paper reviews the empirical literature on central nervous system (CNS) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) concomitants of emotional states, with a focus on studies that simultaneously assessed CNS and ANS activity. The reviewed data support two primary conclusions: (1) numerous cortical and subcortical regions show co-occurring activity with ANS responses in emotion, and (2) there may be reversed asymmetries on cortical and subcortical levels with respect to CNS/ANS interrelations. These observations are interpreted in terms of a model of neurovisceral integration in emotion, and directions for future research are presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Affect / physiology*
  • Autonomic Nervous System / physiology*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Central Nervous System / physiology*
  • Electroencephalography
  • Evoked Potentials / physiology
  • Functional Laterality / physiology
  • Heart Rate / physiology
  • Humans
  • Neural Inhibition / physiology
  • Visual Fields / physiology