Neural activity to a partner's facial expression predicts self-regulation after conflict

Abstract

Background: Failure to self-regulate after an interpersonal conflict can result in persistent negative mood and maladaptive behaviors. Research indicates that lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) activity is related to emotion regulation in response to laboratory-based affective challenges, such as viewing emotional pictures. This suggests that compromised LPFC function may be a risk factor for mood and behavior problems after an interpersonal conflict. However, it remains unclear whether LPFC activity to a laboratory-based affective challenge predicts self-regulation in real life.

Methods: We investigated whether LPFC activity to a laboratory-based affective challenge (negative facial expressions of a partner) predicts self-regulation after a real-life affective challenge (interpersonal conflict). During a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan, healthy, adult participants in committed relationships (n = 27) viewed positive, negative, and neutral facial expressions of their partners. In a three-week online daily diary, participants reported conflict occurrence, level of negative mood, rumination, and substance use.

Results: LPFC activity in response to the laboratory-based affective challenge predicted self-regulation after an interpersonal conflict in daily life. When there was no interpersonal conflict, LPFC activity was not related to mood or behavior the next day. However, when an interpersonal conflict did occur, ventral LPFC (VLPFC) activity predicted mood and behavior the next day, such that lower VLPFC activity was related to higher levels of negative mood, rumination, and substance use.

Conclusions: Low LPFC function may be a vulnerability and high LPFC function may be a protective factor for the development of mood and behavior problems after an interpersonal stressor.

Figure 1

shows the anatomical mask used to identify lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) activity. Significant activity in the whole-brain, random effects analysis that was within this LPFC region of interest was identified (listed in Table2) and then individual contrast values were extracted. The LPFC anatomical mask included the ventral portion (VLPFC) shown in light blue and dorsal portion (DLPFC) shown in dark blue. The VLPFC included the inferior frontal gyrus –triangularis [BA 45, and portions of BA 44). The DLPFC included the middle frontal gyrus [portions of BA 46, BA 9, and BA10]. The LPFC mask was created by using the Automated Anatomical Labeling (AAL) maps in the program MRIcro (http://www.sph.sc.edu/comd/rorden/template.html) as a guide for identifying the inferior frontal and middle frontal gyri and the Brodmann's Areas.

Figure 2

A. Whole-brain, random-effects analysis across the group of subjects (N=27) shows significant left VLPFC activity for Partner Negative vs. Partner Neutral expressions contrast. B. Individual level of VLPFC activity, extracted from this group activation, significantly interacted with interpersonal conflict to predict overall negative mood. Higher scores correspond to more negative mood (graphed on the Y-axis). As shown in the figure, when there was no conflict the previous day, VLPFC activity was not related to overall negative mood. However, when a conflict occurred the previous day, lower VLPFC activity was related to more overall negative mood. The same pattern of results can be seen with C. rumination, and D. substance-use.

Figure 3

A. Whole-brain, random-effects analysis across the group of subjects (N=27) shows significant left VLPFC activity for Partner Positive vs. Partner Neutral expressions. B. Individual level of VLPFC activity, extracted from this group activation, significantly interacted with interpersonal conflict to predict overall negative mood. On days in which there was no conflict the previous day, VLPFC activity was not related to overall negative mood. On days in which there was a conflict the previous day, VLPFC activity significantly predicted overall negative mood, such that lower VLPFC activity was related to more overall negative mood.