Structural and functional associations of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex with subjective happiness

Morikura, Masahiro; Kawamichi, Hozumi; Koike, T.; Yoshihara, Kazufumi; Yoshida, Yumiko; Takahashi, Haruka; Nakagawa, Eri; Sadato, Norihiro

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.04.020

Cited by 61 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…It has been shown that GMV in rACC/mPFC was positively correlated with happiness (Matsunaga et al, 2016) and self-conscious emotion (Sturm et al, 2013). Furthermore, it has also been shown that GMV in rACC/ mPFC is smaller in several psychiatric disorders of topdown affect and cognitive control such as depression and anxiety disorders (van Tol et al, 2010), selfconscious emotional decline in frontotemporal dementia (Sturm et al, 2013), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (Seidman et al, 2006), post-traumatic stress disorder (Meng et al, 2016), borderline personality disorder (Hazlett et al, 2005), schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder (Carlisi et al, 2017;Goodkind et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gray Matter and Functional Connectivity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex are Associated with the State of Mental Silence During Sahaja Yoga Meditation

et al. 2018

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Abstract-Some meditation techniques teach the practitioner to achieve the state of mental silence. The aim of this study was to investigate brain regions that are associated with their volume and functional connectivity (FC) with the depth of mental silence in long-term practitioners of Sahaja Yoga Meditation. Twenty-three longterm practitioners of this meditation were scanned using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In order to identify the neural correlates of the depth of mental silence, we tested which gray matter volumes (GMV) were correlated with the depth of mental silence and which regions these areas were functionally connected to under a meditation condition. GMV in medial prefrontal cortex including rostral anterior cingulate cortex were positively correlated with the subjective perception of the depth of mental silence inside the scanner. Furthermore, there was significantly increased FC between this area and bilateral anterior insula/putamen during a meditation-state specifically, while decreased connectivity with the right thalamus/parahippocampal gyrus was present during the meditation-state and the resting-state. The capacity of long-term meditators to establish a durable state of mental silence inside an MRI scanner was associated with larger gray matter volume in a medial frontal region that is crucial for topdown cognitive, emotion and attention control. This is furthermore corroborated by increased FC of this region during the meditation-state with bilateral anterior insula/putamen, which are important for interoception, emotion, and attention regulation. The findings hence suggest that the depth of mental silence is associated with medial fronto-insular-striatal networks that are crucial for top-down attention and emotional control.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gray Matter and Functional Connectivity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex are Associated with the State of Mental Silence During Sahaja Yoga Meditation

et al. 2018

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“…First, in the vignette part of our study, we selected one occasion (When you are striving to achieve a personal goal) based on a previous experiment [36]. However, there are many occasions that can evoke happiness, such as marriage, a personal relationship, and family [36]. Thus, it is unclear whether salivary serotonin influences sharing effects of emotions in other occasions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on our previous psychological study, we created a vignette to assess the emotion sharing effect [36]. The hypothetical event had three components: the occasion, the self-outcome, and the friend’s situation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between salivary serotonin and the social sharing of happiness

et al. 2017

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Although human saliva contains the monoamine serotonin, which plays a key role in the modulation of emotional states, the association between salivary serotonin and empathic ability remains unclear. In order to elucidate the associations between salivary serotonin levels, trait empathy, and the sharing effect of emotions (i.e., sharing emotional experiences with others), we performed a vignette-based study. Participants were asked to evaluate their happiness when they experience several hypothetical life events, whereby we manipulated the valence of the imagined event (positive, neutral, or negative), as well as the presence of a friend (absent, positive, or negative). Results indicated that the presence of a happy friend significantly enhanced participants’ happiness. Correlation analysis demonstrated that salivary serotonin levels were negatively correlated with happiness when both the self and friend conditions were positive. Correlation analysis also indicated a negative relationship between salivary serotonin levels and trait empathy (particularly in perspective taking), which was measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Furthermore, an exploratory multiple regression analysis suggested that mothers’ attention during childhood predicted salivary serotonin levels. Our findings indicate that empathic abilities and the social sharing of happiness decreases as a function of salivary serotonin levels.

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“…Furthermore, a previous study found a significant correlation between subjective happiness and gray matter density in the most ventral part of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) (Matsunaga et al, 2016). Similar to the striatum, the most ventral part of mPFC represents social reward (Moll et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Being in a Romantic Relationship Is Associated with Reduced Gray Matter Density in Striatum and Increased Subjective Happiness

et al. 2016

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Romantic relationship, a widespread feature of human society, is one of the most influential factors in daily life. Although stimuli related to romantic love or being in a romantic relationship commonly result in enhancement of activation or functional connectivity of the reward system, including the striatum, the structure underlying romantic relationship-related regions remain unclear. Because individual experiences can alter gray matter within the adult human brain, we hypothesized that romantic relationship is associated with structural differences in the striatum related to the positive subjective experience of being in a romantic relationship. Because intimate romantic relationships contribute to perceived subjective happiness, this subjective enhancement of happiness might be accompanied by the experience of positive events related to being in a romantic relationship. To test this hypothesis and elucidate the structure involved, we compared subjective happiness, an indirect measure of the existence of positive experiences caused by being in a romantic relationship, of participants with or without romantic partners (N = 68). Furthermore, we also conducted a voxel-based morphometry study of the effects of being in a romantic relationship (N = 113). Being in a romantic relationship was associated with greater subjective happiness and reduced gray matter density within the right dorsal striatum. These results suggest that being in a romantic relationship enhances perceived subjective happiness via positive experiences. Furthermore, the observed reduction in gray matter density in the right dorsal striatum may reflect an increase in saliency of social reward within a romantic relationship. Thus, being in a romantic relationship is associated with positive experiences and a reduction of gray matter density in the right dorsal striatum, representing a modulation of social reward.

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Structural and functional associations of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex with subjective happiness

Cited by 61 publications

References 57 publications

Gray Matter and Functional Connectivity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex are Associated with the State of Mental Silence During Sahaja Yoga Meditation

Gray Matter and Functional Connectivity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex are Associated with the State of Mental Silence During Sahaja Yoga Meditation

Association between salivary serotonin and the social sharing of happiness

Being in a Romantic Relationship Is Associated with Reduced Gray Matter Density in Striatum and Increased Subjective Happiness

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