Spatio-temporal Dynamics of Images with Emotional Bivalence

At present there is a growing interest in studying emotions in the brain. However, although in the latest years there have been numerous studies, little is known about their temporal dynamics. Techniques such as fMRI or PET have very good spatial resolution but poor temporal resolution and vice-versa in the case of EEG. In this study we propose to use EEG to gain insight into the spatiotemporal dynamics of emotions processing with a better time resolution. We conducted an experiment in which binary classification (like / dislike) of standardized images was performed. Topographic changes in EEG activity were examined in the time domain. In the spatial dimension, we used a rotating dipole for the spatial location and determination of Cartesian coordinates (x, y and z). Our results showed a temporal window (424-474msec) with a significant difference which involved a lateralization (left to very positive stimuli and right to very negative stimuli) even for neutral stimuli. These results support the lateralization of brain activity during processing of emotions.

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