Serotonergic activity and emotion-related facial expressions

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  • Ohmura Yu
    Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR)

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  • セロトニン神経活動と情動関連表情表出

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<p></p><p>We have demonstrated that the activation of serotonin neurons in the median raphe nucleus (MRN) facilitated anxiety- and fear-related behavior while that in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) exerted antidepressant-like effects. Nonetheless, drawing a direct causal link between the neuronal activity of serotonin neurons and negative/positive emotions remains to be determined because the results of traditional behavioral tests have large variances and are difficult to interpret. A facial expression analysis might be a solution. It would be a more direct assessment of emotional responses. We recorded alterations in facial expressions using a high-resolution camera and employed image analysis based on Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) features to assess changes in facial expression before and after the activation of serotonin neurons. I found that the activation of MRN serotonin neurons alone resulted in significant alterations in facial expressions, even without any external environmental stimuli. Remarkably, the facial expressions induced by MRN activation bore similar to those elicited by aversive stimuli. Furthermore, preliminary results showed that the activation of DRN serotonin neurons could induce positive emotion-related facial expressions. These results collectively suggest that serotonin neurons in the MRN are involved in negative emotions, while those in the DRN are involved in positive emotions.</p>

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