Facial emotion processing in major depression: a systematic review of neuroimaging findings

Stuhrmann, Anja; Suslow, Thomas; Dannlowski, Udo

doi:10.1186/2045-5380-1-10

Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders

Table 2 Emotional face processing studies: between group fMRI findings (major depressive disorder (MDD) > healthy controls (HCs))

From: Facial emotion processing in major depression: a systematic review of neuroimaging findings

Brain region	BA	Sad > Baseline	Fear > Baseline	Angry > Baseline	Happy > Baseline	Disgust > Baseline	Author/year	Reference
Limbic lobe
Amygdala		↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Amygdala			↑	↑			Peluso et al. 2009	[35]
Amygdala			↑^a		↑^a		Sheline et al. 2001	[34]
Amygdala		↑			↓		Suslow et al. 2010	[30]
Amygdala		↑			↓		Victor et al. 2010	[29]
Amygdala			↑	↑			Zhong et al. 2011	[36]
Extended amygdala			↑	↑	↑		Matthews et al. 2008	[28]
Amygdala/hippocampus		↑					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
PHG/amygdala		↑^b					Surguladze et al. 2005	[31]
Amygdala/hippocampus			↓				Lawrence et al. 2004	[37]
Hippocampus		↓					Lee et al. 2008	[38]
Extended limbic system
Insula		↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Insula	13				↓		Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
Insula		↑					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Insula						↑	Surguladze et al. 2010	[39]
Insula	13		↑	↑			Zhong et al. 2011	[36]
Insula		↓	↓				Townsend et al. 2010	[40]
Insula/PHG		↑			↓		Suslow et al. 2010	[30]
PHG		↑					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
PHG/globus pallidus/anterior thalamus			↓		↓		Lawrence et al. 2004	[37]
Thalamus		↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Striatum
Putamen		↑					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Putamen		↑^b			↓^b		Surguladze et al. 2005	[31]
Putamen		↓	↓				Townsend et al. 2010	[40]
Putamen/globus pallidus		↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Uncus/amygdala/caudate/putamen					↓		Lawrence et al. 2004	[37]
Caudate		↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Caudate		↓					Lee et al. 2008	[38]
Caudate		↑		↑			Scheuerecker et al. 2010	[41]
Frontal lobe
Motor cortex
Premotor cortex	6	↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Middle frontal gyrus	6	↑					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
SMA		↑		↑			Scheuerecker et al. 2010	[41]
Precentral gyrus	4	↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Precentral gyrus	4	↑					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Precentral gyrus	4				↑		Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Precentral gyrus	4,6				↓		Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Precentral gyrus		↑		↑			Scheuerecker et al. 2010	[41]
Postcentral gyrus	1, 2, 3	↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Postcentral gyrus		↑		↑			Frodl et al. 2009	[43]
Postcentral gyrus	2	↑					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
DLPFC
DLPFC	44, 45, 9	↓	↓		↓		Lawrence et al. 2004	[37]
DLPFC	9	↑					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Superior frontal gyrus		↑^a		↑			Frodl et al. 2009	[43]
Superior frontal gyrus	8				↑		Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
Superior frontal gyrus	8	↓					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Superior frontal gyrus	8		↓	↓			Zhong et al. 2011	[36]
Middle frontal gyrus		↑^a		↑			Frodl et al. 2009	[43]
Middle frontal gyrus		↑			↓		Suslow et al. 2010	[30]
Middle frontal gyrus	8	↓					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Middle frontal gyrus	8	↓					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
VLPFC
VLPFC	10, 47, 45, 46				↓		Lawrence et al. 2004	[37]
VLPFC	11				↑		Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
VLPFC	10/47	↓					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Middle frontal gyrus	10/47				↑		Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Middle frontal gyrus		↑		↑			Scheuerecker et al. 2010	[41]
Cingulum
Anterior cingulum	32	↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Anterior cingulum	24/32	↓					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Anterior cingulum	25		↓	↓			Zhong et al. 2011	[36]
Sg anterior cingulum	25	↑					Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
Sg anterior cingulum	24/32				↑^a		Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
Anterior cingulum	24	↓					Lawrence et al. 2004	[37]
Middle cingulum	23/24	↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Middle cingulum	33/24, 32/24	↓					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Middle cingulum		↑^a		↑			Frodl et al. 2009	[43]
Middle cingulum	23				↑		Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Posterior cingulum	23/31, 29/31	↑					Fu et al. 2004	[32]
Posterior cingulum	31	↓					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Posterior cingulum	31				↓		Fu et al. 2007	[63]
Posterior cingulum	31	↑					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Medial PFC
Inferior frontal gyrus	47	↑					Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
Inferior frontal gyrus	47/45	↓					Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
Inferior frontal gyrus	45	↑					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Inferior frontal gyrus	47		↓	↓			Zhong et al. 2011	[36]
Medial PFC	10, 11, 47		↓				Lawrence et al. 2004	[37]
DMPFC	8				↑		Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
VMPFC	10/32				↑		Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Orbitofrontal cortex
Orbitofrontal cortex	47					↑	Surguladze et al. 2010	[39]
Orbitofrontal cortex	11	↓					Lawrence et al. 2004	[37]
Orbitofrontal cortex	11	↓					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Orbitofrontal cortex		↓		↓			Lee et al. 2008	[38]
Orbitofrontal cortex		↓		↓			Lee et al. 2008	[38]
Temporal lobe
Middle temporal gyrus	21	↓					Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
Middle temporal gyrus	21/22				↓		Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Middle temporal gyrus	21					↑	Surguladze et al. 2010	[39]
Middle temporal gyrus		↑			↓		Suslow et al. 2010	[30]
Middle temporal gyrus/inferior temporal gyrus		↑			↓		Suslow et al. 2010	[30]
Middle temporal gyrus	21, 37	↓					Townsend et al. 2010	[40]
Inferior temporal gyrus	20				↓		Gotlib et al. 2005	[45]
Inferior temporal gyrus	37					↑	Surguladze et al. 2010	[39]
Inferior temporal gyrus	20	↓					Townsend et al. 2010	[40]
Superior temporal gyrus	42	↑					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Superior temporal gyrus	42	↑					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Fusiform gyrus	37	↓					Fu et al. 2008	[33]
Fusiform gyrus	20	↑					Keedwell et al. 2005	[42]
Fusiform gyrus	19	↑^b			↓^b		Surguladze et al. 2005	[31]
Fusiform gyrus		↑			↓		Suslow et al. 2010	[30]

The table includes whole brain and region of interest (ROI) results of the described studies in Table 1, section 'Whole Brain and ROI studies'. The table does not include results on other study aspects such as treatment response or connectivity analyses.
^aDue to deactivations in controls.
^bLinear trend for increasing intensities of sadness/happiness.
BA, Brodmann's area; DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; DMPFC, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex; PFC, prefrontal cortex; PHG, parahippocampal gyrus; SMA, supplementary motor area; Sg, subgenual; VLPFC, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; VMPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

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