Getting Emotional

By Dian Land

Davidson's investigations of the prefrontal cortex, located behind the forehead, show that the left side is associated with positive emotions, and the right with negative emotions. More of the nerve pathways that carry emotional messages from structure to structure are being identified, and patterns of interaction among pathways - which are likely to be crucial indicators of emotional balance - are becoming evident.

At the same time, scientists are eagerly exploring the feedback loop linking emotions, the brain, and other physiological systems. Early indicators suggest that, over time, negative emotions may reshape the brain, altering its chemical composition and changing the normal balance of hormones it produces. This, in turn, can disrupt the normal functioning of the immune and other systems, rendering people susceptible to diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other forms of illness. UW researchers are concentrating on these interactions in several studies, including one in which they hope to unravel the brain-heart connection.

"Doctors know that depression and anxiety can put some people at risk for heart disease, and that negative emotions can cause death in certain people already afflicted with cardiac problems," says Kalin. "With a unique imaging study, we're hoping to learn how brain-driven emotions may contribute to this." Funded by the Dana Foundation, the study uses fMRI to explore the hearts and brains of healthy volunteers to learn precisely what happens when they are shown intensely emotional pictures. Eventually, the results may help clinicians identify people who are at risk for stress-induced cardiac problems by identifying extreme activity in a specific brain area that relates to altered heart function.

There is also compelling evidence on the potential good effects of positive emotions, which is giving scientists reason to ask whether serenity and contentment may have as much of an impact on the brain as anxiety and depression. Kalin, an intense and optimistic man, firmly believes the answer is affirmative. Factors such as the quality of relationships and degree of social isolation have already proven to be important influences on longevity in cancer patients and survival in threatened wild monkeys.

"Psychiatrists and psychologists have historically focused on pathology and disease, but at the HealthEmotions Research Institute, we are directing our resources to understanding positive emotions and how they may confer healthy outcomes by changing the brain," he says. Studies examining the protective potentials of meditation and exercise are under way. "I think we will scientifically show that positive emotions can be extremely powerful forces," he predicts.

The brain's plasticity - its ability to change - will play a key role in allowing people to reap the benefits of positivity. "The same processes that cause emotions to produce brain changes resulting in downstream problems may also allow people to change their brains for the good," says Kalin. He thinks it's probable that brain alterations occur in his patients who are most successful in long-term psychotherapy. Just as years of practice can make a person a good violin or tennis player, a similar persistence can yield desired brain changes.

But in the end, it is not only about learning to develop and hold on to positive emotions, stresses Kalin. He believes it is most important for people to be appropriately emotional. "There are times when each of us should feel sad, angry, or anxious," he says. "We know that without such negative feelings, positive emotions aren't nearly as meaningful. We all need to learn to move in and out of all emotions flexibly, adaptively."

For vulnerable groups of people, Kalin dreams that studying the biology of emotions someday will allow him and his colleagues to help in ways never before possible. Who is to say his dreams will not come true?

Dian Land is a science writer for UW Health Marketing and Public Affairs.

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