Sep. 10, 2010 There is new evidence that people can learn to
control the activity of some brain regions when they get
feedback signals provided by functional magnetic resonance brain
imaging (fMRI). Dr. Andrea Caria and colleagues used this
specialized imaging technique during training sessions in three
groups of healthy participants who were asked to assess visual
emotional stimuli (negative or neutral pictures). The scientists
were interested in the signals generated by the insula, a brain
region implicated in emotion regulation. While performing the
test, the investigators provided the subjects with specific,
unspecific, or no feedback about the extent of the activation of
the insula. They found that the individuals who received
specific feedback were able to successfully increase the
activity of the insula and perceived the negative pictures as
being more unpleasant. The reverse was also true, i.e., when the
insula's level of activity was decreased, a reduced sensitivity
to negative stimuli was observed.