Neuroanatomical correlates of visual field bias: A sensitive system for detecting potential threats?

Preferred pathways of emotional processing were investigated in an fMRI study where fearful and neutral faces were presented in the left, right or central visual field. Seventeen male volunteers were imaged at 3.0 T using GE-EPI. Spatial preprocessing and statistical analyses were performed using SPM2. A preference for peripheral fearful and central neutral faces was found in frontal and temporal areas, temporal pole, putamen, and ACC. A subset showed a significant preference for fearful faces in the right hemifield. These results seem to suggest a sensitive network for preferential processing of potential threat signals.