Increased emotional reactivity to affective pictures in patients with skin-picking disorder: Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging

Those with SPD scored higher on trait anxiety/depression, and reported higher intensities of negative emotions experienced during the picture viewing. On the neuronal level, the clinical group showed enhanced localized brain activation to fear, disgust and happiness in the amygdala, the insula and the orbitofrontal cortex. These regions are part of a brain circuit mediating affective responses and affective awareness. The current fMRI study provides first data on the neuronal basis of elevated emotional reactivity to affective pictures in SPD.