Emotional processing and processing information are linked to specific areas within the brain. Cognitive neuroscience has had advances that show the processing of emotional information and the network that carries it through cortical and subcortical regions. Some of the networks required for emotional processing are also involved in attentional processing and attentional processes. Attention and emotion are correlated this way. Emotional processing studies recently began considering the pulvinar to have a major role in coordination and coordinating emotional processes. The pulvinar is located in the thalamus and has been observed to play a role in both attention and emotion processes. It is hypothesized that the pulvinar acts as a mediator
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The pulvinar has many important roles and different mechanisms that affect attention and behavior. Mediating stimuli processing is often skimmed over when looking at the pulvinar. Reporting the areas that the pulvinar effects is highly important because it helps with mapping the cognitive impairments it causes when following lesions. Three different types of people were observed in this study of the pulvinar. The first group of people were brought in several times to report on addressing different cognitive functions. While, the second group were patients who had lesions on different parts of the pulvinar. Lastly, the third and final group had individual data …show more content…
In another study, only patients with total loss of their pulvinar were looked at. These patients showed a deficit in selective attention and eye movements on visual targets. They also had a loss in emotional processing. The results of all the studies concluded that dissociation can be occur in attention and emotion in the pulvinar. It was also concluded that emotional processing occurred in the medial pulvinar, while attention processing occurred in the anterior and posterior subdivisions. However, two dissociations or a double dissociation between emotion and attention cannot be determined based on the data given. Therefore, more research is needed to link the dissociation of attention and the dissociation of emotion. Lesions affect both attention and emotion processes while, lesions to the anterior subdivision only affects the attention processing and leaves emotional processing
The pulvinar has many important roles and different mechanisms that affect attention and behavior. Mediating stimuli processing is often skimmed over when looking at the pulvinar. Reporting the areas that the pulvinar effects is highly important because it helps with mapping the cognitive impairments it causes when following lesions. Three different types of people were observed in this study of the pulvinar. The first group of people were brought in several times to report on addressing different cognitive functions. While, the second group were patients who had lesions on different parts of the pulvinar. Lastly, the third and final group had individual data …show more content…
In another study, only patients with total loss of their pulvinar were looked at. These patients showed a deficit in selective attention and eye movements on visual targets. They also had a loss in emotional processing. The results of all the studies concluded that dissociation can be occur in attention and emotion in the pulvinar. It was also concluded that emotional processing occurred in the medial pulvinar, while attention processing occurred in the anterior and posterior subdivisions. However, two dissociations or a double dissociation between emotion and attention cannot be determined based on the data given. Therefore, more research is needed to link the dissociation of attention and the dissociation of emotion. Lesions affect both attention and emotion processes while, lesions to the anterior subdivision only affects the attention processing and leaves emotional processing