Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37857413›Full record

SynthesisJournal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN

Should perception of emotions be classified according to threat detection rather than emotional valence? An updated meta-analysis for a whole-brain atlas of emotional faces processing.

Steve Lukito, Lydia Fortea, Federica Groppi, Ksenia Zuzanna Wykret, Eleonora Tosi, Vincenzo Oliva, Stefano Damiani, Joaquim Radua, Paolo Fusar-Poli

Open access · diamondAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Oscillatory brain dynamics underlying affective face processing.Social cognitive and affective neuroscience · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.

Steve LukitoFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli) steve.lukito@kcl.ac.uk paolo.fusar-poli@kcl.ac.uk.
Lydia ForteaFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli).
Federica GroppiFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli).
Ksenia Zuzanna WykretFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli).
Eleonora TosiFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli).
Vincenzo OlivaFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli).
Stefano DamianiFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli).
Joaquim RaduaFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli).
Paolo Fusar-PoliFrom the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Lukito); the Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Fortea, Oliva, Radua); the Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy (Groppi, Wykret, Tosi, Damiani, Fusar-Poli); the Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy (Oliva); the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom (Fusar-Poli); the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany (Fusar-Poli) steve.lukito@kcl.ac.uk paolo.fusar-poli@kcl.ac.uk.
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München · DEKing's College London · GBUniversity of Pavia · ITConsorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer · ESUniversity of Bologna · IT

Funding

Department of HealthWellcome TrustWellcome Trust 215793/Z/19/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHuman navigation of social interactions relies on the processing of emotion on faces. This meta-analysis aimed to produce an updated brain atlas of emotional face processing from whole-brain studies based on a single emotional face-viewing paradigm (PROSPERO CRD42022251548).

methodsWe conducted a systematic literature search of Embase, MEDLINE and PsycINFO from May 2008 to October 2021. We used seed-based d mapping with permutation of subject images to conduct a quantitative meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging contrasts between emotional (e.g., angry, happy) and neutral faces. We conducted agglomerative hierarchical clustering of meta-analytic map contrasts of emotional faces relative to neutral faces. We investigated lateralization of emotional face processing.

resultsFrom 5549 studies identified, 55 data sets (1489 healthy participants) met our inclusion criteria. Relative to neutral faces, we found extensive activation clusters by fearful faces in the right inferior temporal gyrus, right fusiform area, left putamen and amygdala, right parahippocampalgyrus and cerebellum; we found smaller activation clusters by angry faces in the right cerebellum and right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and by disgusted faces in the left MTG. Happy and sad faces did not reach statistical significance. Clustering analyses showed similar activation patterns of fearful and angry faces; activation patterns of happy and sad faces showed the least correlation with other emotional faces. Emotional face processing was predominantly left-lateralized in the amygdala and anterior insula, and right-lateralized in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. LIMITATIONS: Reliance on discretized effect sizes based on peak coordinate location instead of statistical brain maps, and the varying level of statistical threshold reporting from original studies, could lead to underdetection of smaller clusters of activation.

conclusionProcessing of emotional faces appeared to be oriented toward identifying threats on faces, from highest (i.e., angry or fearful faces) to lowest level (i.e., happy or sad faces), with a more complex lateralization pattern than previously theorized. Emotional faces may be processed in latent grouping but organized by threat content rather than emotional valence.

Indexed as

EmotionsFacial RecognitionAmygdalaAngerBrainBrain MappingFacial ExpressionHumansMagnetic Resonance Imaging

Identifiers

PMID37857413
PMCPMC10599659
OpenAlexW4387774308

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.