Project Details
Projekt
Genetic regulation of emotion regulation
Applicant
Professor Dr. Henrik Walter
Subject Area
General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
Term
from 2009 to 2015
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 100021859
Although academic psychology is mainly occupied with researching psychological mechanisms or individual differences it is now commonly accepted that the functional organization of the brain is crucial for emotional information processing. In particular, imaging genetics has shown that it is possible to investigate genetically determined differences in emotional sensitivity. Accumulating evidence shows the involvement of amygdala and prefrontal regions and their interaction in emotion regulation processes. Moreover, reserach on the genetic regulation of emotion sensitivity has worked out the central role of polymorphisms in the serotonin(5-HTT)transporter gene and the catechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT)gene in emotion sensitivity. However, it is not known how psychological emotion regulation and genetic emotion regulation interact. In the proposed project we will investigate the influence of three different emotion regulation strategies on brain function. Futhermore, we will investigate the genetic influences on these psychological processes and the underlying neural mechanisms involved in emotion regulation.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
Belgium, Switzerland, United Kingdom
