Increased amygdala response to masked emotional faces in depressed subjects resolves with antidepressant treatment: an fMRI study

YI Sheline, DM Barch, JM Donnelly, JM Ollinger… - Biological …, 2001 - Elsevier
Background: The amygdala has a central role in processing emotions, particularly fear.
During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) amygdala activation has been
demonstrated outside of conscious awareness using masked emotional faces. Methods: We
applied the masked faces paradigm to patients with major depression (n= 11) and matched
control subjects (n= 11) during fMRI to compare amygdala activation in response to masked
emotional faces before and after antidepressant treatment. Data were analyzed using left …