Neurobiología de las emociones

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Roberto E. Mercadillo, José Luis Díaz, Fernando A. Barrios
Neurobiología de las emociones morales
Salud Mental, vol. 30, núm. 3, mayo-junio, 2007, pp. 1-11,
Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz
México
Disponible en:http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=58230301

Salud Mental,
ISSN (Versión impresa): 0185-3325
perezrh@imp.edu.mx
Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la
Fuente Muñiz
México

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NEUROBIOLOGÍA DE LAS EMOCIONES MORALESRoberto E. Mercadillo*, José Luis Díaz**, Fernando A. Barrios*

SUMMARY
This work presents a critical review of the historical, theoretical,
and neurobiological bases of the theory of moral emotions.
Neuroimaging methods and protocols used to study the neural
correlates of moral emotions and the analysis of the brain functions involved in their processing, permit the formulation of hypothesesthat attempt to understand some emotional and cognitive processes related to moral emotions. One such hypothesis
refers to a neuro-matrix involving sensory systems, brainstemmediated physiological reactions and frontal brain regions processing the interaction between moral and emotional stimuli.
Cross-cultural research on human facial expression has identified universal patterns to express basicemotions such as fear, anger,
or happiness. Nevertheless, the experience of some emotions and
their facial expressions are regulated by social and cultural mechanisms. This type of regulation is observed in moral emotions since
they are linked to the interests or welfare either of society as a
whole, or of persons other than the judge or agent.
Two typical features that identify moral emotionsare their typical elicitors and tendencies towards specific actions. The release
of a moral emotion is the perception of implicit and explicit violations of social norms and stereotypes included in personal codes,
attitudes, and beliefs. In turn, the actions ensuing from moral
emotions are communal or prosocial, because they promote a benefit in others and/or in the social order. Although thereis not a
definitive taxonomy of moral emotions, four families of prosocial
feelings are suggested: a) other-condemning emotions (contempt,
anger, disgust); b) self-conscious emotions (shame, embarrassment,
guilt); c) other-suffering emotions (compassion); d) other-praising emotions (gratitude, awe, elevation).
Such emotions are relevant to the concept of morality because
this is a complexrepresentation that includes models of prohibited actions, notions of good and bad, concepts of fairness, ideals
of justice, or justifications of punitive actions. Moreover, the cognitive processes and behaviors involved in moral emotions are
related to the theory of mind that refers the ability to represent
the mental and emotional states of others, such as their thoughts,
desires, beliefs,intentions, and knowledge. The neurobiological
substrate of this capacity involves cerebral regions related to the
experience of basic emotions, such as the amygdala and the
cingulated cortex, and regions related to complex cognition and
emotional-social contexts, such as the prefrontal cortex and the
superior temporal sulcus.

Neurobiological approaches to moral emotions have becomerelevant to study psychopathologies linked to antisocial behaviors, particularly the psychopathic or Antisocial Personality Disorder. Psychopaths show decreased emotional and physiological
reactions to emotional stimuli and deficiencies to identify emotional expressions. However, they do not fail to represent or to
infer others mental states or theory of mind. Therefore, the psychopathic disorder is...