Emotional Regulation and Depression: A Potential Mediator between Heart and Mind

Figure 3

Amygdala-frontal circuit of emotion regulation. Prefrontal cortex seems to be involved in the modulation of the amygdala reactivity, a critical structure for the generation of negative emotions. During reappraisal, enhanced activation in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is associated with attenuation of amygdala activation and with a reduction of negative affect intensity. Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) coordinates the interactions between these areas.