@article{posner-russell-09_fmri-affective-circumplex-emotional-words,
  title={The neurophysiological bases of emotion: An fMRI study of the affective circumplex using emotion-denoting words},
  author={Posner, J. and Russell, J.A. and Gerber, A. and Gorman, D. and Colibazzi, T. and Yu, S. and Wang, Z. and Kangarlu, A. and Zhu, H. and Peterson, B.S.},
  journal={Human brain mapping},
  volume={30},
  number={3},
  pages={883--895},
  year={2009},
  publisher={Wiley Online Library}
  abstract= {

The circumplex model of affect posits that all emotions can be described as a
linear combination of two neurophysiological dimensions, valence and
arousal. Based on the circumplex model, we predicted a linear relationship
between neural activity and incremental changes in these two affective
dimensions.

Methods—Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we assessed in 10
  subjects the correlations of BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) signal
  with ratings of valence and arousal during the presentation of
  emotion-denoting words.

Results—Valence ratings correlated positively with neural activity in the
  left insular cortex and inversely with neural activity in the right
  dorsolateral prefrontal and precuneus cortices. The absolute value of
  valence ratings (reflecting the positive and negative extremes of valence)
  correlated positively with neural activity in the left dorsolateral and
  medial pre-frontal cortex (PFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex,
  posterior cingulate cortex, and right dorsal PFC, and inversely with neural
  activity in the left medial temporal cortex and right amygdala. Arousal
  ratings and neural activity correlated positively in the left
  parahippocampus and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and inversely in the
  left dorsolateral PFC and dorsal cerebellum.

Conclusion—We found evidence for two neural networks subserving the affective
  dimensions of valence and arousal. These findings clarify inconsistencies
  from prior imaging studies of affect by suggesting that two underlying
  neurophysiological systems, valence and arousal, may subserve the
  processing of affective stimuli, consistent with the circumplex model of
  affect.

}}