How much do our emotions depend on our senses? Does our brain and body react in the same way when we hear a fearful scream, see an eerie shadow, or smell a sinister odor? And does hearing an upbeat music or seeing a colorful landascape bring the same...
Mar 9 2024IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca How much do our emotions depend on our senses? Does our brain and body react in the same way when we hear a fearful scream, see an eerie shadow, or smell a sinister odor? And does hearing an upbeat music or seeing a colorful landascape bring the same joy?
Led by a team of Italian neuroscientists from the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, and conducted in collaboration with the University of Turin, the research project investigates whether the brain employs sensory-specific or abstract codes to construct emotional experiences. "Including in the experiment individuals with congenital sensory deprivation – blind and deaf people – is a way to dissect and decipher the contribution of sensory experience to neural mechanisms underlying emotions" explains Luca Cecchetti, researcher at the IMT School, and senior author and supervisor of the study. "Our results show that emotions categories are represented in the brain regardless of sensory experience and modalities.