Title |
β-Adrenoceptor blockade modulates fusiform gyrus activity to black versus white faces
|
---|---|
Published in |
Psychopharmacology, April 2015
|
DOI | 10.1007/s00213-015-3929-7 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
S. Terbeck, G. Kahane, S. McTavish, R. McCutcheon, M. Hewstone, J. Savulescu, L. P. Chesterman, P. J. Cowen, R. Norbury |
Abstract |
The beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol is known to reduce peripheral and central activity of noradrenaline. A recent study found that intervention with propranolol diminished negative implicit racial bias. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in order to determine the neural correlates of this effect. Healthy volunteers (N = 40) of white ethnic origin received a single oral dose (40 mg) of propranolol, in a randomised, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled design, before viewing unfamiliar faces of same and other race. We found significantly reduced activity in the fusiform gyrus and thalamus following propranolol to out-group faces only. Additionally, propranolol lowered the implicit attitude score, without affecting explicit prejudice measure. These findings suggest that noradrenaline pathways might modulate racial bias by acting on the processing of categorisation in the fusiform gyrus. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 3 | 20% |
United Kingdom | 3 | 20% |
Unknown | 9 | 60% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 12 | 80% |
Scientists | 2 | 13% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 7% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Italy | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 54 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 10 | 18% |
Researcher | 9 | 16% |
Student > Bachelor | 5 | 9% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 4 | 7% |
Student > Postgraduate | 3 | 5% |
Other | 8 | 15% |
Unknown | 16 | 29% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 17 | 31% |
Neuroscience | 6 | 11% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 3 | 5% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 3 | 5% |
Business, Management and Accounting | 2 | 4% |
Other | 7 | 13% |
Unknown | 17 | 31% |