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Dynamic Reconfiguration of Large-Scale Brain Networks During Naturalistic Emotional Stimulation

Poster Session D - Monday, March 9, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom
Also presenting in Data Blitz Session 2 - Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm PST, Salon D.

Elena Skoullou¹, Hoshinori Kanazawa¹, Shogo Yonekura¹, Yasuo Kuniyoshi¹; ¹The University of Tokyo

Emotions in real-world contexts unfold dynamically, engaging large-scale brain systems in time-varying configurations. Studies using naturalistic stimuli show greater variability in emotional responses compared with controlled designs (Mishra, Srinivasan, & Tiwary, 2022; Horvat, Kukolja, & Ivanec, 2015). While specific brain regions have been linked to particular emotions, the connectivity dynamics underlying both basic and cognitively complex emotions are not fully understood. We applied dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) analysis to examine how emotional processing reorganizes core cortical networks during naturalistic stimulation. We analyzed 3T fMRI data from the StudyForrest project, in which 15 healthy adults (mean age = 29.4 years; range = 21–39; 6 females) watched the full-length film Forrest Gump. Following preprocessing and ICA-based denoising, signal independent components were categorized into major intrinsic networks using the Yeo 7-network atlas (Yeo et al., 2011), including the salience network (SN), central executive network (CEN), default mode network (DMN), visual(VN), somatosensory(SMN), and limbic networks(LN). A sliding-window approach (30s) with k-means clustering (k = 4) (Allen, 2014) identified recurring connectivity patterns. We observed transitions from low-connectivity periods to emotionally engaged configurations marked by increased coupling between key networks (SN, CEN, DMN) and enhanced intra-network connectivity within the DMN. Connectivity states were aligned with time-resolved emotion annotations (Labs et al., 2015), with a dominant low-connectivity state showing high dwell time and transient high-connectivity states moderately associated with emotional intensity. These findings demonstrate reproducible dynamic network reconfigurations during naturalistic emotional experiences, supporting the integration of emotion and cognition.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Emotional responding