Korean J Radiol.  2010 Oct;11(5):507-513. 10.3348/kjr.2010.11.5.507.

Functional Neuroanatomy Associated with Natural and Urban Scenic Views in the Human Brain: 3.0T Functional MR Imaging

• Kim GW
• Jeong GW
• Kim TH
• Baek HS
• Oh SK
• Kang HK
• Lee SG
• Kim YS
• Song JK

• KMID: 1102574
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2010.11.5.507

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
By using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique we assessed brain activation patterns while subjects were viewing the living environments representing natural and urban scenery.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 28 healthy right-handed subjects underwent an fMRI on a 3.0 Tesla MRI scanner. The stimulation paradigm consisted of three times the rest condition and two times the activation condition, each of which lasted for 30 and 120 seconds, respectively. During the activation period, each subject viewed natural and urban scenery, respectively.
RESULTS
The predominant brain activation areas observed following exposure to natural scenic views in contrast with urban views included the superior and middle frontal gyri, superior parietal gyrus, precuneus, basal ganglia, superior occipital gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and insula. On the other hand, the predominant brain activation areas following exposure to urban scenic views in contrast with natural scenes included the middle and inferior occipital gyri, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, amygdala, anterior temporal pole, and inferior frontal gyrus.
CONCLUSION
Our findings support the idea that the differential functional neuroanatomies for each scenic view are presumably related with subjects' emotional responses to the natural and urban environment, and thus the differential functional neuroanatomy can be utilized as a neural index for the evaluation of friendliness in ecological housing.

Keyword

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Brain activation, Natural, Urban, Surrounding environment

MeSH Terms

Adult
Brain Mapping/*methods
Emotions/physiology
Environment
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Linear Models
Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods
Male
*Photic Stimulation

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Differential brain activation patterns between natural (A) and urban (B) scenic views resulting from two sample t-test. Color-coded pixels on activation maps were scaled to range between cutoff-threshold and highest t-value (p < 0.05).

• 

  Fig. 2 Brain activation on sagittal (x), coronal (y), axial (z)-planes demonstrating full details of predominance of natural (A) and urban (B) scenic views, resulting from two sample t test (p < 0.05). SFG = superior frontal gyrus, GLO = globus pallidus, ACG = anterior cingulate gyrus, IFG = inferior frontal gyrus, MOG = middle occipital gyrus

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