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Frontiers of Architectural Research

ISSN 2095-2635

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Front. Archit. Res.    2022, Vol. 11 Issue (5) : 877-890    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.02.007
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Neuroscience and architecture: What does the brain tell to an emotional experience of architecture via a functional MR study?
Navid Khaleghimoghaddam1(), Havva Alkan Bala2, Güzin Özmen3, Şerefnur Öztürk4
1. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Interior Architecture, Konya Food and Agriculture University, Konya, Turkey
2. Faculty of Architecture and Design, Department of Architecture, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey
3. Faculty of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
4. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
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Abstract

Environment psychologically affects individuals. According to the base of cognitive psychology, there is a direct relationship between human behavior, environment, and emotional process. Assuming that pleasantness and unpleasantness are associated with peripheral nervous system activation, the current study aims to explore if the pleasant or unpleasant architectural places can stimulate the brain regions engaged in emotions or not. As the main contribution, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measuring blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) changes to effectively detect the brain’s region that mainly responds to the emotional-perceptual processes. Based on the results of examining the emotional assessment model of „Pleasure-Arousal” applied to 140 students, 30 most-rated images representing 15 pleasant and 15 unpleasant places were shown to 32 participants in a 1.5-T MRI scanner. After applying standard preprocessing steps (re-alignment, slice-timing, coregistration, segmentation, normalization, and smoothing) to functional MR images, first-level analysis was applied to each subject. The results were evaluated using statistical corrections at different levels for female and male participants with the second-level analysis. In conclusion, it has been shown that there is a significant linkage between environmental experience and brain activation so that the architectural qualities can change blood flow in specific brain regions.
Keywords Emotional experience      Architectural stimulus      Pleasant and unpleasant place      fMRI     
Corresponding Author(s): Navid Khaleghimoghaddam   
Issue Date: 31 October 2022
 Cite this article:   
Navid Khaleghimoghaddam,Havva Alkan Bala,Güzin Özmen, et al. Neuroscience and architecture: What does the brain tell to an emotional experience of architecture via a functional MR study?[J]. Front. Archit. Res., 2022, 11(5): 877-890.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/foar/EN/10.1016/j.foar.2022.02.007
https://academic.hep.com.cn/foar/EN/Y2022/V11/I5/877
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