Figure 2. Cortical areas activated in the onset of emotion.  The activation of different cortical areas cause the onset of different possible emotions in which an individual can experience. Positive emotions are correlated with the activation of mesolimbic structures such as the frontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, the striatum, the ventral tegmental area, the substantia nigra, and the hippocampus. Negative emotions are correlated with the activation of structures such as the hypothalamus, the amygdala, the nucleus accumbens, and the hippocampus (Baumgartner, Esslen, & Jäncke, 2006).
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