The brain contains both generalized and stimulus-type-specific representations of aversive events, but models of how these are integrated and related to subjective experience are lacking. We combined functional magnetic resonance imaging with predictive modeling to identify representations of generalized (common) and stimulus-type-specific negative affect across mechanical pain, thermal pain, aversive sounds and aversive images of four intensity levels each. This allowed us to examine how generalized and stimulus-specific representations jointly contribute to aversive experience. Stimulus-type-specific negative affect was largely encoded in early sensory pathways, whereas generalized negative affect was encoded in a distributed set of midline, forebrain, insular and somatosensory regions. All models specifically predicted negative affect rather than general salience or arousal and accurately predicted negative affect in independent samples, demonstrating robustness and generalizability. Common and stimulus-type-specific models were jointly important for predicting subjective experience. Together, these findings offer an integrated account of how negative affect is constructed in the brain and provide predictive neuromarkers for future studies.

大脑包含厌恶事件的广义和特定刺激类型的表征，但缺乏如何整合这些表征并与主观体验相关的模型。我们将功能性磁共振成像与预测模型相结合，以识别机械疼痛、热痛、厌恶声音和四个强度级别的厌恶图像中的广义（常见）和刺激类型特异性负面影响的表征。这使我们能够检查广义和特定刺激的表征如何共同促成厌恶体验。刺激类型特异性负面影响主要编码在早期感觉通路中，而广义负面影响编码在一组分布的中线、前脑、岛状和体感区域中。所有模型都专门预测了负面影响，而不是一般的显着性或唤醒，并准确预测了独立样本中的负面影响，证明了稳健性和普遍性。常见和特定刺激类型的模型对于预测主观体验非常重要。总之，这些发现提供了对大脑中如何构建负面影响的综合说明，并为未来的研究提供了预测性神经标志物。