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Emotion regulation is hypothesized to be mediated by the interactions between emotional reactivity and regulation networks during the dynamic unfolding of the emotional episode. Yet, it remains unclear how to delineate the effective relationships between these networks. In this study, we examined the aforementioned networks’ information flow hierarchy during viewing of an anger provoking movie excerpt. Anger regulation is particularly essential for averting individuals from aggression and violence, thus improving prosocial behavior. Using subjective ratings of anger intensity we differentiated between low and high anger periods of the film. We then applied the Dependency Network Analysis (DEPNA), a newly developed graph theory method to quantify networks’ node importance during the two anger periods. The DEPNA analysis revealed that the impact of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was higher in the high anger condition, particularly within the regulation network and on the connections between the reactivity and regulation networks. We further showed that higher levels of vmPFC impact on the regulation network were associated with lower subjective anger intensity during the high-anger cinematic period, and lower trait anger levels. Supporting and replicating previous findings, these results emphasize the previously acknowledged central role of vmPFC in modulating negative affect. We further show that the impact of the vmPFC relies on its correlational influence on the connectivity between reactivity and regulation networks. More importantly, the hierarchy network analysis revealed a link between connectivity patterns of the vmPFC and individual differences in anger reactivity and trait, suggesting its potential therapeutic role.现有假说表明，在情绪事件的动态展开过程中，情绪调节是由情绪反应性网络与调节网络之间的交互所介导的。然而，目前尚未明确如何厘清这两类网络间的有效关联。本研究针对个体观看愤怒诱发电影片段的过程中，上述两类网络的信息流层级展开了考察。愤怒调节对于阻止个体产生攻击与暴力行为、进而提升亲社会行为而言尤为关键。本研究通过愤怒强度的主观评分，区分出影片中的低愤怒时段与高愤怒时段。随后，本研究采用依存网络分析（Dependency Network Analysis, DEPNA）——一种新近提出的图论方法——对两类愤怒时段内网络的节点重要性进行量化。DEPNA分析结果显示，腹内侧前额叶皮层（ventromedial prefrontal cortex, vmPFC）在高愤怒状态下的影响更强，尤其体现在调节网络内部，以及反应性网络与调节网络之间的连接上。本研究进一步发现，在高愤怒观影时段内，腹内侧前额叶皮层对调节网络的影响越强，个体报告的主观愤怒强度越低，同时特质愤怒水平也越低。这些结果支持并复现了既往研究发现，进一步印证了腹内侧前额叶皮层在调节负性情绪中所公认的核心作用。本研究还证实，腹内侧前额叶皮层的影响依赖于其对反应性网络与调节网络之间连接的相关调控作用。更为重要的是，层级网络分析揭示了腹内侧前额叶皮层的连接模式与个体在愤怒反应性及特质愤怒上的差异之间存在关联，这提示该脑区具备潜在的临床治疗价值。