The relationship between habitual use and real-time emotion regulation strategies in adolescents: Evidence from frontal EEG asymmetry

Frontal Alpha Asymmetry dynamics: A window into active self-regulatory processes

Frontal Alpha Asymmetry (FAA) has been studied since the late 1970s as a neural correlate of emotion regulation and motivational processes. FAA is often viewed through a dispositional lens reflecting individual differences in positive or negative emotionality and biases toward approach or avoidance motivational processes. However, FAA also shifts in response to context-specific conditions that elicit approach or avoidance responses, indicating FAA reflects active, ongoing self-regulatory processes. Moreover, FAA changes over time, and how it changes over time is affected by context, experience, and development. We propose FAA evolves over four different time scales including the (1) second-to-second, (2) laboratory task, (3) intervention or intensive learning experience, and (4) developmental time scales. We present evidence showing FAA evolves over each of these time scales and highlight influences of individual differences and the developmental context on how FAA changes over time. We emphasize the insights gained by studying change in FAA over each time scale. We concluded with recommendations about future directions and speculate about the nested, bidirectional nature of the four timescales.

HiRENet: Novel convolutional neural network architecture using Hilbert-transformed and raw electroencephalogram (EEG) for subject-independent emotion classification

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are the most widely used deep-learning framework for decoding electroencephalograms (EEGs) due to their exceptional ability to extract hierarchical features from high-dimensional EEG data. Traditionally, CNNs have primarily utilized multi-channel raw EEG data as the input tensor; however, the performance of CNN-based EEG decoding may be enhanced by incorporating phase information alongside amplitude information.

METHODS

This study introduces a novel CNN architecture called the Hilbert-transformed (HT) and raw EEG network (HiRENet), which incorporates both raw and HT EEG as inputs. This concurrent use of HT and raw EEG aims to integrate phase information with existing amplitude information, potentially offering a more comprehensive reflection of functional connectivity across various brain regions. The HiRENet model was developed using two CNN frameworks: ShallowFBCSPNet and a CNN with a residual block (ResCNN). The performance of the HiRENet model was assessed using a lab-made EEG database to classify human emotions, comparing three input modalities: raw EEG, HT EEG, and a combination of both signals. Additionally, the computational complexity was evaluated to validate the computational efficiency of the ResCNN design.

RESULTS

The HiRENet model based on ResCNN achieved the highest classification accuracy, with 86.03% for valence and 84.01% for arousal classifications, surpassing traditional CNN methodologies. Considering computational efficiency, ResCNN demonstrated superiority over ShallowFBCSPNet in terms of speed and inference time, despite having a higher parameter count.

CONCLUSION

Our experimental results showed that the proposed HiRENet can be potentially used as a new option to improve the overall performance for deep learning-based EEG decoding problems.

Frontal alpha asymmetry during emotion regulation in adults with lifetime major depression

Emotion regulation (ER) often is impaired in current or remitted major depression (MD), although the extent of the deficits is not fully understood. Recent studies suggest that frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) could be a promising electrophysiological measure to investigate ER. The purpose of this study was to investigate ER differences between participants with lifetime major depression (lifetime MD) and healthy controls (HC) for the first time in an experimental task by using FAA. We compared lifetime MD (n = 34) and HC (n = 25) participants aged 18-24 years in (a) an active ER condition, in which participants were instructed to reappraise negative images and (b) a condition in which they attended to the images while an EEG was recorded. We also report FAA results from an independent sample of adolescents with current MD (n = 36) and HC adolescents (n = 38). In the main sample, both groups were able to decrease self-reported negative affect in response to negative images through ER, without significant group differences. We found no differences between groups or conditions in FAA, which was replicated within the independent adolescent sample. The lifetime MD group also reported less adaptive ER in daily life and higher difficulty of ER during the task. The lack of differences between in self-reported affect and FAA between lifetime MD and HC groups in the active ER task indicates that lifetime MD participants show no impairments when instructed to apply an adaptive ER strategy. Implications for interventional aspects are discussed.

Neuropsychological Evidence Underlying Counterclockwise Bias in Running: Electroencephalography and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies of Motor Imagery

We aimed to answer the question "why do people run the track counterclockwise (CCW)?" by investigating the neurophysiological differences in clockwise (CW) versus CCW direction using motor imagery. Three experiments were conducted with healthy adults. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to examine hemispheric asymmetries in the prefrontal, frontal, and central regions during CW and CCW running imagery (n = 40). We also evaluated event-related potential (ERP) N200 and P300 amplitudes and latencies (n = 66) and conducted another experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (n = 30). EEG data indicated greater left frontal cortical activation during CCW imagery, whereas right frontal activation was more dominant during CW imagery. The prefrontal and central asymmetries demonstrated greater left prefrontal activation during both CW and CCW imagery, with CCW rotation exhibiting higher, though statistically insignificant, asymmetry scores than CW rotation. As a result of the fMRI experiment, greater activation was found during CW than during CCW running imagery in the brain regions of the left insula, Brodmann area 18, right caudate nucleus, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left superior parietal cortex, and supplementary motor area. In the ERP experiment, no significant differences were found depending on direction. These findings suggest that CCW rotation might be associated with the motivational approach system, behavioral activation, or positive affect. However, CW rotation reflects withdrawal motivation, behavioral inhibition, or negative affect. Furthermore, CW rotation is understood to be associated with neural inefficiency, increased task difficulty, or unfamiliarity.

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: The Role of Late Childhood Frontal EEG Asymmetry, Executive Function, and Adolescent Cognitive Reappraisal

Cognitive reappraisal is adaptive for decreasing symptoms of depression; however, a gap in the research is understanding the childhood processes that contribute to cognitive reappraisal in adolescence. This study examined executive function and frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry during late childhood as predictors of adolescent cognitive reappraisal and depressive symptoms. Data were from 123 participants in late childhood (age 10) and adolescence (age 14.5). A moderated mediation model was fit to the data to examine frontal EEG asymmetry as a moderator in the relation between late childhood inhibitory control and adolescent cognitive reappraisal as well as adolescent cognitive reappraisal and adolescent depressive symptoms. Results indicated lower inhibitory control was associated with lower cognitive reappraisal when children had right frontal EEG asymmetry. Lower cognitive reappraisal in turn was associated with higher depressive symptoms for children with right frontal EEG asymmetry. Working memory and cognitive flexibility were also examined but were not significant indicators. Results suggest the potential for targeting inhibitory control and cognitive reappraisal to diminish depressive symptoms particularly among adolescents with right frontal EEG asymmetry.

Motivation in the metaverse: A dual-process approach to consumer choices in a virtual reality supermarket

Introduction

Consumer decision-making processes involve a complex interrelation between perception, emotion, and cognition. Despite a vast and diverse literature, little effort has been invested in investigating the neural mechanism behind such processes.

Methods

In the present work, our interest was to investigate whether asymmetrical activation of the frontal lobe of the brain could help to characterize consumer's choices. To obtain stronger experimental control, we devised an experiment in a virtual reality retail store, while simultaneously recording participant brain responses using electroencephalogram (EEG). During the virtual store test, participants completed two tasks; first, to choose items from a predefined shopping list, a phase we termed as "planned purchase". Second, subjects were instructed that they could also choose products that were not on the list, which we labeled as "unplanned purchase." We assumed that the planned purchases were associated with a stronger cognitive engagement, and the second task was more reliant on immediate emotional responses.

Results

By analyzing the EEG data based on frontal asymmetry measures, we find that frontal asymmetry in the gamma band reflected the distinction between planned and unplanned decisions, where unplanned purchases were accompanied by stronger asymmetry deflections (relative frontal left activity was higher). In addition, frontal asymmetry in the alpha, beta, and gamma ranges illustrate clear differences between choices and no-choices periods during the shopping tasks.

Discussion

These results are discussed in light of the distinction between planned and unplanned purchase in consumer situations, how this is reflected in the relative cognitive and emotional brain responses, and more generally how this can influence research in the emerging area of virtual and augmented shopping.

Neuroscience on breaking bad news: Effects of physicians' response on patient emotion and trust

BACKGROUND

The outbreak of COVID-19, due to restrictions on patients' access to hospitals, makes patient mental health a severe problem to solve, especially for cancer patients. Delivering bad news has become one of the abilities that physicians need to improve. Former research has proposed communication strategies like SPIKES to respond to patients' emotions. However, existing strategies lack systematic and structural responses to different cues and concerns of patients.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate whether and how the response styles of information delivery, empathy, and authority affect patient emotions and trust in order to present a structural response system. Furthermore, we explore the correlation between strategies and EEG markers to moderate emotions and trust.

METHODS

This research selects different scenarios and strategies in the context of breast cancer and performs two experiments. First, we performed a behavioral experiment with 93 medical students and 15 breast cancer patients. Moreover, an EEG experiment with 53 students via video stimuli was conducted to explore the moderate function between strategies and emotions/trust. We use time-frequency analysis and the repeated measure ANOVA method to explore the association between strategy and EEG components. Furthermore, we perform a GLM method to investigate the relationship between EEG components and patient emotion and trust.

RESULTS

For the first time, this study proposes the strategy matrix. The response strategies NPIm and NRIa play important roles in this system. In behavioral experiments, information delivery, empathy, and authority strategy significantly affect emotions and trust. The scenario is significant as a moderator. In the EEG experiment, strategy NPIm has more correlation with parietal alpha power than other strategies, and parietal alpha power has a significant effect on emotions, which verifies that empathy-related cerebral activities affect emotions and trust.

CONCLUSION

According to the strategy matrix, physicians could apply strategy ERIa in most scenarios, and strategy NRIa in many scenarios, which means information provision is significant when it comes to responding to patients' cues and concerns. The most important strategy that physicians need to avoid is the authority strategy. Refusing to respond to patients' cues and concerns may cause their dislike. Moreover, through the EEG experiment, we verify that empathy affects emotions and trust from a neuroscience perspective and propose parietal alpha and frontal alpha as neuro-markers to moderate emotions and trust. Physicians could adjust strategies through these EEG markers.