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Rehbein E, Kogler L, Hornung J, Morawetz C, Bayer J, Krylova M, Sundström-Poromaa I, Derntl B. Estradiol administration modulates neural emotion regulation. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 134:105425. [PMID: 34607175 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Variations of sex hormones during the menstrual cycle can lead to changes in emotion processing. The ability to successfully regulate one's emotions is associated with better social abilities and mental health. While women show better performance in fear extinction learning under high estradiol (E2) compared to women under low E2 levels, little is known about the effect of E2 on emotion regulation. We explored whether E2 modulates emotion regulation in a functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm and administered E2 valerate to 32 young naturally cycling women during their early follicular phase in a double-blind, placebo-controlled within-subject design. This standardized experimental control allowed us to explore the specific effect of E2 on emotion regulation while controlling for other hormones varying throughout the menstrual cycle. Behaviorally, no difference between conditions appeared. However, on the neural level, E2 administration was associated with lower activation in the right lingual- and left calcarine gyrus, right orbitofrontal cortex and left hippocampus relative to placebo. With respect to the main effect of down-regulation higher activation of the right superior frontal gyrus and left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex was seen; which is in accordance to previous literature. An interaction between drug condition and emotion regulation appeared for the left inferior frontal gyrus extending into the middle frontal gyrus indicating lower activation during down-regulation in the E2 condition than the placebo condition. On the behavioral level, women reported less negative affect in the E2 condition. The results fit well to a previously described psychoneuroendocrinological model in which E2 plays an important modulatory role on emotional processes and risk factors of mental health in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Rehbein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innovative Neuroimaging, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Lydia Kogler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innovative Neuroimaging, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jonas Hornung
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innovative Neuroimaging, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Carmen Morawetz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Janine Bayer
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marina Krylova
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Jena, Jena, Germany; Medical Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | | | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innovative Neuroimaging, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Lead Graduate School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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Burk CL, Wiese BS. Applying different emotion regulation strategies while providing negative feedback: Introduction of a new laboratory protocol. MethodsX 2020; 7:101162. [PMID: 33364181 PMCID: PMC7753964 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2020.101162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
One aim of creating a new laboratory protocol was to investigate stress responses while being confronted with a work-related task, that is, having to provide negative feedback. It was central to the development of the scenario to make potential testosterone and cortisol responses measurable. The first part of the protocol comprises the introduction to the cover story, that is, being a member of the assessors' team as part of a larger assessment center program aiming to estimate the proficiency of students prior to their entry into professional life. Watching a video of one of the assessment center's candidates and having to assess his performance in a self-presentation task was introduced to personally involve participants in the feedback conversation they had to conduct with the same candidate later on. A second aim was to introduce an experimental manipulation in the form of instructions and brief tutorials regarding different emotion regulation strategies to apply. Participants were randomly assigned to one out of four conditions: expressive suppression (keeping a neutral expression); cognitive reappraisal (staying task-oriented and emotionally distanced); affect utilization (moving towards and using emotions); or control condition. Distinguishing these ways to regulate one's emotions enabled us to reveal differential hormonal stress responses: Applying either cognitive reappraisal or affect utilization strategies alleviated temporary testosterone declines compared with the other two conditions. This method article contains details regarding the procedure as well as the following documents in their original wording: • Introduction to the cover story (being a member of the assessors' team, observation of the attendant's self-presentation, assessment dimensions) • Slides and audio instructions regarding experimental conditions (how to regulate emotions) • Documents handed out to assist participants in conducting the feedback conversation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian L Burk
- RWTH Aachen University, Jaegerstrasse 17-19, Aachen D-52056, Germany
| | - Bettina S Wiese
- RWTH Aachen University, Jaegerstrasse 17-19, Aachen D-52056, Germany
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