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Adamczyk AK, Koch SBJ, Wyczesany M, Roelofs K, van Peer JM. Emotion regulation flexibility: EEG/EMG predictors and consequences of switching between reappraisal and distraction strategies. Psychophysiology 2024:e14646. [PMID: 38963073 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Flexible use of emotion regulation (ER) strategies is central to mental health. To advance our understanding of what drives adaptive strategy-switching decisions, in this preregistered study, we used event-related potentials (late positive potential, LPP and stimulus preceding negativity, SPN) and facial electromyography (EMG corrugator activity) to test the antecedents and consequences of switching to an alternative ER strategy. Participants (N = 63, Mage = 24.8 years, all female) passively watched and then implemented an instructed ER strategy (reappraisal or distraction) in response to high-intensity negative pictures that were either easy or difficult to reinterpret (high or low reappraisal affordance, respectively). Next, they decided to "switch from" or "maintain" the instructed strategy and subsequently implemented the chosen strategy. Reappraisal affordance manipulations successfully induced switching. Regarding antecedents, switching was predicted by the reduced ER efficacy of the current strategy (corrugator, but not LPP). Switching to distraction was additionally predicted by increased responses to the stimulus during passive viewing (corrugator and LPP) and increased anticipatory effort in implementing reappraisal (SPN). Concerning consequences, switching to distraction improved, whereas switching to reappraisal impaired post-choice ER effects (LPP). However, starting with reappraisal was overall more effective than starting with distraction, irrespective of the subsequent decision (corrugator). Our results suggest that switching between ER strategies occurs in accordance with situational demands (stimulus affordances) and is predicted by reduced peripheral physiological ER efficacy. However, only switching to distraction leads to improved regulatory effects. These insights provide neurocognitively grounded starting points for developing interventions targeting ER flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka K Adamczyk
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia B J Koch
- Affective Neuroscience, Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Miroslaw Wyczesany
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Affective Neuroscience, Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jacobien M van Peer
- Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Toledo TA, Vore CN, Huber FA, Rhudy JL. The effect of emotion regulation on the emotional modulation of pain and nociceptive flexion reflex. Pain 2024; 165:1266-1277. [PMID: 38227556 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Positive emotions inhibit pain, whereas negative emotions facilitate pain. Thus, many psychosocial interventions capitalize on this emotion-pain relationship to improve patients' abilities to regulate emotion (ie, reduce negative emotion, increase positive emotion), influence nociception, and manage pain. This study extended the existing literature to examine whether emotion regulation procedures could influence emotional modulation of the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR), a marker of spinal nociception. To elicit emotion, 2 blocks of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures were presented. In block 1, participants were asked to passively view pictures during which painful electric stimulations were delivered to evoke pain and the NFR. Valence, arousal, corrugator electromyogram, and skin conductance response were used to measure emotional responses to pictures. To manipulate emotion regulation, participants were randomized to either suppress (downregulate) or enhance (upregulate) their emotion during block 2 (other procedures same as block 1). Instructions to suppress decreased subjective and physiological responding to emotional pictures, reduced emotional modulation of pain, and generally decreased NFR magnitude (regardless of picture content). Instructions to enhance emotion increased subjective responding to emotional pictures but did not alter physiological responding to pictures or emotional modulation of pain/NFR in predictable ways. Results imply that downregulation/suppression of negative emotions may work best to reduce pain facilitation. Furthermore, this study contributes to the existing literature that shows that pain and pain signaling is tightly coupled with emotional states and that emotion regulation can impact pain perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler A Toledo
- Department of Psychology, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
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Zsigo C, Greimel E, Primbs R, Bartling J, Schulte-Körne G, Feldmann L. Frontal alpha asymmetry during emotion regulation in adults with lifetime major depression. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:552-566. [PMID: 38302819 PMCID: PMC11078823 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01165-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Zsigo
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany.
| | - Ellen Greimel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Regine Primbs
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bartling
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Lisa Feldmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
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Bianco V, Bello A, Cimmino RL, Lucci G, Mussini E, Perri RL, Borgatti R, Di Russo F. Electrophysiological Correlates of Amplified Emotion-Related Cognitive Processing Evoked by Self-Administered Disgust Images. Brain Sci 2024; 14:525. [PMID: 38928526 PMCID: PMC11202120 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In the processing of emotions, the brain prepares and reacts in distinctive manners depending upon the negative or positive nuance of the emotion elicitors. Previous investigations showed that negative elicitors generally evoke more intense neural activities than positive and neutral ones, as reflected in the augmented amplitude of all sub-components of the event-related potentials (ERP) late posterior positivity (LPP) complex, while less is known about the emotion of disgust. The present study aimed to examine whether the LPP complex during the processing of disgust stimuli showed greater amplitude than other emotion elicitors with negative or positive valences, thus confirming it as a neural marker of disgust-related negativity bias at earlier or later stages. Thus, in the present study, we leveraged the ERP technique during the execution of an affective self-administered visual stimuli task to disentangle the neural contributions associated with images of positive, negative, disgust, or neutral emotions. Crucially, we showed that handling with disgust elicitors prompted the greatest neural activity and the highest delay during self-administration. Overall, we demonstrated progressive neural activities associated with the unpleasantness of the emotion elicitors and peculiar processing for disgust compared with all other emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bianco
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.D.R.)
| | - Annalisa Bello
- Department of Mental Health, “Psychiatric Service Diagnostic and Care (Impatient Unit for Acute Patients)”, ASL Lecce (The Local Health Authority), 73100 Lecce, Italy;
| | | | - Giuliana Lucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Umane, Facoltà Scienze della Formazione, Università degli Studi “G. Marconi”, 00193 Rome, Italy;
| | - Elena Mussini
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.D.R.)
| | | | - Renato Borgatti
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Francesco Di Russo
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy; (E.M.); (F.D.R.)
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
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Kreibig SD, Gross JJ. Temporal dynamics of positive emotion regulation: insights from facial electromyography. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1387634. [PMID: 38812471 PMCID: PMC11133866 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1387634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Emotion regulation (ER) is a complex process that manifests gradually over time. This study investigated the temporal dynamics of ER in modifying positive emotions in terms of both negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) dimensions. Methods After participants had been exposed to pleasant pictures for 8,000 ms, they received instructions to either continue viewing the picture (no regulation) or reappraise it with a neutral meaning (neutralize goal) or negative meaning (transform goal) for another 8,000 ms. We obtained corrugator supercilii and zygomaticus major electromyography (EMG) as objective measures of NA and PA. Results For the no-regulation condition, upon instruction onset, we observed maintained low levels of corrugator and high levels of zygomaticus EMG reactivity, indicating sustained PA activation. Compared to the no-regulation condition, for the neutralize goal, we observed no change in corrugator reactivity, which remained at a low level, while zygomaticus reduction started at 1,000 ms after instruction onset, indicating decreased PA and generation of a neutral emotional state. For the transform goal, we observed corrugator increase and zygomaticus decrease both starting at 1,500 ms after instruction onset and co-existing throughout the regulation period. These results indicate increased NA and decreased PA, relating to generation of a negative emotional state. The transform goal differed from the neutralize goal in terms of corrugator increase starting at 2,500 ms after instruction onset. Albeit simultaneous onset of changes on corrugator and zygomaticus reactivity under the transform goal, model-fitting analyses indicated that the best-fitting trajectory was one that first emphasized PA reduction until, at 3,000 ms, it turned into primary NA increase. Discussion These distinct temporal patterns highlight the possibility of effecting one-dimensional PA change with the neutralize goal and sequential two-dimensional change (first decreasing PA, then increasing NA) with the transform goal. This research sheds light on the time course of emotional change brought about by different regulatory goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia D. Kreibig
- Stanford Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
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Tsai HY, Lapanan K, Lin YH, Huang CW, Lin WW, Lin MM, Lu ZL, Lin FS, Tseng MT. Integration of Prior Expectations and Suppression of Prediction Errors During Expectancy-Induced Pain Modulation: The Influence of Anxiety and Pleasantness. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1627232024. [PMID: 38453467 PMCID: PMC11044194 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1627-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Pain perception arises from the integration of prior expectations with sensory information. Although recent work has demonstrated that treatment expectancy effects (e.g., placebo hypoalgesia) can be explained by a Bayesian integration framework incorporating the precision level of expectations and sensory inputs, the key factor modulating this integration in stimulus expectancy-induced pain modulation remains unclear. In a stimulus expectancy paradigm combining emotion regulation in healthy male and female adults, we found that participants' voluntary reduction in anticipatory anxiety and pleasantness monotonically reduced the magnitude of pain modulation by negative and positive expectations, respectively, indicating a role of emotion. For both types of expectations, Bayesian model comparisons confirmed that an integration model using the respective emotion of expectations and sensory inputs explained stimulus expectancy effects on pain better than using their respective precision. For negative expectations, the role of anxiety is further supported by our fMRI findings that (1) functional coupling within anxiety-processing brain regions (amygdala and anterior cingulate) reflected the integration of expectations with sensory inputs and (2) anxiety appeared to impair the updating of expectations via suppressed prediction error signals in the anterior cingulate, thus perpetuating negative expectancy effects. Regarding positive expectations, their integration with sensory inputs relied on the functional coupling within brain structures processing positive emotion and inhibiting threat responding (medial orbitofrontal cortex and hippocampus). In summary, different from treatment expectancy, pain modulation by stimulus expectancy emanates from emotion-modulated integration of beliefs with sensory evidence and inadequate belief updating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Yun Tsai
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11574, Taiwan
| | - Kulvara Lapanan
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Lin
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11574, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Wei Huang
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10048, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Wei Lin
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
| | - Min-Min Lin
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
| | - Zheng-Liang Lu
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Feng-Sheng Lin
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10048, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Tsung Tseng
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
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Wang J, Li Q, Li Z, Chen A. EEG-based multivariate pattern analysis reveals the control mechanisms of emotion regulation through distancing. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2024; 24:100423. [PMID: 38059070 PMCID: PMC10696394 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background/objective A neurocognitive model of distancing has systematically identified a set of brain regions that support the control mechanisms for emotion regulation (ER). However, the temporal dynamics of these control mechanisms during ER remains unclear. Method To address this issue, we recorded behavioral and electroencephalogram (EEG) data to compare proactive and reactive ER modes in an adapted ER task (N = 30 adults). In different ER modes, participants were instructed to downregulate their negative emotional experiences by applying the reappraisal tactic of distancing. Results The behavioral results showed that proactive ER, which involves preparing for the upcoming regulation, reduced the negative emotional experience more than reactive ER, which involves no preparation process, in the reappraisal-negative condition. This indicated that proactive ER was more effective than reactive ER in regulating negative emotions. Event-related potential (ERP) and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) results showed that ER through distancing involved two phases: First, the reappraisal cue enhanced the allocation of attention to activate the mental building blocks and constructed a new perspective in the preparation process. Second, participants who benefited from the preparation process initiated the ER earlier and adaptively re-engaged in the ER if time permitted. Conclusions Taken together, the control mechanisms underlying the preparation process influence the timing of ER, while the control mechanisms underlying the regulation process determine the regulatory effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- School of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Qing Li
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhifang Li
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Antao Chen
- School of Psychology, Research Center for Exercise and Brain Science, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
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Wessa M, Sandner M, Rimpel J, Schönfelder S. The influence of acute stress exposure on cognitive reappraisal: a psychophysiological study. Stress 2024; 27:2329663. [PMID: 38533574 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2329663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Successful and efficient emotion regulation (ER) is a key mechanism for mental health. However, acute stress may impact the ability to cognitively regulate negative emotions due to its immediate effects on executive functioning. Based on previous studies, we expected that the time at which ER is tested after a stressor might have a decisive influence, with impairments in ER being more pronounced immediately after stress as compared to a later post-stress phase. To investigate such a time-dependent effect of stress on ER, we investigated 50 healthy adults (26 female) who were exposed to either the Trier Social Stress Test (n = 25) or a control condition (n = 25). Afterwards subjects conducted a cognitive ER task during which they were instructed to either regulate (cognitive reappraisal) or passively view neutral and negative visual stimuli. The ER task was divided into an early (0-20 minutes) and a late post-stress phase (20-40 minutes). Salivary cortisol and α-amylase were assessed as markers of the neuroendocrine stress response. Self-reported emotional state, the mean activity of the late positive potential measured via electroencephalogram (EEG), and corrugator electromyographic activity (EMG) were used as indices of ER. While the groups did not differ in the early post-stress phase, our results suggest a stress-related impairment in ER in the late post-stress phase. This effect was evident in all ER outcome variables (subjective rating, EEG, and EMG data). These results suggest a time-specific stress effect on cognitive reappraisal, which would have implications for reappraisal as a possible stress management technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michèle Wessa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Mainz, Germany
| | - Magdalena Sandner
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jérôme Rimpel
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sandra Schönfelder
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Feldmann L, Zsigo C, Mörtl I, Bartling J, Wachinger C, Oort F, Schulte-Körne G, Greimel E. Emotion regulation in adolescents with major depression - Evidence from a combined EEG and eye-tracking study. J Affect Disord 2023; 340:899-906. [PMID: 37591354 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.08.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescent major depression (MD) is characterized by deficits in emotion regulation (ER). Little is known about the neurophysiological correlates that are associated with these deficits. Moreover, the additional examination of visual attention during ER would allow a more in-depth understanding of ER deficits but has not yet been applied simultaneously. METHODS N = 33 adolescents with MD and n = 35 healthy controls (HCs) aged 12-18 years performed an ER task during which they either a) down-regulated their negative affective response to negative images via cognitive reappraisal or b) attended the images without changing their affective response. During the task, the Late Positive Potential (LPP), gaze fixations on emotional image aspects, and self-reported affective responses were collected simultaneously. RESULTS Compared to HCs, adolescents with MD demonstrated reduced ER success based on self-report but did not differ in LPP amplitudes. Participants in both groups showed increased amplitudes in the middle LPP window when they reappraised negative pictures compared to when they attended them. Only in the HC group, increased LPP amplitudes during reappraisal were paralleled by more positive affective responses. LIMITATION The applied stimuli were part of picture databases and might therefore have limited self-relevance. CONCLUSIONS Increased LPP amplitude during ER in both groups might be specific to adolescence and might suggest that ER at this age is challenging and requires a high amount of cognitive resources. These findings provide an important starting point for future interventional studies in youth MD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Feldmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany.
| | - Carolin Zsigo
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Isabelle Mörtl
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bartling
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Wachinger
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany; Institute of Radiology, Technical University of Munich, Germany
| | - Frans Oort
- Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ellen Greimel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
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Adamczyk AK, Wyczesany M, Roelofs K, van Peer JM. Reappraisal is less effective than distraction in downregulation of neural responses to physical threats-An event-related potential investigation. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14316. [PMID: 37162260 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary threats (ETs), such as predatory animals and heights, elicit stronger fear responses and are more often the subject of specific phobias, as compared to modern threats (MTs, such as guns and motorcycles). Since processing of ET depends on lower-order, phylogenetically conserved neural fear circuits, it may be less susceptible to higher-order (vs. simpler) cognitive emotion regulation. Given the relevance for treatment of specific phobias, we tested this hypothesis in an ERP study. Sixty-one female participants passively watched high- and low-threat pictures of evolutionary (snakes, lizards) and modern (guns, water-guns) origin, and downregulated responses to the high-threat pictures (snakes and guns) using either cognitive reappraisal or a simpler cognitive distraction strategy. ET elicited stronger early (EPN) and sustained (LPP) attention processing compared to MT. Both strategies successfully downregulated subjective and LPP (but not EPN) responses compared to passive watching. Although reappraisal was more effective subjectively, distraction downregulated the LPP earlier and stronger than reappraisal, irrespective of the threat type. These findings provide novel evidence that neural responses to physical threat might be less susceptible to cognitive emotion regulation via higher-order (reappraisal) versus simpler (distraction) strategies, irrespective of the evolutionary or modern relevance of threat. Combining both strategies could be beneficial for the emotion regulation-enhancing interventions for specific phobias. Distraction could be used during initial exposure, to reduce immediate emotion responding and help endure the contact with the feared stimulus, whereas reappraisal could be used subsequently, when emotions are less intense, to change maladaptive thoughts about the stimulus for future encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka K Adamczyk
- Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Wyczesany
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Affective Neuroscience, Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jacobien M van Peer
- Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Scheffel C, Zerna J, Gärtner A, Dörfel D, Strobel A. Estimating individual subjective values of emotion regulation strategies. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13262. [PMID: 37582918 PMCID: PMC10427653 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40034-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals have a repertoire of emotion regulation (ER) strategies at their disposal, which they can use more or less flexibly. In ER flexibility research, strategies that facilitate goal achievement are considered adaptive and therefore are subjectively valuable. Individuals are motivated to reduce their emotional arousal effectively and to avoid cognitive effort. Perceived costs of ER strategies in the form of effort, however, are highly subjective. Subjective values (SVs) should therefore represent a trade-off between effectiveness and subjectively required cognitive effort. However, SVs of ER strategies have not been determined so far. We present a new paradigm for quantifying individual SVs of ER strategies by offering monetary values for ER strategies in an iterative process. N = 120 participants first conducted an ER paradigm with the strategies distraction, distancing, and suppression. Afterwards, individual SVs were determined using the new CAD paradigm. SVs significantly predicted later choice for an ER strategy (χ2 (4, n = 119) = 115.40, p < 0.001, BF10 = 1.62 × 1021). Further, SVs were associated with Corrugator activity (t (5, 618.96) = 2.09, p = 0.037, f2 = 0.001), subjective effort (t (5, 618.96) = - 13.98, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.035), and self-reported utility (t (5, 618.96) = 29.49, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.155). SVs were further associated with self-control (t (97.97) = 2.04, p = 0.044, f2 = 0.002), but not with flexible ER. With our paradigm, we were able to determine subjective values. The trait character of the values will be discussed. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on July 19, 2022. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FN9BT .
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Scheffel
- Chair of Differential and Personality Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Josephine Zerna
- Chair of Differential and Personality Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Anne Gärtner
- Chair of Differential and Personality Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Denise Dörfel
- Chair of Differential and Personality Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
- Center for Information Services and High Performance Computing, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
| | - Alexander Strobel
- Chair of Differential and Personality Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069, Dresden, Germany
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12
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Daches Cohen L, Gross JJ, Rubinsten O. Using Reappraisal to Improve Outcomes for STEM Teachers and Students. J Cogn 2023; 6:45. [PMID: 37577258 PMCID: PMC10418247 DOI: 10.5334/joc.313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The many stressors associated with teaching can take a toll, resulting in high levels of burnout among teachers and reduced motivation and academic performance among students. This is especially true in the context of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Despite the efficacy of emotion regulation interventions in pedagogical settings in general and in STEM teaching in particular, there is a lack of suitable interventions. We applied the process model of emotion regulation to STEM teaching and proposed a framework, STEM-Model of EmotioN regulation: Teachers' Opportunities and Responsibilities (STEM-MENTOR), to elucidate how the high demands of STEM teaching and contextual factors (e.g., culture, reforms, teacher-student interactions) may lead to intensified negative emotions and deficits in executive functioning and emotion regulation implementation. Teacher emotions, in turn, shape students' STEM-related achievements and epistemic emotions. Thus, teachers' emotion regulation skills have pervasive effects on teaching outcomes for both teachers and students. We illustrate how at each level of our framework, steps could be taken to improve teachers' emotional trajectory. Our proposed STEM-MENTOR framework has implications for theoretical understanding and may help to shape future interventions that focus on cognitive-emotional processes in STEM education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lital Daches Cohen
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Orly Rubinsten
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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13
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Zhang Y, Li S, Gao K, Li Y, Yuan J, Zhang D. Implicit, But Not Explicit, Emotion Regulation Relieves Unpleasant Neural Responses Evoked by High-Intensity Negative Images. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:1278-1288. [PMID: 36877439 PMCID: PMC10387026 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01036-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence suggests that explicit reappraisal has limited regulatory effects on high-intensity emotions, mainly due to the depletion of cognitive resources occupied by the high-intensity emotional stimulus itself. The implicit form of reappraisal has proved to be resource-saving and therefore might be an ideal strategy to achieve the desired regulatory effect in high-intensity situations. In this study, we explored the regulatory effect of explicit and implicit reappraisal when participants encountered low- and high-intensity negative images. The subjective emotional rating indicated that both explicit and implicit reappraisal down-regulated negative experiences, irrespective of intensity. However, the amplitude of the parietal late positive potential (LPP; a neural index of experienced emotional intensity) showed that only implicit reappraisal had significant regulatory effects in the high-intensity context, though both explicit and implicit reappraisal successfully reduced the emotional neural responses elicited by low-intensity negative images. Meanwhile, implicit reappraisal led to a smaller frontal LPP amplitude (an index of cognitive cost) compared to explicit reappraisal, indicating that the implementation of implicit reappraisal consumes limited cognitive control resources. Furthermore, we found a prolonged effect of implicit emotion regulation introduced by training procedures. Taken together, these findings not only reveal that implicit reappraisal is suitable to relieve high-intensity negative experiences as well as neural responses, but also highlight the potential benefit of trained implicit regulation in clinical populations whose frontal control resources are limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueyao Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Sijin Li
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Kexiang Gao
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yiwei Li
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Jiajin Yuan
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China.
- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
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14
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Nickel S, Endrass T, Dieterich R. Immediate and lasting effects of different regulation of craving strategies on cue-induced craving and the late positive potential in smokers. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13315. [PMID: 37500484 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Craving, induced by substance-related cues, contributes to continued substance use and relapse. Therefore, regulation of craving (ROC) is important for treatment success. Distraction involves disengaging from craving-inducing cues; whereas, reappraisal requires engaging with potential risks of substance use. Given this difference in elaboration, we addressed the question whether reappraisal entails lasting advantages over distraction in successful ROC. To elucidate how this is implemented neurally, we examined the late positive potential (LPP) as an electrocortical indicator of motivated attention to cues. N = 62 smokers viewed smoking-related pictures and indicated the degree of craving each picture induced. While viewing the pictures, EEG was recorded, and the participants focused on the long-term negative (LATER) or short-term positive (NOW) consequences of smoking or performed an arithmetic task to distract themselves from processing the pictures (DISTRACT). After a break, all pictures were presented again without regulation instruction (re-exposure). Results revealed that LATER and DISTRACT achieved similar degrees of immediate ROC success, but only LATER had a sustained effect during re-exposure. In contrast, LPP amplitudes were more prominently reduced during DISTRACT than LATER, and there was no difference in LPP amplitudes during re-exposure. These findings imply that it may be beneficial to engage with the risks of drug use (reappraisal) rather than avoiding triggers of craving (distraction). However, these effects do not seem to be mediated by lasting changes in cue-related motivated attention (LPP).
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Affiliation(s)
- Solvej Nickel
- Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dresden, Germany
| | - Tanja Endrass
- Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dresden, Germany
| | - Raoul Dieterich
- Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dresden, Germany
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15
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Yuan J, Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Gao K, Tan S, Zhang D. The Emotion-Regulation Benefits of Implicit Reappraisal in Clinical Depression: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Evidence. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:973-983. [PMID: 36355339 PMCID: PMC10264307 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00973-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by emotion dysregulation. Whether implicit emotion regulation can compensate for this deficit remains unknown. In this study, we recruited 159 subjects who were healthy controls, had subclinical depression, or had MDD, and examined them under baseline, implicit, and explicit reappraisal conditions. Explicit reappraisal led to the most negative feelings and the largest parietal late positive potential (parietal LPP, an index of emotion intensity) in the MDD group compared to the other two groups; the group difference was absent under the other two conditions. MDD patients showed larger regulatory effects in the LPP during implicit than explicit reappraisal, whereas healthy controls showed a reversed pattern. Furthermore, the frontal P3, an index of voluntary cognitive control, showed larger amplitudes in explicit reappraisal compared to baseline in the healthy and subclinical groups, but not in the MDD group, while implicit reappraisal did not increase P3 across groups. These findings suggest that implicit reappraisal is beneficial for clinical depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajin Yuan
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Yueyao Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yanli Zhao
- Psychiatry Research Center, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Beijing, 100096, China
| | - Kexiang Gao
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Shuping Tan
- Psychiatry Research Center, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Beijing, 100096, China
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China.
- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
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16
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Liang J, Lin H. Current and lasting effects of affect labeling on late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes elicited by negative events. Brain Behav 2023:e3065. [PMID: 37183558 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Labeling the emotional aspect of self-unrelated stimuli (i.e., affect labeling) is a crucial strategy for implicit emotion regulation. However, it is uncertain whether affect labeling influences event-related potential (ERP) responses (e.g., the late positive potential, LPP) to negative stimuli in comparison with control conditions in which attention is shifted to the emotional content of the stimuli (e.g., affect matching). Additionally, it is unknown whether affect labeling has a lasting effect on the processing of negative stimuli. METHODS Participants were required to label the emotion (negative or neutral) of target pictures with two words, to match the emotion with alternative pictures or to merely view the target pictures. Target pictures were presented again immediately after the regulation task. After all the target pictures had been labeled, matched and viewed, the pictures were re-exposed for the third time. RESULTS The results showed that negative pictures elicited larger late LPP responses during the affect labeling task than during other tasks. However, the LPP responses were smaller for negative pictures in the affect labeling condition than in the other conditions when target pictures were re-exposed immediately after the task. When target pictures were re-presented again long after the regulation tasks, the LPP responses were smaller for negative stimuli with a history of affect labeling than viewing, whereas this effect did not differ between the affect labeling and matching conditions. CONCLUSION The current findings suggest that affect labeling has current effects and, to some extent, has lasting effects on negative stimulus processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiafeng Liang
- Department of Applied Psychology, School of Education, Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huiyan Lin
- Institute of Applied Psychology, School of Public Administration, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou, China
- Laboratory for Behavioral and Regional Finance, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou, China
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17
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Langer K, Jentsch VL, Wolf OT. Rapid effects of acute stress on cognitive emotion regulation. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 151:106054. [PMID: 36801656 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress has been shown to either enhance or impair emotion regulation (ER) performances. Besides sex, strategy use and stimulus intensity, another moderating factor appears to be timing of the ER task relative to stress exposure. Whereas somewhat delayed increases in the stress hormone cortisol have been shown to improve ER performances, rapid sympathetic nervous system (SNS) actions might oppose such effects via cognitive regulatory impairments. Here, we thus investigated rapid effects of acute stress on two ER strategies: reappraisal and distraction. N = 80 healthy participants (40 men & 40 women) were exposed to the Socially Evaluated Cold-Pressor Test or a control condition immediately prior to an ER paradigm which required them to deliberately downregulate emotional responses towards high intensity negative pictures. Subjective ratings and pupil dilation served as ER outcomes measures. Increases in salivary cortisol and cardiovascular activity (index of SNS activation) verified successful induction of acute stress. Unexpectedly, stress reduced subjective emotional arousal when distracting from negative pictures in men indicating regulatory improvements. However, this beneficial effect was particularly pronounced in the second half of the ER paradigm and fully mediated by already rising cortisol levels. In contrast, cardiovascular responses to stress were linked to decreased subjective regulatory performances of reappraisal and distraction in women. However, no detrimental effects of stress on ER occurred at the group level. Yet, our findings provide initial evidence for rapid, opposing effects of the two stress systems on the cognitive control of negative emotions that are critically moderated by sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Langer
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
| | - Valerie L Jentsch
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
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18
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van Dillen LF, Hofmann W. Room for Feelings: A “Working Memory” Account of Affective Processing. EMOTION REVIEW 2023. [DOI: 10.1177/17540739221150233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In the past decades, affective science has overwhelmingly demonstrated the unique properties of affective information to bias our attention, memory, and decisions. At the same time, accumulating evidence suggests that neutral and affective representations rely on the same working memory substrates for the selection and computation of information and that they are therefore restricted by the same capacity limitations that these substrates impose. Here, we integrate these insights into a working memory model of affective processing (WMAP). Drawing on competitive access models of working memory, we discuss its role in the various stages of affective processing, from attentional selection to maintenance and memory storage, and resulting feelings and actions. We end our overview with some open questions and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wilhelm Hofmann
- Department of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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19
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Trentini E, Dan-Glauser E. Use of difference index approach to analyze the early dynamic efficiency of reappraisal and suppression. METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.metip.2023.100112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
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20
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Yan C, Ding Q, Wang Y, Wu M, Gao T, Liu X. The effect of cognitive reappraisal and expression suppression on sadness and the recognition of sad scenes: An event-related potential study. Front Psychol 2022; 13:935007. [PMID: 36211892 PMCID: PMC9537681 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.935007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have found differences in the cognitive and neural mechanisms between cognitive reappraisal and expression suppression in the regulation of various negative emotions and the recognition of regulated stimuli. However, whether these differences are valid for sadness remains unclear. As such, we investigated the effect of cognitive reappraisal and expression suppression on sadness regulation and the recognition of sad scenes adopting event-related potentials (ERPs). Twenty-eight healthy undergraduate and graduate students took part in this study. In the regulation phase, the participants were asked to down-regulation, expressive suppression, or maintain their sad emotion evoked by the sad images, and then to perform an immediately unexpected recognition task involving the regulated images. The behavioral results show that down-regulation reappraisal significantly diminished subjective feelings of sadness, but expressive suppression did not; both strategies impaired the participants' recognition of sad images, and expressive suppression had a greater damaging effect on the recognition of sad images than down-regulation reappraisal. The ERP results indicate that reappraisal (from 300 ms to 1,500 ms after image onset) and expressive suppression (during 300-600 ms) significantly reduced the late positive potential (LPP) induced by sadness. These findings suggest that down-regulation reappraisal and expression suppression can effectively decrease sadness, and that down-regulation reappraisal (relative to expression suppression) is a more effective regulation strategy for sadness. Both strategies impair the recognition of sad scenes, and expression suppression (compared to down-regulation reappraisal) leads to relatively greater impairment in the recognition of sad scenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunping Yan
- School of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Qianqian Ding
- School of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Yifei Wang
- School of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Meng Wu
- School of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Tian Gao
- School of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xintong Liu
- School of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
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21
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Zanella F, Monachesi B, Grecucci A. Resting-state BOLD temporal variability in sensorimotor and salience networks underlies trait emotional intelligence and explains differences in emotion regulation strategies. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15163. [PMID: 36071093 PMCID: PMC9452559 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19477-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A converging body of behavioural findings supports the hypothesis that the dispositional use of emotion regulation (ER) strategies depends on trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) levels. Unfortunately, neuroscientific investigations of such relationship are missing. To fill this gap, we analysed trait measures and resting state data from 79 healthy participants to investigate whether trait EI and ER processes are associated to similar neural circuits. An unsupervised machine learning approach (independent component analysis) was used to decompose resting-sate functional networks and to assess whether they predict trait EI and specific ER strategies. Individual differences results showed that high trait EI significantly predicts and negatively correlates with the frequency of use of typical dysfunctional ER strategies. Crucially, we observed that an increased BOLD temporal variability within sensorimotor and salience networks was associated with both high trait EI and the frequency of use of cognitive reappraisal. By contrast, a decreased variability in salience network was associated with the use of suppression. These findings support the tight connection between trait EI and individual tendency to use functional ER strategies, and provide the first evidence that modulations of BOLD temporal variability in specific brain networks may be pivotal in explaining this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Zanella
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab - Cli.A.N Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Bianca Monachesi
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab - Cli.A.N Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Grecucci
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab - Cli.A.N Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Centre for Medical Sciences, CISMed, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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22
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Timing characteristics of reactive and proactive emotion regulation. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 181:104-111. [PMID: 36049633 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The dual mechanisms of control (DMC) framework is important for portraying two temporally distinct modes of cognitive control. In parallel with this model, understanding emotion regulation (ER) from a dual-mechanism perspective becomes plausible since cognitive control is a crucial element of ER. The present study characterized reactive and proactive ER based on a dual mechanisms framework to identify their distinct temporal dynamics using electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. The reappraisal cue, compared with the watch-cue and no-cue conditions, evoked a larger fronto-central P3a magnitude, suggesting that participants could adaptively distribute their attention resources to prepare for strategy use. To track the cognitive effort that supports the ER process, we measured the frontal late positive potential (LPP). The results indicated that the reactive group, compared with the proactive group, used more effort to complete the reappraisal task when participants were subjected to decreased negative-emotional experiences to the same degree. Furthermore, decoding analysis showed that proactive ER starts earlier than reactive ER. These findings highlight the advantages of proactive ER. Further understanding of the modes of ER will help elucidate the control mechanisms underlying ER, which can then be applied to a variety of conditions, such as alcoholism, gambling, and drug addiction, to avert self-regulation failures caused by negative emotions.
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23
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Sadness-counteracts-joy versus distraction and reappraisal in the down-regulation of positive emotion: Evidence from event-related potentials. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03507-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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24
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Yan X, Gao W, Yang J, Yuan J. Emotion Regulation Choice in Internet Addiction: Less Reappraisal, Lower Frontal Alpha Asymmetry. Clin EEG Neurosci 2022; 53:278-286. [PMID: 34894803 DOI: 10.1177/15500594211056433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with internet addiction (IA) show difficulties in emotion regulation. However, they could effectively employ emotion regulation strategies when instructed. We speculate that this discrepancy might be caused by maladaptive emotion regulation choices. Recent studies indicated that decreased activity of the left frontal cortex could be a neural marker of reappraisal use. To address this problem, individuals with IA (n = 17, IA group) and healthy individuals (n = 23, healthy control [HC] group) were required to choose an emotion regulation strategy between reappraisal and distraction to regulate their emotions varying in emotional intensity and valence. We also compared the resting state frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) of these 2 groups. The results replicated more choices of reappraisal in low- versus high-intensity emotional contexts across groups. More importantly, the IA group chose reappraisal less frequently compared with the HC group, irrespective of emotional intensity. Furthermore, we found individuals with IA have lower FAA than healthy controls, and FAA shows a positive correlation with the use of reappraisal. These findings suggest that IA alters individuals' patterns of emotion regulation choice and impairs frontal activities, causing difficulties in emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Yan
- 66331Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, 66331Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.,26463Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wei Gao
- 26463Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiemin Yang
- 66331Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, 66331Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiajin Yuan
- 66331Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, 66331Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
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25
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Kreibig SD, Samson AC, Gross JJ. Experiential, expressive, and physiological effects of positive and negative emotion regulation goals while reappraising amusing stimuli. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 178:71-89. [PMID: 35597400 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We examined whether positive and negative emotion regulation (ER) goals while cognitively reappraising amusing stimuli differentially engage positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) systems. Forty-eight women watched 20-30s amusing film clips. They were instructed to either respond naturally (no ER goal) or emphasize the film clips' positive (positive ER goal) or negative (negative ER goal) aspects in their interpretation. We measured PA and NA system activity on experiential, expressive, and physiological response channels through self-reported amusement and disgust, electromyography of zygomaticus major and corrugator supercilii, and autonomic nervous system reactivity from respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and pre-ejection period (PEP). Natural viewing (no ER goal) of amusing clips increased self-reported amusement (and to a lesser degree disgust), zygomaticus reactivity, and RSA. Compared to no and negative ER goals, reappraising the amusing clips with a positive ER goal decreased corrugator reactivity, decreasing negative emotional expression. Compared to no and positive ER goals, reappraising the amusing clips with a negative ER goal decreased self-reported amusement and zygomaticus reactivity and increased self-reported disgust and corrugator reactivity, decreasing positive and increasing negative emotional experience and expression. We conclude that positive and negative ER goals while reappraising amusing stimuli differentially engaged PA and NA systems: The positive ER goal engaged withdrawal of the expressive NA system, whereas the negative ER goal engaged reciprocal NA-PA system activation on experiential and expressive response channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia D Kreibig
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Bldg 420, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA.
| | - Andrea C Samson
- Faculty of Psychology, UniDistance Suisse, University Campus Brig, Schinerstr. 18-20, 3900 Brig, Switzerland; Institute of Special Education, University of Fribourg, Rue Saint-Pierre Canisius 21, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - James J Gross
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Bldg 420, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
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26
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Webster CT, Berg MK, Kross E, Moser JS. An event-related potential investigation of distanced self-talk: Replication and comparison to detached reappraisal. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 177:122-132. [PMID: 35568270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Emotion regulation is critical for managing stress, but many regulatory strategies consume high levels of cognitive resources to implement, which are depleted under stress. This raises a conundrum: the tools we have to feel better may be ineffective when they are most needed. Recent event-related potential (ERP) research indicates that distanced self-talk (i.e., reflecting on one's experiences using non-first-person singular pronouns and one's name) reduces negative emotional reactivity without overtaxing cognitive resources. Here, we report the first direct replication of this work and extend it by examining how distanced self-talk compares to detached reappraisal, one of the most frequently studied regulatory techniques. Sixty-seven participants were randomly assigned to an emotion regulation picture task and instructed to reflect on the feelings they experienced in response to viewing negative emotional images using distanced self-talk or detached reappraisal while ERPs were measured. Directly replicating past findings, distanced self-talk led to a reduction in an affective arousal ERP, the late positive potential (LPP), without increasing stimulus preceding negativity (SPN), an ERP that reflects anticipatory and preparatory processing. These results further bolster support for distanced self-talk as a relatively effortless emotion regulation strategy. On the other hand, detached reappraisal was neither associated with the modulation of the LPP nor the SPN. Due to the failed replication of the reappraisal effect, a direct comparison between emotion regulation strategies was not conducted. Methodological limitations that may have contributed to the reappraisal failure and future directions for comparisons between emotion regulation strategies comparison are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martha K Berg
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, USA
| | - Ethan Kross
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, USA; Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, USA
| | - Jason S Moser
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, USA
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Daches Cohen L, Rubinsten O. Math anxiety and deficient executive control: does reappraisal modulate this link? Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1513:108-120. [PMID: 35389529 PMCID: PMC9544869 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The literature suggests an interplay between executive control functions and emotion regulation processes, with each playing a key role in math anxiety. We examined the relation between the use of two different emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal and suppression) and the ability to reduce emotional interference in high‐conflict situations (i.e., executive control of attention) in cases of math anxiety. A sample of 107 adults completed emotion regulation tendencies and math anxiety questionnaires and performed a flanker task following the priming of a math‐related or negative word. The findings revealed: (1) highly math‐anxious individuals had difficulty controlling emotional distractions induced by math information, even as simple as math‐related words, in high‐conflict conditions; and (2) the tendency to use reappraisal in everyday situations was associated with math‐anxious individuals’ ability to avoid heightened emotional reactions when encountering math‐related (i.e., threatening) information. These findings point to the efficacy of reappraisal‐focused intervention and suggest an innovative mechanism through which reappraisal reduces emotional reactions and improves performance among math‐anxious individuals, indicating a new way to approach interventions for math anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lital Daches Cohen
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Orly Rubinsten
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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High working memory load impairs reappraisal but facilitates distraction – an Event-Related Potential investigation. Biol Psychol 2022; 171:108327. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Pan DN, Hoid D, Wang XB, Jia Z, Li X. When expanding training from working memory to emotional working memory: not only improving explicit emotion regulation but also implicit negative control for anxious individuals. Psychol Med 2022; 52:675-684. [PMID: 32600499 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720002275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effect of working memory training (WM-T) has been found to transfer to emotional wellbeing, despite some debate on whether an affective component in training is necessary to achieve specific emotion-related benefits. These novel cognitive trainings have not yet been tested in highly anxious individuals, who have deficits in implicit and explicit emotional regulation and should be the potential beneficiaries of these trainings. METHODS We designed two types of mobile phone-based training applications: (1) WMT and (2) an emotional working memory training (EWM-T) that comprised negative face distraction. Ninety-eight participants (33, WM-T; 35, EWM-T; 30, Control group) with high trait anxiety completed the 21-day intervention or placebo program and conducted pre- and post-test procedures, including questionnaires, emotional regulation and emotional Stroop tasks alongside electroencephalogram recording. Late positive potential (LPP) in emotion regulation task and P3 in the emotional Stroop task were adopted as neutral indicators for the explicit and implicit affective regulation/control processing. RESULTS Those who had received training (WM-T and EWM-T) showed enhanced explicit regulation (indexed by reduced LPP during reappraisal) compared with the control. Besides, individuals in EWM-T showed reduced behavioral attention bias and a decline of P3 in response to negative faces in an emotional Stroop task. The altered neural indicators were correlated with corresponding behavior indexes that contributed to the anxiety alleviation. CONCLUSIONS The general WM-T was effective in enhancing explicit emotional regulation, while training with emotional add-in further improved implicit emotional control. (E)WM-T shows potential as a beneficial intervention for the anxiety population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Ni Pan
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing10049, China
| | - Delhii Hoid
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing10049, China
| | - Xiao-Bo Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing10049, China
| | - Zhuo Jia
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing10049, China
| | - Xuebing Li
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing10049, China
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Monopoli WJ, Huet A, Allan NP, Judah MR, Bunford N. Distinct aspects of emotion dysregulation differentially correspond to magnitude and slope of the late positive potential to affective stimuli. Cogn Emot 2022; 36:372-383. [PMID: 34775912 PMCID: PMC8860885 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2021.2000370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACTEmotion dysregulation (ED) is a transdiagnostic risk factor for several forms of psychopathology. One established, integrative conceptualisation of ED that has informed our understanding of psychopathology (Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation : development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41-54) was recently extended to account for state-level and specifically physiological aspects of ED. As such, the goal of the current study was to assess the degree to which this conceptualisation could be captured using a physiological, state-level index (i.e. the late positive potential; LPP). Participants (N=41; Mage=27.5 years, SD=11.0) completed a trait-based rating scale measure of the extended conceptualisation of ED and viewed a series of images that ranged in valence (i.e. unpleasant, pleasant, and neutral). Multilevel modelling indicated some points of convergence between rating scale scores and the LPP, and other points of divergence. Findings underscore the utility of a multi-method approach to improve understanding of key transdiagnostic characteristics across levels of analysis. Further, results are novel evidence supporting validity of the extended conceptualisation of ED.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ann Huet
- Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH
| | | | - Matt R. Judah
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
| | - Nóra Bunford
- ‘Lendület’ Developmental and Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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Ochmann DT, Philippi KFA, Zeier P, Sandner M, Hillen B, Neuberger EWI, Ruiz de Azua I, Lieb K, Wessa M, Lutz B, Simon P, Brahmer A. Association of Innate and Acquired Aerobic Capacity With Resilience in Healthy Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of an 8-Week Web-Based Physical Exercise Intervention. JMIR Res Protoc 2021; 10:e29712. [PMID: 34847062 PMCID: PMC8669579 DOI: 10.2196/29712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physical activity alleviates chronic stress. The latest research suggests a relationship between resilience and physical fitness. Beneficial adaptations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, sympathetic nervous system, endocannabinoid system, and tryptophan pathway, which are induced by an active lifestyle, are considered to be conducive to resilience. However, detailed knowledge on the molecular link between the effects of acute and chronic physical exercise and improved resilience to stress in humans is missing. Moreover, the relationship between innate and acquired aerobic capacity and resilience is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to implement a human exercise intervention trial addressing the following main hypotheses: a high innate aerobic capacity is associated with high resilience to stress, and web-based physical exercise training improves aerobic capacity of physically inactive adults, which is accompanied by improved resilience. In this setting, we will analyze the relationship between resilience parameters and innate and acquired aerobic capacity as well as circulating signaling molecules. METHODS A total of 70 healthy, physically inactive (<150 minutes/week of physical activity) adults (aged 18-45 years) will be randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive weekly training using progressive endurance and interval running adapted individually to their remotely supervised home training performance via web-based coach support. A standardized incremental treadmill exercise test will be performed before and after the intervention period of 8 weeks to determine the innate and acquired aerobic capacity (peak oxygen uptake). Before and after the intervention, psychological tests and questionnaires that characterize parameters implicated in resilience will be applied. Blood and saliva will be sampled for the analysis of cortisol, lactate, endocannabinoids, catecholamines, kynurenic acid, and further circulating signal transducers. Statistical analysis will provide comprehensive knowledge on the relationship between aerobic capacity and resilience, as well as the capacity of peripheral factors to mediate the promoting effects of exercise on resilience. RESULTS The study was registered in October 2019, and enrollment began in September 2019. Of the 161 participants who were initially screened via a telephone survey, 43 (26.7%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Among the 55% (17/31) of participants in the intervention group and 45% (14/31) of participants in the control group who completed the study, no serious adverse incidents were reported. Of 43 participants, 4 (9%) withdrew during the program (for individual reasons) and 8 (19%) have not yet participated in the program; moreover, further study recruitment was paused for an indeterminate amount of time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Our study aims to further define the physiological characteristics of human resilience, and it may offer novel approaches for the prevention and therapy of mental disorders via an exercise prescription. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/29712.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T Ochmann
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Keito F A Philippi
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Zeier
- Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Magdalena Sandner
- Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barlo Hillen
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Elmo W I Neuberger
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Inigo Ruiz de Azua
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Klaus Lieb
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Beat Lutz
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Perikles Simon
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Alexandra Brahmer
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Extracellular Vesicles Research Group, Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Cavicchioli M, Scalabrini A, Northoff G, Mucci C, Ogliari A, Maffei C. Dissociation and emotion regulation strategies: A meta-analytic review. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 143:370-387. [PMID: 34592484 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Clinical and neurobiological models posited that dissociative mechanisms might affect processes involved in emotional generation and regulation. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive theoretical framework that systematically includes dissociation within emotional functioning. METHODS The current study aims at conducting a meta-analytic review on the relationship between dissociation and emotion regulation in order to empirically estimate to what extent dissociation is related to emotion regulation processes. The meta-analysis was based on r coefficient as effect size measure, using a random-effect approach. RESULTS The meta-analysis included 57 independent studies for a total of 11596 individuals. Findings showed an overall moderate relationship between dissociation and emotion regulation (rw = .32; p < .05). The association between dissociation and emotion regulation was the same among clinical samples than non-clinical ones. Furthermore, dissociation showed moderate to large relationships with maladaptive domains of emotion regulation, namely disengagement (rw = 0.34; p < .01) (i.e., behavioral avoidance, experiential avoidance, thought and emotional suppression) and aversive cognitive perseveration (rw = 0.38; p < .001) (i.e., rumination, worry and nonacceptance). The analysis did not find significant relationship between dissociation and adaptive domain of emotional regulation (i.e., problem solving, mindfulness). CONCLUSION Dissociation in the context of emotion regulation might be viewed as a basic neuro-mental mechanism that automatically contribute to the over-modulation of emotional states through avoidance reactions from internal and external reality. Future longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the causal relationships between dissociation and emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Cavicchioli
- Department of Psychology, University "Vita-Salute San Raffaele", Via Stamira d'Ancona 20, 20127, Milano (MI), Italy; Unit of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, San Raffaele-Turro Hospital, Via Stamira d'Ancona 20, 20127, Milano (MI), Italy.
| | - Andrea Scalabrini
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences (DiSPuTer), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 33, 66100, Chieti (CH), Italy.
| | - Georg Northoff
- Mental Health Centre, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Tianmu Road 305, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310013, China; Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Tianmu Road 305, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310013, China; The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa. Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Clara Mucci
- Department of Human and Social Science, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Anna Ogliari
- Department of Psychology, University "Vita-Salute San Raffaele", Via Stamira d'Ancona 20, 20127, Milano (MI), Italy; Child in Mind Lab, University "Vita-Salute San Raffaele", Via Stamira d'Ancona 20, 20127, Milano (MI), Italy
| | - Cesare Maffei
- Department of Psychology, University "Vita-Salute San Raffaele", Via Stamira d'Ancona 20, 20127, Milano (MI), Italy; Unit of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, San Raffaele-Turro Hospital, Via Stamira d'Ancona 20, 20127, Milano (MI), Italy
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Zerna J, Strobel A, Scheffel C. EEG microstate analysis of emotion regulation reveals no sequential processing of valence and emotional arousal. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21277. [PMID: 34711877 PMCID: PMC8553854 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00731-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In electroencephalography (EEG), microstates are distributions of activity across the scalp that persist for several tens of milliseconds before changing into a different pattern. Microstate analysis is a way of utilizing EEG as both temporal and spatial imaging tool, but has rarely been applied to task-based data. This study aimed to conceptually replicate microstate findings of valence and emotional arousal processing and investigate the effects of emotion regulation on microstates, using data of an EEG paradigm with 107 healthy adults who actively viewed emotional pictures, cognitively detached from them, or suppressed facial reactions. Within the first 600 ms after stimulus onset only the comparison of viewing positive and negative pictures yielded significant results, caused by different electrodes depending on the microstate. Since the microstates associated with more and less emotionally arousing pictures did not differ, sequential processing could not be replicated. When extending the analysis to 2000 ms after stimulus onset, differences were exclusive to the comparison of viewing and detaching from negative pictures. Intriguingly, we observed the novel phenomenon of a microstate difference that could not be attributed to single electrodes. This suggests that microstate analysis can detect differences beyond those detected by event-related potential analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Zerna
- Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Alexander Strobel
- Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Development of emotion processing and regulation: Insights from event-related potentials and implications for internalizing disorders. Int J Psychophysiol 2021; 170:121-132. [PMID: 34656703 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Emotionally-salient stimuli receive selective attention and elicit complex neural responses that evolve considerably across development. Event-related potentials (ERPs) optimally capture the dynamics of emotion processing and regulation, with sensitivity to detect changes in magnitude, latency, and maximal location across development. In this selective qualitative review, we summarize evidence of developmental changes in neural reactivity to emotional stimuli and modulation of neural responses during emotion regulation indexed by ERPs across infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The cumulative ERP literature suggests the transition from childhood to adulthood is characterized by a gradual decrease in neural reactivity to emotional stimuli and increased efficiency in attentional allocation towards emotional stimuli. Some studies show sensitivity to emotional stimuli peaks in adolescence, but the evidence is mixed. While both early (<300 ms) and late (>300 ms) ERPs demonstrate sensitivity to emotional stimuli, emotional modulation is more consistently observed in relatively later ERPs across development. The literature additionally shows improvements in regulation abilities across development, though ERP research on developmental changes in emotion regulation is still relatively limited, highlighting a critical direction for future research. Finally, we briefly discuss changes in emotion-related ERPs relevant to the emergence of depression and anxiety. Findings from this review indicate that ERPs provide abundant information about the development of emotion processing and regulation, with potential clinical utility for detecting early-emerging vulnerabilities for internalizing forms of psychopathology.
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Albanese BJ, Capron DW, Macatee RJ, Bauer BW, Schmidt NB. Thwarted belongingness predicts greater neural reactivity to a novel social exclusion image set: Evidence from the late positive potential. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2021; 51:916-930. [PMID: 34080235 DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Thwarted belongingness (TB) is among the most well-researched risk factors for suicidal ideation (SI). Yet, there is little research examining neural mechanisms underlying this construct. The present study used a novel social exclusion image set in concert with the late positive potential (LPP) to test the role of neural reactivity social exclusion in TB and SI. METHODS Participants (n = 243) were recruited based on elevated suicide risk and completed an emotional picture viewing task. The LPP was used to index neural reactivity to a novel set of social exclusion images and international affective picture system (IAPS) neutral, positive, and negative images. RESULTS Greater TB predicted a larger social exclusion ΔLPP (social exclusion LPP relative to neutral LPP) and social exclusion LPP even when accounting for SI, biological sex, age, negative affect, and perceived burdensomeness. Moreover, the social exclusion LPP was uniquely related to TB beyond the LPP to other images. Last, a larger social exclusion LPP predicted greater SI via elevations in TB. CONCLUSION Reactivity to social exclusion stimuli may play an important role in SI via elevated TB, but not perceived burdensomeness. Future research should further explore the neural mechanisms underlying other IPT constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Albanese
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Daniel W Capron
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
| | - Richard J Macatee
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Brian W Bauer
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
| | - Norman B Schmidt
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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Sternberg N, Luria R, Sheppes G. Mental Logout: Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Regulating Temptations to Use Social Media. Psychol Sci 2021; 32:1527-1536. [PMID: 34473595 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211001316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals sometimes use social media instead of sleeping or while driving. This fact raises the crucial need for-and challenge of-successfully self-regulating potent social-media temptations. To date, however, empirical evidence showing whether social-media temptations can be self-regulated and how self-regulation can be achieved remains scarce. Accordingly, the present within-participants study (N = 30 adults) provided causal evidence for self-regulation of social-media content and identified a potential underlying neural mechanism. We tested the premise that successful self-regulation requires limiting the mental representation of temptations in working memory. Specifically, we showed that loading working memory with neutral contents via attentional distraction, relative to passively watching tempting social-media stimuli, resulted in reduced self-reported desire to use social media, reduced initial attention allocation toward social-media stimuli (reduced late-positive-potential amplitudes), and reduced online representation of social-media stimuli in working memory (reduced contralateral-delay-activity amplitudes). These results have important implications for successfully navigating a social-media-saturated environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roy Luria
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University
| | - Gal Sheppes
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University
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Ozawa S, Yoshimoto H, Okanoya K, Hiraki K. Emotional Distraction by Constant Finger Tapping. J PSYCHOPHYSIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. This study examined the effects of emotional distraction in the context of recalling stressful interpersonal events in daily life. Previous studies have revealed that distraction decreases unpleasant emotions. In this study, we examined whether distraction tasks decrease unpleasant task-related thoughts in addition to unpleasant emotions. Furthermore, to investigate the implicit effects of emotional changes, we examined changes in pupil size in relation to unpleasant emotions and task-unrelated thoughts (TUT). The behavioral tasks were administered to 21 university students ( Mage = 21.24 ± 2.93 years; range: 18–30 years). After excluding participants for poor data quality, 16 (21.31 ± 3.34 years; 18–30 years) were included for further pupil data analysis. As an emotion induction procedure, participants were asked to freely recall memories of stressful interpersonal events in their daily lives and were given a series of questions about their recalled memories, which were presented on the monitor. In the following distraction experiment, questions during the emotion induction procedure were represented as emotional stimulation; a distraction task (non-constant or constant finger tapping) or rest condition was then performed; subsequently, ratings were given for attentional state, thought types conceived during the tasks, and emotional state. Upon analysis, differences in the ratings for unpleasant emotion and TUT were non-significant between all conditions. Nevertheless, pupil dilation in the non-constant and constant conditions was associated with decreased unpleasant emotions ( p < .05; p < .05 to .01). More importantly, pupil dilation was associated with decreased unpleasant TUT ( p < .05) only in the constant condition. Although the observed effects were subtle, we found that constant finger tapping decreased unpleasant emotions and TUT. It is expected for a future emotion regulation study to further investigate the effects in the relationships among emotions, thoughts, and physiological states, which can help in coping with unpleasant emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachiyo Ozawa
- UTokyo Center for Integrative Science of Human Behavior (CiSHuB), Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Kazuo Okanoya
- UTokyo Center for Integrative Science of Human Behavior (CiSHuB), Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Hiraki
- Graduate School of Arts and Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan
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Differential involvement of frontoparietal network and insula cortex in emotion regulation. Neuropsychologia 2021; 161:107991. [PMID: 34391808 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Emotion regulation (ER) is an essential part of our daily life. To effectively regulate emotions, different types of strategies may be adopted. Although previous neuroimaging studies have shown that the frontoparietal cortex is critical for the regulation of emotions, reports about the specific brain regions involved in each strategy remain inconsistent. Therefore, the present study recruited 32 healthy participants to directly examine three typical ER strategies (distraction, reappraisal, and suppression) with an emotional regulation paradigm using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Our results show that the three ER strategies recruited differential activation in the frontoparietal and insular cortex. Specifically, distraction evoked stronger activation in the parietal cortex, while reappraisal triggered stronger activation in most parts of the frontal cortex. Importantly, suppression predominantly recruited the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), while reappraisal caused more activation than suppression in bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus and IFG. Besides, functional connectivity analysis found that the connectivity between the right insular and the right IFG was negatively correlated with reappraisal effect, while that between the left insular and the left IFG was negatively correlated with suppression effect. These results suggest that the successful implementation of distraction, reappraisal, and suppression specifically employ different parts of the frontoparietal network. Overall, our findings may have potential implications for clinical practice by providing specific neural targets for clinical intervention.
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Żochowska A, Nowicka MM, Wójcik MJ, Nowicka A. Self-face and emotional faces-are they alike? Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:593-607. [PMID: 33595078 PMCID: PMC8218856 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The image of one’s own face is a particularly distinctive feature of the self. The
self-face differs from other faces not only in respect of its familiarity but also in
respect of its subjective emotional significance and saliency. The current study aimed at
elucidating similarities/dissimilarities between processing of one’s own face and
emotional faces: happy faces (based on the self-positive bias) and fearful faces (because
of their high perceptual saliency, a feature shared with self-face). Electroencephalogram
data were collected in the group of 30 participants who performed a simple detection task.
Event-related potential analyses indicated significantly increased P3 and late positive
potential amplitudes to the self-face in comparison to all other faces: fearful, happy and
neutral. Permutation tests confirmed the differences between the self-face and all three
types of other faces for numerous electrode sites and in broad time windows.
Representational similarity analysis, in turn, revealed distinct processing of the
self-face and did not provide any evidence in favour of similarities between the self-face
and emotional (either negative or positive) faces. These findings strongly suggest that
the self-face processing do not resemble those of emotional faces, thus implying that
prioritized self-referential processing is driven by the subjective relevance of one’s own
face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Żochowska
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences,voivodeship mazowieckie,Warsaw 02-093, Poland
| | - Maria M Nowicka
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences,voivodeship mazowieckie,Warsaw 02-093, Poland
| | - Michał J Wójcik
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford,Oxfordshire, Oxford OX2 6GG,UK
| | - Anna Nowicka
- Laboratory of Language Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences,voivodeship mazowieckie,Warsaw 02-093, Poland
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Singh MK, Hu R, Miklowitz DJ. Preventing Irritability and Temper Outbursts in Youth by Building Resilience. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 2021; 30:595-610. [PMID: 34053688 PMCID: PMC8184316 DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2021.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Severe irritability and temper outbursts are risk factors for the onset of serious and lifelong mood disorders. In treating children and adolescents with severe irritability, clinicians should evaluate and address safety issues before acute stabilization of symptoms. Then, clinicians can initiate interventions to prevent the onset or relapses of the undesired behavior and its functional consequences. This review summarizes primary, secondary, and tertiary relapse prevention strategies, with an emphasis on strategies that build resilience in youth that mitigate the onset, recurrence, and progression of emotion dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manpreet K. Singh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5719, USA;,Corresponding author.
| | - Rebecca Hu
- University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, 401 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - David J. Miklowitz
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 760 Westwood Plaza Rm A8-256, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1759, USA
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41
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Schmitz M, Bertsch K, Löffler A, Steinmann S, Herpertz SC, Bekrater-Bodmann R. Body connection mediates the relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and impaired emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder. Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul 2021; 8:17. [PMID: 34001243 PMCID: PMC8127297 DOI: 10.1186/s40479-021-00157-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies revealed an association between traumatic childhood experiences and emotional dysregulation in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, possible mediating pathways are still not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential mediating role of body connection, describing the awareness of the relationship of bodily and mental states, for the association between a history of traumatic childhood experiences and BPD core symptomatology. METHODS One-hundred-twelve adult female individuals with BPD and 96 healthy female controls (HC) were included. Impaired emotion regulation, traumatic childhood experiences, and BPD symptomatology were assessed with self-report questionnaires. The Scale of Body Connection was used to assess two dimensions of body connection, that is body awareness, describing attendance to bodily information in daily life and noticing bodily responses to emotions and/or environment and body dissociation, describing a sense of separation from one's own body, due to avoidance or emotional disconnection. Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to test for group differences (BPD vs. HC) on the two SBC subscales and associations with clinical symptoms were analyzed with Spearman correlations. We performed mediation analyses in the BPD group to test the assumption that body connection could act as a mediator between a history of traumatic childhood experiences and emotion dysregulation. RESULTS Individuals with BPD reported significantly lower levels of body awareness and significantly higher levels of body dissociation compared to HC. Body dissociation, traumatic childhood experiences, and emotion dysregulation were significantly positively associated. Further analyses revealed that body dissociation, but not body awareness, significantly and fully mediated the positive relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and impaired emotion regulation in the BPD sample. This mediation survived when trait dissociation, i.e., general dissociative experiences not necessarily related to the body, was statistically controlled for. CONCLUSION Certain dimensions of body connection seem to be disturbed in BPD patients, with body dissociation being an important feature linking a history of traumatic childhood experiences to current deficits in emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Schmitz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katja Bertsch
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Annette Löffler
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sylvia Steinmann
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Robin Bekrater-Bodmann
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
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Sandner M, Zeier P, Lois G, Wessa M. Cognitive emotion regulation withstands the stress test: An fMRI study on the effect of acute stress on distraction and reappraisal. Neuropsychologia 2021; 157:107876. [PMID: 33930388 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive emotion regulation is a key mechanism for the maintenance of mental health, but may fail, when individuals are exposed to acute stress. To date, it is not well understood whether and to what extent acute stress effects contribute to impairments in emotion regulation capacities as the sparse existing studies have yielded heterogeneous results, indicating that stress timing might be a crucial factor. In the present study, 81 healthy participants underwent either an acute stress task (ScanSTRESS-C; n = 40) or a control condition (n = 41) while lying in the MRI scanner. In the subsequent Cognitive Emotion Regulation Task (CERT), participants were confronted with neutral or negative pictures and instructed to either view them, or regulate their upcoming emotions using either distraction or reappraisal. Subjective ratings of affective state as well as functional brain imaging data served to indicate emotion regulation. The results showed a successful stress manipulation as indicated by group differences in subjective wellbeing, saliva cortisol concentrations, heart rate, and functional brain activity in regions implicated in stress processing. With respect to emotion regulation, CERT data revealed a significant regulation effect at the neural and behavioral level (less negative emotional ratings after reappraisal and distraction trials compared to view trials) in both groups. However, no significant group differences were observed, neither in BOLD responses to the CERT, nor in behavioral ratings. Contrary to previous studies, our study did not reveal further evidence of stress-related effects on emotion regulation, potentially being related to differences between studies in experimental setting, timing, and procedures. This study therefore underlines the need of future studies that disentangle the complex interplay of stress and emotion regulation and identify different factors influencing their bidirectional relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Sandner
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Zeier
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Giannis Lois
- Department of Microeconomics and Public Economics, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Research Group Wessa, Mainz, Germany.
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43
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Langer K, Jentsch VL, Wolf OT. Cortisol promotes the cognitive regulation of high intensive emotions independent of timing. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:2684-2698. [PMID: 33709613 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Failures to cognitively downregulate negative emotions are a crucial risk factor for mental disorders. Previous studies provide evidence for a stress-induced improvement of cognitive emotion regulation possibly mediated via glucocorticoid actions. Cortisol can initialize immediate non-genomic as well as delayed genomic effects on cognitive control functioning, but its distinct effects on emotion regulation processes remain to be shown. Here, we sought to characterize time-dependent effects of oral cortisol administration on cognitive emotion regulation outcomes. We expected cortisol to improve emotion regulation success. Possible interactions with the delay between cortisol treatment and emotion regulation, strategy use and intensity of the emotional stimuli were examined. Eighty-five healthy men received either 10 mg hydrocortisone or a placebo in a double-blind, randomized design 30 or 90 min prior to an emotion regulation paradigm, in which they were asked to downregulate their emotional responses towards low and high intensive negative pictures via reappraisal or distraction. Affective ratings and pupil dilation served as outcome measures. Reduced arousal, enhanced valence ratings as well as increases in pupil dilations indexing the cognitive regulatory effort indicated successful downregulation of negative emotions evoked by high intensive but not low intensive negative pictures. Cortisol significantly reduced arousal ratings when downregulating high intensive negative emotions via distraction and (at a trend level) via reappraisal, independent of timing, demonstrating a beneficial effect of cortisol on subjective regulatory outcomes. Taken together, this study provides initial evidence suggesting that cortisol promotes the cognitive control of high intensive negative emotions both, 30 and 90 min after treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Langer
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Valerie L Jentsch
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Chmitorz A, Neumann RJ, Kollmann B, Ahrens KF, Öhlschläger S, Goldbach N, Weichert D, Schick A, Lutz B, Plichta MM, Fiebach CJ, Wessa M, Kalisch R, Tüscher O, Lieb K, Reif A. Longitudinal determination of resilience in humans to identify mechanisms of resilience to modern-life stressors: the longitudinal resilience assessment (LORA) study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2021; 271:1035-1051. [PMID: 32683526 PMCID: PMC8354914 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-020-01159-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Resilience is the maintenance and/or quick recovery of mental health during and after periods of adversity. It is conceptualized to result from a dynamic process of successful adaptation to stressors. Up to now, a large number of resilience factors have been proposed, but the mechanisms underlying resilience are not yet understood. To shed light on the complex and time-varying processes of resilience that lead to a positive long-term outcome in the face of adversity, the Longitudinal Resilience Assessment (LORA) study has been established. In this study, 1191 healthy participants are followed up at 3- and 18-month intervals over a course of 4.5 years at two study centers in Germany. Baseline and 18-month visits entail multimodal phenotyping, including the assessment of mental health status, sociodemographic and lifestyle variables, resilience factors, life history, neuropsychological assessments (of proposed resilience mechanisms), and biomaterials (blood for genetic and epigenetic, stool for microbiome, and hair for cortisol analysis). At 3-monthly online assessments, subjects are monitored for subsequent exposure to stressors as well as mental health measures, which allows for a quantitative assessment of stressor-dependent changes in mental health as the main outcome. Descriptive analyses of mental health, number of stressors including major life events, daily hassles, perceived stress, and the ability to recover from stress are here presented for the baseline sample. The LORA study is unique in its design and will pave the way for a better understanding of resilience mechanisms in humans and for further development of interventions to successfully prevent stress-related disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Chmitorz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany ,Faculty of Social Work, Health Care and Nursing Science, Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Esslingen am Neckar, Germany
| | - R. J. Neumann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - B. Kollmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany ,Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Wallstraße 7, Mainz, 55122 Deutschland
| | - K. F. Ahrens
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - S. Öhlschläger
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - N. Goldbach
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - D. Weichert
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - A. Schick
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Wallstraße 7, Mainz, 55122 Deutschland ,Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany ,Department of Public Mental Health, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - B. Lutz
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Wallstraße 7, Mainz, 55122 Deutschland ,Department of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - M. M. Plichta
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - C. J. Fiebach
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany ,Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - M. Wessa
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Wallstraße 7, Mainz, 55122 Deutschland ,Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - R. Kalisch
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Wallstraße 7, Mainz, 55122 Deutschland ,Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - O. Tüscher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany ,Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Wallstraße 7, Mainz, 55122 Deutschland
| | - K. Lieb
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany ,Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Wallstraße 7, Mainz, 55122 Deutschland
| | - A. Reif
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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The VLPFC versus the DLPFC in Downregulating Social Pain Using Reappraisal and Distraction Strategies. J Neurosci 2020; 41:1331-1339. [PMID: 33443069 PMCID: PMC7888223 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1906-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC) are both crucial structures involved in voluntary emotional regulation. However, it remains unclear whether the functions of these two cortical regions that are involved in emotional regulation, which are usually active in non-social situations, could be generalized to the regulation of social pain as well. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC) are both crucial structures involved in voluntary emotional regulation. However, it remains unclear whether the functions of these two cortical regions that are involved in emotional regulation, which are usually active in non-social situations, could be generalized to the regulation of social pain as well. This study employed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine the causal relationship between the DLPFC/VLPFC and the emotional regulation of social pain via distraction and reappraisal. Ninety human participants (45 males and 45 females) initially underwent either active (DLPFC/VLPFC, n = 30/30) or sham (vertex, n = 30) TMS sessions. Participants were then instructed to use both distraction and reappraisal strategies to downregulate any negative emotions evoked by social exclusion pictures. Convergent results of the subjective emotional rating and electrophysiological indices demonstrated that: (1) both the DLPFC and VLPFC highly facilitate the downregulation of affective responses caused by social exclusion, revealing a causal role of these lateral PFCs in voluntary emotional regulation of both non-social and social pain; and (2) these two cortical regions showed relative functional specificity for distraction (DLPFC) and reappraisal (VLPFC) strategies, which helps to refine the cortical targeting of therapeutic protocols. In addition, the TMS effect was sustainable for at least 1 h, showcasing the potential feasibility of using this method in clinical practice. Together, these findings provide cognitive and neural evidence for the targeting of the VLPFC and/or the DLPFC to improve emotional regulation abilities, especially in social contexts. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study aimed to examine the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC) in emotional regulation, particularly in response to social pain through the use of distraction and reappraisal strategies, as this is a relatively underexplored area of inquiry. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature because our results provide novel empirical information on the role of these cortical structures in the processing of negative emotions elicited within certain social contexts. As such, our findings have potential clinical implications, paving the way for future clinicians to be able to accurately target specific brain regions among patients struggling with impaired social cognition abilities, including those diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, autism spectrum disorder, social anxiety disorder, and depression.
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The effectiveness of emotion cognitive reappraisal as measured by self-reported response and its link to EEG alpha asymmetry. Behav Brain Res 2020; 400:113042. [PMID: 33279642 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive reappraisal is an important emotion regulation skill for psychological health and well-being, however, some people cannot use this strategy effectively. We investigated EEG alpha asymmetry by calculating lateral index (LI) when twenty-six healthy participants were instructed to complete the emotion cognitive reappraisal task of viewing neutral pictures, watching negative pictures and reappraising negative pictures. According to self-reported valence and arousal, the participants were divided into effective and ineffective groups. Habitual use of rumination was also assessed using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). EEG alpha asymmetry results demonstrated that, ineffective group showed greater relative right temporal activity than effective group in the early stage of reappraisal, indicating higher subjective arousal. Both groups showed greater relative left frontal alpha activity in the late stages of reappraisal compared with watching negative images, indicating the recruitment of corresponding functions in prefrontal regulatory circuitry during the effort of reappraisal. CERQ analysis results showed that, ineffective group got significantly higher score than effective group in habitual use of rumination. Partial correlation revealed that, in male participants, temporal LI change (negative-reappraisal minus negative-watch) was negatively correlated with self-reported arousal and habitual use of rumination. In addition, by using K-means cluster analysis, temporal LI combined with CERQ-rumination score achieved a classification accuracy of 84.6 %. These findings suggested that, EEG alpha asymmetry as well as the habitual use of rumination accounted for the reappraisal effectiveness.
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Lasting Effects of Using Distraction to Manage Responses to Unpleasant Pictures: Electrophysiological Evidence. Biol Psychol 2020; 156:107952. [PMID: 32961303 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Distraction is a widely used form of emotion regulation. Most studies have focused on the influence of distraction on the processing of aversive stimuli during distraction regulation, however, few studies investigated the impact on responses to aversive stimuli when they are re-presented later. This study examined whether processing of unpleasant pictures could be modulated by previous distraction and whether this modulation was associated with the intervals between regulation and re-exposure. Participants were presented with unpleasant images and asked to attend to or distract themselves from the images. After a 5- or 30-minute interval, the participants were re-exposed to the same images in an oddball task. Event-related potential measurements revealed that compared with the previous attention condition, the P3 amplitudes were significantly larger in the 30-min interval group, but not in the 5-min interval group under the previous distraction condition, and that the late positive potential amplitudes were significantly larger in the 30-min interval group, but tended to be smaller in the 5-min interval group. These findings suggest that the effects of distraction were diminished or disappeared after a 5-min interval and reversed after a 30-min interval. This pattern suggests that caution should be exercised in the use of distraction strategies to reduce negative emotions, particularly in cases in which unpleasant images may reappear in everyday life.
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Greimel E, Feldmann L, Piechaczek C, Oort F, Bartling J, Schulte-Rüther M, Schulte-Körne G. Study protocol for a randomised-controlled study on emotion regulation training for adolescents with major depression: the KONNI study. BMJ Open 2020; 10:e036093. [PMID: 32912977 PMCID: PMC7485251 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Major depression (MD) often has its onset during adolescence and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. One important factor for the development and maintenance of adolescent MD are disturbances in emotion regulation and the underlying neural processes. Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is a particular adaptive emotion regulation strategy. Previously, it has been shown in healthy adults that a task-based training in CR is efficient to reduce negative affect, and that these effects translate into everyday life.This randomised controlled trial examines for the first time whether a task-based training in CR proves effective in MD adolescents. Specifically, we will investigate whether the CR training improves the ability to downregulate negative affect in MD individuals as assessed by behavioural and neurobiological indices, and whether training effects generalise outside the laboratory. METHODS AND ANALYSIS Adolescents with MD will be randomly allocated to a group that either receives a task-based training in CR or a control training. Both involve four training sessions over a time period of 2 weeks. In the CR training, participants will be instructed to downregulate negative affective responses to negative pictures via CR, while the control training involves picture viewing. During the training sessions, the Late Positive Potential, gaze fixations on negative picture aspects and affective responses to pictures will be collected. Before and after the training programmes, and at a 2-week follow-up, overall negative and positive affect, rumination and perceived stress will be assessed as primary outcomes. Analyses of variance will be conducted to test the effectiveness of the CR training with regard to both primary outcomes and task-based behavioural and neurobiological parameters. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich, Germany. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated through conferences, social media and public events. TRIAL REGISTRATION DETAILS ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03957850, registered 21st May 2019; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03957850.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Greimel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lisa Feldmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Charlotte Piechaczek
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Frans Oort
- Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jürgen Bartling
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Schulte-Rüther
- Translational Brain Medicine in Psychiatry and Neurology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
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Dieterich R, Nickel S, Endrass T. Toward a valid electrocortical correlate of regulation of craving using single-trial regression. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 155:152-161. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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50
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Neural patterns during anticipation predict emotion regulation success for reappraisal. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:888-900. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00808-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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