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Rahrig H, Beloboradova P, Castro C, Sabet K, Johnson M, Pearce O, Brown KW. Managing emotions in the age of political polarization: A randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness to cognitive reappraisal. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3947259. [PMID: 38586010 PMCID: PMC10996818 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3947259/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Emotional appraisals of political stimuli (e.g., videos) have been shown to drive shared neural encoding, which correspond to shared, yet divisive, interpretations of such stimuli. However, mindfulness practice may entrain a form of emotion regulation that de-automatizes social biases, possibly through alteration of such neural mechanisms. The present study combined a naturalistic neuroimaging paradigm and a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of short-term mindfulness training (MT) (n = 35) vs structurally equivalent Cognitive Reappraisal training (CT) (n = 37) on politically-situated emotions while evaluating the mechanistic role of prefrontal cortical neural synchrony. Participants underwent functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recording while viewing inflammatory partisan news clips and continuously rating their momentary discrete emotions. MT participants were more likely to respond with extreme levels of anger (odds ratio = 0.12, p < .001) and disgust (odds ratio = 0.08, p < .001) relative to CT participants. Neural synchrony-based analyses suggested that participants with extreme emotion reactions exhibited greater prefrontal cortical neural synchrony, but that this pattern was less prominent in participants receiving MT relative to CT (CT > MT; channel 1 ISC = .040, p = .030).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadley Rahrig
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53703, United States of America
| | - Polina Beloboradova
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, United States of America
| | - Christina Castro
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, United States of America
| | - Kayla Sabet
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, United States of America
| | - Melina Johnson
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, United States of America
| | - Orion Pearce
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, United States of America
| | - Kirk Warren Brown
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284, United States of America
- Health and Human Performance Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States of America
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Moffat R, Casale CE, Cross ES. Mobile fNIRS for exploring inter-brain synchrony across generations and time. FRONTIERS IN NEUROERGONOMICS 2024; 4:1260738. [PMID: 38234472 PMCID: PMC10790948 DOI: 10.3389/fnrgo.2023.1260738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
While still relatively rare, longitudinal hyperscanning studies are exceptionally valuable for documenting changes in inter-brain synchrony, which may in turn underpin how behaviors develop and evolve in social settings. The generalizability and ecological validity of this experimental approach hinges on the selected imaging technique being mobile-a requirement met by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). fNIRS has most frequently been used to examine the development of inter-brain synchrony and behavior in child-parent dyads. In this position paper, we contend that dedicating attention to longitudinal and intergenerational hyperscanning stands to benefit the fields of social and cognitive neuroscience more broadly. We argue that this approach is particularly relevant for understanding the neural mechanisms underpinning intergenerational social dynamics, and potentially for benchmarking progress in psychological and social interventions, many of which are situated in intergenerational contexts. In line with our position, we highlight areas of intergenerational research that stand to be enhanced by longitudinal hyperscanning with mobile devices, describe challenges that may arise from measuring across generations in the real world, and offer potential solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryssa Moffat
- Social Brain Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Courtney E. Casale
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Christensen J, Slavik L, Nicol JJ, Loehr JD. Alpha oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction during live orchestral performance: A naturalistic case study. PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC 2023; 51:295-315. [PMID: 36532616 PMCID: PMC9751440 DOI: 10.1177/03057356221091313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ensemble music performance requires musicians to achieve precise interpersonal coordination while maintaining autonomous control over their own actions. To do so, musicians dynamically shift between integrating other performers' actions into their own action plans and maintaining a distinction between their own and others' actions. Research in laboratory settings has shown that this dynamic process of self-other integration and distinction is indexed by sensorimotor alpha oscillations. The purpose of the current descriptive case study was to examine oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction in a naturalistic performance context. We measured alpha activity from four violinists during a concert hall performance of a 60-musician orchestra. We selected a musical piece from the orchestra's repertoire and, before analyzing alpha activity, performed a score analysis to divide the piece into sections that were expected to strongly promote self-other integration and distinction. In line with previous laboratory findings, performers showed suppressed and enhanced alpha activity during musical sections that promoted self-other integration and distinction, respectively. The current study thus provides preliminary evidence that findings from carefully controlled laboratory experiments generalize to complex real-world performance. Its findings also suggest directions for future research and potential applications of interest to musicians, music educators, and music therapists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren Slavik
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Jennifer J Nicol
- Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Janeen D Loehr
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
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Kaertner LS, Steinborn MB, Kettner H, Spriggs MJ, Roseman L, Buchborn T, Balaet M, Timmermann C, Erritzoe D, Carhart-Harris RL. Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1941. [PMID: 33479342 PMCID: PMC7820236 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81446-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychedelic microdosing describes the ingestion of near-threshold perceptible doses of classic psychedelic substances. Anecdotal reports and observational studies suggest that microdosing may promote positive mood and well-being, but recent placebo-controlled studies failed to find compelling evidence for this. The present study collected web-based mental health and related data using a prospective (before, during and after) design. Individuals planning a weekly microdosing regimen completed surveys at strategic timepoints, spanning a core four-week test period. Eighty-one participants completed the primary study endpoint. Results revealed increased self-reported psychological well-being, emotional stability and reductions in state anxiety and depressive symptoms at the four-week primary endpoint, plus increases in psychological resilience, social connectedness, agreeableness, nature relatedness and aspects of psychological flexibility. However, positive expectancy scores at baseline predicted subsequent improvements in well-being, suggestive of a significant placebo response. This study highlights a role for positive expectancy in predicting positive outcomes following psychedelic microdosing and cautions against zealous inferences on its putative therapeutic value.
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Affiliation(s)
- L S Kaertner
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - M B Steinborn
- Departmant of Psychology, Julius-Maximilans-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - H Kettner
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - M J Spriggs
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - L Roseman
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - T Buchborn
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - M Balaet
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - C Timmermann
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - D Erritzoe
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - R L Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Six S, Laureys S, Poelaert J, Bilsen J, Theuns P, Deschepper R. Comfort in palliative sedation (Compas): a transdisciplinary mixed method study protocol for linking objective assessments to subjective experiences. BMC Palliat Care 2018; 17:62. [PMID: 29669562 PMCID: PMC5907466 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-018-0316-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In case of untreatable suffering at the end of life, palliative sedation may be chosen to assure comfort by reducing the patient's level of consciousness. An important question here is whether such sedated patients are completely free of pain. Because these patients cannot communicate anymore, caregivers have to rely on observation to assess the patient's comfort. Recently however, more sophisticated techniques from the neurosciences have shown that sometimes consciousness and pain are undetectable with these traditional behavioral methods. The aim of this study is to better understand how unconscious palliative sedated patients experience the last days of their life and to find out if they are really free of pain. METHODS In this study we will observe 40 patients starting with initiation of palliative sedation until death. Assessment of comfort based on behavioral observations will be related with the results from a NeuroSense monitor, an EEG-based monitor used for evaluation of the adequacy of anesthesia and sedation in the operating room and an ECG-based Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI) monitor, which informs about comfort or discomfort condition, based on the parasympathetic tone. An innovative and challenging aspect of this study is its qualitative approach; "objective" and "subjective" data will be linked to achieve a holistic understanding of the study topic. The following data will be collected: assessment of pain/comfort by the patients themselves (if possible) by scoring a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); brain function monitoring; monitoring of parasympathetic tone; caregivers' assessment (pain, awareness, communication); relatives' perception of the quality of the dying process; assessment by 2 trained investigators using observational scales; video and audio registration. DISCUSSION Measuring pain and awareness in non-communicative dying patients is both technically and ethically challenging. ANI and EEG have shown to be promising technologies to detect pain that otherwise cannot be detected with the "traditional" methods. Although these technologies have the potential to provide objective quantifiable indicators for distress and awareness in non-communicative patients, strikingly they have not yet been used to check whether the current assessments for non-communicative patients are reliable. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT03273244 ; registration date: 7.9.2017).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefaan Six
- Mental Health and Wellbeing research group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Jette, Belgium.
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science group, Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège, Avenue de l'hôpital 11, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Jan Poelaert
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Jette, Belgium
| | - Johan Bilsen
- Mental Health and Wellbeing research group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Jette, Belgium
| | - Peter Theuns
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Reginald Deschepper
- Mental Health and Wellbeing research group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090, Jette, Belgium
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