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Ma S, Qi S, Huang J, He X, Wu H. Regulation of negative emotions through directed attention in high-trait-anxious women: Evidence from event-related potentials and eye-tracking. Int J Psychophysiol 2024; 203:112413. [PMID: 39128770 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112413] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Abnormal emotional responses in high-trait-anxious (HTA) individuals may be related to the use of emotion regulation strategies. Directed attention is a substrategy of attention deployment, which has been proven to be effective in regulating individual negative emotions. The present study investigated whether HTA women can effectively utilize directed attention to decrease negative emotions. Two studies were conducted using the same directed attention paradigm, with one focusing on event-related potentials (ERPs) and the other utilizing eye-tracking techniques. Participants viewed negative and neutral pictures and rated their negative emotions experienced during viewing. During directed attention, attention was directed towards highly arousing aspects, less arousing aspects of negative pictures, or less arousing aspects of neutral pictures. In study 1, late positive potentials (LPP) were recorded in 26 HTA and 24 low-trait-anxious (LTA) women. In study 2, the latency of first fixation, the proportion of gaze duration and fixations in the specific area were recorded in 27 HTA and 23 LTA women. Both the HTA and LTA groups revealed a decrease in negative emotional ratings and LPP amplitudes when their attention was directed towards the less arousing aspects of negative pictures. Furthermore, in this condition, the HTA group had a shorter latency of first fixation on highly arousing aspects and a higher proportion of gaze duration on less arousing aspects of negative pictures compared to the LTA group. These results indicate that when confronted with negative pictures, HTA women are able to regulate their emotional responses through directed attention, which may be accompanied by attentional vigilance and avoidance tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siliang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, China; Foundation Department, Engineering University of PAP, China
| | - Senqing Qi
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, China.
| | - Junjie Huang
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, China
| | - Xuexue He
- Ningxia Health Vocational and Technical College, China
| | - Huimin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, China
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2
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MacIntyre E, Pinto E, Mouatt B, Henry ML, Lamb C, Braithwaite FA, Meulders A, Stanton TR. The influence of threat on visuospatial perception, affordances, and protective behaviour: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev 2024; 112:102449. [PMID: 38901066 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102449] [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: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Perception has been conceptualised as an active and adaptive process, based upon incoming sensory inputs, which are modified by top-down factors such as cognitions. Visuospatial perception is thought to be scaled based on threat, with highly threatening objects or contexts visually inflated to promote escape or avoidance behaviours. This meta-analytical systematic review quantified the effect and evidence quality of threat-evoked visuospatial scaling, as well as how visuospatial scaling relates to affordances (perceived action capabilities) and behavioural avoidance/escape outcomes. Databases and grey literature were systematically searched inclusive to 10/04/24. Studies were assessed with a customised Risk of Bias form and meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. 12,354 records were identified. Of these, 49 experiments (n = 3027) were included in the review. There was consistent evidence that threat the of height influenced contextual perception (g = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45, 0.88) and affordances (g = -0.43, 95% CI: -0.84, -0.03). Threatening objects were viewed as larger (g = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.26, 1.26) and as closer (g = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.42). Bodily threat (pain) yielded conflicting effects on visuospatial perception/affordances. We conclude that threat may influence visuospatial perception and affordances. However, since behavioural measures were poorly reported, their relationship with visuospatial perception/affordances remains elusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin MacIntyre
- Persistent Pain Research Group, Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, South Australian Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, Australia; IIMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
| | - Eleana Pinto
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Brendan Mouatt
- Persistent Pain Research Group, Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, South Australian Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, Australia; IIMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Michael L Henry
- IIMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Christopher Lamb
- Brain Behaviour Laboratory, Musculoskeletal Sport, Exercise, & Health Lab, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Felicity A Braithwaite
- Persistent Pain Research Group, Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, South Australian Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, Australia; IIMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ann Meulders
- Experimental Health Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Research Group Health Psychology, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tasha R Stanton
- Persistent Pain Research Group, Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, South Australian Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, Australia; IIMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
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3
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Yao J, Leng X, Chen Y, Chen M, Liu A, Feng C, Feng W. Attentional suppression of weight-related distractors among females with weight dissatisfaction. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14408. [PMID: 37548290 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14408] [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: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Although many studies have investigated attentional biases toward weight-related information among individuals with weight dissatisfaction, the mechanisms underlying the processing of task-irrelevant and spatial-irrelevant weight-related information as distractors remain unclear. Participants were assigned to groups according to their levels of weight dissatisfaction to address this question. Participants with high weight dissatisfaction (HWD) were assigned to the experimental group; those with low weight dissatisfaction (LWD) were assigned to a control group. By recording event-related potentials during a visual search task along the median vertical line, fatness-related/thinness-related/neutral words and scrambled strokes were presented horizontally in pairs as task-irrelevant distractors. The results showed that intact words facilitated fast attentional orienting compared to scrambled strokes, as revealed by the significant N2pc for all types of intact words for both the HWD and LWD groups. More importantly, only fatness- and thinness-related words elicited the evident PD in the HWD group, and the PD amplitudes were larger in the HWD group compared to the LWD group. These findings suggest that weight-related distractors were actively suppressed after initial attentional orienting among females with HWD. This reveals the mechanisms of attentional biases toward weight-related information among females with HWD and contributes to the model of the cognitive-behavioral theory of body image disturbance. These results may help enhance prevention and interventions for reducing weight dissatisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Yao
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xuechen Leng
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yixuan Chen
- College of Teacher Education, Lishui University, Lishui, China
| | - Minran Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Aixin Liu
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chengzhi Feng
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Wenfeng Feng
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Research Center for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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4
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Gaspelin N, Lamy D, Egeth HE, Liesefeld HR, Kerzel D, Mandal A, Müller MM, Schall JD, Schubö A, Slagter HA, Stilwell BT, van Moorselaar D. The Distractor Positivity Component and the Inhibition of Distracting Stimuli. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:1693-1715. [PMID: 37677060 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
There has been a long-lasting debate about whether salient stimuli, such as uniquely colored objects, have the ability to automatically distract us. To resolve this debate, it has been suggested that salient stimuli do attract attention but that they can be suppressed to prevent distraction. Some research supporting this viewpoint has focused on a newly discovered ERP component called the distractor positivity (PD), which is thought to measure an inhibitory attentional process. This collaborative review summarizes previous research relying on this component with a specific emphasis on how the PD has been used to understand the ability to ignore distracting stimuli. In particular, we outline how the PD component has been used to gain theoretical insights about how search strategy and learning can influence distraction. We also review alternative accounts of the cognitive processes indexed by the PD component. Ultimately, we conclude that the PD component is a useful tool for understanding inhibitory processes related to distraction and may prove to be useful in other areas of study related to cognitive control.
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5
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Li R, Xu M, You J, Zhou X, Meng J, Xiao X, Jung TP, Ming D. Modulation of rhythmic visual stimulation on left-right attentional asymmetry. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1156890. [PMID: 37250403 PMCID: PMC10213214 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1156890] [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: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The rhythmic visual stimulation (RVS)-induced oscillatory brain responses, namely steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), have been widely used as a biomarker in studies of neural processing based on the assumption that they would not affect cognition. However, recent studies have suggested that the generation of SSVEPs might be attributed to neural entrainment and thus could impact brain functions. But their neural and behavioral effects are yet to be explored. No study has reported the SSVEP influence on functional cerebral asymmetry (FCA). We propose a novel lateralized visual discrimination paradigm to test the SSVEP effects on visuospatial selective attention by FCA analyses. Thirty-eight participants covertly shifted their attention to a target triangle appearing in either the lower-left or -right visual field (LVF or RVF), and judged its orientation. Meanwhile, participants were exposed to a series of task-independent RVSs at different frequencies, including 0 (no RVS), 10, 15, and 40-Hz. As a result, it showed that target discrimination accuracy and reaction time (RT) varied significantly across RVS frequency. Furthermore, attentional asymmetries differed for the 40-Hz condition relative to the 10-Hz condition as indexed by enhanced RT bias to the right visual field, and larger Pd EEG component for attentional suppression. Our results demonstrated that RVSs had frequency-specific effects on left-right attentional asymmetries in both behavior and neural activities. These findings provided new insights into the functional role of SSVEP on FCAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Li
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Minpeng Xu
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jia You
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhou
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiayuan Meng
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaolin Xiao
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Tzyy-Ping Jung
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Dong Ming
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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6
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Bruchmann M, Mertens L, Schindler S, Straube T. Potentiated early neural responses to fearful faces are not driven by specific face parts. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4613. [PMID: 36944705 PMCID: PMC10030637 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31752-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Prioritized processing of fearful compared to neutral faces is reflected in increased amplitudes of components of the event-related potential (ERP). It is unknown whether specific face parts drive these modulations. Here, we investigated the contributions of face parts on ERPs to task-irrelevant fearful and neutral faces using an ERP-dependent facial decoding technique and a large sample of participants (N = 83). Classical ERP analyses showed typical and robust increases of N170 and EPN amplitudes by fearful relative to neutral faces. Facial decoding further showed that the absolute amplitude of these components, as well as the P1, was driven by the low-frequency contrast of specific face parts. However, the difference between fearful and neutral faces was not driven by any specific face part, as supported by Bayesian statistics. Furthermore, there were no correlations between trait anxiety and main effects or interactions. These results suggest that increased N170 and EPN amplitudes to task-irrelevant fearful compared to neutral faces are not driven by specific facial regions but represent a holistic face processing effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Bruchmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany.
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Léa Mertens
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Sebastian Schindler
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany
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7
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Hu L, Tang H, Huang Y. General deficits of attentional inhibition in high trait anxiety: ERP evidence. Cereb Cortex 2023:7030626. [PMID: 36749005 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral evidence shows that individuals with high trait anxiety tend to be distracted by irrelevant stimulation not only for threat-related stimuli but also for non-emotional neutral stimuli. These findings suggest that there may be a general deficit of attentional control in trait anxiety. However, the neural mechanism underlying the anxiety-related deficit in attentional control, especially inhibition function, is still unclear. Here, we examined the attentional processing of the non-emotional neutral distractor on 66 young adults with different levels of trait anxiety, using the ERP indices of attentional selection (N2pc) and top-down inhibition (Pd) in a search task with geometric stimuli. We found that the distractor-evoked N2pc amplitude did not vary with anxiety levels, but increased anxiety was associated with smaller Pds (i.e. worse inhibition). Besides, delayed attentional selection of targets was associated with higher anxiety levels. These correlations of trait anxiety remained significant even after controlling for state anxiety, and state anxiety did not affect the attentional processing of distractors and targets, suggesting that trait anxiety, not current anxiety, affects attentional function. Our findings clarify the mechanism underlying the general attentional deficits in trait anxiety, e.g. reduced distractor inhibition and delayed target selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Hu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hongsi Tang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yan Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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8
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No trait anxiety influences on early and late differential neuronal responses to aversively conditioned faces across three different tasks. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:1157-1171. [PMID: 35352267 PMCID: PMC9458573 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-00998-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe human brain's ability to quickly detect dangerous stimuli is crucial in selecting appropriate responses to possible threats. Trait anxiety has been suggested to moderate these processes on certain processing stages. To dissociate such different information-processing stages, research using classical conditioning has begun to examine event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to fear-conditioned (CS +) faces. However, the impact of trait anxiety on ERPs to fear-conditioned faces depending on specific task conditions is unknown. In this preregistered study, we measured ERPs to faces paired with aversive loud screams (CS +) or neutral sounds (CS −) in a large sample (N = 80) under three different task conditions. Participants had to discriminate face-irrelevant perceptual information, the gender of the faces, or the CS category. Results showed larger amplitudes in response to aversively conditioned faces for all examined ERPs, whereas interactions with the attended feature occurred for the P1 and the early posterior negativity (EPN). For the P1, larger CS + effects were observed during the perceptual distraction task, while the EPN was increased for CS + faces when deciding about the CS association. Remarkably, we found no significant correlations between ERPs and trait anxiety. Thus, fear-conditioning potentiates all ERP amplitudes, some processing stages being further modulated by the task. However, the finding that these ERP differences were not affected by individual differences in trait anxiety does not support theoretical accounts assuming increased threat processing or reduced threat discrimination depending on trait anxiety.
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9
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Hu C, Song X, Song J, Hong Y, Zhou R. Neurophysiological Correlates for Dynamic Variability Between Vigilance and Avoidance in Test Anxiety. Biol Psychol 2022; 175:108427. [PMID: 36170941 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108427] [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: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Attention bias (ABs) to threat is essential in the etiology and maintenance of test anxiety. However, little is known about the attention pattern of ABs in test anxiety. The stimulus duration affects the attention pattern in anxiety. Thus, the present research combined the dot-probe paradigm and event-related potentials (ERPs) and varied the stimulus duration (100ms or 500ms) to test the ABs in test anxiety. Consequently, both groups showed a threat N2pc in 100ms and 500ms duration, suggesting that both groups allocated attention to the test-related threat. However, in the 100ms duration, the high test-anxious (HTA) group had smaller target-elicited P1 and greater target-elicited N2 in the threat-congruent condition than in the neutral condition. In the 500ms duration, an earlier threat N2pc and a threat PD followed a greater target P1, and smaller target N2 were pronounced in the HTA group. The current results provided electrophysiological evidence that the HTA group kept a dynamic attention pattern that fluctuated shift between vigilance and avoidance in the 100ms and 500ms duration. The HTA group was more vigilant than the LTA group in the 500ms duration when strategic attention was concerned, proposing that the vigilance in test anxiety was not an automatic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cenlou Hu
- Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science of Ministry of Education, School of Biological Sciences & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xueling Song
- National Education Examinations Authority, Beijing, China
| | - Jintao Song
- Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Hong
- Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Renlai Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science of Ministry of Education, School of Biological Sciences & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; State Key Laboratory of Media Convergence Production Technology and Systems, Beijing, China.
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10
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Schindler S, Richter TS, Bruchmann M, Busch NA, Straube T. Effects of task load, spatial attention, and trait anxiety on neuronal responses to fearful and neutral faces. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14114. [PMID: 35652518 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14114] [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: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
There is an ongoing debate on how different components of the event-related potential (ERP) to threat-related facial expressions are modulated by attentional conditions and interindividual differences in trait anxiety. In the current study (N = 80), we examined ERPs to centrally presented, task-irrelevant fearful and neutral faces, while participants had to solve a face-unrelated visual task, which differed in difficulty and spatial position. Critically, we used a fixation-controlled experimental design and ensured the spatial attention manipulation by spectral analysis of the EEG. Besides the factors emotion, spatial attention, and perceptual load, we also investigated correlations between trait anxiety and ERPs. While P1 emotion effects were insignificant, the N170 was increased to fearful faces regardless of load and spatial attention conditions. During the EPN time window, a significantly increased negativity for fearful faces was observed only during low load and spatial attention to the face. We found no significant relationship between ERPs and trait anxiety, questioning the hypothesis of a general hypersensitivity toward fearful expressions in anxious individuals. These results show a high resistance of the N170 amplitude increase for fearful faces to spatial attention and task load manipulations. By contrast, the EPN modulation by fearful faces index a resource-dependent stage of the ERP, requiring both spatial attention at the location of faces and low load of the face-irrelevant task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Schindler
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany
| | - Theresa Sofie Richter
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany
| | - Maximilian Bruchmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany
| | - Niko A Busch
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.,Institute of Psychology, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Münster, Germany
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11
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Bacigalupo F, Luck SJ. Alpha-band EEG suppression as a neural marker of sustained attentional engagement to conditioned threat stimuli. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:1101-1117. [PMID: 35434733 PMCID: PMC9766959 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Attention helps us to be aware of the external world, and this may be especially important when a threat stimulus predicts an aversive outcome. Electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha-band suppression has long been considered as a neural signature of attentional engagement. The present study was designed to test whether attentional engagement, as indexed by alpha-band suppression, is increased in a sustained manner following a conditioned stimulus (CS) that is paired with an aversive (CS+) vs neutral (CS-) outcome. We tested 70 healthy young adults in aversive conditioning and extinction paradigms. One of three colored circles served as the CS+, which was paired in 50% of the trials with a noise burst (unconditioned stimulus, US). The other colored circles (CS-) were never paired with the US. For conditioning, we found greater alpha-band suppression for the CS+ compared to the CS-; this suppression was sustained through the time of the predicted US. This effect was significantly reduced for extinction. These results indicate that conditioned threat stimuli trigger an increase in attentional engagement as subjects monitor the environment for the predicted aversive stimulus. Moreover, this alpha-band suppression effect may be valuable for future studies examining normal or pathological increases in attentional monitoring following threat stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Bacigalupo
- Correspondence should be addressed to Felix Bacigalupo, Pontificia
Universidad Catolica de Chile (UC-Chile). Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago,
Chile. E-mail:
| | - Steven J Luck
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of
California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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12
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Ward RT, Lotfi S, Stout DM, Mattson S, Lee HJ, Larson CL. Working Memory Performance for Differentially Conditioned Stimuli. Front Psychol 2022; 12:811233. [PMID: 35145464 PMCID: PMC8821888 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.811233] [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: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous work suggests that threat-related stimuli are stored to a greater degree in working memory compared to neutral stimuli. However, most of this research has focused on stimuli with physically salient threat attributes (e.g., angry faces), failing to account for how a "neutral" stimulus that has acquired threat-related associations through differential aversive conditioning influences working memory. The current study examined how differentially conditioned safe (i.e., CS-) and threat (i.e., CS+) stimuli are stored in working memory relative to a novel, non-associated (i.e., N) stimuli. Participants (n = 69) completed a differential fear conditioning task followed by a change detection task consisting of three conditions (CS+, CS-, N) across two loads (small, large). Results revealed individuals successfully learned to distinguishing CS+ from CS- conditions during the differential aversive conditioning task. Our working memory outcomes indicated successful load manipulation effects, but no statistically significant differences in accuracy, response time (RT), or Pashler's K measures of working memory capacity between CS+, CS-, or N conditions. However, we observed significantly reduced RT difference scores for the CS+ compared to CS- condition, indicating greater RT differences between the CS+ and N condition vs. the CS- and N condition. These findings suggest that differentially conditioned stimuli have little impact on behavioral outcomes of working memory compared to novel stimuli that had not been associated with previous safe of aversive outcomes, at least in healthy populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard T. Ward
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States,Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States,*Correspondence: Richard T. Ward,
| | - Salahadin Lotfi
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Daniel M. Stout
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Sofia Mattson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Han-Joo Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Christine L. Larson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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Luo Y, Zhou J, Bao W, Qiu J, Nian J, Zhang Y. Working memory content guides attention. JOURNAL OF PACIFIC RIM PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/18344909211034752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies showed that working memory (WM) content can guide attention; however, whether working memory capacity (WMC) and state anxiety could affect this remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the effect of WMC and state anxiety on attention guided by WM content. Participants with high and low WMC were assigned to either a neutral or an anxiety condition. They were asked to perform a modified change detection task with irrelevant singletons while their event-related potentials were recorded. N2pc and Pd were observed in the low-WMC and anxiety group, and Pd was observed in both the high-WMC and anxiety and the high-WMC and control groups, whereas neither N2pc nor Pd was found in the low-WMC and control group. These findings suggest that attention is guided or suppressed by WM content, depending on the WMC and anxiety level of the individual. This study provides a new perspective on WM content-guided attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Luo
- Laboratory of Acute Stress and Attention, School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian District, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, P.R. China
| | - Jiarong Zhou
- Laboratory of Acute Stress and Attention, School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian District, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, P.R. China
| | - Wei Bao
- Laboratory of Acute Stress and Attention, School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian District, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, P.R. China
| | - Jing Qiu
- Laboratory of Acute Stress and Attention, School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian District, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, P.R. China
| | - Jingqing Nian
- Laboratory of Acute Stress and Attention, School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian District, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, P.R. China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Laboratory of Acute Stress and Attention, School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Huaxi University Town, Guian District, Guiyang, Guizhou 550025, P.R. China
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