1
|
Pirastru A, Di Tella S, Cazzoli M, Esposito F, Baselli G, Baglio F, Blasi V. The impact of emotional valence and stimulus habituation on fMRI signal reliability during emotion generation. Neuroimage 2023; 284:120457. [PMID: 37977407 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emotional domain is often impaired across many neurological diseases, for this reason it represents a relevant target of rehabilitation interventions. Functional changes in neural activity related to treatment can be assessed with functional MRI (fMRI) using emotion-generation tasks in longitudinal settings. Previous studies demonstrated that within-subject fMRI signal reliability can be affected by several factors such as repetition suppression, type of task and brain anatomy. However, the differential role of repetition suppression and emotional valence of the stimuli on the fMRI signal reliability and reproducibility during an emotion-generation task involving the vision of emotional pictures is yet to be determined. METHODS Sixty-two healthy subjects were enrolled and split into two groups: group A (21 subjects, test-retest reliability on same-day and with same-task-form), group B (30 subjects, test-retest reproducibility with 4-month-interval using two equivalent-parallel forms of the task). Test-retest reliability and reproducibility of fMRI responses and patterns were evaluated separately for positive and negative emotional valence conditions in both groups. The analyses were performed voxel-wise, using the general linear model (GLM), and via a region-of-interest (ROI)-based approach, by computing the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) on the obtained contrasts. RESULTS The voxel-wise GLM test yielded no significant differences for both conditions in reliability and reproducibility analyses. As to the ROI-based approach, across all areas with significant main effects of the stimuli, the reliability, as measured with ICC, was poor (<0.4) for the positive condition and ranged from poor to excellent (0.4-0.75) for the negative condition. The ICC-based reproducibility analysis, related to the comparison of two different parallel forms, yielded similar results. DISCUSSION The voxel-wise GLM analysis failed to capture the poor reliability of fMRI signal which was instead highlighted using the ROI-based ICC analysis. The latter showed higher signal reliability for negative valence stimuli with respect to positive ones. The implementation of two parallel forms allowed to exclude neural suppression as the predominant effect causing low signal reliability, which could be instead ascribed to the employment of different neural strategies to cope with emotional stimuli over time. This is an invaluable information for a better assessment of treatment and rehabilitation effects in longitudinal studies of emotional neural processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Pirastru
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, ONLUS, Milan, Italy; Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sonia Di Tella
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, ONLUS, Milan, Italy; Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Cazzoli
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, ONLUS, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Baselli
- Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Valeria Blasi
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, ONLUS, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Milani S, Jabs F, Brown NB, Zdaniuk B, Kingstone A, Brotto LA. Virtual Reality Erotica: Exploring General Presence, Sexual Presence, Sexual Arousal, and Sexual Desire in Women. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:565-576. [PMID: 34697691 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-02111-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) media using a three-dimensional (3D) camera facilitates an immersive experience compared to traditional two-dimensional (2D) formats. In this novel study, we used high quality, women-centered erotica and examined whether stimulus modality (VR vs. 2D) and point of view (POV: first-person vs. third-person) impacted women's feelings of sexual presence (activation of sexual response induced by the perception of being present), sexual arousal, and sexual desire (dyadic and solitary). We also investigated the effects of stimulus modality on feelings of general presence (a sense of "being there"). Results from 38 women indicated that with medium to large effects, general presence, sexual presence, and sexual arousal were significantly higher for VR videos relative to 2D videos. Sexual presence was higher for first-person POV depending on the order of film exposure. A general trend toward increasing dyadic sexual desire over the course of the study was observed. No significant differences were observed for solitary sexual desire. These findings support the adaptability of VR media to sex research and show that it can induce feelings of sexual presence and presence more generally. That sexual arousal was positively impacted by VR erotica may have implications for addressing the limitations that accompany other stimulus modalities used to elicit sexual responses in women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Milani
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Faith Jabs
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Natalie B Brown
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bozena Zdaniuk
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel Street, 6th Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Alan Kingstone
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Lori A Brotto
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel Street, 6th Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
De Petrillo F, Paoletti M, Bellagamba F, Manzi G, Paglieri F, Addessi E. Contextual factors modulate risk preferences in adult humans. Behav Processes 2020; 176:104137. [PMID: 32417185 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Humans have generally been considered risk averse for gains. Yet, growing evidence shows that risk preferences may change across reward currencies and depend on the type of tasks used to measure them. Here, we examined how context affects human risk preferences to shed light on the psychological mechanisms underlying human decision-making under risk. Participants were presented with a descriptive risky choice task involving repeated choices between real options and they were provided with trial-by-trial feedback. We manipulated the type of reward and, for the first time, the format of the choice stimuli. Options were either 2D computer-based images or concrete 3D objects, and participants received food or money as reward. First, we found that participants were more risk-seeking for food compared to money, suggesting that people treat money differently from consumable rewards. Second, we found that people were more risk-seeking when they made choices between concrete 3D objects than between 2D computer-based images. Our results strengthened the evidence that human choice patterns may change depending on the context and, for the first time, showed that the format of the choice stimuli does affect risk preferences, an important consideration for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca De Petrillo
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, France; CNR, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Unità di Primatologia Cognitiva e Centro Primati, Rome, Italy; University of Michigan, Department of Psychology
| | - Melania Paoletti
- "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Psicologia Dinamica e Clinica, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Bellagamba
- "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Psicologia Dinamica e Clinica, Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Manzi
- "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Paglieri
- CNR, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Goal-Oriented Agents Lab, Rome, Italy
| | - Elsa Addessi
- CNR, Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Unità di Primatologia Cognitiva e Centro Primati, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Forlim CG, Bittner L, Mostajeran F, Steinicke F, Gallinat J, Kühn S. Stereoscopic Rendering via Goggles Elicits Higher Functional Connectivity During Virtual Reality Gaming. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:365. [PMID: 31708759 PMCID: PMC6823517 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) simulates real-world scenarios by creating a sense of presence in its users. Such immersive scenarios lead to behavior that is more similar to that displayed in real world settings, which may facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills acquired in VR to similar real world situations. VR has already been used in education, psychotherapy, rehabilitation and it comes as an appealing choice for training intervention purposes. The aim of the present study was to investigate to what extent VR technology for games presented via goggles can be used in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner (MRI), addressing the question of whether brain connectivity differs between VR stimulation via goggles and a presentation from a screen via mirror projection. Moreover, we wanted to investigate whether stereoscopic goggle stimulation, where both eyes receive different visual input, would elicit stronger brain connectivity than a stimulation in which both eyes receive the same visual input (monoscopic). To our knowledge, there is no previous research using games and functional connectivity (FC) in MRI to address this question. Multiple analyses approaches were taken so that different aspects of brain connectivity could be covered: fractional low-frequency fluctuation, independent component analysis (ICA), seed-based FC (SeedFC) and graph analysis. In goggle presentation (mono and stereoscopic) as contrasted to screen, we found differences in brain activation in left cerebellum and postcentral gyrus as well as differences in connectivity in the visual cortex and frontal inferior cortex [when focusing on the visual and default mode network (DMN)]. When considering connectivity in specific areas of interest, we found higher connectivity between bilateral superior frontal cortex and the temporal lobe, as well as bilateral inferior parietal cortex with right calcarine and right lingual cortex. Furthermore, we found superior frontal cortex and insula/putamen to be more strongly connected in goggle stereoscopic vs. goggle monoscopic, in line with our hypothesis. We assume that the condition that elicits higher brain connectivity values should be most suited for long-term brain training interventions given that, extended training under these conditions could permanently improve brain connectivity on a functional as well as on a structural level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Garcia Forlim
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Bittner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fariba Mostajeran
- Department of Human-Computer-Interaction, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Frank Steinicke
- Department of Human-Computer-Interaction, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Gallinat
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simone Kühn
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lise-Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Simon SC, Greitemeyer T. The impact of immersion on the perception of pornography: A virtual reality study. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
6
|
Schweizer T, Renner F, Sun D, Kleim B, Holmes EA, Tuschen-Caffier B. Psychophysiological reactivity, coping behaviour and intrusive memories upon multisensory Virtual Reality and Script-Driven Imagery analogue trauma: A randomised controlled crossover study. J Anxiety Disord 2018; 59:42-52. [PMID: 30269002 PMCID: PMC6249992 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Peri- and post-traumatic factors predict the differential development of stress-associated mental disorders. Prospective designs assessing these risk factors in real-time under controlled experimental conditions can overcome limitations of retrospective designs. Therefore, we aimed to investigate multi-sensory, experimental analogues of a traumatic experience delivered in Virtual Reality (VR) or Script-Driven Imagery (SDI). METHODS In a randomised controlled crossover design, differences in the induced analogue trauma symptoms between multi-sensory analogue trauma by either VR or SDI versus a neutral condition were assessed in 127 non-clinical participants. RESULTS Analogue symptoms (psychophysiological responses, coping behaviour and intrusive memories of the experimental trauma) increased following analogue trauma in both VR and SDI, with more analogue symptoms for VR. Psychophysiological arousal was in general higher in VR. LIMITATIONS The analogue trauma situation of a car park fire that was used may be infrequent in real life. CONCLUSIONS Multisensory (vision, olfaction, hearing) analogue trauma in VR and SDI offers a useful tool for the induction and real-time assessment of peri- and post-traumatic risk factors for analogue stress-associated psychopathology. VR was more effective in inducing analogue symptoms than SDI, even though the latter might be more personalised. New experimental models for studying trauma exposure and responses may contribute to a better understanding of risk factors and help to identify and protect individuals at risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tina Schweizer
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, 79085 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Fritz Renner
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, 79085 Freiburg, Germany; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CB2 7EF Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Dali Sun
- Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Emily A Holmes
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Brunna Tuschen-Caffier
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, 79085 Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fromberger P, Meyer S, Kempf C, Jordan K, Müller JL. Virtual Viewing Time: The Relationship between Presence and Sexual Interest in Androphilic and Gynephilic Men. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0127156. [PMID: 25992790 PMCID: PMC4436365 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtual Reality (VR) has successfully been used in the research of human behavior for more than twenty years. The main advantage of VR is its capability to induce a high sense of presence. This results in emotions and behavior which are very close to those shown in real situations. In the context of sex research, only a few studies have used high-immersive VR so far. The ones that did can be found mostly in the field of forensic psychology. Nevertheless, the relationship between presence and sexual interest still remains unclear. The present study is the first to examine the advantages of high-immersive VR in comparison to a conventional standard desktop system regarding their capability to measure sexual interest. 25 gynephilic and 20 androphilic healthy men underwent three experimental conditions, which differed in their ability to induce a sense of presence. In each condition, participants were asked to rate ten male and ten female virtual human characters regarding their sexual attractiveness. Without their knowledge, the subjects' viewing time was assessed throughout the rating. Subjects were then asked to rate the sense of presence they had experienced as well as their perceived realism of the characters. Results suggested that stereoscopic viewing can significantly enhance the subjective sexual attractiveness of sexually relevant characters. Furthermore, in all three conditions participants looked significantly longer at sexually relevant virtual characters than at sexually non-relevant ones. The high immersion condition provided the best discriminant validity. From a statistical point of view, however, the sense of presence had no significant influence on the discriminant validity of the viewing time task. The study showed that high-immersive virtual environments enhance realism ratings as well as ratings of sexual attractiveness of three-dimensional human stimuli in comparison to standard desktop systems. Results also show that viewing time seems to be influenced neither by sexual attractiveness nor by realism of stimuli. This indicates how important task specific mechanisms of the viewing time effect are.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fromberger
- Ludwig-Meyer-Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Sabrina Meyer
- Ludwig-Meyer-Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Christina Kempf
- Ludwig-Meyer-Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Kirsten Jordan
- Ludwig-Meyer-Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Jürgen L. Müller
- Ludwig-Meyer-Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Berna G, Ott L, Nandrino JL. Effects of emotion regulation difficulties on the tonic and phasic cardiac autonomic response. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102971. [PMID: 25054913 PMCID: PMC4108383 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2013] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emotion regulation theory aims to explain the interactions between individuals and the environment. In this context, Emotion Regulation Difficulties (ERD) disrupt the physiological component of emotions through the autonomic nervous system and are involved in several psychopathological states. OBJECTIVE We were interested in comparing the influence of a film-elicited emotion procedure on the autonomic nervous system activity of two groups with different levels of emotion regulation difficulties. METHODS A total of 63 women (undergraduate students) ranging from 18 to 27 (20.7 ± 1.99) years old were included. Using the upper and lower quartile of a questionnaire assessing the daily difficulties in regulating emotions, two groups, one with low (LERD) and one with high (HERD) levels of emotion regulation difficulties, were constituted and studied during a film-elicited emotion procedure. Cardiac vagal activity (HF-HRV) was analyzed during three periods: baseline, film-elicited emotion, and recovery. RESULTS The cardiovascular results showed a decrease in HF-HRV from baseline to elicitation for both groups. Then, from elicitation to recovery, HF-HRV increased for the LERD group, whereas a low HF-HRV level persisted for the HERD group. CONCLUSIONS The HERD group exhibited inappropriate cardiac vagal recovery after a negative emotion elicitation had ended. Cardiac vagal tone took longer to return to its initial state in the HERD group than in the LERD group. Prolonged cardiac vagal suppression might constitute an early marker of emotion regulation difficulties leading to lower cardiac vagal tone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Berna
- Univ Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
- UDL3, URECA, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
- MESHS Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| | - Laurent Ott
- Univ Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
- UDL3, URECA, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
| | - Jean-Louis Nandrino
- Univ Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
- UDL3, URECA, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
- MESHS Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| |
Collapse
|