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Huang C, Butterworth JW, Finley AJ, Angus DJ, Sedikides C, Kelley NJ. There is a party in my head and no one is invited: Resting-state electrocortical activity and solitude. J Pers 2023. [PMID: 37577862 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12876] [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: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE What are the motivational underpinnings of solitude? We know from self-report studies that increases in solitude are associated with drops in approach motivation and rises in avoidance motivation, but only when solitude is experienced as non-self-determined (i.e., non-autonomous). However, the extent to which individual differences in solitude relate to neurophysiological markers of approach-avoidance motivation derived from resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) is unknown. These markers are Frontal Alpha Asymmetry, beta suppression, and midline Posterior versus Frontal EEG Theta Activity. METHOD We assessed the relation among individual differences in the reasons for solitude (i.e., preference for solitude, motivation for solitude), approach-avoidance motivation, and resting-state EEG markers of approach-avoidance motivation (N = 115). RESULTS General preference for solitude was negatively related to approach motivation, observed in both self-reported measures and EEG markers of approach motivation. Self-determined solitude was positively related to both self-reported approach motivation and avoidance motivation in the social domain (i.e., friendship). Non-self-determined solitude was negatively associated with self-reported avoidance motivation. CONCLUSION This research was a preliminary attempt to address the neurophysiological underpinnings of solitude in the context of motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengli Huang
- Centre for Research on Self and Identity, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - James W Butterworth
- Centre for Research on Self and Identity, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Anna J Finley
- Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Douglas J Angus
- School of Psychology, Bond University, Robina, Queensland, Australia
| | - Constantine Sedikides
- Centre for Research on Self and Identity, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Nicholas J Kelley
- Centre for Research on Self and Identity, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Heller S, Ullrich J, Mast MS. Power at work: Linking objective power to psychological power. JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Heller
- Institute of Communication and Marketing IKM Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts Lucerne Switzerland
| | - Johannes Ullrich
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Marianne S. Mast
- Department of Organizational Behavior, Faculty of Business and Economics University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
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Sabu P, Stuldreher IV, Kaneko D, Brouwer AM. A Review on the Role of Affective Stimuli in Event-Related Frontal Alpha Asymmetry. FRONTIERS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcomp.2022.869123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontal alpha asymmetry refers to the difference between the right and left alpha activity over the frontal brain region. Increased activity in the left hemisphere has been linked to approach motivation and increased activity in the right hemisphere has been linked to avoidance or withdrawal. However, research on alpha asymmetry is diverse and has shown mixed results, which may partly be explained by the potency of the used stimuli to emotionally and motivationally engage participants. This review gives an overview of the types of affective stimuli utilized with the aim to identify which stimuli elicit a strong approach-avoidance effect in an affective context. We hope this contributes to better understanding of what is reflected by alpha asymmetry, and in what circumstances it may be an informative marker of emotional state. We systematically searched the literature for studies exploring event-related frontal alpha asymmetry in affective contexts. The search resulted in 61 papers, which were categorized in five stimulus categories that were expected to differ in their potency to engage participants: images & sounds, videos, real cues, games and other tasks. Studies were viewed with respect to the potency of the stimuli to evoke significant approach-avoidance effects on their own and in interaction with participant characteristics or condition. As expected, passively perceived stimuli that are multimodal or realistic, seem more potent to elicit alpha asymmetry than unimodal stimuli. Games, and other stimuli with a strong task-based component were expected to be relatively engaging but approach-avoidance effects did not seem to be much clearer than the studies using perception of videos and real cues. While multiple factors besides stimulus characteristics determine alpha asymmetry, and we did not identify a type of affective stimulus that induces alpha asymmetry highly consistently, our results indicate that strongly engaging, salient and/or personally relevant stimuli are important to induce an approach-avoidance effect.
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Millis RM, Arcaro J, Palacios A, Millis GL. Electroencephalographic Signature of Negative Self Perceptions in Medical Students. Cureus 2022; 14:e22675. [PMID: 35242485 PMCID: PMC8883328 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.22675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontal alpha asymmetry (fAA) is purported to be a neurophysiological marker for anxiety and depression. Higher left frontal alpha EEG voltage is associated with lower left and higher right frontal cerebral cortical activation, indicative of right-sided fAA. This pilot study tests the hypothesis that greater left-sided frontal alpha voltage is associated with negative thoughts about oneself. A group of eight healthy 28-41-year-old right-handed male medical students were subjected to an extensive interactive self-report inventory (ISI) evaluating perceptions of their psychosocial interactions. Quantitative EEG (qEEG) was performed with eyes closed. Computations of fAA and related parameters were based on measurements in the alpha bandwidth (8-13 Hz) at the left frontal F7 and right frontal F8 scalp electrodes. fAA was the percent difference between mean voltages at F8 minus that at F7. Significance of associations between fAA and the ISI scores was determined by Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient, at P≤0.05. “Depressed” scores were positively correlated with right-sided fAA (P=0.01). “Relaxed” (P=0.05), “regulated” (P=0.02), “cooperative” (P=0.05) and “dependent scores” (P=0.004) were negatively correlated with right-sided fAA. These findings imply that right-sided fAA may be associated with more perceptions of “depressed” psychosocial interactions involving negative thoughts about oneself, as well as, more reliance on others (“dependence” score), less sharing (“cooperative” ISI score), less trust (“regulated” ISI score) and less initiative (“relaxed” ISI score). These results support the hypothesis that right-sided fAA may identify individuals with a predilection for negative thoughts about themselves and other negatively-valenced perceptions of their psychosocial interactions.
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Eslinger PJ, Anders S, Ballarini T, Boutros S, Krach S, Mayer AV, Moll J, Newton TL, Schroeter ML, de Oliveira-Souza R, Raber J, Sullivan GB, Swain JE, Lowe L, Zahn R. The neuroscience of social feelings: mechanisms of adaptive social functioning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:592-620. [PMID: 34089764 PMCID: PMC8388127 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Social feelings have conceptual and empirical connections with affect and emotion. In this review, we discuss how they relate to cognition, emotion, behavior and well-being. We examine the functional neuroanatomy and neurobiology of social feelings and their role in adaptive social functioning. Existing neuroscience literature is reviewed to identify concepts, methods and challenges that might be addressed by social feelings research. Specific topic areas highlight the influence and modulation of social feelings on interpersonal affiliation, parent-child attachments, moral sentiments, interpersonal stressors, and emotional communication. Brain regions involved in social feelings were confirmed by meta-analysis using the Neurosynth platform for large-scale, automated synthesis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Words that relate specifically to social feelings were identfied as potential research variables. Topical inquiries into social media behaviors, loneliness, trauma, and social sensitivity, especially with recent physical distancing for guarding public and personal health, underscored the increasing importance of social feelings for affective and second person neuroscience research with implications for brain development, physical and mental health, and lifelong adaptive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Eslinger
- Departments of Neurology, Neural & Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, and Radiology, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
| | - Silke Anders
- Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Tommaso Ballarini
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sydney Boutros
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sören Krach
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Translational Psychiatry Unit, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Annalina V Mayer
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Translational Psychiatry Unit, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jorge Moll
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Tamara L Newton
- University of Louisville, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Matthias L Schroeter
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), BR Hospital Universitario, Universidade do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jacob Raber
- Departments of Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurology, and Radiation Medicine, Division of Neuroscience, ONPRC, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Gavin B Sullivan
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK
| | - James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Psychology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - Roland Zahn
- Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
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Casanova MF, Sokhadze EM, Casanova EL, Li X. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Neuropathological Underpinnings and Clinical Correlations. Semin Pediatr Neurol 2020; 35:100832. [PMID: 32892959 PMCID: PMC7477302 DOI: 10.1016/j.spen.2020.100832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite growing knowledge about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), research findings have not been translated into curative treatment. At present, most therapeutic interventions provide for symptomatic treatment. Outcomes of interventions are judged by subjective endpoints (eg, behavioral assessments) which alongside the highly heterogeneous nature of ASD account for wide variability in the effectiveness of treatments. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is one of the first treatments that targets a putative core pathologic feature of autism, specifically the cortical inhibitory imbalance that alters gamma frequency synchronization. Studies show that low frequency TMS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of individuals with ASD decreases the power of gamma activity and increases the difference between gamma responses to target and nontarget stimuli. TMS improves executive function skills related to self-monitoring behaviors and the ability to apply corrective actions. These improvements manifest themselves as a reduction of stimulus bound behaviors and diminished sympathetic arousal. Results become more significant with increasing number of sessions and bear synergism when used along with neurofeedback. When applied at low frequencies in individuals with ASD, TMS appears to be safe and to improve multiple patient-oriented outcomes. Future studies should be conducted in large populations to establish predictors of outcomes (eg, genetic profiling), length of persistence of benefits, and utility of booster sessions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel F. Casanova
- Director of Childhood Neurotherapeutics, Greenville Health System, Departments of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Greenville, SC, USA and Professor of Biomedical Sciences, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA
| | - Estate M. Sokhadze
- Research Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA
| | - Emily L. Casanova
- Research Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA
| | - Xiaoli Li
- Director, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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