scholarly journals Emotion regulation through bifocal processing of fear inducing and disgust inducing stimuli

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Wittfoth ◽  
Antonia Pfeiffer ◽  
Michael Bohne ◽  
Heinrich Lanfermann ◽  
Matthias Wittfoth
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Stimulus Type ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Behavioral Effects ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Regulatory Effects

Abstract Background We present first-time evidence for the immediate neural and behavioral effects of bifocal emotional processing via visualized tapping for two different types of negative emotions (fear and disgust) in a sample of healthy participants. Results Independent of stimulus type, neural activation in the amygdala is increased during regulation, while activation in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex is decreased. Behavioral responses, as well as lateral and medial occipital regions and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex show differential regulatory effects with respect to stimulus type. Conclusions Our findings suggest that emotion regulation through bifocal processing has a neural and behavioral signature that is distinct from previously investigated emotion regulation strategies. They support theoretical models of facilitated access to and processing of emotions during bifocal processing and suggest differential neural and behavioral effects for various types of negative emotions.

Distinct neural mechanisms of emotional processing in prolonged grief disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Bryant ◽  
Elpiniki Andrew ◽  
Mayuresh S. Korgaonkar
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Prolonged Grief Disorder ◽  
Prolonged Grief ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Subliminal Processing ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) has recently been recognized as a separate psychiatric diagnosis, despite controversy over the extent to which it is distinctive from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods This study investigated distinctive neural processes underpinning emotion processing in participants with PGD, PTSD, and MDD with functional magnetic resonance study of 117 participants that included PGD (n = 21), PTSD (n = 45), MDD (n = 26), and bereaved controls (BC) (n = 25). Neural responses were measured across the brain while sad, happy, or neutral faces were presented at both supraliminal and subliminal levels. Results PGD had greater activation in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC), bilateral insula, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices and right caudate and also greater pgACC–right pallidum connectivity relative to BC during subliminal processing of happy faces. PGD was distinct relative to both PTSD and MDD groups with greater recruitment of the medial orbitofrontal cortex during supraliminal processing of sad faces. PGD were also distinct relative to MDD (but not PTSD) with greater activation in the left amygdala, caudate, and putamen during subliminal presentation of sad faces. There was no distinction between PGD, PTSD, and MDD during processing of happy faces. Conclusions These results provide initial evidence of distinct neural profiles of PGD relative to related psychopathological conditions, and highlight activation of neural regions implicated in reward networks. This pattern of findings validates current models of PGD that emphasize the roles of yearning and appetitive processes in PGD.

scholarly journals Functional Decoupling of Emotion Coping Network Subsides Automatic Emotion Regulation by Implementation Intention

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Shengdong Chen ◽  
Nanxiang Ding ◽  
Fushun Wang ◽  
Zhihao Li ◽  
Shaozheng Qin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Effortful Control ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Implementation Intention ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Regulatory Effects ◽  
Emotion Coping ◽  
Automatic Emotion Regulation

Automatic emotion regulation (AER) plays a vital role in the neuropathology underlying both suicide and self-harm via modifying emotional impact effortlessly. However, both the effortless account and the neural mechanisms of AER are undetermined. To investigate the neural changes at AER, we collected functional MRI (fMRI) in 31 participants who attended to neutral and disgust pictures in three conditions: watching, goal intention (GI), and reappraisal by implementation intention (RII). Results showed that RII (but not GI) decreased negative feelings and bilateral amygdala activity without increasing cognitive efforts, evidenced by the reduced effort rating and less prefrontal engagement during RII compared with during watching and GI. These emotion-regulatory effects of RII cannot be explained by emotional habituation, as the supplementary experiment ( N = 31 ) showed no emotional habituation effects when the same disgust pictures were presented repeatedly three times for each watching and GI condition. Task-based network analysis showed both RII and GI relative to watching increased functional connectivities (FCs) of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex to the left insula and right precuneus during conditions, two FCs subserving goal setup. However, RII relative to GI exhibited weaker FCs in brain networks subserving effortful control, memory retrieval, aversive anticipation, and motor planning. In these FCs, the FC intensity of putamen-operculum/lingual and paracentral-superior temporal gyri positively predicted regulatory difficulty ratings. These findings suggest that the setup of implementation intention automatizes emotion regulation by reducing the online mobilization of emotion-coping neural systems.

scholarly journals Multimodal brain imaging connectivity analyses of emotional and motivational deficits in depression among women

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. E303-E312
Author(s):  
Gabriel Robert ◽  
Elise Bannier ◽  
Magali Comte ◽  
Lea Domain ◽  
Isabelle Corouge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Internal Capsule ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Diffusion Weighted Mri ◽  
Moderate Sample Size ◽  
Degenerative Disorders ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Negative Stimuli

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by impaired cortical–subcortical functional connectivity. Apathy adds to functional impairment, but its cerebral basis in MDD remains unknown. Our objective was to describe impairments in functional connectivity during emotional processing in MDD (with varying levels of congruency and attention), and to determine their correlation with apathy. Methods: We used the Variable Attention Affective Task during functional MRI, followed by diffusion-weighted MRI, to assess 55 right-handed women (30 with MDD and 25 healthy controls) between September 2012 and February 2015. We estimated functional connectivity using generalized psychophysiologic interaction and anatomic connectivity with tract-based spatial statistics. We measured apathy using the Apathy Evaluation Scale. Results: We found decreased functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during negative stimuli in participants with MDD (t54 = 4.2; p = 0.035, family-wise error [FWE]–corrected). During high-attention stimuli, participants with MDD showed reduced functional connectivity between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the right ACC (t54 = 4.06, pFWE = 0.02), but greater functional connectivity between the right dlPFC and the right amygdala (t54 = 3.35, p = 0.048). Apathy was associated with increased functional connectivity between the right dlPFC and the right ACC during high-attention stimuli (t28 = 5.2, p = 0.01) and increased fractional anisotropy in the right posterior cerebellum, the anterior and posterior cingulum and the bilateral internal capsule (all pFWE < 0.05). Limitations: Limitations included a moderate sample size, concomitant antidepressant therapy and no directed connectivity. Conclusion: We found that MDD was associated with impairments in cortical–subcortical functional connectivity during negative stimuli that might alter the recruitment of networks engaged in attention. Apathy-related features suggested networks similar to those observed in degenerative disorders, but possible different mechanisms.

scholarly journals Alterations in neural circuits underlying emotion regulation following child maltreatment: a mechanism underlying trauma-related psychopathology

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Jenness ◽  
Matthew Peverill ◽  
Adam Bryant Miller ◽  
Charlotte Heleniak ◽  
Madeline M. Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Passive Viewing

Abstract Background Disruptions in neural circuits underlying emotion regulation (ER) may be a mechanism linking child maltreatment with psychopathology. We examined the associations of maltreatment with neural responses during passive viewing of negative emotional stimuli and attempts to modulate emotional responses. We investigated whether the influence of maltreatment on neural activation during ER differed across development and whether alterations in brain function mediated the association between maltreatment and a latent general psychopathology (‘p’) factor. Methods Youth aged 8–16 years with (n = 79) and without (n = 72) exposure to maltreatment completed an ER task assessing neural responses during passive viewing of negative and neutral images and effortful attempts to regulate emotional responses to negative stimuli. P-factor scores were defined by a bi-factor model encompassing internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Results Maltreated youth had greater activation in left amygdala and salience processing regions and reduced activation in multiple regions involved in cognitive control (bilateral superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) when viewing negative v. neutral images than youth without maltreatment exposure. Reduced neural recruitment in cognitive control regions mediated the association of maltreatment with p-factor in whole-brain analysis. Maltreated youth exhibited increasing recruitment with age in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during reappraisal while control participants exhibited decreasing recruitment with age. Findings were similar after adjusting for co-occurring neglect. Conclusions Child maltreatment influences the development of regions associated with salience processing and cognitive control during ER in ways that contribute to psychopathology.

scholarly journals Alexithymia and frontal–amygdala functional connectivity in North Korean refugees

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nambeom Kim ◽  
Inkyung Park ◽  
Yu Jin Lee ◽  
Sehyun Jeon ◽  
Soohyun Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
North Korean Refugees ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Resting State Connectivity

AbstractBackgroundRefugees commonly experience difficulties with emotional processing, such as alexithymia, due to stressful or traumatic experiences. However, the functional connectivity of the amygdala, which is central to emotional processing, has yet to be assessed in refugees. Thus, the present study investigated the resting-state functional connectivity of the amygdala and its association with emotional processing in North Korean (NK) refugees.MethodsThis study included 45 NK refugees and 40 native South Koreans (SK). All participants were administered the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Clinician-administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), and differences between NK refugees and native SK in terms of resting-state functional connectivity of the amygdala were assessed. Additionally, the association between the strength of amygdala connectivity and the TAS score was examined.ResultsResting-state connectivity values from the left amygdala to the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) were higher in NK refugees than in native SK. Additionally, the strength of connectivity between the left amygdala and right dlPFC was positively associated with TAS score after controlling for the number of traumatic experiences and BDI and CAPS scores.ConclusionsThe present study found that NK refugees exhibited heightened frontal–amygdala connectivity, and that this connectivity was correlated with alexithymia. The present results suggest that increased frontal–amygdala connectivity in refugees may represent frontal down-regulation of the amygdala, which in turn may produce alexithymia.

Individual beliefs about emotion and perceptions of belief stability are associated with emotion dysregulation, interpersonal emotional attributes and psychological flexibility

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Veilleux ◽  
Garrett Pollert ◽  
kayla skinner ◽  
Danielle Baker ◽  
Kaitlyn Chamberlain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Emotional Expressivity ◽  
Control Behavior ◽  
Interpersonal Emotion Regulation ◽  
Intelligence Beliefs

The beliefs people hold about emotion are clearly relevant for emotional processes, although the social psychological research on malleability or “lay” beliefs about emotion are rarely integrated with the clinical research on emotional schemas. In the current study, we examine a variety of beliefs about emotion (e.g., beliefs that emotions can be changed, beliefs that negative emotions are bad, beliefs that emotions should not be expressed, beliefs that emotions control behavior, beliefs that emotions last “forever”) along with other emotion belief measures and measures of psychopathology (general psychological distress, borderline personality), emotion dysregulation, interpersonal emotional attributions (emotional expressivity, interpersonal emotion regulation) and psychological flexibility (mindfulness, emotional intelligence). In a combined sample of undergraduates (n = 162) and adults from Mechanical Turk (n = 197), we found that beliefs about the longevity and uniqueness of emotions were unique predictors of psychopathology, even after controlling for age and gender. We also found that after controlling for symptoms of psychopathology, beliefs about longevity and that negative emotions are bad predicted greater emotion dysregulation and lower mindfulness. Beliefs that emotions should be kept to the self and a preference of logic over emotion predicted less emotional expressivity, interpersonal emotion regulation, and emotional intelligence. Beliefs that emotions control behavior also predicted lower mindfulness. Finally, when asked whether they think their beliefs change during strong emotions, people who said their beliefs change (about two-thirds of the sample) reported higher symptoms of psychopathology, higher emotion dysregulation, higher use of interpersonal regulation strategies and lower mindfulness.

scholarly journals Application of three different coaching strategies through a virtual coach for people with emotional eating: a vignette study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aranka Dol ◽  
Christina Bode ◽  
Hugo Velthuijsen ◽  
Tatjana van Strien ◽  
Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Emotional Eating ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Eating Behaviour ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Food Cravings ◽  
Vignette Study ◽  
Coaching Strategies ◽  
Applied Design

Abstract Background Around 13% of the world’s population suffers from obesity. More than 40% of people with obesity display emotional eating behaviour (eating in response to negative emotions or distress). It is an alternate to more effective coping strategies for negative emotions. Our study explored the opportunities for helping adults with emotional overeating using a virtual coach, aiming to identify preferences for tailored coaching strategies applicable in a personal virtual coach environment. Three different coaching strategies were tested: a validating, a focus-on-change, and a dialectical one – the latter being a synthesis of the first two strategies. Methods A qualitative study used vignettes reflecting the two most relevant situations for people with emotional eating: 1. experiencing negative emotions, with ensuing food cravings; and 2. after losing control to emotional eating, with ensuing feelings of low self-esteem. Applied design: 2 situations × 3 coaching strategies. Participants: 71 adult women (Mage 44.4/years, range 19–70, SD = 12.86) with high scores on the DEBQ-emotional eating scale (Memo 3.65, range 1.69–4.92, SD = .69) with mean BMI 30.1 (range 18–46, SD = 6.53). They were recruited via dieticians’ practices, were randomly assigned to the conditions and asked how they would face and react to the presented coaching strategies. Data were transcribed and a thematic analysis was conducted. Results Qualitative results showed that participants valued both the validating coaching strategy and the focus-on-change strategy, but indicated that a combination of validation and focus-on-change provides both mental support and practical advice. Data showed that participants differed in their level of awareness of the role that emotions play in their overeating and the need for emotion-regulation skills. Conclusion The design of the virtual coach should be based on dialectical coaching strategies as preferred by participants with emotional eating behaviour. It should be tailored to the different stages of awareness of their emotions and individual emotion-regulation skills.

Neurophysiological correlates of disorder-related autobiographical memory in anorexia nervosa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Valentin Terhoeven ◽  
Christoph Nikendei ◽  
Sandra Faschingbauer ◽  
Julia Huber ◽  
Kymberly D. Young ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Referential Processing ◽  
Food Body ◽  
Cue Words ◽  
Specific Food

Abstract Background Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by an overgeneralization of food/body-related autobiographical memories (AM). This is regarded as an emotion regulation strategy with adverse long-term effects implicated in disorder maintenance and treatment resistance. Therefore, we aimed to examine neural correlates of food/body-related AM-recall in AN. Methods Twenty-nine female patients with AN and 30 medication-free age-sex-matched normal-weight healthy controls (HC) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while recalling AMs in response to food/body-related and neutral cue words. To control for general knowledge retrieval, participants engaged in a semantic generation and riser detection task. Results In comparison to HC, patients with AN generated fewer and less specific AMs in response to food/body-related words, but not for neutral cue words. Group comparisons revealed reduced activation in regions associated with self-referential processing and memory retrieval (precuneus and angular gyrus) during the retrieval of specific food/body-related AM in patients with AN. Brain connectivity in regions associated with memory functioning and executive control was reduced in patients with AN during the retrieval of specific food/body-related AM. Finally, resting-state functional connectivity analysis revealed no differences between groups, arguing against a general underlying disconnection of brain networks implicated in memory and emotional processing in AN. Conclusions These results indicate impaired neural processing of food/body-related AM in AN, with a reduced involvement of regions involved in self-referential processing. Our findings are discussed as possible neuronal correlates of emotional avoidance in AN and provide new insights of AN-pathophysiology underscoring the importance of targeting dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies during treatment.

Associations between mental wellbeing and fMRI neural bases underlying responses to positive emotion in a twin sample

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Haeme R.P. Park ◽  
Miranda R. Chilver ◽  
Arthur Montalto ◽  
Javad Jamshidi ◽  
Peter R. Schofield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Activity ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background Although mental wellbeing has been linked with positive health outcomes, including longevity and improved emotional and cognitive functioning, studies examining the underlying neural mechanisms of both subjective and psychological wellbeing have been sparse. We assessed whether both forms of wellbeing are associated with neural activity engaged during positive and negative emotion processing and the extent to which this association is driven by genetics or environment. Methods We assessed mental wellbeing in 230 healthy adult monozygotic and dizygotic twins using a previously validated questionnaire (COMPAS-W) and undertook functional magnetic resonance imaging during a facial emotion viewing task. We used linear mixed models to analyse the association between COMPAS-W scores and emotion-elicited neural activation. Univariate twin modelling was used to evaluate heritability of each brain region. Multivariate twin modelling was used to compare twin pairs to assess the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to this association. Results Higher levels of wellbeing were associated with greater neural activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, localised in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), in response to positive emotional expressions of happiness. Univariate twin modelling showed activity in the IFG to have 20% heritability. Multivariate twin modelling suggested that the association between wellbeing and positive emotion-elicited neural activity was driven by common variance from unique environment (r = 0.208) rather than shared genetics. Conclusions Higher mental wellbeing may have a basis in greater engagement of prefrontal neural regions in response to positive emotion, and this association may be modifiable by unique life experiences.

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