Emotion Regulation Processes Research Articles

Identifying the relationship between depression and cognitive neuroscience

Major depression (MD) is increasingly prevalent worldwide and more practical treatments are in demand. Discovering its mechanisms and affective factors could help in finding better treatment and understanding how each individuals differences affect the mechanisms. This article focuses on discovering the relationship between depression and neuroscience, particularly on the cognitive aspect, emotion regulation, and brain structure. Three main executive functions in cognitive function, including updating, shifting, and inhibition are analyzed. Moreover, this paper indicates the relationship between dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in the brain structure and depression by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). With integrated information providing insights, several notable factors and mechanisms have been found. This proves that cognitive executive processes have a direct impact on emotion, where updating working memory can reduce the effects of negative emotions; however, shifting impairment tends to experience emotional dysregulation, and inhibitory deficits may impair adaptive emotion regulation processes. In addition, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) region of the brain structure manages the functions of emotion regulation and cognitive regulation. In a parallel understanding, cognitive dysfunction is associated with dynamic emotional states and MD psychopathology. Based on these findings, several possible treatments are subsequently put forward. Meanwhile, researchers discovered new directions to examine the relations between MD and neuroscience.

Electro-Acupuncture Effects Measured by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging-A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Electro-acupuncture, an innovative adaptation of traditional acupuncture, combines electrical stimulation with acupuncture needles to enhance therapeutic effects. While acupuncture is widely used, its biological mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Recent research has explored the neurophysiological aspects of acupuncture, particularly through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate its effects on brain activity. In this systematic review, we conducted an extensive search for randomized clinical trials examining electro-acupuncture effects measured by fMRI. We employed strict eligibility criteria, quality assessment, and data extraction. Five studies met our inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The selected studies investigated electro-acupuncture in various medical conditions, including carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and obesity. Notably, electro-acupuncture was found to modulate brain activity and connectivity in regions associated with pain perception, emotional regulation, and cognitive processing. These findings align with the holistic approach of traditional Chinese medicine, emphasizing the interconnectedness of body and mind. In carpal tunnel syndrome, electro-acupuncture at both local and distal sites showed neurophysiological improvements, suggesting distinct neuroplasticity mechanisms. In fibromyalgia, somatosensory electro-acupuncture correlated with reduced pain severity, enhanced brain connectivity, and increased gamma-aminobutyric acid levels. For Crohn's disease, electro-acupuncture influenced the homeostatic afferent processing network, potentially mitigating gut inflammation. Electro-acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome led to decreased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, offering pain relief, while electro-acupuncture for obesity impacted brain regions associated with dietary inhibition and emotional regulation. This systematic review provides evidence that electro-acupuncture can positively impact a range of medical conditions, possibly by modulating brain activity and connectivity. While the quality of the reviewed studies is generally good, further research with larger sample sizes and longer-term assessments is needed to better understand the mechanisms and optimize electro-acupuncture protocols for specific health conditions. The limited number of studies in this review emphasizes the need for broader investigations in this promising field. The research protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023465866).

Investigation of Childhood Traumas, Emotion Regulation Processes and Dissociation as Predictives of Social Anxiety

Investigation of Childhood Traumas, Emotion Regulation Processes and Dissociation as Predictives of Social Anxiety

Aging modulates frontal lobes involvement in emotion regulation processing.

Emotion regulation (ER) is the process by which individuals can modulate the intensity of their emotional experience and it plays a crucial role in daily life. So far, behavioral analyses seem to suggest that ER ability remains stable throughout the lifespan. However, imaging studies evaluating the neural correlates of ER performance during the aging process have shown mixed results. In this study, we used the "Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort sample" to investigate: (1) ER behavioral performance and (2) the differential association between brain measures (based on both structural and functional connectivity data) and ER performance, in a group of younger/middle-aged participants (N = 159; age range: 18y < x < 58y) relative to a group of older healthy subjects (N = 136; age range: 58y < =x < 89y). Whereas we found no group-related differences either in ER behavioral data or the association between ER performance and structural data, we did observe that ER performance was differentially correlated in our two study groups to functional connectivity measures in the fronto-insular-temporal network, which has been shown to be involved in emotional processing. Group-related differences were specifically localized in a cluster of voxels within the anterior cingulate areas which revealed a reverse pattern between our study groups: in younger/middle-aged participants better ER performance was associated with increase connectivity, whereas among older participants better ER performance was related to reduced connectivity. Based on our results, we suggest that a de-differentiation mechanism, known to affect the frontal lobes brain activity and connectivity in older subjects, might explain our findings.

Impact of IAD on Teenagers Emotion Regulation and Anxiety

The probability of adolescents becoming addicted to the Internet has increased as a result of the increasing number of adolescents using the Internet and media. Internet addiction disorder (IAD) cannot be ignored for the mental health of adolescents. This study examines the harm of IAD on adolescents in terms of mental health from two perspectives: the impact of IAD on adolescents emotion regulation and the cause of adolescents anxiety disorders. IAD affects adolescents proper emotion regulation mechanisms from the step of reconceptualization that affects the process of emotion regulation and causes adolescents to suffer from anxiety disorders, which manifests itself in the impact on adolescents social life and lack of self-confidence in their body image Impact. This study calls for increased societal attention to the impact of IAD on adolescent mental health. This study also may provide a basis for future research on IAD prevention strategies by researchers and mental health professionals.

Silencing screaming with screens: The longitudinal relationship between media emotion regulation processes and children's emotional reactivity, emotional knowledge, and empathy.

Many parents use screens to regulate their young children's emotions. We know very little, however, about how this parenting practice is related to the development of emotional competencies (i.e., emotional reactivity, emotion knowledge, and empathy) over time. The current longitudinal study examined bidirectional associations between media emotion regulation and various emotional competencies across a 1-year period during early childhood (between ages 3.5 and 4.5 on average). Participants included 269 child/parent dyads who completed a number of in-home tasks and questionnaires. Results revealed that higher levels of media emotion regulation were associated with worse emotional knowledge and empathy and higher emotional reactivity at the cross-sectional level. However, early media emotion regulation was associated with higher levels of child empathy 1 year later. We discuss these results in the context of general parenting practices and encourage future research on the topic with a focus on how these processes develop over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Distinctive modulation patterns of functional brain connectivity of the default mode network by negative social emotions are associated with Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in community‐dwelling older adults – cross‐sectional findings from the Age‐Well trial

AbstractBackgroundRecent evidence in Alzheimer’s diseases suggests that early dysfunction of emotional processing may precede the onset of cognitive decline and dementia. Altered functional brain connectivity patterns also occur along with other brain changes many years before clinical AD symptoms.MethodWe combined baseline multimodal neuroimaging data from cognitively healthy older adults (N = 125) enrolled in the Age‐Well trial of the Medit‐Ageing study. The aim was to elucidate the relationship of five AD risk factors (amyloid‐beta depositions and hypoperfusion with AV45‐PET, hippocampal atrophy, cognition with PACC‐5, cardiovascular risk with CAIDE) with carry‐over effects of social emotions and related brain functions. Using k‐means clustering analysis with the AD risk factors, we first defined participants with higher or lower preclinical risk for AD. We then used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to probe functional brain connectivity in resting periods following negative socio‐emotional videos in the SoVT‐Rest paradigm.ResultParticipants with a higher preclinical AD risk showed reduced positivity bias in affect ratings and reduced connectivity patterns between control‐related frontal brain regions and emotion‐related limbic regions (amygdala). In particular, this fronto‐limbic connectivity was associated with higher cardiovascular risk on the CAIDE composite score.ConclusionWe find evidence for changes in post‐emotion functional recovery patterns in fronto‐limbic brain networks in at‐risk individuals for AD. These changes might reflect impaired emotion regulation processes.

Adapting to Thrive: How the Evolution of Brain Physiology Shapes Human Behavior

In this paper we analyze diverse theories about the workings of the mind and the evolutionary trajectory of brain physiology, giving rise to species-typical mechanisms in human cognition. Evolutionary psychology has shed light on how a computational theory of the mind elucidates the development of specialized psychological programs, enhancing our fitness based on ancestral conditions. An example of such adaptation is the expansion of the prefrontal cortex relative to body size, particularly among primates. This enlargement fosters the formation of intricate social structures, leading to more extensive groups and refined social dynamics. Interestingly, this positive link between brain size and social structure holds true for both humans and non-human primates. Recent strides in neuroscience and brain technology have enabled us to uncover the primary brain regions influencing social cognition, executive function, and emotional processing. Brain areas including the frontal lobe, prefrontal cortex, insular cortex, cingulate cortex, hypothalamus, and others intricately shape learning, emotion regulation, and decision-making processes. Therefore, the evidence for the evolutionary theory of the mind and its implications for behavioral neuroscience are undeniable.

How does the experience of shame impact body dysmorphic symptomatology? Exploring the role of mindfulness and body image-related cognitive fusion

Shame has been considered a core component of body dysmorphia-related symptomatology. However, literature concerning the emotion regulation processes that underlie the association between these two constructs seems to be scarce. Therefore, the main aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the role that mindfulness and body image-related cognitive fusion has on the relationship between the experience of shame and body dysmorphia-related symptomatology Additionally, biological sex differences concerning the studied variables were explored. Three hundred and twenty-seven participants (male and female) above 18 years old completed an online survey with self-report measures to assess shame experiences, mindfulness, body image-related cognitive fusion and body dysmorphia-related symptoms. Results indicated that female participants presented higher body dysmorphia-related symptomatology when compared with males. A path analysis was conducted suggesting that, while controlling for the effect of age and BMI, the experience of shame had a direct effect on body dysmorphia-related symptomatology, as well as an indirect effect through mindfulness and body image-related cognitive fusion. This model presented a good fit, explaining 56% of the variance of body dysmorphia-related symptomatology. Also, findings from a multi-group path analysis revealed that the relationship between these variables is invariant across males and females. These findings have important research and clinical implications, supporting the importance of targeting mindfulness and cognitive defusion skills when working in the context of Body Dysmorphia.

The COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted the healthy fading of emotions in autobiographical memory mediated via in‐person social disclosures

AbstractWe explore the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United Kingdom upon the fading affect bias in autobiographical memory, which describes the greater fading of negative emotional intensity over time compared to positive. Across two studies we show that the magnitude of the FAB is smaller for pandemic‐related events compared to pandemic‐unrelated events. The FAB is thought to represent the result of healthy coping processes operating on autobiographical memory and our results indicate that these processes were disrupted, to a certain extent, by the pandemic. These effects were mediated by frequent in‐person social disclosures of pleasant pandemic‐unrelated events, which was, in turn, associated with less fading of positive affect. Further, the FAB for both pandemic‐related and unrelated events was mediated by disclosures via social media. Together, these results highlight the potential effectiveness of using various modes of communication to facilitate emotional regulation processes in autobiographical memory.

Pathways from threat exposure to psychotic symptoms in youth: The role of emotion recognition bias and brain structure.

Research supports an association between threatening experiences in childhood and psychosis. It is possible that early threat exposure disrupts the development of emotion recognition (specifically, producing a bias for facial expressions relating to threat) and the brain structures subserving it, contributing to psychosis development. Using data from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort, we examined associations between threat exposure and both the misattribution of facial expressions to fear/anger in an emotion recognition task, and gray matter volumes in key emotion processing regions. Our sample comprised youth with psychosis spectrum symptoms (N=304), control youth (N=787), and to evaluate specificity, youth with internalizing symptoms (N=92). The moderating effects of group and sex were examined. Both the psychosis spectrum and internalizing groups had higher levels of threat exposure than controls. In the total sample, threat exposure was associated with lower left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) volume but not misattributions to fear/anger. The effects of threat exposure did not significantly differ by group or sex. The findings of this study provide evidence for an effect of threat exposure on mPFC morphology, but do not support an association between threat exposure and a recognition bias for threat-related expressions, that is particularly pronounced in psychosis. Future research should investigate factors linking transdiagnostic alterations related to threat exposure with psychotic symptoms, and attempt to clarify the mechanisms underpinning emotion recognition misattributions in threat-exposed youth.

Major Depression and the Perception of Affective Instrumental and Expressive Gestures: An fMRI Investigation

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with biased perception of human movement. Gesture is important for communication and in this study we investigated neural correlates of gesture perception in MDD. We hypothesised different neural activity between individuals with MDD and typical individuals when viewing instrumental and expressive gestures that were negatively or positively valenced. Differences were expected in brain areas associated with gesture perception, including superior temporal, frontal, and emotion processing regions. We recruited 12 individuals with MDD and 12 typical controls matched on age, gender, and handedness. They viewed gestures displayed by stick figures while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed. Results of a random effects three-way mixed ANOVA indicated that individuals with MDD had greater activity in the right claustrum compared to controls, regardless of gesture type or valence. Additionally, we observed main effects of gesture type and valence, regardless of group. Perceiving instrumental compared to expressive gestures was associated with greater activity in the left cuneus and left superior temporal gyrus, while perceiving negative compared to positive gestures was associated with greater activity in the right precuneus and right lingual gyrus. We also observed a two-way interaction between gesture type and valence in various brain regions.

“I never display my emotions”: emotion suppression among Ultra-Orthodox female teachers

PurposeThe current study explored the process of emotion regulation among Ultra-Orthodox female teachers in Jewish educational system in Israel.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a semi-structured interview comprising 13 Ultra-Orthodox female teachers in single-sex education for girls.FindingsThe teachers preferred to suppress their positive and negative emotions rather than displaying them in their interactions with students, emphasizing the importance of self-restraint and self-control in their professional work and in their religious society.Originality/valueThe paper sheds light on the connection between traditional societies whose culture is grounded deeply in their religious faith and teachers' modes of emotion regulation. The findings may enhance the understanding of cultural and contextual influences on teachers' emotion regulation and shed light on the ways in which female teachers balance their personal feelings with emotional rules in the religious society in which they live and work.

Putting the emotion regulation process into person-specific context: An experience sampling and mobile sensing study

Emotion regulation is theorized to be situation-dependent. Thus far, researchers have looked for situational predictors of emotion regulation across individuals without considering that associations could vary from person to person. In a 14-day experience sampling and mobile sensing study (N = 164), we used Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation (GIMME) to test how the emotion regulation process (goals, motives, strategies, and success) is linked to aspects of situations. A variety of idiographic associations between situations and emotion regulation emerged. Both self-reported subjective situations and passively sensed objective situations predicted emotion regulation, though more effects emerged for self-reported subjective situations (e.g., perceived negativity, sociality, or duty). Implications are discussed for personalized prediction of and intervention on daily emotion regulation.

Social support and overeating in young women: The role of altering functional network connectivity patterns and negative emotions

Research suggests that social support has a protective effect on emotional health and emotionally induced overeating. Women are especially more sensitive to benefits from social support when facing eating problems. Although it has been demonstrated that social support can affect the neural processes of emotion regulation and reward perception, it is unclear how social support alters synergistic patterns in large-scale brain networks associated with negative emotions and overeating. We used a large sample of young women aged 17–22 years (N = 360) to examine how social support influences the synchrony of five intrinsic networks (executive control network [ECN], default mode network, salience network [SN], basal ganglia network, and precuneus network [PN]) and how these networks influence negative affect and overeating. Additionally, we explored these analyses in another sample of males (N = 136). After statistically controlling for differences in age and head movement, we observed significant associations of higher levels of social support with increased intra- and inter-network functional synchrony, particularly for ECN-centered network connectivity. Subsequent chain-mediated analyses showed that social support predicted overeating through the ECN−SN and ECN−PN network connectivity and negative emotions. However, these results were not found in men. These findings suggest that social support influences the synergistic patterns within and between intrinsic networks related to inhibitory control, emotion salience, self-referential thinking, and reward sensitivity. Furthermore, they reveal that social support and its neural markers may play a key role in young women's emotional health and eating behavior.

Working students’ perceptions of the emotion regulation process. A qualitative study

Working students’ perceptions of the emotion regulation process. A qualitative study

Emotional regulation and emotional processing among schizophrenia patients or patients at high risk for psychosis - a review

Emotional regulation and emotional processing among schizophrenia patients or patients at high risk for psychosis - a review

Cannabis use during pregnancy and hemodynamic responses to infant cues in pregnancy: an exploratory study.

Cannabis is one of the most commonly used substances during pregnancy and has the potential to negatively impact parent-infant relationships. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) response to infant cues during pregnancy has been associated with subsequent positive parenting behaviors. However, PFC activation is altered in individuals who use cannabis. As the potency of cannabis has changed over the years, little is known about the specific role of cannabis use on gestational parent brain responses to infant cues. Using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) in the second trimester of pregnancy, we measured hemodynamic responses to an infant cry task and an infant faces task among individuals who were using cannabis (N = 14) and compared them with those who were not using cannabis (N = 45). For the infant cry task, pregnant individuals listened to cry sounds and matched white noise. For the infant faces task, they viewed happy, sad, and neutral faces. There was no significant difference between the two groups after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Without adjusting for multiple comparisons, we found preliminary evidence for the differences in the dorsomedial PFC associated with heightened response to infant cry among individuals who use cannabis. The groups were also different in the dorsolateral PFC associated with decreased response to infant sad faces among individuals who use cannabis. Our preliminary data suggests that cannabis use during pregnancy was associated with brain activation in the regions involved in the emotional regulation and information processes. However, the results did not survive after adjustment for multiple comparisons, thus future research with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm potential differences in brain function among cannabis-using pregnant individuals.

Clinical effectiveness of mindfulness-based music therapy on improving emotional regulation in blind older women: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate clinical effectiveness of a structured eight-week mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT) program on improving mood regulation in older women with blindness. This investigation compared a MBMT group with a mindfulness intervention (MI) group and a control group. MethodsNinety-two older females with blindness from a residential setting in Hong Kong were recruited and randomly allocated to a MBMT (n = 31), MI (n = 30), or control (n = 31) group. Psychological measurements regarding mood regulation and general mood states (namely, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [DERS], Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS], and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21), were taken at pretest and posttest. Outcome assessors were blinded to group assignment. ResultsData was analyzed based on intention-to-treat basis. At posttest, DERS scores in the MBMT group (mean differences and 95% confidence interval: 12.1, 5.5 to 18.8) and the MI group (7.2, 0.5 to 13.8) were lower than that in the control group. GDS scores in the MBMT group (2.9, 1.7 to 4.0) and the MI group (1.7, 0.6 to 2.9) were lower than those in the control group. Compared with the MI group, the MBMT group improved emotional awareness sub-scores in DERS (2.1, 0.2 to 4.1) and appeared to lower depression in GDS scores (1.1, -0.0 to 2.3; p = 0.053). ConclusionMBMT seems more beneficial than MI alone for improving emotional regulation in older women with blindness. The combination of mindfulness and music can generate a synergetic effect by enhancing both attention and appraisal components within the emotional-regulation process. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05583695.

Emotion regulation research in hospitality and tourism

Purpose This paper aims to develop a comprehensive model on intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation (ER) in hospitality and tourism (H&amp;T) service encounters. Design/methodology/approach A critical review and reflection of ER research from multiple disciplines was conducted. Methodologies appropriate for investigating ER were also reviewed. Findings A comprehensive framework was proposed to outline key influential factors, processes and consequences of intra- and interpersonal ER in service encounters in the H&amp;T industry. Methodologies integrating advanced tools were suggested to measure complex and dynamic emotion generation and regulation processes in social interactions from a multimodal perspective. Research limitations/implications The researchers developed a comprehensive conceptual model on both intra- and interpersonal ER based on a critical review of the most recent psychological research on ER. Various theoretical and methodological considerations are discussed, offering H&amp;T scholars a solid starting point to explore dynamic emotion generation and regulation processes in complex social settings. Moreover, the model provides future directions for the expansion of ER theories, which have been mostly developed and tested based on laboratory research. Originality/value The proposed model addresses two critical issues identified in emotion research in the H&amp;T field: the lack of a dynamic perspective and the neglect of the social nature of emotions. Moreover, the model provides a roadmap for future research.