Improvement In Attention Control Research Articles

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Enhancing Sports Performance

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in enhancing sports performance. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study found that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) hold promise in enhancing sports performance across various disciplines. The study indicate that athletes who engage in mindfulness practices experience improvements in attentional control, emotional regulation, and stress management, all of which are critical for optimal athletic performance. By cultivating present-moment awareness and fostering a non-judgmental attitude toward thoughts and sensations, athletes can better focus on the task at hand, manage competitive pressure, and maintain peak performance under stressful conditions. Furthermore, MBIs have been shown to facilitate skill acquisition and execution, as well as promote recovery and injury rehabilitation. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of incorporating mindfulness training into sports training programs to enhance athletes' mental resilience and overall performance. However, further research is needed to elucidate the specific mechanisms through which mindfulness exerts its effects on sports performance and to optimize the integration of MBIs into athletic training regimens. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Self-determination theory, cognitive-behavioral theory and flow theory may be used to anchor future studies on assessing effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in enhancing sports performance. Develop evidence-based mindfulness training programs tailored specifically for athletes across different sports disciplines and performance levels. Advocate for the integration of mindfulness training into athlete development programs at the grassroots, elite, and professional levels.

Mindfulness intervention improves executive functions of depressed individuals and their neural mechanism

<p indent="0mm">By 2030, depression is expected to become a global economic burden due to its serious effect on people’s physical and mental health. According to LeMoult and Gotlib’s cognitive theory of depression, individuals with depression have executive function defects, which lead to negative cognitive processing bias and increased use of non-adaptive emotional regulation strategies such as rumination. According to Beevers’ dual processing theory of cognitive vulnerability to depression, individuals with depression use more negative automatic processing and less reflective processing, which results in bad mood cycles. This review suggests that executive functions are closely related to reflective processing and that the improvement of executive functions provides depressed individuals with more cognitive resources for such processing. This is because the improvement of executive functions reduces the bias of negative cognitive processing and the negative automatic processing mentioned in the dual processing theory of cognitive vulnerability to depression. The decentralized mechanism of mindfulness can effectively improve executive functions, trigger reflective processing, particularly in depressed individuals, correct negative automatic thinking, and alleviate depressive symptoms. Depressive individuals have defects in working memory, cognitive flexibility, and response inhibition and maintain cognitive processing biases consistent with depressive mood. Therefore, executive function defects may be an important cognitive dispositional factor for individuals with depression. Mindfulness interventions can alleviate depressive symptoms and negative cognitive processing biases by improving executive functions. This review compared two studies published in <italic>Nature Reviews Neuroscience</italic> on the cognitive neural mechanisms of mindfulness and depression respectively, and then suggested that the intrinsic functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, default mode network, and frontal limbic system is an important neural mechanism for mindfulness intervention’s effect on the executive function defects of depressed individuals. Specifically, mindfulness intervention can activate the anterior cingulate gyrus in depressed individuals and enhance the functional connection between the prefrontal lobe and anterior cingulate gyrus, which is the neural mechanism of attentional control in mindfulness intervention. Improvements in attentional control are conducive to the inhibition of depressed individuals’ responses to negative stimuli. Mindfulness interventions can effectively reduce the activation of the amygdala in depressed individuals and enhance the functional connection between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, which is the neural mechanism for emotional regulation in depressed individuals. This can reduce attentional bias to negative stimuli and the feeling of negative emotions. Mindfulness interventions can also effectively reduce the activation level of the default mode network in depressed individuals and enhance the control of the central executive network, which is the neural mechanism that aids mindfulness in improving meta-awareness. Improvements in meta-awareness help depressed individuals reduce negative self-reference processing and rumination. Future research should first explore the interactions between the three components of executive functions in individuals with depression. The executive functions that are the most effective predictors of depression should also be explored. Next, the aspect of mindfulness intervention that has the largest effect on the executive functions of individuals with depression should be clarified, specifically, which executive functions of mindfulness intervention has the most obvious effect on depressed individuals—whether “Awareness” or “Acceptance” is the core component of the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions on individuals with depression. This should be proved by randomized dismantling trial. Finally, mindfulness intervention programs should be developed to improve the efficacy of depression treatment. “Acceptance” may be a key component of the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for individuals with depression. Morita therapy can be integrated into the daily practice of mindfulness to improve individuals’ acceptance of negative events. Cognitive impairment in individuals with subclinical depression is not very severe. Thus, cognitive training can first improve the cognitive functions of individuals with subclinical depression; then, mindfulness interventions that increase the acceptance can consolidate cognitive functions and relieve depressive symptoms.

Attentional capture in goal-directed action during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood

Attentional capture occurs when salient but task-irrelevant information disrupts our ability to respond to task-relevant information. Although attentional capture costs have been found to decrease between childhood and adulthood, it is currently unclear the extent to which such age-related changes reflect an improved ability to recover from attentional capture or to avoid attentional capture. In addition, recent research using hand-tracking techniques with adults indicates that attentional capture by a distractor can generate response activations corresponding to the distractor’s location, consistent with action-centered models of attention. However, it is unknown whether attentional capture can also result in the capture of action in children and adolescents. Therefore, we presented 5-year-olds, 9-year-olds, 13- and 14-year-olds, and adults (N = 96) with a singleton search task in which participants responded by reaching to touch targets on a digital display. Consistent with action-centered models of attention, distractor effects were evident in each age group’s movement trajectories. In contrast to movement trajectories, movement times revealed significant age-related reductions in the costs of attentional capture, suggesting that age-related improvements in attentional control may be driven in part by an enhanced ability to recover from—as opposed to avoid—attentional capture. Children’s performance was also significantly affected by response repetition effects, indicating that children may be more susceptible to interference from a wider range of task-irrelevant factors than adults. In addition to presenting novel insights into the development of attention and action, these results highlight the benefits of incorporating hand-tracking techniques into developmental research.

Mindfulness interventions improve momentary and trait measures of attentional control: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial.

Mindfulness interventions have been shown to improve several subcomponents of attention; however, the psychological mechanisms driving these improvements are unknown. Mindfulness interventions train individuals to monitor present moment experiences while adopting an attitude of acceptance toward these experiences. We conducted a theoretically driven randomized controlled trial to test the putative mechanisms of mindfulness training that drive improvements in attentional control. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: (a) monitor and accept (MA) training, a standard 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention that included cultivation of both monitoring and acceptance skills; (b) monitor only (MO) training, a well-matched modified 8-week MBSR-adapted intervention that focused on monitoring skills only; or (c) no treatment (NT) control. Momentary attentional control was measured via ecological momentary assessment for 3 days at baseline and postintervention. Trait attentional control was assessed at baseline and postintervention using traditional self-report. Participants also completed a dichotic listening task to assess sustained attention at baseline and postintervention. We found that MA and MO participants improved in momentary and trait attentional control (but not attention task performance) relative to NT participants. Analyses of indirect effects were consistent with the possibility that increased momentary attentional control partially accounts for MA/MO intervention-related increases in trait attentional control. This randomized controlled trial provides one of the first experimental tests of the mechanisms of mindfulness interventions that drive improvements in attention outcomes. These findings support the notion that present-focused monitoring skills training drives mindfulness intervention-related improvements in momentary attentional control, which in turn fosters greater trait attentional control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Audiovisual integrative training for augmenting cognitive- motor functions in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

BackgroundPrevious studies indicated that the behavioral performances of older adults could be enhanced by multisensory integration. This pilot study tested the benefits of an audiovisual integrative (AV) training for improving the cognitive and upper limb motor functions in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).MethodsTwenty participants, according to their MoCA scores, with ten in each of a MCI (mean age = 63.3 years) and healthy older adult group (mean age = 64.7 years), engaged in AV integrative training. They were recruited from the Institute of Active Ageing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The screening was conducted from February to March 2018 and the training program which consisted of three sessions (2 h each) was conducted from 14-28th May 2018. Their executive function, attention and upper limb functions were measured by the Stroop Test and Purdue Pegboard Test respectively.ResultsThe mixed linear model analysis results showed significant Time x Group interaction effects in the time used in the Stroop Test (dots) (p = 0.042) and the Purdue Pegboard scores (non-dominant hand use) (p = 0.025). The MCI group exhibited significantly more improvements in attentional control and non-dominant hand motor functions after the training.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that the AV integrative training has the potential for enhancing the cognitive and motor functions of older adults with MCI. Furthermore, AV integrative training can serve as an alternative non-pharmacological intervention for combating neurodegeneration in older adults.Trial registrationThis study has been retrospectively registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry which is a World Health Organisation approved registry. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ChiCTR2000029408, January 29th, 2020.

Does Change in Attention Control Mediate the Impact of tDCS on Attentional Bias for Threat? Limited Evidence from a Double-blind Sham-controlled Experiment in an Unselected Sample.

Neurocognitive models of attentional bias for threat posit that attentional bias may result from a decreased activation of the left prefrontal cortex, and especially of its dorsolateral part (dlPFC), resulting in an impaired attention control. Consequently, a transient increase of neural activity within the left dlPFC via non-invasive brain stimulation reduces attentional bias among both anxious and nonanxious participants. Yet, it is still unclear whether the impact of dlPFC activation on attentional bias is mediated by improvement in attention control. In this experiment, we sought to test this hypothesis in an unselected sample (n = 20). Accordingly, we adopted a double-blind within-subject protocol in which we delivered a single-session of anodal versus sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the left dlPFC during the completion of a task assessing attention control. We also assessed its subsequent impact on attentional bias. Neither attention control nor attentional bias did significantly improve following anodal tDCS. Although our results do not support our main hypothesis, we believe the present null results to be particularly useful for future meta-research in the field. We also formulated a series of methodological recommendations for future research aiming at testing the tDCS-induced modification of attentional bias.

Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation App on Subjective Well-Being: Active Randomized Controlled Trial and Experience Sampling Study.

BackgroundMindfulness training (MT) includes a variety of contemplative practices aimed at promoting intentional awareness of experience, coupled with attitudes of nonjudgment and curiosity. Following the success of 8-week, manualized group interventions, MT has been implemented in a variety of modalities, including smartphone apps that seek to replicate the success of group interventions. However, although smartphone apps are scalable and accessible to a wider swath of population, their benefits remain largely untested.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate a newly developed MT app called Wildflowers, which was codeveloped with the laboratory for use in mindfulness research. It was hypothesized that 3 weeks of MT through this app would improve subjective well-being, attentional control, and interoceptive integration, albeit with weaker effects than those published in the 8 week, manualized group intervention literature.MethodsUndergraduate students completed 3 weeks of MT with Wildflowers (n=45) or 3 weeks of cognitive training with a game called 2048 (n=41). State training effects were assessed through pre- and postsession ratings of current mood, stress level, and heart rate. Trait training effects were assessed through pre- and postintervention questionnaires canvassing subjective well-being and behavioral task measures of attentional control and interoceptive integration. State and trait training data were analyzed in a multilevel model using emergent latent factors (acceptance, awareness, and openness) to summarize the trait questionnaire battery.ResultsAnalyses revealed both state and trait effects specific to MT; participants engaging in MT demonstrated improved mood (r=.14) and a reduction of stress (r=−.13) immediately after each training session compared with before the training session and decreased postsession stress over 3 weeks (r=−.08). In addition, MT relative to cognitive training resulted in greater improvements in attentional control (r=−.24). Interestingly, both groups demonstrated increased subjective ratings of awareness (r=.28) and acceptance (r=.23) from pre- to postintervention, with greater changes in acceptance for the MT group trending (r=.21).ConclusionsMT, using a smartphone app, may provide immediate effects on mood and stress while also providing long-term benefits for attentional control. Although further investigation is warranted, there is evidence that with continued usage, MT via a smartphone app may provide long-term benefits in changing how one relates to their inner and outer experiences.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03783793; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03783793 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/75EF2ehst)

Yogic Breathing Instruction in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Pilot Study.

Aim:This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effects of instruction in yogic breathing techniques (Pranayama) in patients with treatment-resistant generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in UK secondary mental health services settings.Materials and Methods:Participants were adult primary or secondary care patients with a primary diagnosis of GAD (with or without comorbidity) and persistent anxiety symptoms of at least moderate intensity, despite prior treatment with two or more medications of proven efficacy. Patients participated in group-delivered yogic breathing training and practice for 12 weeks. Structured assessments were performed at baseline, after 1, 2, and 6 weeks of instruction, and at end-point. Participants also completed the antisaccade (emotional variant) task and startle response task at baseline and end-point.Results:At baseline, participating patients (n = 9) had moderate-to-severe anxiety symptoms and mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms, they attended 84% of offered sessions and provided positive feedback on the content and delivery of treatment. Symptom severity reduced significantly from baseline to end-point. There were greater errors on negative trials compared to neutral trials in the antisaccade task at baseline, and a significant reduction in antisaccade errors for negative stimuli as compared to neutral stimuli between baseline and end-point: but there were no significant differences in either mean heart rate or startle response between baseline and end-point.Limitations:The absence of a control group and small sample size.Conclusion:Yogic breathing techniques proved simple to learn and may be beneficial in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant GAD. Yogic breathing had no effect on autonomic arousal, but the reduction in errors to negative stimuli in the antisaccade task suggests an improvement in attention control during the intervention accompanying the reduction in symptoms.

Musical dual-task training in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia: a randomized controlled trial

Background/aimsDual-task training may improve dual-task gait performance, balance, and cognition in older adults with and without cognitive impairment. Although music has been widely utilized in dementia management, there are no existing protocols for music-based dual-task training. This randomized controlled study developed a Musical Dual-Task Training (MDTT) protocol that patients with dementia can use to practice walking and making music simultaneously, to enhance attention control in patients during dual-tasking.MethodsTwenty-eight adults diagnosed with mild-to-moderate dementia were assigned to the MDTT (n=15) or control groups (n=13). The MDTT group received MDTT, while the control group participated in non-musical cognitive and walking activities. The effects of MDTT were evaluated through the primary outcome of attention control, and secondary outcomes of dual-task performance, balance, falls efficacy, and agitation.ResultsThe MDTT group showed a significant improvement in attention control, while the control group did not (P<0.001). A significant effect favored MDTT over control treatment for the secondary outcome of falls efficacy (P=0.02) and agitation (P<0.01).ConclusionMDTT, a music therapy intervention that demands a high level of cognitive processing, enhances attention control, falls efficacy, and helps alleviate agitation in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia.

Therapeutic Effects of Prolonged Cannabidiol Treatment on Psychological Symptoms and Cognitive Function in Regular Cannabis Users: A Pragmatic Open-Label Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Chronic cannabis use has been associated with impaired cognition and elevated psychological symptoms, particularly psychotic-like experiences. While Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is thought to be primarily responsible for these deleterious effects, cannabidiol (CBD) is purported to have antipsychotic properties and to ameliorate cognitive, symptomatic, and brain harms in cannabis users. However, this has never been tested in a prolonged administration trial in otherwise healthy cannabis users. Here, we report the first study of prolonged CBD administration to a community sample of regular cannabis users in a pragmatic trial investigating potential restorative effects of CBD on psychological symptoms and cognition.Materials and Methods: Twenty frequent cannabis users (16 male, median age 25 years) underwent a 10-week open-label trial of 200 mg of daily oral CBD treatment, while continuing to use cannabis as usual. The majority of participants were daily cannabis users who had used cannabis for several years (median 5.5 years of regular use). Participants underwent psychological and cognitive assessments at baseline (BL) and post-treatment (PT) and were monitored weekly throughout the trial.Results: CBD was well tolerated with no reported side effects; however, participants retrospectively reported reduced euphoria when smoking cannabis. No impairments to cognition were found, nor were there deleterious effects on psychological function. Importantly, participants reported significantly fewer depressive and psychotic-like symptoms at PT relative to BL, and exhibited improvements in attentional switching, verbal learning, and memory. Increased plasma CBD concentrations were associated with improvements in attentional control and beneficial changes in psychological symptoms. Greater benefits were observed in dependent than in nondependent cannabis users.Conclusions: Prolonged CBD treatment appears to have promising therapeutic effects for improving psychological symptoms and cognition in regular cannabis users. Our findings require replication given the lack of a placebo control in this pragmatic trial, but suggest that CBD may be a useful adjunct treatment for cannabis dependence.

A randomised controlled trial investigating the benefits of adaptive working memory training for working memory capacity and attentional control in high worriers

The process of worry has been associated with reductions in working memory capacity and availability of resources necessary for efficient attentional control. This, in turn, can lead to escalating worry. Recent investigations into working memory training have shown improvements in attentional control and cognitive performance in high trait-anxious individuals and individuals with sub-clinical depression. The current randomised controlled trial investigated the effects of 15 days of adaptive n-back working memory training, or an active control task, on working memory capacity, attentional control and worry in a sample of high worriers. Pre-training, post-training and one-month follow-up measures of working memory capacity were assessed using a Change Detection task, while a Flanker task was used to assess attentional control. A breathing focus task was used as a behavioural measure of worry in addition to a number of self-report assessments of worry and anxiety. Overall there was no difference between the active training and the active control condition with both groups demonstrating similar improvements in working memory capacity and worry, post-training and at follow-up. However, training-related improvements on the n-back task were associated with gains in working memory capacity and reductions in worry symptoms in the active training condition. These results highlight the need for further research investigating the role of individual differences in working memory training.

The Impact of Action Video Game Training on Mathematical Abilities in Adults

Playing action video games has previously been linked to improvements in attentional control, the ability to choose what to attend and what to ignore that relies on a frontoparietal network of the brain. Here we asked whether action video game training would impact a range of mathematical abilities that rely on similar brain regions. Twenty-four adults completed extensive cognitive testing before, after 25 hr, and after 40 hr of video game training. Half of the participants trained on an action video game, the other half trained on a nonaction video game. Action video game training yielded no significant improvements in foundational number-processing skills and attentional control in this study but some improvements on standardized assessments of complex mathematics. Thus, although action video game play is clearly not an intervention of choice when considering mathematical skills, the present study suggests its use as a recreational activity may support, albeit weakly, complex mathematical skills.

The effects of adaptive working memory training and mindfulness meditation training on processing efficiency and worry in high worriers

Worry is the principle characteristic of generalised anxiety disorder, and has been linked to deficient attentional control, a main function of working memory (WM). Adaptive WM training and mindfulness meditation practice (MMP) have both shown potential to increase attentional control. The present study hence investigates the individual and combined effects of MMP and a dual adaptive n-back task on a non-clinical, randomised sample of high worriers. 60 participants were tested before and after seven days of training. Assessment included self-report questionnaires, as well as performance tasks measuring attentional control and working memory capacity. Combined training resulted in continued reduction in worry in the week after training, highlighting the potential of utilising n-back training as an adjunct to established clinical treatment. Engagement with WM training correlated with immediate improvements in attentional control and resilience, with worry decreasing over time. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The impact of attentional training on event-related potentials in older adults

Attentional control declines in older adults and is paralleled by changes in event-related brain potentials (ERPs). The N200 is associated with attentional control, thus training-related improvements in attentional control should be paralleled by enhancements to the N200. Older participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups, which focused on training different levels of attentional control: (1) single-task training (single), where participants trained on 2 tasks in isolation; (2) fixed divided attention training (fixed), where participants trained on 2 tasks simultaneously; and (3) variable divided attention training (variable), where participants trained on 2 tasks simultaneously but were instructed to alternatively prioritize each of the 2 tasks. After training, the amplitude of the N200 wave increased in dual-task conditions for the variable group, and this enhancement was correlated with improved dual-task performance. Participants in the variable group also had the greatest improvement in the ability to modulate their allocation of attention in accordance with task instructions to the less salient and less complex of the 2 tasks. Training older adults to modulate their division of attention between tasks improves neural functions associated with attentional control of the trained tasks.

Attention Control and Attention to Emotional Stimuli in Anxious Children Before and After Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This study investigated attention control and attentional bias for emotional stimuli in children with anxiety disorders, compared with disorder-free children. Furthermore, it examined the effect of individual cognitive behavioral therapy on these attentional variables in anxious children. Participants included 22 anxious and 20 control children (aged 7–12 years; 50 % female). Attention control was measured using a partial report-by-color task based on the theory of visual attention, which assesses ability to focus on task-relevant information and resist distraction by non-emotional task-irrelevant information. Attentional bias for emotional faces was assessed using a visual probe task with angry, happy, and neutral faces. Anxious and control children were assessed at baseline (pre-treatment) and, in addition, anxious children were re-assessed post-treatment and at 6 months following treatment. Before treatment, children with clinical anxiety showed poorer attention control and greater attentional bias for emotional faces in comparison to control children. Following treatment, anxious children showed a significant reduction in attentional bias for emotional faces, and a trend for improvement in attention control. There was no significant change in attentional bias or attention control between post-treatment and 6-months follow-up assessments. Findings contribute to prior research by showing that clinically anxious children exhibit both increased attention to emotional information and impaired attention control, and that following treatment their attentional bias and attention control are comparable with those of control children. Further research is required to clarify the extent to which changes in attentional functioning relate to the maintenance of anxiety disorders and responsiveness to treatment.

Attentional Control and Suppressing Negative Thought Intrusions in Pathological Worry.

Adaptive behavior relies on the ability to effectively and efficiently ignore irrelevant information, an important component of attentional control. The current research found that fundamental difficulties in ignoring irrelevant material are related to dispositional differences in trait propensity to worry, suggesting a core deficit in attentional control in high worriers. The degree of deficit in attentional control correlated with the degree of difficulty in suppressing negative thought intrusions in a worry assessment task. A cognitive training procedure utilizing a flanker task was used in an attempt to improve attentional control. Although the cognitive training was largely ineffective, improvements in attentional control were associated with improvements in the ability to suppress worry-related thought intrusions. Across two studies, the findings indicate that the inability to control worry-related negative thought intrusions is associated with a general deficiency in attentional control.

Subcortical modulation of attentional control by second-generation antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis

Psychotic disorders are characterized by significant deficits in attentional control, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these deficits early in the course of illness prior to extensive pharmacotherapy are not well understood. Moreover, little is known regarding the symptom and brain changes associated with amelioration of attentional impairments through antipsychotic pharmacotherapy. In this study 14 male patients experiencing a first-episode of psychosis with minimal prior antipsychotic treatment completed an attentional control task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging at the onset of treatment with a second generation antipsychotic (risperidone or aripiprazole) in a double blind randomized clinical trial and then again following approximately 12 weeks of treatment. In addition, 14 age-, and performance-matched healthy male volunteers who were not treated completed the same task at a baseline timepoint and then again following 12 weeks. Patients showed significantly greater activation than healthy volunteers in the right globus pallidus, left thalamus, and right thalamus at the time of the baseline scan. Among patients there was a significant reduction in right globus pallidus blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response following antipsychotic treatment that correlated significantly with improvement in response accuracy and reductions in thought disturbance. No changes in globus pallidus activation were observed in healthy volunteers over this time period. These preliminary findings suggest that improvement in attentional control and concomitant reductions in thought disturbance in first-episode psychosis may be associated with reductions in subcortical activity following administration of second-generation antipsychotics early in the course of illness. These findings have implications for understanding how changes in basal ganglia activity may be linked to improvements in attentional control through antipsychotics.

Influence of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on the inhibition of emotional information in healthy volunteers

Evidence suggests that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) might be a promising new treatment procedure for depression. However, underlying working mechanisms of this technique are yet unclear. Multiple sessions of rTMS may--apart from the reported antidepressant effects--cause primary improvements in attentional control over emotional information, modulated by changes in cortical brain excitability within stimulated prefrontal regions. In two experiments, we examined the temporary effects of high-frequency (HF) rTMS (10 Hz) applied over the left and right DLPFC on the attentional processing of emotional information and self-reported mood within samples of healthy volunteers. The present study showed that one session of HF-rTMS over the right DLPFC produces instant impairments in the ability to inhibit negative information, in line with a characteristic cognitive vulnerability found in depressive pathology, whereas HF-rTMS of the left DLPFC did not lead to significant changes in attentional control. These effects could not be attributed to mood changes. The findings of the present study may suggest a specific involvement of the right DLPFC in the attentional processing of emotional information.