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Emotional Interference Inhibition − A Neural Mechanism Linking Behavior and Resilience

Dietrich, Anya (2023)
Emotional Interference Inhibition − A Neural Mechanism Linking Behavior and Resilience.
Technische Universität Darmstadt
doi: 10.26083/tuprints-00024550
Dissertation, Erstveröffentlichung, Verlagsversion

Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract)

Background

All living organisms in complex environments are frequently and inevitably exposed to various emotional stimuli during stressful life events, which have the potential to induce stress or specific emotional states. These emotions can drive them to excel or disastrously interfere with the course of their lives. Consequently, the adequate and beneficial processing of these stimuli is vital for survival. As an evolutionary adaptive process, reoccurring threatening and emotional stimuli are processed automatically, reflexively, preferably and prioritized (James, 1890; Tooby and Cosmides, 1990). As a result, neural processing resources are directed towards emotional stimuli at the expenses of other non-emotional processing or activities (Öhman et al., 2001), such as goal-directed cognitive processes.

However, these processes can be equally important for survival as they guarantee, for example the satisfaction of basic needs, such as foraging or mating, as well as adaption to changing conditions, solving of problems, making decisions, planning, or the fostering of social cooperation. The delicate balance and optimal integration of emotional and cognitive processing are essential for optimal functioning. This oftentimes requires shielding of the cognitive process from an emotional interference. Emotional interference inhibition refers to the capacity to effectively suppress the disruptive impact of interfering emotional stimuli.

Unfortunately, its failure is often associated with mental health disorders, such as in anxiety or depressive disorders or in post-traumatic stress disorder (Etkin and Schatzberg, 2011; Zetsche and Joormann, 2011; Kronhaus et al., 2006; Bremner et al., 2004). On the other hand, when emotional interference inhibition functions effectively, it can contribute to mental well-being and promote resilience (Kalisch et al., 2015). Resilience is a complex and multidimensional concept referring to the ability to maintain mental health in the face of life adversity such as trauma or stress by adapting, recovering, bouncing back, or even thriving (Seery et al., 2010; Kalisch et al., 2015). Importantly, resilience does not revolve around avoiding or eradicating negative life experiences or stressors. Instead, resilience emphasizes the significance of adequately processing these events, enabling individuals to engage in beneficial thoughts and behaviors to cope effectively. Therefore, in recent years, research studies focused more and more on investigating the mediating neurobiological mechanisms. Among those, one neurobiological resilience mechanism that has gained significant attention is emotional interference inhibition (Kalisch et al., 2015).

Nevertheless, despite the growing interest in emotional interference inhibition, many questions still remain unanswered. The current work seeks to shed light on the following unresolved questions:

Which Cognitive Inhibitory Subcomponent is Vulnerable to Emotional Interferences?

The first study (The Impact of Emotional Interference on the Subcomponents of Cognitive Inhibitory Processes) of the current work investigated the impact of emotional interference on various subcomponents of cognitive inhibitory processes. The impact of emotions on cognitive inhibitory processes is particularly relevant, as these processes are essential for goal pursuit and overall well-being, and have been found to be overlapping though separable (Stahl et al., 2014). However, the extent to which different subcomponents of cognitive inhibitory processes are susceptible to emotional interference remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the vulnerability of cognitive inhibitory subcomponents to emotional interference using a systematic behavioral test battery including an emotional Flanker task, an emotional Stop Signal task, an emotional Recent Probes task, and a Cognitive Emotion Regulation task in a large cohort of healthy participants (N = 121). These tasks address several cognitive inhibitory subcomponents such as stimulus interference inhibition, proactive interference inhibition, response inhibition, and behavioral inhibition.

Our results revealed that some subcomponents of cognitive inhibitory processes exhibited emotion-cognition interaction effects, indicating varying degrees of susceptibility to emotional interferences. Among these subcomponents, stimulus interference inhibition emerged as a particularly vulnerable and critical process, displaying clear interaction effects between emotion and cognition. This finding highlights the importance of inhibiting interfering emotional stimuli for goal-pursuit and well-being, which can be particularly relevant in the context of mental health disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Furthermore, our study demonstrated that emotional interference significantly affected behavioral performance, as evidenced by slower reaction times and lower accuracies in tasks involving emotional stimuli compared to neutral stimuli. Emotions interfered significantly with cognitive inhibitory processes in various tasks, including the Flanker task, Recent Probes task, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation task. However, the Stop Signal task did not exhibit significant emotion-cognition interaction effects, suggesting that certain subcomponents may be less vulnerable to emotional interference. However, the only task with clear emotion-cognition interaction effects associated with inhibitory control was the Flanker task. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complex interplay between emotion and cognition, highlighting the differential vulnerability of cognitive inhibitory subcomponents to emotional interference. Specifically, the identification of stimulus interference inhibition as a particularly susceptible subcomponent emphasizes its clinical relevance and underscores the importance of targeting this process in interventions aimed at improving emotional interference inhibition for well-being and mental health. Future research should explore the underlying neural mechanisms and generalize these findings to different populations and mental health disorders.

What are the Neural Correlates of Emotional Interference Inhibition?

The second study (Neural Mechanisms of Emotional Interference Inhibition) delved into the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying emotional interference inhibition in the brain, as it is considered a general neurobiological resilience mechanism. Building upon the findings of the first study, which identified stimulus interference inhibition as particularly vulnerable to emotional interferences, this study aimed at investigating the neural activity derived from the electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of the same emotional Flanker task employed in a large cohort of healthy participants (N=121). By pairing the large cohort with state-of-the-art EEG/FEM beamforming, we obtained high temporal and fMRI-equivalent spatial resolution. Spatially, emotion and cognition processing overlapped in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), specifically in pars triangularis. Temporally, emotion and cognition processing overlapped during the transition from emotional to cognitive processing, with a stronger interaction in β-band power leading to worse behavioral performance. Despite functionally segregated subdivisions in rIFG, frequency-specific information flowed extensively within IFG and top-down to visual areas (V2, Precuneus) — explaining the behavioral interference effect. Thus, for the first time, we here show the neural mechanisms of emotional interference inhibition in space, time, frequency, and information transfer with high temporal and spatial resolution, revealing a central role for β-band activity in rIFG. Moreover, our results support the idea that rIFG plays a broad role in both inhibitory control and emotional interference inhibition, as it is a site of convergence in both processes. Furthermore, our results have potential clinical implications for understanding dysfunctional emotion-cognition interaction and emotional interference inhibition in psychiatric disorders, e.g., major depression and substance use disorder, in which patients have difficulties in regulating emotions and executing inhibitory control.

What is the Association of Emotional Interference Inhibition and Resilience?

The third study (Emotional Interference inhibition and Resilience) aimed to explore the relationship between resilience and emotional interference inhibition, a cognitive process involved in regulating emotions and cognitive performance. The Longitudinal Resilience Assessment (LORA) study employed a large cohort of participants (N = 1139) across a wide age range, monitoring their naturally occurring life stressors and mental health outcomes over time. Psychophysical measures of emotional interference inhibition, including reaction time and accuracy, were obtained through an emotional Flanker task in accordance with study 1 (The Impact of Emotional Interference on the Subcomponents of Cognitive Inhibitory Processes) and study 2 (Emotional Interference inhibition and Resilience). Emotional interference inhibition in the domain of stimulus interference inhibition predicted prospective individual resilience. In agreement with Study 1, the results showed that emotional interference had a significant impact on behavioral performance, with negative emotional stimuli negatively affecting accuracy and reaction time, indicating the disruptive effects of emotional interference on cognitive performance. Notably, resilient individuals exhibited better emotional interference inhibition, particularly in the domain of stimulus interference inhibition as measured by reaction time. This suggests that resilient individuals have more cognitive resources and are better able to manage emotional interference during demanding cognitive tasks. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of stimulus interference inhibition as a critical factor for resilience outcomes and suggest its potential as a target for interventions aimed at enhancing resilience. Understanding the relationship between emotional interference inhibition and resilience is crucial for developing effective strategies to promote mental health and well-being in the face of life adversity. Future research should explore the potential of stimulus interference inhibition as an intervention target to enhance resilience.

Conclusio

The current work contributes significantly to the understanding of the complex interplay of emotion and cognition by investigating the neural mechanisms of emotional interference inhibition and its association to behavior and resilience. Three studies were presented that contribute to the understanding of emotional interference inhibition in general and its function as a neurobiological resilience mechanism. Stimulus interference inhibition, which is closely related to the processing of interfering cognitive or emotional visual stimuli, is a particularly vulnerable inhibitory subcomponent. This is in line with Stahl et al. (2014) supporting a certain separability of cognitive inhibitory subcomponents. It suggests that proficient cognitive inhibition fosters emotional interference inhibition, possibly by requiring fewer processing resources or by overall better inhibitory processing. The early inhibition of irrelevant stimuli before processing them at higher-order levels aligns with the idea that affective or threatening stimuli are processed bottom-up and reflexively (James, 1890; Tooby and Cosmides, 1990). It further indicates that early stages of the processing hierarchy are specifically vulnerable to emotional interferences, whereas later stages forward interferences once they are incorporated, even though this might elicit faulty responses. Furthermore, we identified, transient emotional interference inhibition in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), particularly in pars triangularis. Our findings suggest that IFG serves as a general inhibitor of emotional and non-emotional processes. It influences stimulus processing and thereby potentially stimulus interference inhibition through top-down modulations. Additionally, the activity of IFG is associated to behavior and resilience, thereby supporting the idea of Kalisch et al. (2015) that emotional interference inhibition is a resilience mechanism. Especially as resilient individuals exhibit better emotional interference inhibition, indicating enhanced cognitive resources.

In conclusion, our findings suggest that individuals with higher levels of resilience demonstrate enhanced capacity to employ emotional interference inhibition and that emotional interference inhibition is executed by IFG shaping stimulus processing and thereby critically determining the percept that preconditions behavioral responses and appraisals or reappraisals and thereby shape resilience. These findings have valuable implications for fostering resilience, promoting well-being, and improving mental health outcomes.

Typ des Eintrags: Dissertation
Erschienen: 2023
Autor(en): Dietrich, Anya
Art des Eintrags: Erstveröffentlichung
Titel: Emotional Interference Inhibition − A Neural Mechanism Linking Behavior and Resilience
Sprache: Englisch
Referenten: Galuske, Prof. Dr. Ralf ; Wibral, Prof. Dr. Michael
Publikationsjahr: 2 Oktober 2023
Ort: Darmstadt
Kollation: xxx, 185 Seiten
Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 14 September 2023
DOI: 10.26083/tuprints-00024550
URL / URN: https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/24550
Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract):

Background

All living organisms in complex environments are frequently and inevitably exposed to various emotional stimuli during stressful life events, which have the potential to induce stress or specific emotional states. These emotions can drive them to excel or disastrously interfere with the course of their lives. Consequently, the adequate and beneficial processing of these stimuli is vital for survival. As an evolutionary adaptive process, reoccurring threatening and emotional stimuli are processed automatically, reflexively, preferably and prioritized (James, 1890; Tooby and Cosmides, 1990). As a result, neural processing resources are directed towards emotional stimuli at the expenses of other non-emotional processing or activities (Öhman et al., 2001), such as goal-directed cognitive processes.

However, these processes can be equally important for survival as they guarantee, for example the satisfaction of basic needs, such as foraging or mating, as well as adaption to changing conditions, solving of problems, making decisions, planning, or the fostering of social cooperation. The delicate balance and optimal integration of emotional and cognitive processing are essential for optimal functioning. This oftentimes requires shielding of the cognitive process from an emotional interference. Emotional interference inhibition refers to the capacity to effectively suppress the disruptive impact of interfering emotional stimuli.

Unfortunately, its failure is often associated with mental health disorders, such as in anxiety or depressive disorders or in post-traumatic stress disorder (Etkin and Schatzberg, 2011; Zetsche and Joormann, 2011; Kronhaus et al., 2006; Bremner et al., 2004). On the other hand, when emotional interference inhibition functions effectively, it can contribute to mental well-being and promote resilience (Kalisch et al., 2015). Resilience is a complex and multidimensional concept referring to the ability to maintain mental health in the face of life adversity such as trauma or stress by adapting, recovering, bouncing back, or even thriving (Seery et al., 2010; Kalisch et al., 2015). Importantly, resilience does not revolve around avoiding or eradicating negative life experiences or stressors. Instead, resilience emphasizes the significance of adequately processing these events, enabling individuals to engage in beneficial thoughts and behaviors to cope effectively. Therefore, in recent years, research studies focused more and more on investigating the mediating neurobiological mechanisms. Among those, one neurobiological resilience mechanism that has gained significant attention is emotional interference inhibition (Kalisch et al., 2015).

Nevertheless, despite the growing interest in emotional interference inhibition, many questions still remain unanswered. The current work seeks to shed light on the following unresolved questions:

Which Cognitive Inhibitory Subcomponent is Vulnerable to Emotional Interferences?

The first study (The Impact of Emotional Interference on the Subcomponents of Cognitive Inhibitory Processes) of the current work investigated the impact of emotional interference on various subcomponents of cognitive inhibitory processes. The impact of emotions on cognitive inhibitory processes is particularly relevant, as these processes are essential for goal pursuit and overall well-being, and have been found to be overlapping though separable (Stahl et al., 2014). However, the extent to which different subcomponents of cognitive inhibitory processes are susceptible to emotional interference remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the vulnerability of cognitive inhibitory subcomponents to emotional interference using a systematic behavioral test battery including an emotional Flanker task, an emotional Stop Signal task, an emotional Recent Probes task, and a Cognitive Emotion Regulation task in a large cohort of healthy participants (N = 121). These tasks address several cognitive inhibitory subcomponents such as stimulus interference inhibition, proactive interference inhibition, response inhibition, and behavioral inhibition.

Our results revealed that some subcomponents of cognitive inhibitory processes exhibited emotion-cognition interaction effects, indicating varying degrees of susceptibility to emotional interferences. Among these subcomponents, stimulus interference inhibition emerged as a particularly vulnerable and critical process, displaying clear interaction effects between emotion and cognition. This finding highlights the importance of inhibiting interfering emotional stimuli for goal-pursuit and well-being, which can be particularly relevant in the context of mental health disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Furthermore, our study demonstrated that emotional interference significantly affected behavioral performance, as evidenced by slower reaction times and lower accuracies in tasks involving emotional stimuli compared to neutral stimuli. Emotions interfered significantly with cognitive inhibitory processes in various tasks, including the Flanker task, Recent Probes task, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation task. However, the Stop Signal task did not exhibit significant emotion-cognition interaction effects, suggesting that certain subcomponents may be less vulnerable to emotional interference. However, the only task with clear emotion-cognition interaction effects associated with inhibitory control was the Flanker task. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complex interplay between emotion and cognition, highlighting the differential vulnerability of cognitive inhibitory subcomponents to emotional interference. Specifically, the identification of stimulus interference inhibition as a particularly susceptible subcomponent emphasizes its clinical relevance and underscores the importance of targeting this process in interventions aimed at improving emotional interference inhibition for well-being and mental health. Future research should explore the underlying neural mechanisms and generalize these findings to different populations and mental health disorders.

What are the Neural Correlates of Emotional Interference Inhibition?

The second study (Neural Mechanisms of Emotional Interference Inhibition) delved into the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying emotional interference inhibition in the brain, as it is considered a general neurobiological resilience mechanism. Building upon the findings of the first study, which identified stimulus interference inhibition as particularly vulnerable to emotional interferences, this study aimed at investigating the neural activity derived from the electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of the same emotional Flanker task employed in a large cohort of healthy participants (N=121). By pairing the large cohort with state-of-the-art EEG/FEM beamforming, we obtained high temporal and fMRI-equivalent spatial resolution. Spatially, emotion and cognition processing overlapped in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), specifically in pars triangularis. Temporally, emotion and cognition processing overlapped during the transition from emotional to cognitive processing, with a stronger interaction in β-band power leading to worse behavioral performance. Despite functionally segregated subdivisions in rIFG, frequency-specific information flowed extensively within IFG and top-down to visual areas (V2, Precuneus) — explaining the behavioral interference effect. Thus, for the first time, we here show the neural mechanisms of emotional interference inhibition in space, time, frequency, and information transfer with high temporal and spatial resolution, revealing a central role for β-band activity in rIFG. Moreover, our results support the idea that rIFG plays a broad role in both inhibitory control and emotional interference inhibition, as it is a site of convergence in both processes. Furthermore, our results have potential clinical implications for understanding dysfunctional emotion-cognition interaction and emotional interference inhibition in psychiatric disorders, e.g., major depression and substance use disorder, in which patients have difficulties in regulating emotions and executing inhibitory control.

What is the Association of Emotional Interference Inhibition and Resilience?

The third study (Emotional Interference inhibition and Resilience) aimed to explore the relationship between resilience and emotional interference inhibition, a cognitive process involved in regulating emotions and cognitive performance. The Longitudinal Resilience Assessment (LORA) study employed a large cohort of participants (N = 1139) across a wide age range, monitoring their naturally occurring life stressors and mental health outcomes over time. Psychophysical measures of emotional interference inhibition, including reaction time and accuracy, were obtained through an emotional Flanker task in accordance with study 1 (The Impact of Emotional Interference on the Subcomponents of Cognitive Inhibitory Processes) and study 2 (Emotional Interference inhibition and Resilience). Emotional interference inhibition in the domain of stimulus interference inhibition predicted prospective individual resilience. In agreement with Study 1, the results showed that emotional interference had a significant impact on behavioral performance, with negative emotional stimuli negatively affecting accuracy and reaction time, indicating the disruptive effects of emotional interference on cognitive performance. Notably, resilient individuals exhibited better emotional interference inhibition, particularly in the domain of stimulus interference inhibition as measured by reaction time. This suggests that resilient individuals have more cognitive resources and are better able to manage emotional interference during demanding cognitive tasks. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of stimulus interference inhibition as a critical factor for resilience outcomes and suggest its potential as a target for interventions aimed at enhancing resilience. Understanding the relationship between emotional interference inhibition and resilience is crucial for developing effective strategies to promote mental health and well-being in the face of life adversity. Future research should explore the potential of stimulus interference inhibition as an intervention target to enhance resilience.

Conclusio

The current work contributes significantly to the understanding of the complex interplay of emotion and cognition by investigating the neural mechanisms of emotional interference inhibition and its association to behavior and resilience. Three studies were presented that contribute to the understanding of emotional interference inhibition in general and its function as a neurobiological resilience mechanism. Stimulus interference inhibition, which is closely related to the processing of interfering cognitive or emotional visual stimuli, is a particularly vulnerable inhibitory subcomponent. This is in line with Stahl et al. (2014) supporting a certain separability of cognitive inhibitory subcomponents. It suggests that proficient cognitive inhibition fosters emotional interference inhibition, possibly by requiring fewer processing resources or by overall better inhibitory processing. The early inhibition of irrelevant stimuli before processing them at higher-order levels aligns with the idea that affective or threatening stimuli are processed bottom-up and reflexively (James, 1890; Tooby and Cosmides, 1990). It further indicates that early stages of the processing hierarchy are specifically vulnerable to emotional interferences, whereas later stages forward interferences once they are incorporated, even though this might elicit faulty responses. Furthermore, we identified, transient emotional interference inhibition in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), particularly in pars triangularis. Our findings suggest that IFG serves as a general inhibitor of emotional and non-emotional processes. It influences stimulus processing and thereby potentially stimulus interference inhibition through top-down modulations. Additionally, the activity of IFG is associated to behavior and resilience, thereby supporting the idea of Kalisch et al. (2015) that emotional interference inhibition is a resilience mechanism. Especially as resilient individuals exhibit better emotional interference inhibition, indicating enhanced cognitive resources.

In conclusion, our findings suggest that individuals with higher levels of resilience demonstrate enhanced capacity to employ emotional interference inhibition and that emotional interference inhibition is executed by IFG shaping stimulus processing and thereby critically determining the percept that preconditions behavioral responses and appraisals or reappraisals and thereby shape resilience. These findings have valuable implications for fostering resilience, promoting well-being, and improving mental health outcomes.

Alternatives oder übersetztes Abstract:
Alternatives AbstractSprache

Hintergrund

Es ist ein unumgänglicher Teil des Lebens, dass Organismen in komplexen Umgebungen während stressiger Lebensereignisse häufig und unausweichlich den verschiedensten emotionalen Reizen ausgesetzt sind, die das Potenzial haben, Stress oder spezifische emotionale Zustände hervorzurufen. Einerseits können diese Emotionen sie zu Höchstleistungen antreiben, andererseits können sie zerstörerisch den Verlauf ihres Lebens beeinflussen. Eine adäquate und vorteilhafte Verarbeitung emotionaler Reize ist somit für das Überleben von entscheidender Bedeutung. Grundsätzlich werden durch evolutionäre Anpassungsprozesse wiederkehrende bedrohliche und emotionale Reize automatisch, reflexartig, bevorzugt und priorisiert verarbeitet (James, 1890; Tooby and Cosmides, 1990). Dementsprechend erhalten emotionale Reize bevorzugt limitierte neuronale Verarbeitungsressourcen, was auf Kosten anderer nicht emotionaler Prozesse oder Aktivitäten, wie zum Beispiel kognitiver Vorgänge, gehen kann (Öhman et al., 2001). Letztere können aber ebenso fundamental wichtig für das Überleben sein, da sie beispielsweise die Befriedigung von Grundbedürfnissen, wie Nahrungssuche oder Paarungsverhalten, sowie die Verhaltensanpassung an sich verändernde Umweltbedingungen, Problemlösungen, Entscheidungsfindung oder die Förderung sozialer Kooperation gewährleisten. Das empfindliche Gleichgewicht und die optimale Integration von emotionaler und kognitiver Verarbeitung sind für ein optimales Funktionieren unerlässlich. Dies erfordert oft eine Abschirmung des kognitiven Prozesses vor einer emotionalen Störung oder Interferenz. Emotionale Interferenzinhibition bezieht sich auf die Fähigkeit, die störenden, interferierenden Auswirkungen von emotionalen Stimuli wirksam zu unterdrücken. Leider wird das Fehlschlagen von emotionaler Interferenzinhibition häufig mit psychischen Störungen, wie z. B. bei Angstzuständen, depressiven Störungen oder posttraumatischen Belastungsstörungen in Verbindung gebracht (Etkin and Schatzberg, 2011; Zetsche and Joormann, 2011; Kronhaus et al., 2006; Bremner et al., 2004). Andererseits kann die emotionale Interferenzinhibition, wenn sie effektiv funktioniert, zum psychischen Wohlbefinden beitragen und die Resilienz fördern (Kalisch et al., 2015). Resilienz ist ein komplexes und mehrdimensionales Konzept, das sich auf die Fähigkeit bezieht, die psychische Gesundheit angesichts widriger Lebensumstände wie Trauma oder Stress aufrechtzuerhalten, indem man sich dabei adäquat anpassen, sich wieder davon erholen, sein vorheriges Wohlbefinden wiedererlangen oder sogar dabei aufblühen kann (Seery et al., 2010; Kalisch et al., 2015). Wichtig ist, dass es bei der Resilienz nicht darum geht, negative Lebenserfahrungen oder Stressoren zu vermeiden oder zu unterbinden. Vielmehr stellt Resilienz die Bedeutung eines angemessenen Verarbeitungsprozesses dieser Ereignisse heraus, die es dem Einzelnen ermöglicht, positive Gedankeneheprozesse und Verhaltensweisen an den Tag zu legen, um solche Erfahrungen wirksam zu bewältigen. In den letzten Jahren konzentrierten sich die Forschungsstudien daher immer mehr auf die Untersuchung der vermittelnden neurobiologischen Verarbeitungsmechanismen. Ein neurobiologischer Resilienzmechanismus, der in letzter Zeit mehr und mehr in den Fokus der Aufmerksamkeit gerät, ist eben jene emotionale Interferenzinhibition. Trotz des wachsenden Forschungsinteresses an der emotionalen Interferenzinhibition bleiben jedoch viele Fragen unbeantwortet. Die vorliegende Arbeit adressiert im Folgenden einige Schlüsselfragen:

Welche kognitive inhibitorische Unterkomponente ist anfällig für emotionale Interferenzen?

In der ersten Studie (The Impact of Emotional Interference on the Subcomponents of Cognitive Inhibitory Processes) wurden die Auswirkungen emotionaler Störungen bzw. Interferenzen auf verschiedene Unterkomponenten kognitiver Inhibitionsprozesse untersucht. Die Auswirkung von Emotionen auf kognitive Inhibitionsprozesse ist besonders relevant, da diese Prozesse für das Verfolgen von Zielen und für das allgemeine Wohlbefinden wesentlich sind. Besonders da festgestellt wurde, dass sich diese kognitiven Inhibitionsprozesse zwar überschneiden, dennoch voneinander separierbare kognitive Prozesse sind (Stahl et al., 2014). Inwieweit jedoch verschiedene Unterkomponenten dieser kognitiven Inhibitionsprozesse für emotionale Interferenzen anfällig sind, bleibt unklar. In dieser Studie untersuchten wir die Anfälligkeit kognitiver inhibitorischer Unterkomponenten für emotionale Interferenzen mithilfe einer systematischen Verhaltenstestbatterie, die ein emotionales Flanker Paradigma, ein emotionales Stoppsignal Paradigma, ein emotionales Recent Probes Paradigma und ein kognitives Emotionsregulationsparadigma umfasste und von einer großen Kohorte gesunder Teilnehmer (N = 121) durchgeführt wurde. Die verschiedenen Paradigmen adressieren unterschiedliche kognitive inhibitorischen Unterkomponenten wie Reizinterferenzinhibition, proaktive Interferenzinhibition, Reaktionsinhibition und Verhaltensinhibition. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigten, dass manche Unterkomponenten der kognitiven Inhibitionsprozesse eine Interaktion von Emotionen und Kognition zeigen. Unter diesen Unterkomponenten erwies sich die Reizinterferenzinhibition als besonders anfällig und damit kritischer Prozess, da er klare Interaktionseffekte zwischen Emotion und Kognition aufweist. Dieses Ergebnis unterstreicht die Bedeutung der Inhibition emotionaler Störreize für die Zielverfolgung und das mentale Wohlbefinden, insbesondere im Zusammenhang mit psychischen Störungen wie Major Depression, bipolare Störung und posttraumatische Belastungsstörung. Darüber hinaus zeigte unsere Studie, dass emotionale Interferenzen die Verhaltensperformanz erheblich beeinträchtigen, was sich in langsameren Reaktionszeiten und geringerer Genauigkeit in Bedingungen mit emotionalen Störreizen im Vergleich zu neutralen Reizen zeigt. Der Einfluss von Emotionen auf kognitive Inhibitionsprozesse wurde bei verschiedenen Aufgaben festgestellt, darunter das emotionale Flanker Paradigma, das emotionale Recent Probes Paradigma und das kognitive Emotionsregulationsparadigma. Das emotionale Stoppsignal Paradigma zeigte jedoch keine signifikanten Interaktionseffekte zwischen Emotion und Kognition, was darauf hindeutet, dass bestimmte Teilkomponenten weniger anfällig für emotionale Störungen sind. Das Flanker Paradigma war jedoch das einzige Paradigma, das Interaktionseffekte in Bezug auf kognitive Inhibitionsprozesse zeigte. Diese Ergebnisse tragen zu unserem Verständnis des komplexen Zusammenspiels zwischen Emotionen und Kognition bei, indem sie die unterschiedliche Anfälligkeit der kognitiven inhibitorischen Unterkomponente für emotionale Interferenzen hervorheben. Insbesondere die Identifizierung der Stimulusinterferenzinhibition als besonders anfällige Unterkomponente unterstreicht ihre klinische Relevanz und die mögliche Bedeutung einer gezielten Adressierung dieses Prozesses für Interventionen zur Verbesserung der emotionalen Interferenzinhibition, die das Wohlbefinden und die psychische Gesundheit fördern. Zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten sollten die zugrundeliegenden neuronalen Mechanismen erforschen und diese Ergebnisse auf andere Bevölkerungsgruppen und psychische Störungen verallgemeinern.

Was sind die neuronalen Korrelate der emotionalen Interferenzhemmung?

Die zweite Studie (Neural Mechanisms of Emotional Interference Inhibition) befasste sich mit den neurophysiologischen Mechanismen der emotionalen Interferenzinhibition im Gehirn, welcher als allgemeiner neurobiologischer Resilienzmechanismus gilt. Aufbauend auf den Ergebnissen der ersten Studie, in der die Reizinterferenzinhibition als besonders vulnerabel für emotionale Interferenzen identifiziert wurde, untersuchte diese Studie die neuronale Aktivität der Elektroenzephalografie (EEG)-Aufzeichnungen, die während des gleichen emotionalen Flanker Paradigmas in der großen Kohorte gesunder Teilnehmer (N=121) abgeleitet wurde. Durch die Kombinationen einer großen Kohorte mit modernsten EEG/FEM-Beamforming Techniken, erzielten wir eine hohe zeitliche und fMRT-äquivalente räumliche Auflösung. Räumlich überlappten sich Emotions- und Kognitionsverarbeitung im rechten inferioren frontalen Gyrus (rIFG), insbesondere im pars triangularis. Zeitlich gesehen überlappten sich Emotions- und Kognitionsverarbeitung beim Übergang von emotionaler zu kognitiver Verarbeitung, wobei eine stärkere Interaktion im β-Frequenzband zu einer schlechteren Verhaltensperformanz führte. Trotz funktionell getrennter Unterregionen im rIFG flossen frequenzspezifische Informationen in großem Umfang innerhalb des IFGs und top-down zu visuellen Arealen (V2, Precuneus) – was den Interferenzeffekt im Verhalten erklärt. Somit zeigen wir hier zum ersten Mal die neuronalen Mechanismen der emotionalen Interferenzinhibition räumlich und zeitlich hochaufgelöst, sowie die assoziierten Frequenzbänder und den assoziierten Informationstransfer und enthüllen eine zentrale Rolle der β-Band-Aktivität im rIFG. Darüber hinaus unterstützen unsere Ergebnisse die Hypothese, dass der rIFG eine umfassende inhibitorische Rolle sowohl bei kognitiven als auch emotionalen Interferenzen spielt, da er die Region der Konvergenz beider Prozesse ist. Darüber hinaus sind unsere Ergebnisse potenzielle klinische relevant für das Verständnis der dysfunktionalen Interaktion zwischen Emotion und Kognition und der emotionalen Interferenzinhibition bei psychiatrischen Störungen, z. B. Major Depression und Suchterkrankungen, bei denen Patienten Schwierigkeiten im Bereich der Regulierung von Emotionen und der Ausführung inhibitorischer Kontrolle haben.

Was ist der Zusammenhang zwischen emotionaler Interferenzinhibition und Resilienz?

Die dritte Studie (Emotional Interference inhibition and Resilience) hatte zum Ziel, den Zusammenhang zwischen Resilienz und emotionaler Interferenzinhibition zu untersuchen, einem kognitiven Prozess, der an der Regulierung von Emotionen und kognitiver Leistung beteiligt ist. Im Rahmen der Longitudinal Resilience Assessment (LORA)-Studie wurde eine große Kohorte von Teilnehmern (N = 1139) aus einem breiten Altersspektrum untersucht, wobei die natürlich auftretenden Lebensbelastungen und die psychische Gesundheit im Laufe der Zeit beobachtet wurden. Psychophysikalische Verhaltensmessungen der emotionalen Interferenzinhibition, einschließlich Reaktionszeit und Genauigkeit, wurden in Übereinstimmung mit Studie 1 (The Impact of Emotional Interference on the Subcomponents of Cognitive Inhibitory Processes) und Studie 2 (Emotional Interference inhibition and Resilience) anhand eines emotionalen Flanker Paradigmas durchgeführt. Die emotionale Interferenzinhibition im Bereich der Reizinterferenzinhibition war ein Prädiktor der prospektiven Resilienz, gemessen anhand der individuellen Stressorreaktivität. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass emotionale Interferenz einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Verhaltensleistung hatte, wobei negative emotionale Störreize die Genauigkeit und Reaktionszeit negativ beeinflussten, was die störenden Auswirkungen emotionaler Interferenz für die kognitiven Prozesse andeutet. Bemerkenswert ist, dass resiliente Personen eine bessere emotionale Interferenzinhibition aufwiesen, insbesondere im Bereich der Stimulusinterferenzinhibition gemessen an der Reaktionszeit. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass resiliente Personen insgesamt über mehr kognitive Ressourcen verfügen und somit besser in der Lage sind, emotionale Störungen bei anspruchsvollen kognitiven Aufgaben zu bewältigen. Darüber hinaus unterstreichen die Ergebnisse die Bedeutung der Reizinterferenzinhibition als kritischer Faktor für Resilienz und sind somit ein mögliches Ziel für Interventionen zur Stärkung ebendieser Resilienz. Das Verständnis des Zusammenhangs zwischen emotionaler Interferenzinhibition und Resilienz ist entscheidend für die Entwicklung wirksamer Strategien zur Förderung der psychischen Gesundheit und des Wohlbefindens angesichts unvermeidbarer widriger Lebensumstände. Zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten sollten das Potenzial der Reizinterferenzinhibition als mögliches Interventionsziel zur Stärkung der Resilienz untersuchen.

Conclusio

Die vorliegende Arbeit leistet einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Verständnis des komplexen Zusammenspiels von Emotion und Kognition im Gehirn, indem sie die neuronalen Mechanismen der emotionalen Interferenzinhibition und deren Zusammenhang mit Verhaltensperformanz und Resilienz untersucht. Es wurden drei Studien vorgestellt, die zum Verständnis der emotionalen Interferenzinhibition im Allgemeinen und ihrer Funktion als neurobiologischer Resilienzmechanismus beitragen. Die Reizinterferenzinhibition, die sich auf die Verarbeitung störender bzw. inhibierender kognitiver oder emotionaler visueller Reize bezieht, ist die anfälligste kognitive inhibitorische Unterkomponente. Dies ist im Einklang mit der Studie, die eine Trennbarkeit der kognitiven inhibitorischen Unterkomponenten Teilkomponenten belegt (Stahl et al., 2014). Es deutet darauf hin, dass eine geübte kognitive Reizinterfernzinhibition die emotionale Interferenzinhibition begünstigt, was möglicherweise durch einen geringeren Bedarf an Verarbeitungsressourcen oder durch eine insgesamt bessere inhibitorische Verarbeitung erfolgt. Die frühzeitige Inhibition irrelevanter Reize vor Erreichen höherer Verarbeitungsprozesse im Gehirn entspricht der Vorstellung, dass affektive oder bedrohliche Reize bottom-up und reflexiv verarbeitet werden. Es deutet außerdem darauf hin, dass frühe Stufen der Verarbeitungshierarchie besonders anfällig für emotionale Störungen sind, während spätere Stufen Störungen weiterleiten, sobald erstmal eine Integration erfolgte, auch wenn dies letztendlich zu fehlerhaften Reaktionen führen kann. Darüber hinaus identifizierten wir eine kurzzeitige emotionale Interferenzinhibition im rechten inferioren frontalen Gyrus (rIFG), insbesondere im pars triangularis. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass IFG ein allgemeiner Inhibitor von emotionalen sowie nicht-emotionalen Prozessen ist. Er beeinflusst die Reizverarbeitung und damit potenziell die Reizinterferenzinhibition durch top-down Modulationen. Darüber assoziieren wir die Aktivität des IFGs mit Verhaltensperformanz und Resilienz, was die Hypothese von Kalisch et al. (2015) unterstützt, die besagt, dass emotionale Interferenzinhibition ein Resistenzmechanismus ist. Zumal resiliente Personen eine bessere emotionale Interferenzinhibition aufweisen, was auf vermehrte kognitive Ressourcen hinweist. Zusammenfassend deuten unsere Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass Personen mit einem höheren Maß an Resilienz eine verbesserte Fähigkeit zur emotionalen Interferenzinhibition aufweisen und dass die emotionale Interferenzinhibition vom IFG ausgeführt wird, der wiederum die Reizverarbeitung moduliert und dadurch maßgeblich die Wahrnehmung und Interpretation von Reizen entscheidend bestimmt, was wiederum als Basis für Verhaltensreaktionen und Bewertungen sowie Neubewertungen dient, wodurch mitunter Resilienz bestimmt wird. Diese Erkenntnisse haben wertvolle Implikationen für die Förderung der Resilienz, des Wohlbefindens und der Verbesserung der psychischen Gesundheit.

Deutsch
Status: Verlagsversion
URN: urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-245509
Sachgruppe der Dewey Dezimalklassifikatin (DDC): 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 570 Biowissenschaften, Biologie
Fachbereich(e)/-gebiet(e): 10 Fachbereich Biologie
10 Fachbereich Biologie > Systemische Neurophysiologie
Hinterlegungsdatum: 02 Okt 2023 12:03
Letzte Änderung: 05 Okt 2023 07:39
PPN:
Referenten: Galuske, Prof. Dr. Ralf ; Wibral, Prof. Dr. Michael
Datum der mündlichen Prüfung / Verteidigung / mdl. Prüfung: 14 September 2023
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