fMRI feedback enhances emotion regulation as evidenced by a reduced amygdala response.
Deficits in emotion regulation are a prominent feature of psychiatric conditions and a promising target for treatment. For instance, cognitive reappraisal is regarded as an effective strategy for emotion regulation. Neurophysiological models have established the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) as a key structure in the regulation of emotion processing through modulations of emotion-eliciting structures such as the amygdala. Feedback of the LPFC activity by real-time functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) may thus enhance the efficacy of cognitive reappraisal. During cognitive reappraisal of aversive visual stimuli, LPFC activity was fed back to the experimental group, whereas control participants received no such information. As a result, during reappraisal, amygdala activity was lower in the experimental group than in the controls. Furthermore, an increase of inter-hemispheric functional connectivity emerged in the feedback group. The current study extends the neurofeedback literature by suggesting that fMRI feedback can modify brain activity during a given task.
['Sarkheil|Pegah|P|', 'Zilverstand|Anna|A|', 'Kilian-Hütten|Niclas|N|', 'Schneider|Frank|F|', 'Goebel|Rainer|R|', 'Mathiak|Klaus|K|']
D000328:Adult D000679:Amygdala D001931:Brain Mapping D016022:Case-Control Studies D003071:Cognition D004644:Emotions D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging D008297:Male D058765:Neurofeedback D010775:Photic Stimulation D014796:Visual Perception
Emotion regulation Amygdala Cognitive reappraisal Neurofeedback Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex Real-time fMRI