Sophie Silbert
Pronouns:
Research Mentor(s): David Fresco
Research Mentor School/College/Department: /
Program: UROP
Session: Session 1 (9:00am – 9:50am)
Authors: Sophie Silbert, Stefanie Russman Block, David Fresco, Scott Peltier, Meghan Martz, Katie McCurry, Kate Fitzgerald, Patrick Eagen, Steve Taylor
Abstract
Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is an emotional regulation strategy in which the meaning of a situation is deliberately re-interpreted to change a situationally-induced affective response, such as anxiety. Meta-analysis shows that effective CR is associated with activations in frontoparietal brain regions, particularly the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Our study aims to investigate the feasibility of using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI) neurofeedback to teach participants to use targeted dmPFC activation during CR. rtFMRI neurofeedback is a technique that teaches individuals to regulate their own brain function through a closed-loop feedback system, allowing for the voluntary regulation of localized brain activity. In this phase of this study, 10 healthy adults will perform an Emotional Regulation Task (ERT), during which participants will alternate between passively viewing a negative image and then using cognitive reappraisal to reappraise the meaning of a negative image in order to reduce their emotional impact. After each trial, participants will receive feedback about their dmPFC activity. Participants will perform the first and final blocks of the task without receiving neurofeedback, to measure how neurofeedback affects their ability to increase dmPFC activity compared to their baseline dmPFC activity. We hypothesize that participants will show a significant increase in dmPFC activity over the course of the experiment, as well as a decrease in the average ratings of the images’ negativity. These results could support the concept of using rtFMRI neurofeedback in daily life to control brain activity and emotional regulation and has implications towards the clinical treatment of anxiety and other emotional disorders.
