Alfonso Morillas-Romero

Attentional control, attentional network functioning, and emotion regulation styles

Attentional network functioning in emotionally neutral conditions and self-reported attentional control (AC) were analysed as predictors of the tendency to engage in dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies. Diminished attentional orienting predicted an increased tendency to engage in brooding rumination, and enhanced alertness predicted a greater chance of suppression, beyond trait anxiety and self-reported AC, which were not predictive of either rumination or suppression. This is the first study to show that some forms of dysfunctional emotion regulation are related to the attentional network functioning in emotionally neutral conditions. Results are discussed in relation to regulatory temperament and anxiety-related attentional biases literature.

Resting parietal EEG asymmetry and cardiac vagal tone predict attentional control.

The present study explores both resting cortical EEG asymmetry and vagally-mediated heart rate variability (HRV), as an index for vagal tone, as physiological correlates of self-reported attentional control in a sample of 53 healthy young adults. Regression analyses indicate that higher vagally-mediated HRV and lower right-sided parietal activity in the β2 frequency range (20-30Hz) are significant predictors of larger attentional control. Results are in line with some of the basic features of the neurovisceral integration model and stress the role of parietal areas in attentional control capabilities, thus aiming to consider attentional control as a trait-like disposition.

Spontaneous EEG theta/beta ratio and delta-beta coupling in relation to attentional network functioning and self-reported attentional control

Relationships between electroencephalographic (EEG) slow- and fast-wave frequency bands are considered to be of interest in the study of dispositional affective traits, emotion regulation, and attentional phenomena. However, to date, no previous studies had explored whether both state performance-based and self-reported attentional control (AC) measures potentially relate to different patterns of spontaneous EEG measures, in the absence of emotional stimuli. In the present study, individual differences in spontaneous EEG theta/beta ratio and delta–beta coupling at frontal and parietal sites were explored in a sample of 110 healthy volunteers as potential correlates of individual differences in performance-based attentional network functioning, as measured through the Attentional Network Test for Interactions (ANT-I) and self-reported AC. We found that stronger delta–beta coupling at parietal sites was associated with higher self-reported AC. However, no significant associations were found between executive control network functioning and the EEG ratio or coupling measures. Furthermore, a lower spontaneous fronto-parietal theta/beta ratio was found to be associated with better orienting network functioning. These results are discussed with a focus on the potential utility of spontaneous EEG measures in several cortical regions for capturing trait-like individual differences in temperament-related factors.

Spontaneous EEG activity and spontaneous emotion regulation

Variability in both frontal and parietal spontaneous EEG activity, using α and β band power and θ/β and δ/β ratios, was explored in a sample of 96 healthy volunteers as a potential correlate of individual differences in spontaneous emotion regulation (SER). Following a baseline EEG recording, participants were asked to continuously rate their discomfort while looking at affective pictures, as well as for a period of time after exposure. Greater spontaneous β band power in parietal locations, lower frontal and parietal δ/β ratios, and lower parietal θ/β ratio were associated with lower ratings of discomfort after the offset of unpleasant pictures. Moreover, lower parietal δ/β ratio was also related to less time needed to recover from discomfort after exposure to aversive pictures, while only a greater frontal and parietal α band power appeared to be associated with faster recovery from discomfort induced by normative-neutral pictures. However, parietal δ/β ratio was the only predictor of both minimum discomfort ratings and time needed to downregulate following exposure to unpleasant pictures, and frontal α band power the only spontaneous EEG index that predicted variability in spontaneous down-regulation after the exposure to normative-neutral pictures. Results are discussed focusing on the utility of diverse spontaneous EEG measures in several cortical regions when capturing trait-like individual differences in emotion regulation capabilities and processes.

Spontaneous emotion regulation and attentional control.

The current study aimed to explore whether self-reported attentional control (AC) and the attentional network functioning would predict spontaneous emotion downregulation after emotional induction. A total of 117 healthy volunteers were asked to continuously rate their discomfort while looking at affective pictures, as well as for a period of time after exposure. After controlling for trait anxiety, higher self-reported AC significantly predicted a greater spontaneous emotional downregulation after exposure to aversive pictures. Both higher self-reported AC and lower executive control network functioning (i.e., greater interference) predicted a faster spontaneous emotional downregulation after exposure to affectively neutral pictures. Results are discussed focusing on the relationship between AC and emotion regulation difficulties. (PsycINFO Database Record