Neurocognitive indices of implicit and explicit emotion regulation in childhood

• In Event: Novel perspectives on the neurodevelopment of emotion regulation

Abstract

Emotion regulation (ER), or the monitoring and modifying of emotional experiences, is typically studied in terms of explicit, deliberative strategies. Yet, increasingly, implicit, automatic forms of ER, such as attention bias (AB) towards affective information, have been identified and examined in relation to adjustment. It remains difficult, however, to comparably measure implicit and explicit ER in childhood. Here, we present evidence that dynamic EEG-derived measures are sensitive to both implicit and explicit forms of ER in childhood. In Study 1, we examined resting-state delta-beta coupling, an index of functional coherence of limbic-cortical circuitry (DBC; e.g. Knyazev, 2007), and tested its associations with disrupted implicit ER in anxiety, AB towards threat (e.g., Todd et al., 2010), or exaggerated attention to threat-relevant stimuli. Because low DBC reflects impairment in top-down restraint of bottom-up affective processing, DBC may vary with magnitude of anxiety-related AB. Seventeen (10 female) anxious 13-to-15-year-olds (M = 14.10, SD = 0.60) completed an 8-minute baseline task while EEG was recorded. DBC was quantified as log-transformed power densities at delta (1-3 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) bands. Difference scores were computed, with values closer to zero indicating greater DBC. AB scores were generated from reaction times during a dot-probe task. When participants were grouped based on AB scores (negative scores = bias away, positive scores = bias toward threat), those with a bias toward threat showed low DBC (r = -.66, p = .16), while those with a bias away showed high DBC (r = .69, p = .018, z = 2.42, p = .016). Follow up linear regressions showed that low DBC, regardless of AB pattern, predicted higher parent-reported social anxiety (β = -.66; t(17) = 3.20, p = .006; Figure 1). In Study 2, we examined a scalp-recorded event-related potential, the late positive potential (LPP), which is sensitive to the explicit ER strategy reappraisal: LPP amplitudes are reduced with reappraisal, along with subjective arousal, suggesting that this modulation of the LPP reflects emotional dampening. We tested whether modulation of the LPP during reappraisal (T1; N = 32 children, aged 5-7) predicted observed ER two years later (T2). EEG was recorded while 45 pictures (30 unpleasant and 15 neutral) were presented during reappraisal relative to negative and neutral conditions. Children’s use of an adaptive ER strategy – shifting to an alternative activity - was observed during an emotional challenge. Reappraisal scores were calculated (LPP negative – LPP reappraisal), with greater positive scores indicating that reappraisal modulated the LPP. At T1, 50% of the children showed successful modulation of the LPP via reappraisal. Those children, compared to those who failed to show the reappraisal effect on the LPP, were observed to use more adaptive ER at T1, F(1, 28) = 10.366, p < .01, M (SE) = .38(.02) vs .28 (.02), and longitudinally at T2, F(1, 16) = 8.002, p < .05, M (SE) = .27 (.03) vs. .15 (.03). Taken together, findings suggest that these EEG-derived measures may provide functionally relevant neurocognitive markers for both implicit and explicit ER in childhood.

Authors

• Tracy A. Dennis, City University of New York Hunter College
  Presenting Author

• Sarah Myruski, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Amy Krain Roy, Fordham University
  Non-Presenting Author