Non-invasive brain stimulation-based emotion regulation interventions

Abstract

: Accumulating evidence suggests that non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques can effectively intervene in emotion regulation processes and down-regulate negative emotions. Summarizing the effects and applicability of NIBS for emotion regulation interventions is of great significance for enriching existing emotion regulation theories and promoting translational research. Through literature review, we found that when NIBS is used to modulate emotion regulation, it produces a top-down change in brain circuits, which has a positive effect on both explicit and implicit emotion regulation. Additionally, NIBS may potentially improve symptoms of psychiatric disorders by enhancing the emotion regulation processes. However, several existing problems need to be addressed. Firstly, the findings are mixed due to the heterogeneity of the studies. Secondly, the neural circuit mechanisms underlying the effects of NIBS on emotion regulation remain unclear, and measurements of emotion regulation effects need to be enriched. Moreover, previous NIBS protocols have several limitations, such as poor localization accuracy, weak effects due to single-session stimulation, inability to meet new needs, and inevitable side effects. Therefore, future studies could provide comprehensive quantitative summaries of existing literature, optimize the cortical targets with the help of neuronavigation techniques, investigate the changes in the brain neural circuit when applying NIBS in explicit and implicit emotion regulation, and measure the NIBS effect using a combination of subjective experience, physiological indexes, and neural characteristics. In the future, we believe that multi-target NIBS protocols, a combination of hyperscanning and NIBS, and NIBS-neurofeed-back techniques can effectively improve the validity of the study, providing insights for relevant translational research and clinical therapeutics.