Pub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109132
Jin Li , Di Fang , Jiabo Zhang , Jiashuo Zhang , Zhanle Wang , Hanling Zhang
Background
Anxiety is a common mental disorder whose prevalence has been increasing, necessitating more effective treatment strategies.
Methods
In this study, we propose a novel anxiety regulation framework with a positive emotion-guided strategy. The framework links electroencephalography (EEG) signals, emotional states, visual parameters, and musical parameters. Subsequently, we developed a real-time closed-loop neurofeedback system to provide visual feedback and personalized music intervention. A randomized crossover trial was then conducted to compare the intervention effects of the neurofeedback group and the control group.
Results
Compared with the control group, the neurofeedback group showed larger post-intervention reductions in anxiety (STAI; Cohen’s d = 1.05) and greater increases in positive affect (SAM Valence; Cohen’s d = 0.63). The neurofeedback group also reported higher participation motivation and a more favorable user experience.
Conclusion
This personalized, positive emotion-guided neurofeedback approach shows preliminary promise as a user-centered strategy for anxiety, pending further validation.
背景：焦虑是一种常见的精神障碍，其患病率呈上升趋势，需要更有效的治疗策略。方法：在本研究中，我们提出了一个具有积极情绪引导策略的新型焦虑调节框架。该框架将脑电图（EEG）信号、情绪状态、视觉参数和音乐参数联系起来。随后，我们开发了一个实时闭环神经反馈系统，提供视觉反馈和个性化的音乐干预。然后进行随机交叉试验，比较神经反馈组和对照组的干预效果。结果：与对照组相比，神经反馈组干预后焦虑下降幅度更大（STAI, Cohen’s d = 1.05），积极情绪增加幅度更大（SAM Valence, Cohen’s d = 0.63）。神经反馈组也报告了更高的参与动机和更有利的用户体验。结论：这种个性化的、积极情绪引导的神经反馈方法初步显示了作为一种以用户为中心的焦虑策略的前景，有待进一步验证。
{"title":"An anxiety regulation framework with a positive emotion-guided strategy: Integrating EEG neurofeedback and music intervention","authors":"Jin Li , Di Fang , Jiabo Zhang , Jiashuo Zhang , Zhanle Wang , Hanling Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109132","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109132","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Anxiety is a common mental disorder whose prevalence has been increasing, necessitating more effective treatment strategies.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this study, we propose a novel anxiety regulation framework with a positive emotion-guided strategy. The framework links electroencephalography (EEG) signals, emotional states, visual parameters, and musical parameters. Subsequently, we developed a real-time closed-loop neurofeedback system to provide visual feedback and personalized music intervention. A randomized crossover trial was then conducted to compare the intervention effects of the neurofeedback group and the control group.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Compared with the control group, the neurofeedback group showed larger post-intervention reductions in anxiety (STAI; Cohen’s <em>d</em> = 1.05) and greater increases in positive affect (SAM Valence; Cohen’s <em>d</em> = 0.63). The neurofeedback group also reported higher participation motivation and a more favorable user experience.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This personalized, positive emotion-guided neurofeedback approach shows preliminary promise as a user-centered strategy for anxiety, pending further validation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"201 ","pages":"Article 109132"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145187819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109127
Jing-Fong Wang , Zai-Fu Yao , Tzu-Hua Wang
How does task complexity influence cognitive performance and neural dynamics, and how do individual differences shape these effects? We employed a two-stage arithmetic load verification task to investigate the impacts of increasing cognitive load on accuracy, reaction time (RT), inverse efficiency scores (IES), and neural activity indexed by P300 and frequency-band dynamics. Participants completed tasks of varying complexity (low, intermediate, and high) and were categorized as high-performing (HG) or low-performing (LG) based on task outcomes of the pilot study. Behavioral results showed that increasing task complexity reduced accuracy, slowed RT, and elevated IES. Electrophysiological analyses revealed phase-specific patterns: during the problem presentation stage, P300 amplitudes showed anterior-central dominance without cognitive load effects; HG exhibited smaller amplitudes than LG, while LG displayed decreasing frontal theta and alpha power with increasing load—indicating attentional limitations. During the response evaluation stage, P300 amplitudes exhibited a robust cognitive load effect (low > intermediate > high) and posterior dominance, but no group differences. Theta and alpha power at Cz predicted accuracy under intermediate load. Together, these findings demonstrate complementary contributions of ERP and oscillatory measures in tracking neural resource allocation and adaptability, thereby extending cognitive load theory.
{"title":"Distinct P300 of cognitive load during problem presentation and response evaluation in an arithmetic verification task","authors":"Jing-Fong Wang , Zai-Fu Yao , Tzu-Hua Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109127","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109127","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>How does task complexity influence cognitive performance and neural dynamics, and how do individual differences shape these effects? We employed a two-stage arithmetic load verification task to investigate the impacts of increasing cognitive load on accuracy, reaction time (RT), inverse efficiency scores (IES), and neural activity indexed by P300 and frequency-band dynamics. Participants completed tasks of varying complexity (low, intermediate, and high) and were categorized as high-performing (HG) or low-performing (LG) based on task outcomes of the pilot study. Behavioral results showed that increasing task complexity reduced accuracy, slowed RT, and elevated IES. Electrophysiological analyses revealed phase-specific patterns: during the problem presentation stage, P300 amplitudes showed anterior-central dominance without cognitive load effects; HG exhibited smaller amplitudes than LG, while LG displayed decreasing frontal theta and alpha power with increasing load—indicating attentional limitations. During the response evaluation stage, P300 amplitudes exhibited a robust cognitive load effect (low > intermediate > high) and posterior dominance, but no group differences. Theta and alpha power at Cz predicted accuracy under intermediate load. Together, these findings demonstrate complementary contributions of ERP and oscillatory measures in tracking neural resource allocation and adaptability, thereby extending cognitive load theory.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"201 ","pages":"Article 109127"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145066288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109135
Viktoria Galuba , Lena Harbig , Felix Mülsch , Bernd Feige , Juan Carlos Baldermann , Katharina Domschke , Claus Normann , Stefan Vestring
Impaired neuroplasticity is a core feature underlying many psychiatric disorders. Long-term potentiation (LTP)-like modulation of visually evoked potentials (VEPs), measured via EEG, represents a promising approach to assess plasticity in humans. Recent evidence indicates potential sex differences in VEP-based plasticity. This study investigated sex differences in visual cortical processing and plasticity by quantifying LTP-like modulation of VEPs. We analysed 96 available recordings from 61 women (mean age = 26.53 ± 6.87 years) and 35 men (mean age = 28.77 ± 8.63 years). VEPs were elicited using a checkerboard reversal stimulus (20 s at 2 Hz), presented before and after a 10-minute visual modulation. Post-modulation VEPs were recorded at 2, 8, 12, 18, 22, and 28 min. Amplitude changes from baseline to post-modulation were assessed. Predefined VEP components were analysed using linear mixed-effects models (LMEM), and time-resolved sex differences were evaluated via cluster-based permutation testing. LTP-like modulation was evident in early VEP components—specifically C1, P1, and P1N1 peak-to-peak amplitude indicating dynamic changes in early visual processing from 2 to 8 min post-stimulation. LMEM did not reveal any sex-specific effects in these components. However, time-course analyses identified discrete, significant sex differences in late VEP components in late VEP components at baseline (350–390 ms; p = .043) and 18 min post-modulation (388–426 ms; p = .048). Our findings demonstrate robust LTP-like modulation in early VEP components independent of sex. Subtle sex differences emerged in late, unmodulated VEP components (350–426 ms), likely reflecting variations in attention-related processing rather than plasticity per se.
神经可塑性受损是许多精神疾病的核心特征。通过脑电图测量的视觉诱发电位（vep）的长时程增强（LTP）样调制，代表了一种评估人类可塑性的有前途的方法。最近的证据表明，基于vep的可塑性存在潜在的性别差异。本研究通过量化ltp样的vep调节来研究视觉皮层加工和可塑性的性别差异。我们分析了来自61名女性（平均年龄= 26.53 ± 6.87岁）和35名男性（平均年龄= 28.77 ± 8.63岁）的96份可用记录。在10分钟视觉调制之前和之后，使用棋盘逆转刺激（20 s at 2 Hz）引发vep。在2、8、12、18、22和28 min时记录调制后vep。评估从基线到调制后的幅度变化。使用线性混合效应模型（LMEM）分析预定义VEP成分，并通过基于聚类的排列检验评估时间分辨性别差异。ltp样的调制在早期VEP成分中是明显的，特别是C1、P1和P1N1的峰对峰振幅表明在刺激后2到8 min的早期视觉加工中的动态变化。LMEM未发现这些成分有任何性别特异性的影响。然而，时间过程分析确定了基线时晚期VEP成分的离散性、显著性差异（350-390 ms; p = ）。043)和18 min后调制（388-426 ms; p = .048）。我们的研究结果表明，在早期VEP成分中存在强大的ltp样调节，与性别无关。微妙的性别差异出现在后期，未调节的VEP组件（350-426 ms），可能反映了注意相关加工的差异，而不是可塑性本身。
{"title":"Sex differences in attentional visual processing but not in plasticity-related modulation of visually evoked potentials","authors":"Viktoria Galuba , Lena Harbig , Felix Mülsch , Bernd Feige , Juan Carlos Baldermann , Katharina Domschke , Claus Normann , Stefan Vestring","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109135","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109135","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Impaired neuroplasticity is a core feature underlying many psychiatric disorders. Long-term potentiation (LTP)-like modulation of visually evoked potentials (VEPs), measured via EEG, represents a promising approach to assess plasticity in humans. Recent evidence indicates potential sex differences in VEP-based plasticity. This study investigated sex differences in visual cortical processing and plasticity by quantifying LTP-like modulation of VEPs. We analysed 96 available recordings from 61 women (mean age = 26.53 ± 6.87 years) and 35 men (mean age = 28.77 ± 8.63 years). VEPs were elicited using a checkerboard reversal stimulus (20 s at 2 Hz), presented before and after a 10-minute visual modulation. Post-modulation VEPs were recorded at 2, 8, 12, 18, 22, and 28 min. Amplitude changes from baseline to post-modulation were assessed. Predefined VEP components were analysed using linear mixed-effects models (LMEM), and time-resolved sex differences were evaluated via cluster-based permutation testing. LTP-like modulation was evident in early VEP components—specifically C1, P1, and P1N1 peak-to-peak amplitude indicating dynamic changes in early visual processing from 2 to 8 min post-stimulation. LMEM did not reveal any sex-specific effects in these components. However, time-course analyses identified discrete, significant sex differences in late VEP components in late VEP components at baseline (350–390 ms; <em>p</em> = .043) and 18 min post-modulation (388–426 ms; <em>p</em> = .048). Our findings demonstrate robust LTP-like modulation in early VEP components independent of sex. Subtle sex differences emerged in late, unmodulated VEP components (350–426 ms), likely reflecting variations in attention-related processing rather than plasticity per se.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"201 ","pages":"Article 109135"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109114
Jiajia Yang , Ting Xu , Tingyong Feng
Achievement motivation serves as a fundamental psychological construct that underlies and predicts a wide range of human adaptive behaviors, including goal setting and performance across academic and social domains. Although prior research has shown that self-control is associated with achievement motivation, it remains unclear which neural substrates underlie the association between self-control and achievement motivation. To address this issue, we employed resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and mediation analysis methods to investigate the neural basis of the relationship between self-control and achievement motivation in the discovery (N = 685) and replication sample (N = 210). In discovery sample, we found a significant positive correlation between self-control and achievement motivation. On the neural level, the FC between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) were negatively correlated with self-control. Furthermore, the mediation analysis demonstrated that self-control fully mediated the relationship between the FC between left dlPFC and the right ITG and achievement motivation. Repeating analyses in the independent replication sample also supported the robustness of the results obtained in the discovery study. Together these findings indicate that the FC between left dlPFC and right ITG may represent a key neural pathway through which self-control influences achievement motivation, providing new insights into their association from a neural perspective.
{"title":"Neural basis linking self-control with achievement motivation: Functional connectivity between left dlPFC and right inferior temporal gyrus","authors":"Jiajia Yang , Ting Xu , Tingyong Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109114","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Achievement motivation serves as a fundamental psychological construct that underlies and predicts a wide range of human adaptive behaviors, including goal setting and performance across academic and social domains. Although prior research has shown that self-control is associated with achievement motivation, it remains unclear which neural substrates underlie the association between self-control and achievement motivation. To address this issue, we employed resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and mediation analysis methods to investigate the neural basis of the relationship between self-control and achievement motivation in the discovery (<em>N</em> = 685) and replication sample (<em>N</em> = 210). In discovery sample, we found a significant positive correlation between self-control and achievement motivation. On the neural level, the FC between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) were negatively correlated with self-control. Furthermore, the mediation analysis demonstrated that self-control fully mediated the relationship between the FC between left dlPFC and the right ITG and achievement motivation. Repeating analyses in the independent replication sample also supported the robustness of the results obtained in the discovery study. Together these findings indicate that the FC between left dlPFC and right ITG may represent a key neural pathway through which self-control influences achievement motivation, providing new insights into their association from a neural perspective.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109114"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144925204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-07-16DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109088
Irena Arslanova, Polly Dalton, Manos Tsakiris
Across two experiments, we examined the role of phasic cardiac fluctuations – whether the heart contracts (systole) or relaxes (diastole) – on two attentional mechanisms: executive control (EC) and alerting. Empirical evidence for cardiac phase effects in alerting has been missing, and studies on EC have found mixed results. Thus, we disentangled how cardiac fluctuations affect alerting and EC, separately and then together, using a subset of highly validated Attentional Network Test (ANT). EC was probed by requiring participants to resolve a conflict in an incongruent flanker stimulus. The stimulus was presented either during systole or diastole (Experiment 1, n = 48). Next, in Experiment 2 (n = 45), in addition to probing EC, we also probed alerting by providing participants, on half of the trials, with a cue to warn them of the onset of the stimulus. The cue was shown either during systole or diastole. Our results demonstrated that phasic cardiac fluctuations shape the more immediate alerting response to external cues, but not the subsequent executive control over conflicting information. Specifically, a cue that was presented at a time of increased cardiac output (during systole) elicited a more pronounced alerting effect than the same cue presented during diastole. Whether the stimulus appeared during systole or diastole had no impact on EC functioning. Overall, these findings contribute to the growing body of research on the interaction between cardiac signals and cognitive processes, emphasizing the selective role of systolic and diastolic phases in influencing alerting rather than executive control.
{"title":"The heart in attention: evidence for cardiac phase effects in alerting but not executive control","authors":"Irena Arslanova, Polly Dalton, Manos Tsakiris","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Across two experiments, we examined the role of phasic cardiac fluctuations – whether the heart contracts (systole) or relaxes (diastole) – on two attentional mechanisms: executive control (EC) and alerting. Empirical evidence for cardiac phase effects in alerting has been missing, and studies on EC have found mixed results. Thus, we disentangled how cardiac fluctuations affect alerting and EC, separately and then together, using a subset of highly validated Attentional Network Test (ANT). EC was probed by requiring participants to resolve a conflict in an incongruent flanker stimulus. The stimulus was presented either during systole or diastole (Experiment 1, n = 48). Next, in Experiment 2 (n = 45), in addition to probing EC, we also probed alerting by providing participants, on half of the trials, with a cue to warn them of the onset of the stimulus. The cue was shown either during systole or diastole. Our results demonstrated that phasic cardiac fluctuations shape the more immediate alerting response to external cues, but not the subsequent executive control over conflicting information. Specifically, a cue that was presented at a time of increased cardiac output (during systole) elicited a more pronounced alerting effect than the same cue presented during diastole. Whether the stimulus appeared during systole or diastole had no impact on EC functioning. Overall, these findings contribute to the growing body of research on the interaction between cardiac signals and cognitive processes, emphasizing the selective role of systolic and diastolic phases in influencing alerting rather than executive control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109088"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-08-13DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109109
Matteo Valsecchi , Mario Dalmaso , Luigi Castelli , Eleonora Baldini , Giovanni Galfano
Mind wandering is a state in which our mental processes are directed towards task-unrelated thoughts. This phenomenon has been shown to underlie attentional lapses and represents a common experience in everyday life. Previous studies have found an association between mind wandering and eye-related indices. In the present study, we addressed for the first time whether the rate of microsaccades—miniaturised saccades that we spontaneously produce during prolonged fixation—is sensitive to the occurrence of mind wandering. Participants performed the Sustained Attention to Response Task, a go/no-go task highly vulnerable to mind wandering. The analyses focused on possible differences in microsaccade rate emerging from the comparison of time intervals preceding commission errors and time intervals preceding correct target withholds, under the assumption that a commission error would reflect a mind wandering episode. The results showed that microsaccadic rate was consistently reduced in time windows preceding a target trial in which participants produced a commission error as compared to when they correctly inhibited the tendency to manually respond. Cluster-based analyses established that this pattern was robust. Because microsaccades are known to occur involuntarily and a reduction in their frequency has been associated with higher mental effort, the present findings provide new insights as regards the relevance of mind wandering and lend support to the idea that during mind wandering our mind is far from being idle and is absorbed and committed to effortful activities instead.
{"title":"Is mind wandering reflected in microsaccade dynamics?","authors":"Matteo Valsecchi , Mario Dalmaso , Luigi Castelli , Eleonora Baldini , Giovanni Galfano","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109109","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mind wandering is a state in which our mental processes are directed towards task-unrelated thoughts. This phenomenon has been shown to underlie attentional lapses and represents a common experience in everyday life. Previous studies have found an association between mind wandering and eye-related indices. In the present study, we addressed for the first time whether the rate of microsaccades—miniaturised saccades that we spontaneously produce during prolonged fixation—is sensitive to the occurrence of mind wandering. Participants performed the Sustained Attention to Response Task, a go/no-go task highly vulnerable to mind wandering. The analyses focused on possible differences in microsaccade rate emerging from the comparison of time intervals preceding commission errors and time intervals preceding correct target withholds, under the assumption that a commission error would reflect a mind wandering episode. The results showed that microsaccadic rate was consistently reduced in time windows preceding a target trial in which participants produced a commission error as compared to when they correctly inhibited the tendency to manually respond. Cluster-based analyses established that this pattern was robust. Because microsaccades are known to occur involuntarily and a reduction in their frequency has been associated with higher mental effort, the present findings provide new insights as regards the relevance of mind wandering and lend support to the idea that during mind wandering our mind is far from being idle and is absorbed and committed to effortful activities instead.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109109"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144859963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-08-14DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109108
Shuang Liu , Philippe N. Tobler , Yang Hu , Yin Wu
Preventing harm to others is a foundational principle of human morality that relies on distinct learning processes when avoiding harm to others versus oneself. Using a behavioral neuroendocrinology perspective, we investigated the effects of a single dose of testosterone administration on harm-avoidance learning. 120 healthy men randomly received either testosterone or placebo. Three hours later, participants completed a harm-avoidance task, learning over time to choose the option with a lower probability of electric shock to avoid harm either for themselves (Self condition) or for a stranger (Other condition). Behavioral analyses revealed that testosterone administration prolonged recipient differences across trials compared to placebo. Computational modeling quantified these recipient differences which were likely caused by testosterone administration. A reinforcement learning model with dual learning rates for positive and negative prediction errors (PEs) best accounted for individuals’ choices. Analysis showed that, compared to placebo, testosterone enhanced learning from negative outcomes but suppressed learning from positive outcomes in the Self condition, without affecting learning rates in the Other condition. Additionally, testosterone administration slowed prosocial learning from negative outcomes compared to placebo and reversed its positive relationship with trait anxiety. Collectively, our findings offer precise computational insights into the role of testosterone administration in harm-avoidance learning. The results indicate that testosterone influences harm-avoidance learning, potentially in a self-protective and strategic prosocial manner. This study aims to enhance the comprehensive understanding of hormonal effects.
{"title":"How testosterone administration affects learning to avoid harm in healthy men: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study","authors":"Shuang Liu , Philippe N. Tobler , Yang Hu , Yin Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109108","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109108","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Preventing harm to others is a foundational principle of human morality that relies on distinct learning processes when avoiding harm to others versus oneself. Using a behavioral neuroendocrinology perspective, we investigated the effects of a single dose of testosterone administration on harm-avoidance learning. 120 healthy men randomly received either testosterone or placebo. Three hours later, participants completed a harm-avoidance task, learning over time to choose the option with a lower probability of electric shock to avoid harm either for themselves (Self condition) or for a stranger (Other condition). Behavioral analyses revealed that testosterone administration prolonged recipient differences across trials compared to placebo. Computational modeling quantified these recipient differences which were likely caused by testosterone administration. A reinforcement learning model with dual learning rates for positive and negative prediction errors (PEs) best accounted for individuals’ choices. Analysis showed that, compared to placebo, testosterone enhanced learning from negative outcomes but suppressed learning from positive outcomes in the Self condition, without affecting learning rates in the Other condition. Additionally, testosterone administration slowed prosocial learning from negative outcomes compared to placebo and reversed its positive relationship with trait anxiety. Collectively, our findings offer precise computational insights into the role of testosterone administration in harm-avoidance learning. The results indicate that testosterone influences harm-avoidance learning, potentially in a self-protective and strategic prosocial manner. This study aims to enhance the comprehensive understanding of hormonal effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109108"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144862716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-08-12DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109103
Connor Lawhead , Autumn Kujawa , Daniel N. Klein , Brady D. Nelson
The neural response to reward is often examined during monetary reward tasks. However, there is a growing interest in examining other types of reward (e.g., social reward) that require modifications to task design. It is important to understand the impact of task design and reward type on the neural response to reward, particularly for efforts to examine the specificity of a specific type of reward in relation to psychopathology. The present study involved 303 18-year-olds (49.5 % female) who completed the monetary Doors task and two social tasks: a social version of the Doors task and Island Getaway. We recorded electroencephalography during the tasks to measure the time-domain reward positivity (RewP) and time-frequency delta and theta activity. Results indicated that all three tasks elicited the RewP, greater delta activity to favorable outcomes (monetary win, social like/acceptance), and greater theta activity to unfavorable outcomes (monetary loss, social dislike/rejection). For all three measures, the neural response was positively correlated across all three tasks, but the correlation was stronger for the tasks that were more similar in trial structure compared to reward type. The present study suggests that different monetary and social reward tasks can elicit similar neural responses to reward, but similarities in task design and reward type can impact correlation in neural response to reward across tasks.
{"title":"Time-domain and time-frequency neural responses to monetary and social rewards across three different tasks","authors":"Connor Lawhead , Autumn Kujawa , Daniel N. Klein , Brady D. Nelson","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The neural response to reward is often examined during monetary reward tasks. However, there is a growing interest in examining other types of reward (e.g., social reward) that require modifications to task design. It is important to understand the impact of task design and reward type on the neural response to reward, particularly for efforts to examine the specificity of a specific type of reward in relation to psychopathology. The present study involved 303 18-year-olds (49.5 % female) who completed the monetary Doors task and two social tasks: a social version of the Doors task and Island Getaway. We recorded electroencephalography during the tasks to measure the time-domain reward positivity (RewP) and time-frequency delta and theta activity. Results indicated that all three tasks elicited the RewP, greater delta activity to favorable outcomes (monetary win, social like/acceptance), and greater theta activity to unfavorable outcomes (monetary loss, social dislike/rejection). For all three measures, the neural response was positively correlated across all three tasks, but the correlation was stronger for the tasks that were more similar in trial structure compared to reward type. The present study suggests that different monetary and social reward tasks can elicit similar neural responses to reward, but similarities in task design and reward type can impact correlation in neural response to reward across tasks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109103"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144852462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-08-19DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109111
Qiannong Wan , Sanne Ten Oever , Alexander T. Sack , Teresa Schuhmann
Executive cognitive functions are essential for human life, and their age- or disease-related decline significantly impacts quality of life. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) targeting the multiple-demand or fronto-parietal network (FPN) has emerged as a promising intervention for enhancing various executive cognitive functions. However, variations in cognitive tasks and stimulation protocols across studies led to mixed results, rendering findings and conclusions incomparable. In this study, we synchronized oscillations over two main areas of the frontoparietal cognitive network, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) and right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC), using high-definition (HD) dual-channel in-phase transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at various stimulation frequencies (6 Hz, 40 Hz, sham). Participants completed a spatial attention task, a 3-back memory task, and a flanker cognitive control task while receiving tACS stimulation. Results revealed that gamma-band (40 Hz) stimulation improved response speed in the spatial attention task among younger participants but impaired response speed in the flanker task. Contrary to our initial expectations, theta-band stimulation did not affect cognition significantly. These findings highlight the specificity of cognitive enhancement through tACS and suggest that optimal stimulation targets may vary across cognitive domains, providing clinical implications for using tACS in treating cognitive deficits.
{"title":"Enhancing cognitive performance with fronto-parietal transcranial alternating current stimulation","authors":"Qiannong Wan , Sanne Ten Oever , Alexander T. Sack , Teresa Schuhmann","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109111","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109111","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Executive cognitive functions are essential for human life, and their age- or disease-related decline significantly impacts quality of life. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) targeting the multiple-demand or fronto-parietal network (FPN) has emerged as a promising intervention for enhancing various executive cognitive functions. However, variations in cognitive tasks and stimulation protocols across studies led to mixed results, rendering findings and conclusions incomparable. In this study, we synchronized oscillations over two main areas of the frontoparietal cognitive network, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) and right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC), using high-definition (HD) dual-channel in-phase transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at various stimulation frequencies (6 Hz, 40 Hz, sham). Participants completed a spatial attention task, a 3-back memory task, and a flanker cognitive control task while receiving tACS stimulation. Results revealed that gamma-band (40 Hz) stimulation improved response speed in the spatial attention task among younger participants but impaired response speed in the flanker task. Contrary to our initial expectations, theta-band stimulation did not affect cognition significantly. These findings highlight the specificity of cognitive enhancement through tACS and suggest that optimal stimulation targets may vary across cognitive domains, providing clinical implications for using tACS in treating cognitive deficits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109111"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-08-22DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109113
Zoe F. Damon , Grace M. Kathman , Laura K. Case , Tristen K. Inagaki
Social touch, such as hugging and hand-holding, may aid in the maintenance of feelings of social connection. Research on gentle stroking has demonstrated its social-affective effects. However, other elements of touch that might contribute to feelings of social connection are poorly understood. The current research seeks to determine the effect of warmth and pressure, given their involvement in social touch, on feelings of social connection with close others. In a 2 × 2 within-subjects experiment, 75 participants (M age = 19.89, 77.30 % women), were exposed to repeated trials of warm or neutral temperature packs, combined with deep or light pressure from weighted blankets, while they viewed images of close others. Feelings of social connection towards the pictured individuals were collected after each trial. After adjusting for age, there was an interaction such that warm deep pressure increased feelings of social connection compared to warm light pressure and neutral deep pressure. Individual differences in interoceptive sensibility also moderated effects, with greater clarity in interoceptive signals predicting higher feelings of social connection during warm deep pressure (vs. warm light pressure). The combination of warmth and pressure, therefore, increases feelings of social connection toward close others compared to warmth or pressure alone. Results are the first to demonstrate a role of pressure in feelings of social connection and are consistent with perspectives emphasizing afferent feedback from the body in socioemotional experience.
{"title":"Effect of warm pressure on feelings of social connection with close others","authors":"Zoe F. Damon , Grace M. Kathman , Laura K. Case , Tristen K. Inagaki","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social touch, such as hugging and hand-holding, may aid in the maintenance of feelings of social connection. Research on gentle stroking has demonstrated its social-affective effects. However, other elements of touch that might contribute to feelings of social connection are poorly understood. The current research seeks to determine the effect of warmth and pressure, given their involvement in social touch, on feelings of social connection with close others. In a 2 × 2 within-subjects experiment, 75 participants (<em>M age</em> = 19.89, 77.30 % women), were exposed to repeated trials of warm or neutral temperature packs, combined with deep or light pressure from weighted blankets, while they viewed images of close others. Feelings of social connection towards the pictured individuals were collected after each trial. After adjusting for age, there was an interaction such that warm deep pressure increased feelings of social connection compared to warm light pressure and neutral deep pressure. Individual differences in interoceptive sensibility also moderated effects, with greater clarity in interoceptive signals predicting higher feelings of social connection during warm deep pressure (vs. warm light pressure). The combination of warmth and pressure, therefore, increases feelings of social connection toward close others compared to warmth or pressure alone. Results are the first to demonstrate a role of pressure in feelings of social connection and are consistent with perspectives emphasizing afferent feedback from the body in socioemotional experience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 109113"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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