Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109145
Jens Allaert , Djamilah Mohamed , Daniel Hellemons , Frederik M. van der Veen
<div><div>Individuals prone to rumination and depressive symptoms often experience maladaptive, repetitive regret when confronted with lost opportunities. Understanding underlying neurobehavioral mechanisms is crucial for clarifying how these vulnerabilities might foster affective disorders. This study used a sequential risk-taking task to investigate how these vulnerabilities modulate behavioral, neural (Late Positive Potential, LPP), and cardiac responses to outcomes. Ninety-two female subjects received trial-by-trial feedback, yielding optimal, suboptimal (mixed gain/loss), and nonoptimal (total loss) outcomes. Higher rumination and depressive symptoms predicted greater behavioral sensitivity to lost opportunities. For suboptimal outcomes, the positive association between sensitivity and LPP amplitude was stronger in individuals with higher vulnerability, whereas for nonoptimal outcomes, the positive association between sensitivity and LPP amplitude was only present in those with extremely high rumination. Together, these findings suggest that for vulnerable individuals, a heightened sensitivity to lost opportunities manifests as a neural signature of sustained, maladaptive elaboration on partially or fully negative choice outcomes. In contrast, for individuals with low vulnerabilities, greater sensitivity predicted a reduced LPP for nonoptimal outcomes, a possible signature of adaptive disengagement from failure. Physiologically, regardless of vulnerability, greater sensitivity predicted increased cardiac acceleration following suboptimal outcomes, suggesting heightened autonomic arousal, though this effect only survived multiple-comparison correction in the model with rumination. In conclusion, sensitivity to lost opportunities seems not inherently maladaptive; its link to neural processing is shaped by clinical vulnerabilities. This altered processing may explain how these vulnerabilities sustain biased thinking, offering a transdiagnostic marker and targets for intervention against maladaptive regret. In contrast, individuals with low vulnerability showed a reduced LPP for nonoptimal outcomes, a signature of adaptive disengagement from failure. (both rumination and depressive symptoms). For nonoptimal outcomes, sensitivity predicted an amplified LPP in those with extremely high rumination. For suboptimal outcomes, the positive association between sensitivity and LPP amplitude was stronger in individuals with higher vulnerability, suggesting intensified counterfactual elaboration. For nonoptimal outcomes, this sensitivity predicted a reduced LPP (suggesting adaptive disengagement) in individuals with low vulnerability but an amplified LPP (suggesting maladaptive perseveration) in those with extremely high rumination. Individuals prone to self-critical rumination and depressive symptoms often experience maladaptive, repetitive regret when confronted with lost opportunities. Understanding the underlying neurobehavioral mechanisms in those wit
{"title":"Neural and cardiac correlates of sensitivity to lost opportunities: The role of self-critical rumination and depressive symptoms","authors":"Jens Allaert , Djamilah Mohamed , Daniel Hellemons , Frederik M. van der Veen","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109145","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109145","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Individuals prone to rumination and depressive symptoms often experience maladaptive, repetitive regret when confronted with lost opportunities. Understanding underlying neurobehavioral mechanisms is crucial for clarifying how these vulnerabilities might foster affective disorders. This study used a sequential risk-taking task to investigate how these vulnerabilities modulate behavioral, neural (Late Positive Potential, LPP), and cardiac responses to outcomes. Ninety-two female subjects received trial-by-trial feedback, yielding optimal, suboptimal (mixed gain/loss), and nonoptimal (total loss) outcomes. Higher rumination and depressive symptoms predicted greater behavioral sensitivity to lost opportunities. For suboptimal outcomes, the positive association between sensitivity and LPP amplitude was stronger in individuals with higher vulnerability, whereas for nonoptimal outcomes, the positive association between sensitivity and LPP amplitude was only present in those with extremely high rumination. Together, these findings suggest that for vulnerable individuals, a heightened sensitivity to lost opportunities manifests as a neural signature of sustained, maladaptive elaboration on partially or fully negative choice outcomes. In contrast, for individuals with low vulnerabilities, greater sensitivity predicted a reduced LPP for nonoptimal outcomes, a possible signature of adaptive disengagement from failure. Physiologically, regardless of vulnerability, greater sensitivity predicted increased cardiac acceleration following suboptimal outcomes, suggesting heightened autonomic arousal, though this effect only survived multiple-comparison correction in the model with rumination. In conclusion, sensitivity to lost opportunities seems not inherently maladaptive; its link to neural processing is shaped by clinical vulnerabilities. This altered processing may explain how these vulnerabilities sustain biased thinking, offering a transdiagnostic marker and targets for intervention against maladaptive regret. In contrast, individuals with low vulnerability showed a reduced LPP for nonoptimal outcomes, a signature of adaptive disengagement from failure. (both rumination and depressive symptoms). For nonoptimal outcomes, sensitivity predicted an amplified LPP in those with extremely high rumination. For suboptimal outcomes, the positive association between sensitivity and LPP amplitude was stronger in individuals with higher vulnerability, suggesting intensified counterfactual elaboration. For nonoptimal outcomes, this sensitivity predicted a reduced LPP (suggesting adaptive disengagement) in individuals with low vulnerability but an amplified LPP (suggesting maladaptive perseveration) in those with extremely high rumination. Individuals prone to self-critical rumination and depressive symptoms often experience maladaptive, repetitive regret when confronted with lost opportunities. Understanding the underlying neurobehavioral mechanisms in those wit","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109145"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145410843","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109158
Michiel Spapé, Aotong Li, Ran Guo
The P3 is a psychophysiological marker of visual recognition, being related to object detection, memory encoding, and action selection. Yet computing the similarity of a presented stimulus to a represented target is an ill-defined task for stimuli such as faces, given the plenitude of potentially relevant features. We previously proposed that current neural networks can define stimuli both at their objective, physical and subjective, cognitive levels, and thus compute similarity. This similarity – or perception/representation distance inverse - linearly predicted P3 amplitude in a face identity recognition task. However, this left open whether the distance-P3 relation reflected top-down task-related recognition or bottom-up family-resemblance repetition effects. We therefore revisited the paradigm but included precisely matched presentations of foils: task-irrelevant images sampled and presented at target-matched distances. The results showed that an early binary differentiation between targets and other images occurred at the N170 latency while for the P3, a clear effect of distance was found: the larger the distance, the smaller the P3. The effects of target-relevance were clearly dissociable from the effect of perceiving foils, which did not affect the N170 at all, and showed only a minor, binary effect on the P3, unrelated to the specific distance. Taken together, we argue that keeping a target in visual working memory involves an early, top-down mechanism, which evaluates the evidence for making a perceptual decision. This mechanism is followed soon after by a more passive, bottom-up process, which updates both the probability and representation of stimulus identities.
{"title":"Partial recognition: The P3 marks the top-down similarity between task-relevant targets and presented stimuli","authors":"Michiel Spapé, Aotong Li, Ran Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109158","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109158","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The P3 is a psychophysiological marker of visual recognition, being related to object detection, memory encoding, and action selection. Yet computing the similarity of a presented stimulus to a represented target is an ill-defined task for stimuli such as faces, given the plenitude of potentially relevant features. We previously proposed that current neural networks can define stimuli both at their objective, physical and subjective, cognitive levels, and thus compute similarity. This similarity – or perception/representation distance inverse - linearly predicted P3 amplitude in a face identity recognition task. However, this left open whether the distance-P3 relation reflected top-down task-related recognition or bottom-up family-resemblance repetition effects. We therefore revisited the paradigm but included precisely matched presentations of foils: task-irrelevant images sampled and presented at target-matched distances. The results showed that an early binary differentiation between targets and other images occurred at the N170 latency while for the P3, a clear effect of distance was found: the larger the distance, the smaller the P3. The effects of target-relevance were clearly dissociable from the effect of perceiving foils, which did not affect the N170 at all, and showed only a minor, binary effect on the P3, unrelated to the specific distance. Taken together, we argue that keeping a target in visual working memory involves an early, top-down mechanism, which evaluates the evidence for making a perceptual decision. This mechanism is followed soon after by a more passive, bottom-up process, which updates both the probability and representation of stimulus identities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109158"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145477229","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109157
Jie Liu, Jiajun Li, Jun Yang, Qin Zhang
The neural power spectrum contains both periodic and aperiodic 1/f-like activity. Aperiodic activity is functionally significant, reflecting the excitation-inhibition balance within the nervous system. Without proper parameterization, aperiodic activity can confound oscillatory power, leading to misinterpretations of physiological phenomena. While target load's impact on aperiodic activity has been studied, its modulation by distractor load is less understood. Our study used a parameterization algorithm to separate periodic alpha oscillations from aperiodic activity, examining their relationship with target and distractor items during working memory. We found that periodic alpha activity increased with target load, a change not evident with traditional analysis. The aperiodic exponent was modulated by both target and distractor loads, but in opposite directions, highlighting their differential impact on excitation-inhibition balance. An exploratory analysis showed no modulatory role of working memory capacity on these neural indicators. Our findings emphasize the importance of distinguishing periodic and aperiodic activity in working memory research. They provide empirical support for the dynamic regulation of the neuronal excitation/inhibition balance by target and distractor items. Future research should focus on the functional significance of these individual components for a deeper understanding of brain function.
{"title":"Modulation of the aperiodic exponent by target and distractor load during working memory delay","authors":"Jie Liu, Jiajun Li, Jun Yang, Qin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The neural power spectrum contains both periodic and aperiodic 1/f-like activity. Aperiodic activity is functionally significant, reflecting the excitation-inhibition balance within the nervous system. Without proper parameterization, aperiodic activity can confound oscillatory power, leading to misinterpretations of physiological phenomena. While target load's impact on aperiodic activity has been studied, its modulation by distractor load is less understood. Our study used a parameterization algorithm to separate periodic alpha oscillations from aperiodic activity, examining their relationship with target and distractor items during working memory. We found that periodic alpha activity increased with target load, a change not evident with traditional analysis. The aperiodic exponent was modulated by both target and distractor loads, but in opposite directions, highlighting their differential impact on excitation-inhibition balance. An exploratory analysis showed no modulatory role of working memory capacity on these neural indicators. Our findings emphasize the importance of distinguishing periodic and aperiodic activity in working memory research. They provide empirical support for the dynamic regulation of the neuronal excitation/inhibition balance by target and distractor items. Future research should focus on the functional significance of these individual components for a deeper understanding of brain function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109157"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145440043","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109170
Jimin Yan , Tanja Könen , Hongchi Zhang , Lorenza Colzato , Bernhard Hommel
Cognitive adaptivity—the capacity to adjust behavior in response to changing demands—is central to human functioning. The metacontrol framework describes this adaptivity as a dynamic balance between persistence (goal-directed stability) and flexibility (openness to change). Recent research links individual metacontrol biases to the aperiodic exponent of EEG activity, which reflects the brain's excitation/inhibition balance. Higher exponents indicate persistence-related control, while lower exponents reflect flexibility-oriented processing. This study investigated whether aperiodic EEG markers predict coping preferences—assimilative (persistence-based) vs. accommodative (flexibility-based)—in a large sample of Chinese university students. We used structural equation modeling to compare a trait-based model based on resting-state EEG with a task-based model that included dynamic EEG indices reflecting situational challenge. The task-based model offered stronger predictive power. Two EEG markers—rest-to-task exponent change and within-trial exponent change—formed a latent metacontrol factor. This factor negatively predicted assimilative coping (measured via a resilience scale) and positively predicted accommodative coping (measured via a culturally validated dialectical thinking scale). These opposite effects align with the theoretical distinction between the two coping styles. These findings suggest that dynamic shifts in aperiodic activity provide a sensitive neural marker of the control states that shape coping behavior and resilience.
{"title":"Aperiodic EEG activity as metacontrol marker predicts assimilative and accommodative coping strategies","authors":"Jimin Yan , Tanja Könen , Hongchi Zhang , Lorenza Colzato , Bernhard Hommel","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109170","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109170","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cognitive adaptivity—the capacity to adjust behavior in response to changing demands—is central to human functioning. The metacontrol framework describes this adaptivity as a dynamic balance between persistence (goal-directed stability) and flexibility (openness to change). Recent research links individual metacontrol biases to the aperiodic exponent of EEG activity, which reflects the brain's excitation/inhibition balance. Higher exponents indicate persistence-related control, while lower exponents reflect flexibility-oriented processing. This study investigated whether aperiodic EEG markers predict coping preferences—assimilative (persistence-based) vs. accommodative (flexibility-based)—in a large sample of Chinese university students. We used structural equation modeling to compare a trait-based model based on resting-state EEG with a task-based model that included dynamic EEG indices reflecting situational challenge. The task-based model offered stronger predictive power. Two EEG markers—rest-to-task exponent change and within-trial exponent change—formed a latent metacontrol factor. This factor negatively predicted assimilative coping (measured via a resilience scale) and positively predicted accommodative coping (measured via a culturally validated dialectical thinking scale). These opposite effects align with the theoretical distinction between the two coping styles. These findings suggest that dynamic shifts in aperiodic activity provide a sensitive neural marker of the control states that shape coping behavior and resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109170"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145617818","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109161
Burcu Göz Tebrizcik , Alexandra L. Georgescu, Susannah Pick, Eleanor J. Dommett
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, marked by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Its symptoms in adulthood may be predominantly inattentive, and attention deficiency can impact external and internal attentional processes. Despite evidence indicating that processing of internal sensory information, interoception, may be impacted in ADHD, this has yet to be fully assessed. Fifty-seven typically developed adults and 30 with an ADHD diagnosis underwent assessment of interoceptive abilities incorporating behavioural and self-reported measures of interoception accuracy (i.e., how accurately body signals can be perceived) and attention (attention focused on interoception). Psychophysiological measurements using the heartbeat counting task (HCT) were used to assess behavioural accuracy, confidence ratings, and interoceptive insight (the relationship between behavioural accuracy and confidence ratings). Additionally, questionnaires assessed self-report accuracy and self-report attention. An analysis of covariance for each component of interoceptive abilities was performed to examine group differences. Individuals with ADHD displayed lower behavioural accuracy, confidence ratings, and self-report accuracy than those without ADHD after controlling for ethnicity, age, autistic traits, alexithymia, depression, or social functioning. Ethnicity, age, and depression also had significant effects on distinct interoceptive abilities. These findings suggest interoceptive impairment maybe a feature of ADHD even after controlling for potentially confounding variables. However, these results should be interpreted cautiously due to the limitations of the study, such as the narrow age group and small sample size. More research is needed, utilising a broad range of techniques to confirm differences in interoceptive dimensions in ADHD and their potential impact.
{"title":"Interoceptive abilities in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder","authors":"Burcu Göz Tebrizcik , Alexandra L. Georgescu, Susannah Pick, Eleanor J. Dommett","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109161","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109161","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, marked by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Its symptoms in adulthood may be predominantly inattentive, and attention deficiency can impact external and internal attentional processes. Despite evidence indicating that processing of internal sensory information, interoception, may be impacted in ADHD, this has yet to be fully assessed. Fifty-seven typically developed adults and 30 with an ADHD diagnosis underwent assessment of interoceptive abilities incorporating behavioural and self-reported measures of interoception accuracy (i.e., how accurately body signals can be perceived) and attention (attention focused on interoception). Psychophysiological measurements using the heartbeat counting task (HCT) were used to assess behavioural accuracy, confidence ratings, and interoceptive insight (the relationship between behavioural accuracy and confidence ratings). Additionally, questionnaires assessed self-report accuracy and self-report attention. An analysis of covariance for each component of interoceptive abilities was performed to examine group differences. Individuals with ADHD displayed lower behavioural accuracy, confidence ratings, and self-report accuracy than those without ADHD after controlling for ethnicity, age, autistic traits, alexithymia, depression, or social functioning. Ethnicity, age, and depression also had significant effects on distinct interoceptive abilities. These findings suggest interoceptive impairment maybe a feature of ADHD even after controlling for potentially confounding variables. However, these results should be interpreted cautiously due to the limitations of the study, such as the narrow age group and small sample size. More research is needed, utilising a broad range of techniques to confirm differences in interoceptive dimensions in ADHD and their potential impact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109161"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145524943","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109163
Adam O’Riordan , Aisling M. Costello
The primary aims of the current study were to (1) examine the association between perceptions of social strain from a spouse/partner, other family members and friends, and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress, and (2) to identify if the association between perceived social strain and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress was mediated via self-esteem. A sample of 659 participants completed measures assessing social strain from a spouse/partner, from other family members and from friends, and completed a standardized cardiovascular reactivity protocol consisting of resting baseline and stressor phase (mental arithmetic and Stroop). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored throughout the baseline and stressor phases. Greater social strain from family members and from friends were significantly associated with blunted blood pressure reactivity to acute psychological stress. Moreover, diminished self-esteem significantly mediated the association between social strain from all sources and both cardiovascular and psychological responses to acute stress. Results for the association between social strain and cardiovascular reactivity appeared to remain largely robust in follow-up analyses adjusting for perceived social support from various sources. However, after adjusting for depressive symptoms, both the direct and mediating effects of self-esteem on cardiovascular reactivity became non-significant. The direct association between social strain from family members on diminished blood pressure reactivity withstood adjustment for depression. These findings indicate a potential mechanistic pathway that may facilitate the association between social strain and adverse physical health outcomes.
{"title":"Social strain and cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress: Examining the mediating role of self-esteem","authors":"Adam O’Riordan , Aisling M. Costello","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The primary aims of the current study were to (1) examine the association between perceptions of social strain from a spouse/partner, other family members and friends, and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress, and (2) to identify if the association between perceived social strain and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress was mediated via self-esteem. A sample of 659 participants completed measures assessing social strain from a spouse/partner, from other family members and from friends, and completed a standardized cardiovascular reactivity protocol consisting of resting baseline and stressor phase (mental arithmetic and Stroop). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored throughout the baseline and stressor phases. Greater social strain from family members and from friends were significantly associated with blunted blood pressure reactivity to acute psychological stress. Moreover, diminished self-esteem significantly mediated the association between social strain from all sources and both cardiovascular and psychological responses to acute stress. Results for the association between social strain and cardiovascular reactivity appeared to remain largely robust in follow-up analyses adjusting for perceived social support from various sources. However, after adjusting for depressive symptoms, both the direct and mediating effects of self-esteem on cardiovascular reactivity became non-significant. The direct association between social strain from family members on diminished blood pressure reactivity withstood adjustment for depression. These findings indicate a potential mechanistic pathway that may facilitate the association between social strain and adverse physical health outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109163"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145534008","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109143
Hoi Yan Mak , Qiduo Lin , Ovid J.L. Tzeng , Hsu-Wen Huang
The human brain extracts statistical regularities from sensory input as a foundational mechanism for anticipating future events. This process, known as statistical learning (SL), underpins predictive coding across diverse sensory modalities and stimulus types. However, the neural dynamics underlying predictive processing of statistical information remain insufficiently understood. To address this, we examined psychophysiological markers linked to the extraction and predictive application of temporal regularities. Electroencephalography signals were recorded from young adults (n = 30) as they performed a visual SL task. Following exposure to a continuous sequence of abstract shapes, participants completed a judgment task with both adjacent and nonadjacent dependencies, in which the final shape of each triplet was presented to either visual field. Behavioral findings revealed that participants responded with greater accuracy to target triplets than to foils, suggesting effective learning of predictive structures. Event-related potential analyses further showed that the final shape in foil triplets elicited a larger N300 component compared to targets irrespective of visual fields. This reflects neural adjustment to prediction errors in statistical structures. In addition, the beta oscillation discrepancy between targets and foils when responded correctly serves as an indication of the ability to predict visual inputs with regularities. The results demonstrate bilateral engagement in predictive processing of statistical regularities, with the N300 component and rhythmic entrainment specifically indexing the prediction and validation of learned temporal patterns. Our findings elucidate the neural dynamics in predictive processing, offering new insight into how the brain utilizes statistical regularities to anticipate and interpret sensory input.
{"title":"EEG insights into predictive coding of temporal regularity in shape sequences","authors":"Hoi Yan Mak , Qiduo Lin , Ovid J.L. Tzeng , Hsu-Wen Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109143","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109143","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The human brain extracts statistical regularities from sensory input as a foundational mechanism for anticipating future events. This process, known as statistical learning (SL), underpins predictive coding across diverse sensory modalities and stimulus types. However, the neural dynamics underlying predictive processing of statistical information remain insufficiently understood. To address this, we examined psychophysiological markers linked to the extraction and predictive application of temporal regularities. Electroencephalography signals were recorded from young adults (n = 30) as they performed a visual SL task. Following exposure to a continuous sequence of abstract shapes, participants completed a judgment task with both adjacent and nonadjacent dependencies, in which the final shape of each triplet was presented to either visual field. Behavioral findings revealed that participants responded with greater accuracy to target triplets than to foils, suggesting effective learning of predictive structures. Event-related potential analyses further showed that the final shape in foil triplets elicited a larger N300 component compared to targets irrespective of visual fields. This reflects neural adjustment to prediction errors in statistical structures. In addition, the beta oscillation discrepancy between targets and foils when responded correctly serves as an indication of the ability to predict visual inputs with regularities. The results demonstrate bilateral engagement in predictive processing of statistical regularities, with the N300 component and rhythmic entrainment specifically indexing the prediction and validation of learned temporal patterns. Our findings elucidate the neural dynamics in predictive processing, offering new insight into how the brain utilizes statistical regularities to anticipate and interpret sensory input.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109143"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145402847","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109146
Chen Hu, Yinglong Li, Shimin Fu
While most prior research has emphasized the role of saliency in attentional capture and suppression, it has largely overlooked learning experience—an equally critical factor. Yet, the relative contributions of saliency and learning experience may jointly shape attentional priority. In this study, we investigate whether the learning experience can enable suppression of attentional capture by abrupt onsets, thereby testing the applicability of Signal Suppression Theory to such stimuli. To this end, event-related potential (ERP) techniques were employed to examine changes in N2pc (indicating attentional capture) and PD (reflecting suppression) across the learning process. Participants completed four repeated visual search tasks over three days to establish implicit learning. Behaviorally, the interference effect caused by abrupt onsets persisted both before and after learning, although it was significantly reduced with increased learning experience. In contrast, color singletons were suppressed to baseline levels pre-learning and below baseline post-learning. Electrophysiological results revealed that the N2pc amplitude elicited by targets increased after learning, whereas the N2pc to distractors remained unchanged. Furthermore, the late PD elicited by abrupt onsets decreased following learning, while the PD associated with color singletons was unaffected by learning. Taken together, these findings suggest that top-down implicit learning does not fully eliminate but attenuates the processing of highly salient distractors, indicating that Signal Suppression Theory is not applicable to abrupt onsets. This study demonstrates that suppression through implicit learning primarily arises from enhanced target-related attentional capture and reduced late-stage suppression of distractors.
{"title":"Learning influences the attentional capture and suppression of abrupt onset and color singletons: Evidence from event- related potential studies","authors":"Chen Hu, Yinglong Li, Shimin Fu","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109146","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109146","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While most prior research has emphasized the role of saliency in attentional capture and suppression, it has largely overlooked learning experience—an equally critical factor. Yet, the relative contributions of saliency and learning experience may jointly shape attentional priority. In this study, we investigate whether the learning experience can enable suppression of attentional capture by abrupt onsets, thereby testing the applicability of Signal Suppression Theory to such stimuli. To this end, event-related potential (ERP) techniques were employed to examine changes in N2pc (indicating attentional capture) and P<sub>D</sub> (reflecting suppression) across the learning process. Participants completed four repeated visual search tasks over three days to establish implicit learning. Behaviorally, the interference effect caused by abrupt onsets persisted both before and after learning, although it was significantly reduced with increased learning experience. In contrast, color singletons were suppressed to baseline levels pre-learning and below baseline post-learning. Electrophysiological results revealed that the N2pc amplitude elicited by targets increased after learning, whereas the N2pc to distractors remained unchanged. Furthermore, the late P<sub>D</sub> elicited by abrupt onsets decreased following learning, while the P<sub>D</sub> associated with color singletons was unaffected by learning. Taken together, these findings suggest that top-down implicit learning does not fully eliminate but attenuates the processing of highly salient distractors, indicating that Signal Suppression Theory is not applicable to abrupt onsets. This study demonstrates that suppression through implicit learning primarily arises from enhanced target-related attentional capture and reduced late-stage suppression of distractors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109146"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145427210","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109166
Shaorui Wang , Mingyue Xiao , Jinfeng Han , Yicen Cui , Xiaoyi Li , Hong Chen
Disinhibition, defined as the loss of dietary control in response to emotional distress or external food cues despite sustained restraint efforts, is a major contributor to weight gain and eating pathology among restrained eaters. Previous studies have associated altered functional connectivity between the reward and inhibition networks with disinhibited eating, however, the directional architecture of these interactions during resting state remains unclear. This study employed spectral Dynamic Causal Modeling (spDCM) to examine directional influences between the reward and inhibition networks in 83 restrained eaters divided into high- and low-disinhibition groups. Results revealed that individuals with high disinhibition exhibited reduced inhibitory modulation from a key node of the reward network (right mOFC) to nodes within the inhibition network (right dlPFC and bilateral IPLs), alongside disrupted intra-network connectivity within the inhibition network, characterized by hemispheric asymmetry. These findings suggest that altered resting-state directional interactions between the reward and inhibition networks may impair cognitive control and increase susceptibility to disinhibited eating. The results provide a mechanistic basis for developing targeted interventions, such as neuromodulation or cognitive training, to improve dietary self-regulation.
{"title":"Altered resting-state effective connectivity between reward and inhibition networks in restrained eaters with high disinhibition","authors":"Shaorui Wang , Mingyue Xiao , Jinfeng Han , Yicen Cui , Xiaoyi Li , Hong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109166","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Disinhibition, defined as the loss of dietary control in response to emotional distress or external food cues despite sustained restraint efforts, is a major contributor to weight gain and eating pathology among restrained eaters. Previous studies have associated altered functional connectivity between the reward and inhibition networks with disinhibited eating, however, the directional architecture of these interactions during resting state remains unclear. This study employed spectral Dynamic Causal Modeling (spDCM) to examine directional influences between the reward and inhibition networks in 83 restrained eaters divided into high- and low-disinhibition groups. Results revealed that individuals with high disinhibition exhibited reduced inhibitory modulation from a key node of the reward network (right mOFC) to nodes within the inhibition network (right dlPFC and bilateral IPLs), alongside disrupted intra-network connectivity within the inhibition network, characterized by hemispheric asymmetry. These findings suggest that altered resting-state directional interactions between the reward and inhibition networks may impair cognitive control and increase susceptibility to disinhibited eating. The results provide a mechanistic basis for developing targeted interventions, such as neuromodulation or cognitive training, to improve dietary self-regulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109166"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571289","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 : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109144
Adarsh K. Verma , Adith Deva Kumar , Usha Chivukula , Neeraj Kumar
A growing body of research highlights the prominent role of automatic alcohol approach tendencies in the development and maintenance of harmful drinking behavior. While some alcohol users show an approach towards alcohol-related stimuli, others exhibit avoidance patterns. Yet, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying these opposing tendencies remain poorly understood. The current study addressed this gap by employing an Alcohol Approach-Avoidance Task (A-AAT) combined with electroencephalography on thirty-nine alcohol-using and twenty non-alcoholic participants to investigate neurocognitive responses underlying alcohol approach and avoidance tendencies. Alcohol group participants were categorized into approach (n = 20) and avoidance (n = 19) subgroups based on their behavioral scores in the A-AAT. Results revealed significant attenuation in P3 and FN400 event-related potentials (ERPs) in the alcohol-approach participants at frontal and parietal sites, respectively, in response to alcohol cues compared to both the alcohol-avoidance and non-alcohol participants. These attenuated responses indicate compromised controlled cue processing and impaired stimulus-response conflict resolution in individuals with stronger approach tendencies. Particularly, right prefrontal activity exhibited prominent differences between the approach and avoidance groups, highlighting its potential role in regulating automatic alcohol-related responses. Interestingly, the avoidance group showed neural profiles similar to non-alcoholic individuals, suggesting intact cognitive control mechanisms. The identified ERP markers provide clinical utility for assessing alcohol approach tendencies and monitoring progress during intervention. Findings underscore the importance of tailored interventions aimed at reducing harmful alcohol consumption by altering alcohol approach tendencies.
{"title":"Neural mechanisms underlying approach and avoidance tendencies in alcohol use among males: An electrophysiological investigation","authors":"Adarsh K. Verma , Adith Deva Kumar , Usha Chivukula , Neeraj Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109144","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109144","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A growing body of research highlights the prominent role of automatic alcohol approach tendencies in the development and maintenance of harmful drinking behavior. While some alcohol users show an approach towards alcohol-related stimuli, others exhibit avoidance patterns. Yet, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying these opposing tendencies remain poorly understood. The current study addressed this gap by employing an Alcohol Approach-Avoidance Task (A-AAT) combined with electroencephalography on thirty-nine alcohol-using and twenty non-alcoholic participants to investigate neurocognitive responses underlying alcohol approach and avoidance tendencies. Alcohol group participants were categorized into approach (n = 20) and avoidance (n = 19) subgroups based on their behavioral scores in the A-AAT. Results revealed significant attenuation in P3 and FN400 event-related potentials (ERPs) in the alcohol-approach participants at frontal and parietal sites, respectively, in response to alcohol cues compared to both the alcohol-avoidance and non-alcohol participants. These attenuated responses indicate compromised controlled cue processing and impaired stimulus-response conflict resolution in individuals with stronger approach tendencies. Particularly, right prefrontal activity exhibited prominent differences between the approach and avoidance groups, highlighting its potential role in regulating automatic alcohol-related responses. Interestingly, the avoidance group showed neural profiles similar to non-alcoholic individuals, suggesting intact cognitive control mechanisms. The identified ERP markers provide clinical utility for assessing alcohol approach tendencies and monitoring progress during intervention. Findings underscore the importance of tailored interventions aimed at reducing harmful alcohol consumption by altering alcohol approach tendencies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55372,"journal":{"name":"Biological Psychology","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 109144"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145402884","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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