Effects of positive emotion, extraversion, and dopamine on cognitive stability‐flexibility and frontal EEG asymmetry

Abstract

The influence of positive emotions on the balance between cognitive stability and flexibility has been suggested to (a) differ among various positive emotional/motivational states (e.g., of varying approach motivation intensity), and (b) be mediated by brain dopamine (DA). Frontal EEG alpha asymmetry (ASY) is considered an indicator of approach motivational states and may be modulated by DA. The personality trait of extraversion is strongly linked to positive emotions and is now thought to reflect DA-based individual differences in incentive/approach motivation. The present study independently manipulated positive emotion (high approach wanting-expectancy [WE] vs. low approach warmth-liking [WL]) and dopamine (placebo vs. DA D2 blocker sulpiride) to examine their effects on both cognitive stability-flexibility and emotion-related ASY changes. The results showed numerically lower stability-flexibility in WE versus WL under placebo and a complete reversal of this effect under the D2 blocker, no differentiation between WE and WL groups in terms of emotion-related ASY change, but an association between self-reported WE and WL and ASY changes toward left and right frontal cortical activity, respectively. Finally, extraversion was positively associated with both stability-flexibility and ASY changes toward left frontal cortical activity under placebo, and these associations were completely reversed under the D2 blocker. The results (a) support a dopaminergic basis for frontal EEG asymmetry, extraversion, and the modulating effect of positive emotions on stability-flexibility, and (b) extend previous reports of cognitive differences between introverts and extraverts.

Frontal EEG alpha asymmetry and emotion: From neural underpinnings and methodological considerations to psychopathology and social cognition

“…Among these considerations are several particularly influential issues (Smith et al, 2017): (a) the choice of reference (or CSD transformation), (b) the selection of methods for handling artifacts, (c) using designs with resting state versus experimental challenges, and (d) specifying models explicitly for testing mediating and moderating relationships of frontal asymmetry with individual differences or experimental manipulations. In this issue, several articles include exemplary treatment of these issues including the use of the CSD transformation (Rodrigues, M€ uller, M€ uhlberger, & Hewig, 2018;Smith, Cavanagh, & Allen, 2018) and experimental state manipulations (Meyer et al, 2018;Nelson, Kessel, Klein, & Shankman, 2018;Rodrigues et al, 2018;Schmid, Hackel, Jasperse, & Amodio, 2018;Wacker, 2018).…”

“…Relatively unexplored, but potentially worth examining, is frontal EEG asymmetry's relationship to another RDoC construct within the Cognitive Systems domain: cognitive control, described by RDoC as a system that modulates the operation of other cognitive and emotional systems in the service of goal‐directed behavior. Generating a “nomological network” of associations between frontal asymmetry and other indices of approach motivation (e.g., Wacker, ) or cognitive control (e.g., Harmon‐Jones & Gable, ; Schmid et al, ) at multiple levels of analysis will enhance our understanding of both normative and nonnormative (e.g., anhedonia, mania) affective states.…”

Openness to experience predicts dopamine effects on divergent thinking

“…This paradoxical effect was hypothesized to be due to prevalent blockage of presynaptic autoreceptors leading to enhanced dopamine neurotransmission (Kuroki, Meltzer, & Ichikawa, 1999). In previous studies with healthy participants, single doses of sulpiride have been well tolerated, and participants were usually not able to guess whether they received sulpiride or placebo (Chavanon, Wacker, & Stemmler, 2013;Wacker, 2018;Wacker et al 2013).…”

Psicobiología de la Creatividad, Emociones y Actitud Creativa

“…como indicador de dopamina y observan que este indicador tiene un correlato tanto con las emociones como con la creatividad, pero apuntan a que no es el estado de ánimo lo que favorece la creatividad sino la dopamina. Estas conclusiones pueden ser apoyadas por evidencias de tipo experimental en donde se observa que el bloqueo del receptor D2 de la dopamina tiene efectos en el estado de ánimo, en la flexibilidad, así como en la asimetría alfa electroencefalográfica (Wacker, 2017). Este último punto merece una mención aparte.…”