Frontal EEG asymmetry as predictor of physiological responses to aversive memories

Meyer, Thomas; Quaedflieg, Conny W.E.M.; Giesbrecht, Timo; Meijer, Ewout H.; Abiad, Schahrasad; Smeets, Tom

doi:10.1111/psyp.12230

Cited by 34 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Another finding that may inspire future research is that trauma‐exposed participants with stronger left‐sided frontal activity at rest displayed more emotionally intense traumatic memories, and that left‐sided activation asymmetry during neutral picture viewing tended to correlate with higher arousal levels immediately following an intrusion. These results appear to contravene the overall pattern in our results (i.e., left‐sided frontal activity predicting fewer PTSD symptoms), yet they align with the finding that left‐sided activity can be associated with both stronger and weaker physiological downregulation of affective responses (e.g., Meyer et al, ). Indeed, both the left and right hemispheres can be involved in increases and decreases of autonomic nervous system and stress hormonal responses (Kline, ; Miller, Crocker, Spielberg, Infantolino, & Heller, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…These results appear to contravene the overall pattern in our results (i.e., left-sided frontal activity predicting fewer PTSD symptoms), yet they align with the finding that leftsided activity can be associated with both stronger and weaker physiological downregulation of affective responses (e.g., Meyer et al, 2014a). Indeed, both the left and right hemispheres can be involved in increases and decreases of autonomic nervous system and stress hormonal responses (Kline, 2017;Miller, Crocker, Spielberg, Infantolino, & Heller, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

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Frontal EEG asymmetry during symptom provocation predicts subjective responses to intrusions in survivors with and without PTSD

et al. 2017

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Studies suggest that frontal alpha asymmetry is closely linked to psychological adjustment following stressful experiences, such that more left-sided frontal activation during symptom provocation might predict lower levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, we tested whether frontal asymmetry at rest and during exposure to neutral, positive, negative, and trauma-related images would be associated with PTSD, and particularly with characteristic reexperiencing symptoms. Symptoms were assessed in trauma victims with (n 5 24) and without PTSD (n 5 15), using both retrospective measures and 1-week ambulatory assessments with a diary and a smartphone. While resting frontal asymmetry was unrelated to all retrospective measures, left-sided activation in response to the negative picture correlated with lower levels of psychopathology. Left-sided activation in the trauma-related picture condition was more specifically associated with less emotionally intense intrusions and responses to viewing the picture, even when corrected for other symptoms of psychopathology. These effects tended to increase when participants with possible overreporting tendencies were removed from the analyses. Moreover, trauma victims without PTSD (i.e., relatively more resilient individuals) displayed higher left-sided frontal activation in response to the negative picture, also when compared with a third group of healthy, trauma-free individuals (n 5 15). Our findings suggest that statedependent changes in frontal asymmetry could serve as a biological marker of PTSD symptoms and could eventually be used for diagnostic purposes or as a target for neuromodulation interventions. Future studies should establish whether this marker can serve as an early predictor of psychopathology in recently traumatized individuals. K E Y W O R D Sdiary, frontal alpha asymmetry, intrusions, posttraumatic stress disorder, symptom provocation | IN TRO DUCT IO NA small, yet nontrivial proportion of individuals who have experienced aversive life events develop trauma-related psychopathology, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These trauma victims suffer from severe reexperiencing symptoms (e.g., intrusions, nightmares), avoidance of cues related to the trauma, altered mood and cognition, as well as exaggerated general arousal and reactivity (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Since the diagnosis of PTSD essentially depends on self-report (Rosen & Lilienfeld, 2008) and its symptoms are only modestly related to objective trauma severity (

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Frontal EEG asymmetry during symptom provocation predicts subjective responses to intrusions in survivors with and without PTSD

et al. 2017

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“…It is likely that cognitive processes significantly impact rLFA (Papousek & Schulter, 2004) and individuals with less rLFA REZNIK AND ALLEN | 3 of 32 may have more impaired reasoning in depression (Brzezicka, Kami nski, Kami nska, Woły nczyk-Gmaj, & Sedek, 2016). For example, Meyer et al (2014) found a significant difference in response to two trauma-related films that differed in their difficulty of cognitive reappraisal. Therefore, it may be important to consider the degree to which a task constrains cognition.…”

Section: Methodological Issues In Frontal Asymmetry Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frontal asymmetry as a mediator and moderator of emotion: An updated review

2017

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For over 35 years, research has examined frontal alpha EEG asymmetry, discussed in terms of relative left frontal activity (rLFA) in the present review, as a concurrent and prospective marker of affective processing and psychopathology. Because rLFA may index (a) neural correlates of frontal asymmetry, or (b) psychological constructs to which frontal asymmetry relates, rLFA can advance our understanding of both neural and psychological models of emotion and psychopathology. In order to improve such understanding, the specific role of rLFA in extending or challenging existing theory must be clear to researchers and readers alike. In particular, in 2004, Coan and Allen argued that examination of rLFA as a mediator or moderator may improve our theoretical understanding of rLFA. Despite being a commonly cited paper in the field, most rLFA research today still fails to acknowledge the statistical role of rLFA in the research. The aim of the present paper is to (a) convince the reader of the importance of distinguishing rLFA as a predictor, outcome, mediator, or moderator in order to conduct theory-driven research, and (b) highlight some of the major advances in rLFA literature since the review by Coan and Allen (2004) in the framework of mediators and moderators. We selected a broad range of search terms to capture relevant rLFA research and included only those studies utilizing established methods for rLFA measurement.

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“…This film was well suited for the purpose of this study, as it was rich in distinctive features such as multiple victims of varying age, rescue helicopters and short dialogues. Prior studies have successfully used this material to induce negative affect (NA) and aversive memories (Meyer et al, ; Meyer et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult Eyewitness Memory for Single Versus Repeated Traumatic Events

Theunissen

Meyer

Memon

et al. 2017

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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Reports from individuals who have witnessed multiple, similar emotional events may differ from reports from witnesses of only a single event. To test this, we had participants (N = 65) view a video of a road traffic accident. Half of the participants saw two additional (similar) aversive films. Afterwards, participants filled out the Self-Administered Interview on the target film twice with an interval of 1 week. Participants who saw multiple similar films were less accurate in recalling details from the target film than participants in the control condition. On their second report, participants were less complete but more accurate compared with their first report. These results indicate that adults who have witnessed multiple repeated events may appear less reliable in their reports than adults who have witnessed a single event. These findings are relevant when evaluating eyewitness evidence and call for new approaches to questioning witnesses about repeated events.

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Frontal EEG asymmetry as predictor of physiological responses to aversive memories

Cited by 34 publications

References 66 publications

Frontal EEG asymmetry during symptom provocation predicts subjective responses to intrusions in survivors with and without PTSD

Frontal EEG asymmetry during symptom provocation predicts subjective responses to intrusions in survivors with and without PTSD

Frontal asymmetry as a mediator and moderator of emotion: An updated review

Adult Eyewitness Memory for Single Versus Repeated Traumatic Events

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