International Journal of Psychophysiology

Understanding the somatovisceral responses to auditory affective imagery has important implications in disorders like misophonia. The current study compared physiological responses to aversive and nonaversive states across three modalities: audiovisual, auditory, and auditory imagery. Electromyographic activity over corrugator supercilii (EMGc) and zygomaticus major (EMGz), electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate (HR), and finger skin temperature (SKT) were measured. There was significant differentiation in EMGc, EDA, and HR deceleration between aversive and nonaversive audiovisual stimuli. EMGc potentiation was the only physiological measure showing consistent differentiation across the three modalities. Cross-modal aversiveness classification results revealed a similar physiological response pattern between audiovisual and auditory modalities. The physiological response pattern during auditory affective imagery was useful for predicting the aversiveness in audiovisual modality but not the other way around. Vividness in auditory imagery correlated with subjective hedonic valence ratings, but not physiological responses. Taken together, the current data suggest that the aversiveness of auditory imagery is differentiable in subjective affective experience and facial muscle potentiation. These results of the physiological responses to imagined aversive sounds in nonclinical population would serve as a comparison baseline for the study of misophonia.

Skin Conductance Response (SCR) is a phasic change in electric conductivity of the skin, occurring either non-specifically, or in response to a stimulus (event-related, or ER-SCR). It has long been understood that ER-SCR amplitudes are greater when associated with unpleasant or high-arousal stimuli; however, the relationship between emotional valence and arousal to other ER-SCR measures such as ER-SCR latency (interval between stimulus onset and ER-SCR onset) and ER-SCR rise time (interval between ER-SCR onset and peak amplitude) is less well-established. Here, we presented 60 emotive pictures from IAPS and NAPS affective picture systems to a group of 100 young, healthy adults (50 male and 50 female) and recorded their electrodermal activity. We found that higher emotional arousal was associated with greater ER-SCR amplitudes and shorter ER-SCR rise times. Interestingly, while the increase in ER-SCR amplitudes was only observed for a subset of high-arousal stimuli (score 7-9 on a 9 point scale), the effect on ER-SCR rise times was more graded and particularly sensitive to the difference between low (score 1-3) and medium-arousal (score 4-6) categories. Next, we found that while ER-SCR amplitudes were greater in response to unpleasant stimuli (valence score 1-3 on a 9-point scale), none of the ER-SCR measures could distinguish between neutral (score 4-6) and positive stimuli (score 7-9). We suggest that the increase in ER-SCR amplitudes for unpleasant stimuli is primarily driven by the inherent association between unpleasantness and high arousal. In conclusion, we demonstrate that ER-SCR rise time conveys valuable information about emotional arousal and represents a useful complementary measure to ER-SCR amplitude in order to discern between multiple degrees of emotional arousal. Furthermore, this study confirms the cross-cultural validity of the IAPS and NAPS databases in a sample of young adult Czechs.

Stress threatens physical and mental health. Reactions to acute stress comprise multiple levels, including negative thoughts, bodily symptoms and behaviors. Individuals differ in their reaction to acute stress, and importantly, also in the extent to which these levels align, with a closer correspondence between psychological and physiological stress indicators being beneficial for mental health and well-being. This preregistered study investigates such individual differences systematically by inducing psychological (social-evaluative) and physiological (cold water) stress with the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST) in 149 healthy adults. Participants indicated their perceived stress and four physiological stress indicators (blood pressure, heart rate, salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase) were obtained. Finally, multiple personality traits were assessed as potential moderators, including the Big Five, trait anxiety, and general cognitive ability. In line with previous research, psychological and physiological stress indicators were only weakly correlated and Bayesian analyses provided evidence favoring the absence of close psychophysiological correspondence. Considering individual differences in personality, especially conscientiousness and openness emerged as potential moderators. We propose individual differences in interoceptive abilities as another critical moderator, which deserves further investigation, and discuss how future research on individual differences in psycho-physiological correspondence can contribute to further our understanding of mental and physical diseases.

Aversive conditioning prompts reliable changes in the power of EEG alpha-band oscillations and pupil dilation. Both variables have been used to test hypotheses on the acquisition, generalization, and extinction of conditioned threat. Existing studies have largely relied on trial averages and group-level analyses. Thus, the variability of these physiological markers to aversive learning at the subject level is currently unknown. Comparisons of group-level analyses in prior studies suggest that pupil dilation and EEG-alpha activity capture complementary information. However, to date, no study has directly compared these two markers in terms of their effect sizes at the level of individual participants. The present study employed Bayesian multilevel modeling to quantify the variability of conditioning effect estimates for alpha-band power and pupillometry. Estimates were examined at the group level and at the participant level, across two conditioning paradigms, involving visual and auditory cues. Although the two metrics shared similar effect sizes at the group level, participant-level variability in these effect sizes was substantially higher for pupil-dilation compared to alpha-power, and this finding was replicated across both paradigms. These findings have important implications for clinical and inter-individual difference research which requires both the quantification of effects at the participant-level as well as meaningful variability between-participants that can be linked to relevant differences such as anxiety.

The conscious integration of interoceptive signals, such as heartbeats and breathing, is essential for emotional regulation, self-awareness, and stress resilience. We conducted a controlled trial implementing a 5-day biofeedback-guided interoceptive training program to assess its impact on interoceptive accuracy (IAc) and psychological dimensions of bodily and mental perception. The experimental group showed significant improvements in IAc compared to controls, reflecting enhanced detection of heartbeats. Training increased scores on two MAIA subscales: "Awareness of Negative Emotional States" and "Not Distracting". These outcomes suggest the intervention enhanced participants capacity to acknowledge and engage with unpleasant bodily sensations without resorting to avoidance or distraction strategies. A trend toward improved body image perception emerged in the experimental group, with gains correlating with reductions in depressive symptoms, underscoring the interplay between bodily awareness and emotional well-being. These findings underscore that targeted interoceptive training represents a powerful tool for refining awareness of internal states, enhancing attentional control, and optimizing emotional processing. By bridging bodily signals and affective experiences, this approach offers a pathway for innovative, evidence-based therapies to bolster emotional resilience and address conditions rooted in dysregulated emotional states, such as anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders.

Mindfulness-based cognitive training exhibits great propensity for improving cognitive performance across a range of contexts. However, the neurophysiological basis of these cognitive enhancements has remained relatively unclear. Previous studies have widely examined EEG during mindfulness practice - or made comparisons with long-term meditators and controls - but have failed to capture how EEG dynamics in subsequent cognitive testing scenarios might be altered as a function of mindfulness-based interventions. The current study therefore aimed to assess a variety of EEG dynamics (oscillatory, aperiodic, and event-related) during engagement in a dynamic and complex cognitive task, following a mindfulness-based cognitive training regime. Participants (n = 40, age range = 18 - 38) attended the lab on two separate occasions (pre- and post-a web-based one-week mindfulness intervention), where EEG was recorded during engagement in the Target Motion Analyst (TMA) task. Previous analysis of the same participants demonstrated that greater adherence to the mindfulness-based cognitive training was associated with improved performance on the TMA task (Dziego, Bornkessel-Schlesewsky, Schlesewsky et al., 2024). Here, we capitalise on these previous findings to assess whether adherence is paralleled by measurable differences in on-task EEG dynamics. Linear mixed-effects modelling demonstrated that, while main effects were observed across session, adherence to cognitive training was not directly associated with alpha power, theta power or 1/f parameters. Challenges also arose when computing event-related potentials (ERPs), illustrating the difficulties of using this technique in more complex testing environments. While these results are challenging to place within the context of previous EEG studies on meditation and cognitive performance, our findings highlight the complexities in understanding the cognitive benefits of mindfulness-based training interventions through EEG dynamics observed during subsequent cognitive testing.

BackgroundAutonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) and music-induced frisson are sensory-affective phenomena characterized by tingling, chills, and pronounced emotional responses. Previous research has mainly focused on physiological changes during these experiences, whereas much less is known about whether baseline physiological state is associated with subsequent susceptibility. ObjectiveTo examine whether baseline autonomic flexibility, indexed primarily by heart rate variability (HRV), is associated with later ASMR/frisson responsiveness. Resting EEG measures were included as secondary exploratory markers. MethodsFifteen participants were recruited by convenience sampling; after artifact-based exclusion, 10 participants were included in the analyses. A 5-minute resting baseline EEG and ECG was recorded prior to stimulus presentation. Participants were then exposed to auditory and audiovisual ASMR stimuli, classical music excerpts, and a control stimulus, and reported whether they had experienced ASMR-typical sensations or frisson. Main analyses examined associations between baseline physiological parameters and a combined response-positive outcome. Exploratory analyses included participant-level correlations, comparisons between susceptible and non-susceptible participants, and stimulus-specific effect sizes. ResultsHRV-related measures showed the clearest and most consistent pattern of association with responsiveness. Higher baseline total HRV power was associated with a greater number of response-positive stimuli (r = 0.756, p = 0.011), with similar positive associations for high-frequency HRV (HF; r = 0.672, p = 0.033) and baseline heart rate slope (r = 0.751, p = 0.012). Stimulus-specific analyses likewise showed the most consistent positive baseline effects for total HRV power, with HF and heart rate slope pointing in the same direction. Frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) was negatively associated with responsiveness ({rho} = -0.862, p = 0.001), but EEG findings overall were less consistent than the HRV-related pattern and are best interpreted as secondary exploratory observations. ConclusionsIn this exploratory pilot sample, baseline HRV, particularly total HRV power, showed the most coherent physiological association with susceptibility to ASMR and music-induced frisson. The findings are consistent with the possibility that these experiences depend not only on stimulus properties, but also on pre-existing physiological state. Given the small sample and exploratory design, the results should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and require replication in larger confirmatory studies.

Although fear conditioning is one of the most widely used models to study anxiety in humans, much remains to be explored regarding its underlying neural correlates. In this study, we employed a three-day threat-conditioning protocol in which an angry face (conditioned stimulus, CS+) was paired with an aversive sound (unconditioned stimulus, US). Our main objective was to identify neural markers of post-retrieval processes triggered by the presentation of the CS+ alone, 24 hours after acquisition. We recorded resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) activity before and after memory reactivation in two groups of participants (females and males counterbalanced): a Reactivation group previously exposed to threat conditioning on Day 1 (n=26) and a Control group (n=26) with no prior conditioning, focusing on memory-related patterns in the frequency domain and microstate dynamics. Our results confirmed successful conditioning and memory retention 48 hours later, as evidenced by implicit, declarative, and emotional responses. Regarding neural activity, we found lower beta-band activity (25-30 Hz) in central brain regions after reactivation, which may reflect enhanced post-reactivation processing of the threat conditioning memory, in contrast to participants who viewed the stimulus for the first time. We observed changes in microstates and a potential link between microstate C and conditioned threat memory. These findings provide initial evidence for neural correlates of post-retrieval processes of an implicit threat memory offering potential relevance for understanding mechanisms implicated in anxiety and related disorders.

Despite various interventions for anxiety disorders, effects can take months and many individuals do not respond. Activity in the anterior cingulate cortex is a consistent predictor of treatment outcomes, and can be measured by medial frontal theta (MFT) event-related potentials. This study used task-based electroencephalography and MFT to predict anxiety sensitivity treatment response at mid-treatment, 1-week post-treatment, and 6 months post-treatment. Results indicated that lower medial to lateral prefrontal theta phase synchrony was associated with greater symptom improvement. This work represents a novel finding that may contribute to the improvement in treatment efficacy by serving as a target for future interventions and individualized treatment selection.

BackgroundTo personalize the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety, there is a need to identify biological constructs that underlie self-reported symptoms. Notably, physiological responses and altered levels of arousal are constituents of anxiety and have widespread ("global") effects on fMRI signals across the brain. Therefore, fMRI signatures of global cortical arousal and autonomic physiological responses may provide valuable neuroimaging biomarkers of anxiety. Additionally, these effects may also contribute to relationships observed between large scale network dynamics and anxiety level. MethodsDrawing upon data from a large community sample of 543 subjects (F= 369, M=174) we examine whether the global mean fMRI signal, and a data-driven estimate of cortical arousal effects in fMRI, relate to state and trait anxiety. Additionally, we investigate if autonomic physiological measures (heart rate) in fMRI patterns relate to state and trait anxiety in a subsample of these subjects (240 subjects; F=154, M=86). Finally, we investigate if these three global fMRI effects influence the relationship between functional brain network connectivity and state and trait anxiety. ResultsWe observe that the spatial patterns of the global mean fMRI signal and the cortical arousal-related fMRI signal related to both state and trait anxiety. These results support current theories that cortical arousal is closely tied to the anxious experience. Additionally, we observe that global component regression had variable effects on the relationship between anxiety and brain networks. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that global effects in fMRI signals hold valuable information about both state and trait anxiety. These observations also underscore the importance of understanding global fMRI effects as a source of information as opposed to a confound.

The startle reflex is considered a sensitive defensive reaction to potential threats that manifests as a unique eye blink-like pattern in the EMG. Eye blink EMG has a bell-shaped potential when startle probes are elicited, that strongly corresponds to amygdala activity. Considering how amygdala activity fluctuates over time in response to emotional and self-threatening stimuli, observing startle eyeblink size fluctuation over time could provide a cost-effective, convenient, and less resource intensive means for examining amygdala activity over time. Yet based on current standards in the literature, often startle evoked eye blink EMG values do not exhibit activity 3SDs from the mean eyeblink response, thus these trials are typically excluded from startle analyses. It stands to reason, however, that these trials may still index amygdala activity in a meaningful way. Through investigating the association between startle eyeblink amplitude, corresponding ERP amplitude, and underlying neural activity, the current study provides evidence that startle amplitudes exhibit a linear relationship with proxies for amygdala activity, e.g., N100 amplitudes and regions heavily interconnected with the amygdala. Specifically, the startle reflex correlates to large amount of brain regions in N100 time window in addition to the N100 amplitude. Thus, both valid and otherwise traditionally non-valid startle reflex responses appear to index amygdala activity and should be included accordingly. This approach could help salvage large amounts of meaningful data traditionally excluded from studies interested in amygdala responses to various stimuli over time.

Classical views suggest that experienced affect is related to a specific bodily response (Fingerprint hypothesis), whereas recent perspectives challenge this view postulating that similar affective experiences rather evoke different physiological responses. To further advance this debate in the field, we used representational similarity analysis (N= 64) to investigate the correspondence between subjective affect (arousal and valence ratings) and physiological reactions (skin conductance response [SCR], startle blink response, heart rate and corrugator activity) across various emotion induction contexts (picture viewing task, sound listening task and imagery task). Significant similarities were exclusively observed between SCR and arousal in the picture viewing task. However, none of the other physiological measures showed a significant relation with valence and arousal ratings in any of the tasks. These findings tend to support the populations hypothesis, suggesting that there is no clear match between the evoked physiological responses and the experienced subjective affect between individuals. Statement of relevanceThe subjective affective experience evoked by an event is accompanied by physiological responses. The correspondence between physiological response patterns and the experienced affect, however, is still under debate. Classical views (Fingerprint hypothesis) suggest that affect is related to a specific physiological response, whereas recent perspectives (Populations hypothesis) challenge this view, postulating rather different physiological responses. In the current study, we used representational similarity analysis (RSA) to examine the relation between affective experience, assessed using valence and arousal ratings, and the evoked physiological reactivity across three affect-inducing contexts. Results showed significant similarities exclusively between SCR and arousal in the passive picture viewing task. However, none of the other physiological measures showed a significant relation with valence and arousal ratings in any of the tasks, supporting the populations hypothesis. These findings invite to reframe the relation between physiology and affect from invariant and homogeneous to variant and context-dependent.

The aim of this exploratory study was to create a behavioural measure for trait(s) that reflect the ability and motivation to continue an unpleasant behaviour, i.e. perseverance or persistence, and to measure its correlates to several variables. We utilised six different tasks with 54 subjects to measure the perseverance-trait: cold pressor task, hand grip endurance task, impossible anagram task, impossible verbal reasoning task, thread and needle task and boring video task. According to our results, the task performances formed two perseverance factors that could be roughly described as "physical" and "mental" perseverance. Together, the two-factor solution is responsible for the common variance constituting 37.3 % of the total variance in the performances i.e. performance times. Excluding the impossible anagram task, the performance in any given task was better explained by performances in the other tasks (i.e. "trait", {eta}2 range = 0.131-0.253) than by rank order variable ("depletion", i.e. getting tired from the previous tasks, {eta}2 range = 0-0.096). HighlightsO_LIBehavioural perseverance of individuals can be measured behaviourally C_LIO_LIBehavioural perseverance forms a two-factor structure C_LIO_LIPerseverance trait is better predictor of performance than depletion of individuals personal resources in a task C_LI

BackgroundFacial expression, gesture, and posture play an important role in perceiving emotions during communication. In virtual communication platforms, users have devised and learned to use a variety of expressive emojis along with text messages to express certain emotions. The effect of emojis on human psychology and associated autonomic responses is still vague. MethodsA total of 100 healthy individuals (50 males and 50 females) aged between 18-40 years were recruited. Electrodermal activity (skin conductance level (SCL) and skin conductance response (SCR) amplitude) and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) were assessed during the Emotional Stroop Task (EST). EST having expressive emojis superimposed with the congruent and incongruent words was used. ResultMean SCL and SCR amplitude was significantly increased during EST in incongruent and congruent blocks as compared to neutral block (respectively: 14.64 {+/-} 6.73, 12.99 {+/-} 6.26 vs. 7.75 {+/-} 4.93 S, p < 0.001 and 0.182 {+/-} 0.168, 0.158 {+/-} 0.134 vs. 0.021 {+/-} 0.015 S, p < 0.001). RSA was significantly decreased in incongruent and congruent blocks as compared to neutral blocks (respectively: 36.47 {+/-} 10.53, 39.40 {+/-} 10.15 vs. 48.66 {+/-} 10.27 msec2, p < 0.001). We found an increased sympathetic activity and parasympathetic withdrawal while performing the task. ConclusionThe results of this study suggested that emojis are adequate stimuli to elicit autonomic responses and change both sympathetic (EDA) as well as parasympathetic responses (RSA). Males and females showed similar autonomic arousal for emoji but the baseline emotional status was different for both genders.

ObjectiveEmotional states are expressed in body and mind through subjective experience of physiological changes. In previous work, subliminal priming of anger prior to lexical decisions increased systolic blood pressure (SBP). This increase predicted the slowing of response times (RT), suggesting that baroreflex-related autonomic changes and their interoceptive (feedback) representations, influence cognition. Alexithymia is a subclinical affective dysfunction characterized by difficulty in identifying emotions. Atypical autonomic and interoceptive profiles are observed in alexithymia. Therefore, we sought to identify mechanisms through which SBP fluctuations during emotional processing might influence decision-making, including whether alexithymia contributes to this relationship. MethodsThirty-two male participants performed an affect priming paradigm and completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Emotional faces were briefly presented (20ms) prior a short-term memory task. RT, accuracy and SBP were recorded on a trial-by-trial basis. Generalized mixed-effects linear models were used to evaluate the impact of emotion, physiological changes, alexithymia score, and their interactions, on performances. ResultsA main effect of emotion was observed on accuracy. Participants were more accurate on trials with anger primes, compared to neutral priming. Greater accuracy was related to increased SBP. An interaction between SBP and emotion was observed on RT: Increased SBP was associated with RT prolongation in the anger priming condition, yet this relationship was absent under the sadness priming. Alexithymia did not significantly moderate the above relationships. ConclusionsOur data suggest that peripheral autonomic responses during affective challenges guide cognitive processes. We discuss our findings in the theoretical framework proposed by Lacey and Lacey (1970).

BackgroundSuicidal ideation (SI) and suicidal behavior (SB) may have different etiological pathways, particularly related to feedback processing. Identifying ERP components related to these suicide states may help researchers localize and understand these differences. Objective. Our primary purpose was to utilize time-frequency decomposition techniques to assess neurophysiological correlates of SI and SB during positive and negative feedback processing. Methods271 subjects (55.7% female; mean age=35.75, SD=16.07; 30.6% veterans) completed a questionnaire battery and a multi-task protocol, including a gambling feedback task (Gehring & Willoughby, 2002), while electroencephalography (EEG) was collected using a 96-channel EEG system. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted across 20 self-report suicide items selected to index SI and SB from several suicide-relevant questionnaires. EFA results produced 2 factors, corresponding to SI and SB. Time-frequency principal component analyses produced measures across all frequency bands (i.e., delta-FN/P3, delta-SW, theta-FN, alpha, beta-1, beta-2, and gamma). ResultsExcepting alpha amplitude, all measured frequencies were related to SB, and not SI (across loss and gain, with some loss-gain differences). Alpha, uniquely, showed a relationship to SI and not to SB (across loss and gain, no loss-gain differences). Robust regressions confirmed that the delta, theta, and high-frequency (HF; beta-1, beta-2, and gamma as combined HF loss, gain, and loss-gain difference factors) measures were each independently related to SB. DiscussionBroadly, the results indicate that individuals with SB showed heightened neurophysiological response across multiple ERP components (except alpha) to gambling feedback, with significantly greater increases to loss stimuli relative to gain stimuli. General Scientific SummaryThis study, using time-frequency EEG/ERP measures from a gambling feedback task, supports the theoretical framework that suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation can be indexed separately. Generally, stronger reactivity to all feedback (i.e., loss and gain feedback during a gambling task) is seen in those with suicidal behavior and not in those with suicidal ideation, but with a small separate effect related to suicidal ideation.

The error-related negativity (ERN)--an index of error monitoring--is associated with anxiety symptomatology. Although recent work suggests associations between the ERN and anxiety are relatively modest, little attention has been paid to how variation in task parameters may influence the strength of ERN-anxiety associations. To close this gap, the current meta-analysis assesses the possible influence of task parameter variation in the Flanker task--the most commonly used task to elicit the ERN--on observed ERN-anxiety associations. Here, we leveraged an existing open database of published/unpublished ERN-anxiety effect sizes, supplementing this database by further coding for variation in stimulus type (letter vs. arrow), response type (one-handed vs. two-handed), and block-level feedback (with vs. without). We then performed meta-regression analyses to assess whether variation in these Flanker task parameters moderated the effect size of ERN-anxiety associations. No evidence for an effect of stimulus type was identified. However, both response type and block-level feedback significantly moderated the magnitude of ERN-anxiety associations. Specifically, studies employing either a two-handed (vs. one-handed) task, or those with (vs. without) block-level feedback exhibited more than a two-fold increase in the estimated ERN-anxiety effect size. Thus, accounting for common variation in task parameters may at least partially explain apparent inconsistencies in the literature regarding the magnitude of ERN-anxiety associations. At a practical level, these data can inform the design of studies seeking to maximize ERN-anxiety associations. At a theoretical level, the results also inform testable hypotheses regarding the exact nature of the association between the ERN and anxiety.

A large body of ssVEP research has provided significant insights into the temporal dynamics of attentional processes. While these studies focused primarily on group level inspection, there is a need for further research employing methodological approaches that enable the examination of individual-level variability. This is particularly relevant in psychological contexts, where such measures are linked to various cognitive and clinical outcomes. In the present study, we aimed to measure and discern attentional shift processes, examining both group and individual subject dynamics. We utilized EEG frequency tagging to examine attentional engagement, disengagement, and reengagement while participants switched focus between four flickering stimuli. Analysis of ssVEPs revealed significant changes in amplitude between attentional conditions. Specifically, group-level results indicated an increase in activity during engagement with the first target, followed by a decrease upon disengagement, while reengagement with the second target showed a corresponding increase in activity occurring on average 110 ms prior to disengagement. Distinct individual patterns emerged, with participants showing either disengagement, reengagement, both, or no shifts. Notably, the timing and order of these attentional shifts varied considerably across individuals relative to target switch events. These findings demonstrate the ability of this approach to quantify attentional shifts on both group and individual levels, providing a foundation for further research into individual differences in attentional control, which may have implications for understanding adaptive and maladaptive psychological functioning. HighlightsO_LIEEG frequency tagging captures attentional engagement, disengagement, and reengagement processes. C_LIO_LIGroup-level ssVEP analysis reveals that attentional reengagement occurs 110 ms before attentional disengagement. C_LIO_LIIndividual-level analysis demonstrates diverse patterns of attentional shift timing and order. C_LIO_LIThe experimental framework successfully quantifies attentional dynamics on the group and individual levels. C_LI

BACKGROUNDThreat-conditioning (TC) memory plays a central role in anxiety disorders, but not in a simple way. This memory impacts on complex cognitive systems by modifying behavioral responses with a bias to fearful stimuli and overestimating potential threats. In this study we proposed a global approach analyzing the scope of disrupting TC memory reconsolidation in the implicit memory, the declarative contingency and the cognitive biases. METHODSDay 1: Subjects were trained on TC. Day 2: after Threat-memory reactivation, one group performed a high demanding working memory task (HWM) and the other a low demanding working memory task (LWM). The last group, only performed the HWM task. Day 3: TC memory was tested by an extinction session followed by reinstatement. Finally, all subjects completed tasks targeting stimuli representation, valuation and attentional bias towards threat. RESULTSDisrupting reconsolidation of TC memory with a HWM weakened the implicit memory retention and faded the representation and valuation towards threat but it had no effect on attentional bias. Moreover, we revealed that subjects performance during the working memory task was specifically associated in TC memory retention. CONCLUSIONSOur findings reveal a strong impairment of the threat-memory restabilization and associated emotional biases. This may result from the competition between defensive survival and central-executive control networks. Our results fits with Experimental Psychopathology approach, disentangling the relation between the implicit memory, cognitive, valenced systems and the possibility to weaken both the threatening memory and the systems associated with the maintenance of anxiety profile.

Children learn about threat and safety in their environment in part from their caregivers, a process which may be disrupted in child psychopathology. This transmission may be seen through biological measures like peripheral nervous system outputs such as skin conductance (SCR). Fear learning deficits have been observed in fear-related disorders like PTSD but have received little study in terms of parent-child learning transmission. We used a vicarious fear extinction paradigm to examine whether biological synchrony (SCR and heart rate variability [HRV]) is a potential mechanism by which children learn safety cues from their parents. In this pilot study, 16 dyads (PTSD n=11, typically developing [TD] n=5) underwent a vicarious fear extinction paradigm. We used cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA) to assess SCR and HRV synchrony between parent-child dyads. We then used a linear model to examine group differences between PTSD dyads and TD dyads. For SCR, a significant group difference (p=.037) indicated that TD dyads had higher SCR synchrony compared to PTSD dyads. For HRV, there were no group differences between PTSD and TD dyads (p=.325). In exploratory analyses, increased synchrony was related to an overall decreased autonomic reactivity during recall of fear (p=0.032). These results suggest that SCR synchrony, but not HRV, may be a potential mechanism that allows for fear and safety learning in youth. While these data are preliminary, they provide novel insights on how disruptions in vicarious extinction learning may contribute to fear-related disorders in youth. Furthermore, this study suggests novel approaches to studying dyadic trauma-focused therapies which critically rely on parental coaching to model appropriate fear responses to help their child to recover from trauma. Significance StatementThis study provides evidence that biological synchrony is a potential mechanism through which youth learn threat and safety cues through their parents. We found that youth with PTSD have lower synchrony with their caregiver, and that synchrony was related to decreased overall autonomic reactivity, suggesting that synchrony may be indicative of overall safety learning. Further, decreased synchrony during fear extinction may potentially underlie the etiology of fear related disorders such as PTSD. These novel approaches may improve our understanding of dyadic trauma-focused therapies which critically rely on parental coaching to model appropriate fear responses to help their child to recover from trauma.