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The late positive potential: a neural marker of the regulation of emotion-based approach-avoidance actions?

The late positive potential: a neural marker of the regulation of emotion-based approach-avoidance actions?
The late positive potential: a neural marker of the regulation of emotion-based approach-avoidance actions?
The ability to regulate our emotional responses is crucial to effective functioning in daily life. Whilst there has been extensive study of the brain potentials related to valenced stimuli, the neural basis of the ability to regulate actions elicited by these remains to be clarified. To address this, 40 volunteers undertook an approach-avoidance paradigm. In the congruent condition, participants approached pleasant and avoided unpleasant stimuli. In the incongruent condition, the opposite was the case, requiring the regulation of natural emotional response tendencies. Both behavioural and electrophysiological indices of emotional regulation were recorded. Congruency effects were observed at both the behavioural and electrophysiological level. Reaction times were faster and the LPP larger, when performing emotionally congruous relative to incongruous actions. Moreover, neural and behavioural effects were correlated. The current results suggest that the LPP congruency effect can be considered a neural marker of individual differences in emotion-driven action tendencies. We discuss whether this reflects emotion regulation, effort allocation, or correct mapping of stimulus response tendencies.
approach, avoidance, emotion regulation, event-related potentials, late positive potential
0301-0511
115-123
Bamford, Susan
9b57bccd-485f-4d05-aa46-62687293e97a
Broyd, Samantha J.
3ff5fb0f-f452-4e84-a260-8e5853f701a3
Benikos, Nicholas
fc863d81-18f4-4ee8-be13-185ad613189d
Ward, Robert
611e73dc-b9ed-4920-a3aa-68dbf032fd9a
Wiersema, Jan R.
cc91556a-6a9f-4079-b0b8-502bd729b936
Sonuga-Barke, Edmund
bc80bf95-6cf9-4c76-a09d-eaaf0b717635
Bamford, Susan
9b57bccd-485f-4d05-aa46-62687293e97a
Broyd, Samantha J.
3ff5fb0f-f452-4e84-a260-8e5853f701a3
Benikos, Nicholas
fc863d81-18f4-4ee8-be13-185ad613189d
Ward, Robert
611e73dc-b9ed-4920-a3aa-68dbf032fd9a
Wiersema, Jan R.
cc91556a-6a9f-4079-b0b8-502bd729b936
Sonuga-Barke, Edmund
bc80bf95-6cf9-4c76-a09d-eaaf0b717635

Bamford, Susan, Broyd, Samantha J., Benikos, Nicholas, Ward, Robert, Wiersema, Jan R. and Sonuga-Barke, Edmund (2015) The late positive potential: a neural marker of the regulation of emotion-based approach-avoidance actions? Biological Psychology, 105, 115-123. (doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.01.009). (PMID:25619616)

Record type: Article

Abstract

The ability to regulate our emotional responses is crucial to effective functioning in daily life. Whilst there has been extensive study of the brain potentials related to valenced stimuli, the neural basis of the ability to regulate actions elicited by these remains to be clarified. To address this, 40 volunteers undertook an approach-avoidance paradigm. In the congruent condition, participants approached pleasant and avoided unpleasant stimuli. In the incongruent condition, the opposite was the case, requiring the regulation of natural emotional response tendencies. Both behavioural and electrophysiological indices of emotional regulation were recorded. Congruency effects were observed at both the behavioural and electrophysiological level. Reaction times were faster and the LPP larger, when performing emotionally congruous relative to incongruous actions. Moreover, neural and behavioural effects were correlated. The current results suggest that the LPP congruency effect can be considered a neural marker of individual differences in emotion-driven action tendencies. We discuss whether this reflects emotion regulation, effort allocation, or correct mapping of stimulus response tendencies.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 14 January 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 January 2015
Published date: February 2015
Keywords: approach, avoidance, emotion regulation, event-related potentials, late positive potential
Organisations: Clinical Neuroscience

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 375562
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/375562
ISSN: 0301-0511
PURE UUID: e5105945-15b3-499c-b3c0-8c3e21a5c749

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Date deposited: 30 Mar 2015 13:51
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 19:28

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Contributors

Author: Susan Bamford
Author: Samantha J. Broyd
Author: Nicholas Benikos
Author: Robert Ward
Author: Jan R. Wiersema
Author: Edmund Sonuga-Barke

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