The burden of brooding on neural error processing: The role of repetitive negative thinking in major depressive disorder with and without comorbid anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT), particularly its brooding aspect, is a prominent feature in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with and without comorbid anxiety. Error processing, an adaptive cognitive operation, seems to be impaired in individuals with exaggerated RNT. This study measured a post-error neural response, error-related negativity (ERN), during an inhibitory task to examine the mechanism underlying the relationship between RNT and faulty error processing. METHODS: We examined current MDD patients with (n = 61) and without comorbid anxiety disorders (COM; n = 38), propensity-matched into High- or Low-RNT groups according to Ruminative Response Scale Brooding subscale scores. Using 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) during a stop-signal task, we measured baseline-corrected ERN amplitude at FCz 0-100 ms after an incorrect response. A between-subjects ANOVA was conducted with group (High RNT, Low RNT) and comorbidity (MDD, COM) as factors. RESULTS: A significant group-by-comorbidity interaction (η2 = 0.07) was found, with MDD participants exhibiting high RNT revealing smaller (more positive) ERN amplitudes compared to their COM counterparts with high RNT (d = 0.77) and MDD participants with low RNT (d = 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Non-anxious individuals with MDD and high RNT showed blunted post-error neural responses, potentially indicating a diminished adaptive neural mechanism for recognizing and correcting errors. However, the presence of comorbid anxiety disorders in individuals with high RNT appears to counteract this reduction, potentially through an enhanced neural response to errors, thereby maintaining a higher level of error-processing activity. Further understanding of these relationships is essential for developing targeted interventions for MDD, with particular focus on the detrimental impact of brooding RNT.

A multi-level examination of impulsivity and links to suicide ideation among Native American youth.

BACKGROUND: Despite preliminary evidence that links impulsivity to suicide risk among Native American youth, impulsivity has not been directly studied in relation to suicide ideation (SI) or behaviors in this population. We examined indexes of rapid-response impulsivity (RRI) across multiple levels of analysis (self-report, behavioral, neurobiological) and associations with SI among Native American youth ages 9-10 in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. METHODS: Data from the sample (n = 284) included self-report (UPPS-P), behavioral (Stop Signal Task), and neurobiological (right inferior frontal gyrus activation) indicators of RRI. RRI indicators were modeled using variable-centered (i.e., traditional multivariable regression) and person-centered (i.e., clustering analyses) approaches in measuring their association with SI. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher negative urgency was associated with higher odds of SI (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 1.23, p = 0.015). Latent profile analysis clustered youth into five profiles based on within-individual variation in RRI indicators. Youth with an elevated self-reported negative and positive urgency profile had higher odds of reporting SI than "normative" youth (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 2.38, p = 0.019). LIMITATIONS: Limitations of this study include the modest sample size particularly regarding SI (14.1 %), potential bias in estimates of lifetime SI, and generalizability to youth from specific Native American communities. CONCLUSIONS: Negative urgency may increase risk for SI among Native American youth in late childhood. Clinical implications, including the potential for person-centered RRI profiles to act as candidate markers of suicide risk and resilience in adolescence and inform safety assessments and planning, are discussed.

Emerging Medical Technologies and Their Use in Bionic Repair and Human Augmentation.

As both the proportion of older people and the length of life increases globally, a rise in age-related degenerative diseases, disability, and prolonged dependency is projected. However, more sophisticated biomedical materials, as well as an improved understanding of human disease, is forecast to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of conditions ranging from osteoarthritis to Alzheimer's disease as well as impact disease prevention. Another, albeit quieter, revolution is also taking place within society: human augmentation. In this context, humans seek to improve themselves, metamorphosing through self-discipline or more recently, through use of emerging medical technologies, with the goal of transcending aging and mortality. In this review, and in the pursuit of improved medical care following aging, disease, disability, or injury, we first highlight cutting-edge and emerging materials-based neuroprosthetic technologies designed to restore limb or organ function. We highlight the potential for these technologies to be utilized to augment human performance beyond the range of natural performance. We discuss and explore the growing social movement of human augmentation and the idea that it is possible and desirable to use emerging technologies to push the boundaries of what it means to be a healthy human into the realm of superhuman performance and intelligence. This potential future capability is contrasted with limitations in the right-to-repair legislation, which may create challenges for patients. Now is the time for continued discussion of the ethical strategies for research, implementation, and long-term device sustainability or repair.

Blunted stimulus-preceding negativity during reward anticipation in major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Reward processing dysfunction is a core characteristic of major depressive disorder (MDD), yet event-related potential (ERP) research in MDD has predominantly focused on reward receipt as opposed to anticipation. The stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) ERP reflects anticipatory brain processing. This study examines whether individuals with MDD exhibit deficits during reward anticipation as evidenced by altered SPN amplitude. METHODS: We assessed prefeedback-SPN amplitudes during a monetary incentive delay (MID) task in individuals with MDD (n = 142, 99 with comorbid anxiety disorders [MDD + ANX]) compared to Controls (n = 37). A mixed analysis of variance was performed on prefeedback-SPN amplitude and behavioral measures, with group (MDD, MDD + ANX, Control) as the between-subjects factor, and feedback (gain, loss) and electrode (F3, F4, Fz, C3, C4, Cz, P3, P4, Pz) as within-subjects factors. RESULTS: A group main effect revealed faster reaction times for the Control group than MDD and MDD + ANX groups. A group x feedback interaction indicated that the MDD subgroup had smaller prefeedback-SPN amplitudes than MDD + ANX and Control groups when anticipating gain feedback. Additionally, individuals with current MDD, irrespective of past MDD and comorbid anxiety, exhibited smaller SPN amplitudes than Controls prior to gain feedback. LIMITATIONS: The MID paradigm, designed for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquisition, lacks optimization for ERP analysis. Moreover, the clinical groups included more females than the Control group. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced resource allocation to reward anticipation may differentiate MDD from MDD + ANX and Control groups. Further investigation of the neural mechanisms of distinct MDD phenotypes is warranted.

Greater weekly physical activity linked to left resting frontal alpha asymmetry in women: A study on gender differences in highly active young adults.

Physical activity, beneficial for physical and psychological health, may facilitate affective mechanisms of positive emotion and approach-motivation. Greater resting frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), an index of greater relative left than right frontal cortical activity, is a neural correlate of affective mechanisms possibly associated with active lifestyles. This study sought to amplify limited literature on the relationship between physical (in)activity, FAA, and gender differences. College students (n = 70) self-reported physical activity (Total PA) and sedentary activity (Total Sitting) via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), followed by a resting electroencephalography session to record FAA. A Total PA × gender interaction (ß = 0.462, t = 3.163, p = 0.002) identified a positive relationship between Total PA and FAA in women (ß = 0.434, t = 2.221, p = 0.030) and a negative relationship for men (ß = -0.338, t = -2.300, p = 0.025). Total Sitting was positively linked to FAA (ß = 0.288, t = 2.228, p = 0.029; no gender effect). Results suggest affective mechanisms reflected by FAA (e.g., positive emotion, approach-motivation) are associated with physical activity for women, indicating a possible mechanism of the psychological benefits linked with physically active lifestyles. A positive relationship between sedentary behavior and greater left FAA may also reflect motivated mechanisms of behavior that aid in minimizing energy expenditure, particularly within the context of our highly active sample.

Biocomposite thermoplastic polyurethanes containing evolved bacterial spores as living fillers to facilitate polymer disintegration.

The field of hybrid engineered living materials seeks to pair living organisms with synthetic materials to generate biocomposite materials with augmented function since living systems can provide highly-programmable and complex behavior. Engineered living materials have typically been fabricated using techniques in benign aqueous environments, limiting their application. In this work, biocomposite fabrication is demonstrated in which spores from polymer-degrading bacteria are incorporated into a thermoplastic polyurethane using high-temperature melt extrusion. Bacteria are engineered using adaptive laboratory evolution to improve their heat tolerance to ensure nearly complete cell survivability during manufacturing at 135 °C. Furthermore, the overall tensile properties of spore-filled thermoplastic polyurethanes are substantially improved, resulting in a significant improvement in toughness. The biocomposites facilitate disintegration in compost in the absence of a microbe-rich environment. Finally, embedded spores demonstrate a rationally programmed function, expressing green fluorescent protein. This research provides a scalable method to fabricate advanced biocomposite materials in industrially-compatible processes.

Heartbeat-evoked neural response abnormalities in generalized anxiety disorder during peripheral adrenergic stimulation.

Hyperarousal symptoms in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are often incongruent with the observed physiological state, suggesting that abnormal processing of interoceptive signals is a characteristic feature of the disorder. To examine the neural mechanisms underlying interoceptive dysfunction in GAD, we evaluated whether adrenergic modulation of cardiovascular signaling differentially affects the heartbeat-evoked potential (HEP), an electrophysiological marker of cardiac interoception, during concurrent electroencephalogram and functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG-fMRI) scanning. Intravenous infusions of the peripheral adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (0.5 and 2.0 micrograms, µg) were administered in a randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled fashion to dynamically perturb the cardiovascular system while recording the associated EEG-fMRI responses. During the 0.5 µg isoproterenol infusion, the GAD group (n = 24) exhibited significantly larger changes in HEP amplitude in an opposite direction than the healthy comparison (HC) group (n = 24). In addition, the GAD group showed significantly larger absolute HEP amplitudes than the HC group during saline infusions, when cardiovascular tone did not increase. No significant group differences in HEP amplitude were identified during the 2.0 µg isoproterenol infusion. Using analyzable blood oxygenation level-dependent fMRI data from participants with concurrent EEG-fMRI data (21 GAD and 21 HC), we found that the aforementioned HEP effects were uncorrelated with fMRI signals in the insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, and somatosensory cortex, brain regions implicated in cardiac signal processing in prior fMRI studies. These findings provide additional evidence of dysfunctional cardiac interoception in GAD and identify neural processes at the electrophysiological level that may be independent from blood oxygen level-dependent responses during peripheral adrenergic stimulation.

Cognitive control as a potential neural mechanism of protective role of spirituality in anxiety disorders among American Indian people: An ERP study.

Research suggests that traditional cultural factors are protective against mental health conditions in American Indian (AI) populations. This study aims to determine if cognitive control is a neurocognitive mechanism of the protective role of spirituality in AI people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Participants self-identified as AI (n = 52) and included individuals with GAD (n = 16) and without GAD (n = 36). Electroencephalography was collected during a stop-signal task to probe cognitive control using the P3 event-related potential. Higher levels of spirituality attenuated the processing efficiency disruption among individuals with GAD as indicated by P3 amplitudes closer to that of individuals without GAD.

Active learning impairments in substance use disorders when resolving the explore-exploit dilemma: A replication and extension of previous computational modeling results.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a major public health risk. Yet, our understanding of the mechanisms that maintain these disorders remains incomplete. In a recent computational modeling study, we found initial evidence that SUDs are associated with slower learning rates from negative outcomes and less value-sensitive choice (low "action precision"), which could help explain continued substance use despite harmful consequences. METHODS: Here we aimed to replicate and extend these results in a pre-registered study with a new sample of 168 individuals with SUDs and 99 healthy comparisons (HCs). We performed the same computational modeling and group comparisons as in our prior report (doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108208) to confirm previously observed effects. After completing all pre-registered replication analyses, we then combined the previous and current datasets (N = 468) to assess whether differences were transdiagnostic or driven by specific disorders. RESULTS: Replicating prior results, SUDs showed slower learning rates for negative outcomes in both Bayesian and frequentist analyses (partial η2=.02). Previously observed differences in action precision were not confirmed. Learning rates for positive outcomes were also similar between groups. Logistic regressions including all computational parameters as predictors in the combined datasets could differentiate several specific disorders from HCs, but could not differentiate most disorders from each other. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide robust evidence that individuals with SUDs adjust behavior more slowly in the face of negative outcomes than HCs. They also suggest this effect is common across several different SUDs. Future research should examine its neural basis and whether learning rates could represent a new treatment target or moderator of treatment outcome.

Heartbeat-evoked neural response abnormalities in generalized anxiety disorder during peripheral adrenergic stimulation.

Hyperarousal symptoms in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are often incongruent with the observed physiological state, suggesting that abnormal processing of interoceptive signals is a characteristic feature of the disorder. To examine the neural mechanisms underlying interoceptive dysfunction in GAD, we evaluated whether adrenergic modulation of cardiovascular signaling differentially affects the heartbeat evoked potential (HEP), an electrophysiological marker of cardiac interoception, during concurrent electroencephalogram and functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG-fMRI) scanning. Intravenous infusions of the peripheral adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (0.5 and 2.0 micrograms, µg) were administered in a randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled fashion to dynamically perturb the cardiovascular system while recording the associated EEG-fMRI responses. During the 0.5 µg isoproterenol infusion, the GAD group (n=24) exhibited significantly larger changes in HEP amplitude in an opposite direction than the HC group (n=24). In addition, the GAD group showed significantly larger absolute HEP amplitudes than HC during saline infusions, when cardiovascular tone did not increase. No significant group differences in HEP amplitude were identified during the 2.0 µg isoproterenol infusion. Using analyzable blood oxygenation level dependent fMRI data from participants with concurrent EEG-fMRI data (21 GAD and 21 HC), we found that the aforementioned HEP effects were uncorrelated with fMRI signals in the insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, and somatosensory cortex, brain regions implicated in cardiac signal processing according to prior fMRI studies. These findings provide additional evidence of dysfunctional cardiac interoception in GAD and identify neural processes at the electrophysiological level that may be independent from blood oxygen level-dependent responses during peripheral adrenergic stimulation.

Parieto-occipital ERP indicators of gut mechanosensation in humans.

Understanding the neural processes governing the human gut-brain connection has been challenging due to the inaccessibility of the body's interior. Here, we investigated neural responses to gastrointestinal sensation using a minimally invasive mechanosensory probe by quantifying brain, stomach, and perceptual responses following the ingestion of a vibrating capsule. Participants successfully perceived capsule stimulation under two vibration conditions (normal and enhanced), as evidenced by above chance accuracy scores. Perceptual accuracy improved significantly during the enhanced relative to normal stimulation, which was associated with faster stimulation detection and reduced reaction time variability. Capsule stimulation induced late neural responses in parieto-occipital electrodes near the midline. Moreover, these 'gastric evoked potentials' showed intensity-dependent increases in amplitude and were significantly correlated with perceptual accuracy. Our results replicated in a separate experiment, and abdominal X-ray imaging localized most capsule stimulations to the gastroduodenal segments. Combined with our prior observation that a Bayesian model is capable of estimating computational parameters of gut-brain mechanosensation, these findings highlight a unique form of enterically-focused sensory monitoring within the human brain, with implications for understanding gut feelings and gut-brain interactions in healthy and clinical populations.

Resilience and health in American Indians and Alaska Natives: A scoping review of the literature.

American Indians and Alaska Natives suffer from disproportionately high rates of chronic mental and physical health conditions. These health inequities are linked to colonization and its downstream consequences. Most of the American Indian and Alaska Native health inequities research uses a deficit framework, failing to acknowledge the resilience of American Indian and Alaska Native people despite challenging historical and current contexts. This scoping review is based on a conceptual model which acknowledges the context of colonization and its consequences (psychological and health risk factors). However, rather than focusing on health risk, we focus on protective factors across three identified domains (social, psychological, and cultural/spiritual), and summarize documented relationships between these resilience factors and health outcomes. Based on the scoping review of the literature, we note gaps in extant knowledge and recommend future directions. The findings summarized here can be used to inform and shape future interventions which aim to optimize health and well-being in American Indian and Alaska Native peoples.

DOAC Dosing Discordance Using Different Estimates of Kidney Function and Outcomes.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are indicated for the prevention of stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Although Food and Drug Administration labeling for DOACs uses estimated creatinine clearance according to the Cockcroft-Gault (C-G) equation, estimated glomerular filtration rate according to the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation is often reported. The objectives of this study were to evaluate DOAC dosing discordance and to determine whether discordance based on various estimates of kidney function is associated with bleeding or thromboembolism. The study was an institutional review board approved retrospective analysis of patients at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital from January 1, 2010, to December 12, 2016. Data were obtained through electronic medical records. Adults who received a medication charge for rivaroxaban or dabigatran, had a diagnosis code for atrial fibrillation, and had a serum creatinine within 3 days of DOAC initiation were included. Doses were considered discordant if the calculated dose based on CKD-EPI did not match the patient's dose during index admission, if dosed correctly using C-G. Association of discordance with dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and clinical outcomes was determined using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Rivaroxaban discordance was present among 49 of the 644 (8%) patients who were dosed correctly with C-G. Dabigatran discordance was present among 17 of the 590 (3%) patients who were dosed correctly. Discordance with rivaroxaban was found to increase the risk of thromboembolism when using CKD-EPI (odds ratio, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.02-7.79, P = .045) versus C-G. Our findings emphasize the need to dose DOACs, specifically rivaroxaban, appropriately in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Impulsivity in amphetamine use disorder: Examination of sex differences.

AIMS: This study aimed to test whether there are sex differences in the relationship between impulsivity and amphetamine use disorder (AMP). DESIGN: A naturalistic cross-sectional design was used. SETTING: The Tulsa 1000 study was held in Tulsa, OK, USA. PARTICIPANTS: There were two groups in this study: AMP+ (29F, 20M) and AMP- (57F, 33M). MEASUREMENTS: This project focuses on data related to impulsivity: UPPS-P impulsive behavior scale and a stop signal task (SST) during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recording. Group, sex and their interaction were compared for UPPS-P ratings and SST fMRI and behavioral responses. FINDINGS: AMP+ reported higher UPPS-P positive and negative urgency scores (Ps < 0.001; r = 0.56 and 0.51) and displayed greater bilateral insula and amygdala responses across correct SST trials (Ps < 0.001, g range = 0.57-0.81) than AMP-. fMRI results indicated that AMP+ exhibited larger right anterior/middle insula, amygdala and nucleus accumbens signals during successful difficult stop trials than AMP- (Ps < 0.01; g = 0.63, 0.54 and 0.44, respectively). Crucially, two group × sex effects emerged: (a) within females, AMP+ reported larger UPPS-P lack of premeditation scores than AMP- (P < 0.001, r = 0.51), and (b) within males, AMP+ showed greater left middle insula signals than AMP- across correct SST trials (P = 0.01, g = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: Both female and male amphetamine users appear to be characterized by rash action in the presence of positive and negative mood states as well as heightened recruitment of right hemisphere regions during behavioral inhibition. In contrast, planning ahead may be particularly difficult for female amphetamine users, whereas male amphetamine users may need to recruit additional left hemisphere resources during inhibitory processing.

Active learning impairments in substance use disorders when resolving the explore-exploit dilemma: A replication and extension of previous computational modeling results.

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a major public health risk. Yet, our understanding of the mechanisms that maintain these disorders remains incomplete. In a recent computational modeling study, we found initial evidence that SUDs are associated with slower learning rates from negative outcomes and less value-sensitive choice (low "action precision"), which could help explain continued substance use despite harmful consequences. Methods: Here we aimed to replicate and extend these results in a pre-registered study with a new sample of 168 individuals with SUDs and 99 healthy comparisons (HCs). We performed the same computational modeling and group comparisons as in our prior report (doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108208) to confirm previously observed effects. After completing all pre-registered replication analyses, we then combined the previous and current datasets (N = 468) to assess whether differences were transdiagnostic or driven by specific disorders. Results: Replicating prior results, SUDs showed slower learning rates for negative outcomes in both Bayesian and frequentist analyses (η 2 =.02). Previously observed differences in action precision were not confirmed. Logistic regressions including all computational parameters as predictors in the combined datasets could differentiate several specific disorders from HCs, but could not differentiate most disorders from each other. Conclusions: These results provide robust evidence that individuals with SUDs have more difficulty adjusting behavior in the face of negative outcomes than HCs. They also suggest this effect is common across several different SUDs. Future research should examine its neural basis and whether learning rates could represent a new treatment target or moderator of treatment outcome.

Conceptualizing Indigenous strengths-based health and wellness research using group concept mapping.

BACKGROUND: In recent years public health research has shifted to more strengths or asset-based approaches to health research but there is little understanding of what this concept means to Indigenous researchers. Therefore our purpose was to define an Indigenous strengths-based approach to health and well-being research. METHODS: Using Group Concept Mapping, Indigenous health researchers (N = 27) participated in three-phases. Phase 1: Participants provided 218 unique responses to the focus prompt "Indigenous Strengths-Based Health and Wellness Research…" Redundancies and irrelevant statements were removed using content analysis, resulting in a final set of 94 statements. Phase 2: Participants sorted statements into groupings and named these groupings. Participants rated each statement based on importance using a 4-point scale. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to create clusters based on how statements were grouped by participants. Phase 3: Two virtual meetings were held to share and invite researchers to collaboratively interpret results. RESULTS: A six-cluster map representing the meaning of Indigenous strengths-based health and wellness research was created. Results of mean rating analysis showed all six clusters were rated on average as moderately important. CONCLUSIONS: The definition of Indigenous strengths-based health research, created through collaboration with leading AI/AN health researchers, centers Indigenous knowledges and cultures while shifting the research narrative from one of illness to one of flourishing and relationality. This framework offers actionable steps to researchers, public health practitioners, funders, and institutions to promote relational, strengths-based research that has the potential to promote Indigenous health and wellness at individual, family, community, and population levels.

Striatal hypoactivation during monetary loss anticipation in individuals with substance use disorders in a heterogenous urban American Indian sample.

Research suggests that disproportionate exposure to risk factors places American Indian (AI) peoples at higher risk for substance use disorders (SUD). Although SUD is linked to striatal prioritization of drug rewards over other appetitive stimuli, there are gaps in the literature related to the investigation of aversive valuation processing, and inclusion of AI samples. To address these gaps, this study compared striatal anticipatory gain and loss processing between AI-identified with SUD (SUD+; n = 52) and without SUD (SUD-; n = 35) groups from the Tulsa 1000 study who completed a monetary incentive delay (MID) task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results indicated that striatal activations in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), caudate, and putamen were greatest for anticipating gains (ps < 0.001) but showed no group differences. In contrast to gains, the SUD+ exhibited lower NAcc (p = .01, d =0.53) and putamen (p = .04, d =0.40) activation to anticipating large losses than the comparison group. Within SUD+ , lower striatal responses during loss anticipations were associated with slower MID reaction times (NAcc: r = -0.43; putamen: r = -0.35) during loss trials. This is among the first imaging studies to examine underlying neural mechanisms associated with SUD within AIs. Attenuated loss processing provides initial evidence of a potential mechanism wherein blunted prediction of aversive consequences may be a defining feature of SUD that can inform future prevention and intervention targets.

The influence of self-focused attention on emotional picture processing: An ERP study.

Research has documented neurophysiological indicators of anticipation (Stimulus Preceding Negativity [SPN]) and perception (Late Positive Potential [LPP]) of threat, yet little is known as to how self-focused attention manipulations influence emotion processing within the context of cued picture viewing. With self-referent attention moderating attention to external stimuli, it is necessary to document how self-focused attention impacts attention and the ability to emotionally process external threat. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the impact of self-focused attention on the anticipation and perceptual processing of unpleasant pictures within a cued-picture viewing paradigm among 33 participants. Overall, the results suggest that the self-focused attention manipulations disrupted anticipation but not processing of pictures, as indexed by the SPN and LPP respectively. Self-focused attention appears to disrupt the preparatory attention for upcoming unpleasant stimuli, potentially through loading cognitive resources or activation of associative defensive responding. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the impact of self-focused attention within the context of emotional picture processing and suggest further areas of investigation.