Regulating negative emotions of others reduces own stress: Neurobiological correlates and the role of individual differences in empathy.

BACKGROUND: While witnessing the suffering of other people results in personal distress, it is not clear whether regulating others' emotions in such situations also comes at an emotional cost for the observer. METHODS: This study included 62 subjects and used a newly developed functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) paradigm to investigate mechanisms of self and other emotion regulation via reappraisal while the subject and an interaction partner outside the scanner were facing the same distressing situation simultaneously. The relationship between distress levels and individual differences in emotional and cognitive empathy were also assessed. RESULTS: We found that individuals exhibited especially high levels of personal distress when relating with a partner while both being exposed to aversive photographs and that especially highly empathetic individuals were prone to such personal distress. Moreover, when engaging in social emotion regulation, personal distress was reduced in the observer at a similar rate as in self emotion regulation. FMRI analyses revealed increased activation for other vs. self emotion regulation in the precuneus and the left temporo-parietal junction, which are commonly engaged in social cognition. Furthermore, this activation was associated with lower self-reported stress and decreased sympathetic autonomic activity. While regulating others, precuneus activation exhibited a distinctive functional connectivity profile with parietal emotion regulation regions. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates benefits of actively regulating another person's emotions for reducing one's own distress and identifies the precuneus as an important node for social emotion regulation. Given the novelty of the study design, the results are of exploratory and preliminary nature.

Towards a mechanistic understanding of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) using an RCT neuroimaging approach: Effects on regulating own stress in social and non-social situations.

Although much research has shown that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce psychological stress, it is less clear if effects generalize to everyday social situations, which range among the largest stress triggers. Furthermore, mechanisms of MBIs have not been fully established. Emotion regulation (ER) has been suggested as one key mechanism, yet the role of cognitive reappraisal and acceptance strategies is still under debate. To address these questions, a neuroimaging-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) was performed (n=68), comparing mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) with a reading/listening intervention (READ), using a novel dyadic paradigm for self and other emotion regulation under stress as primary outcome on behavior and brain levels and established empathy measures (clinicatrials.gov NCT03035669). Compared to READ, MBSR led to self-reported stress reduction through both cognitive reappraisal and acceptance only when regulating self and not when regulating others' distress. In addition, MBSR led to increased brain activation over time for regulating own (parietal cortex) and others' (precuneus, TPJ) emotions through cognitive reappraisal and acceptance, albeit this effect was also seen for the reading intervention for regulating own stress via reappraisal. Brain changes did not scale with subjective stress reduction and amount of meditation practice. More distant generalization effects of MBSR on socio-emotional functioning (cognitive empathy and compassion) could also not be shown. This study identified both cognitive reappraisal and acceptance as two ER mechanisms of MBSR, but indicates that effects do not extend to social settings.

Cortical thickness and resting-state cardiac function across the lifespan: A cross-sectional pooled mega-analysis.

Understanding the association between autonomic nervous system [ANS] function and brain morphology across the lifespan provides important insights into neurovisceral mechanisms underlying health and disease. Resting-state ANS activity, indexed by measures of heart rate [HR] and its variability [HRV] has been associated with brain morphology, particularly cortical thickness [CT]. While findings have been mixed regarding the anatomical distribution and direction of the associations, these inconsistencies may be due to sex and age differences in HR/HRV and CT. Previous studies have been limited by small sample sizes, which impede the assessment of sex differences and aging effects on the association between ANS function and CT. To overcome these limitations, 20 groups worldwide contributed data collected under similar protocols of CT assessment and HR/HRV recording to be pooled in a mega-analysis (N = 1,218 (50.5% female), mean age 36.7 years (range: 12-87)). Findings suggest a decline in HRV as well as CT with increasing age. CT, particularly in the orbitofrontal cortex, explained additional variance in HRV, beyond the effects of aging. This pattern of results may suggest that the decline in HRV with increasing age is related to a decline in orbitofrontal CT. These effects were independent of sex and specific to HRV; with no significant association between CT and HR. Greater CT across the adult lifespan may be vital for the maintenance of healthy cardiac regulation via the ANS-or greater cardiac vagal activity as indirectly reflected in HRV may slow brain atrophy. Findings reveal an important association between CT and cardiac parasympathetic activity with implications for healthy aging and longevity that should be studied further in longitudinal research.

Self-Compassion Mediates the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms.

Individuals suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience difficulties with mindfulness. How mindfulness influences BPD symptoms, however, is still unknown. We hypothesized that the relationship between mindfulness and BPD symptoms would be mediated by self-compassion. In study 1, we recruited 29 individuals with BPD and 30 group-matched healthy controls. In study 2, we complemented our results with findings from a larger, nonclinical sample of 89 participants that were recruited during an open-house event at the local university. All participants completed questionnaires assessing self-compassion, mindfulness, BPD symptom severity, and emotion dysregulation. In both studies, self-compassion mediated the relationship between mindfulness and BPD symptom severity as well as between mindfulness and emotion dysregulation. Self-compassion seems to be one psychological process that could explain the relationship between mindfulness and BPD symptoms. One promising approach in therapy could be to target self-compassion more directly during mindfulness trainings and interventions.

Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation: Insights from Neurobiological, Psychological, and Clinical Studies.

There is increasing interest in the beneficial clinical effects of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). Research has demonstrated their efficacy in a wide range of psychological conditions characterized by emotion dysregulation. Neuroimaging studies have evidenced functional and structural changes in a myriad of brain regions mainly involved in attention systems, emotion regulation, and self-referential processing. In this article we review studies on psychological and neurobiological correlates across different empirically derived models of research, including dispositional mindfulness, mindfulness induction, MBIs, and expert meditators in relation to emotion regulation. From the perspective of recent findings in the neuroscience of emotion regulation, we discuss the interplay of top-down and bottom-up emotion regulation mechanisms associated with different mindfulness models. From a phenomenological and cognitive perspective, authors have argued that mindfulness elicits a "mindful emotion regulation" strategy; however, from a clinical perspective, this construct has not been properly differentiated from other strategies and interventions within MBIs. In this context we propose the distinction between top-down and bottom-up mindfulness based emotion regulation strategies. Furthermore, we propose an embodied emotion regulation framework as a multilevel approach for understanding psychobiological changes due to mindfulness meditation regarding its effect on emotion regulation. Finally, based on clinical neuroscientific evidence on mindfulness, we open perspectives and dialogues regarding commonalities and differences between MBIs and other psychotherapeutic strategies for emotion regulation.

[Neurobiology of borderline personality disorder]. / Neurobiología del trastorno de personalidad límite.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is highly prevalent and associated with significant dysfunctional behavior and suicide risk. The association with psychosocial factors is well established, however its neurobiology is not fully unraveled. According with the revised studies, subjects with BPD have structural and functional brain alterations, particularly in areas involved in affective and cognitive regulation and control of impulses. These alterations allow us to understand the psychopathology of this disorder and partly explain its pathogenesis.

Neurobiología del trastorno de personalidad límite / Neurobiology of borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is highly prevalent and associated with significant dysfunctional behavior and suicide risk. The association with psychosocial factors is well established, however its neurobiology is not fully unraveled. According with the revised studies, subjects with BPD have structural and functional brain alterations, particularly in areas involved in affective and cognitive regulation and control of impulses. These alterations allow us to understand the psychopathology of this disorder and partly explain its pathogenesis.

Aportes desde el apego al entendimiento del trastorno de personalidad limítrofe / Attachment contributions to the understanding of borderline personality disorder

Pacientes con Trastorno de la Personalidad Limítrofe (TPL) en su mayoría, poseen un elevado grado de sufrimiento psíquico y mala calidad de relaciones interpersonales, lo cual se asocia a elevada discapacidad, son altamente demandantes de servicios clínicos, y presentan índices de mortalidad superior a la población general. En el estudio de la etiología de este trastorno se han identificado factores biológicos y medioambientales, dentro de estos últimos, características relacionales tempranas niño-cuidador y conductas de apego, que han contribuido a la mejor comprensión del desarrollo de la psicopatología adulta en especial de los trastornos de la personalidad. En el presente trabajo se recogió información acerca de la relación entre las alteraciones del apego y la patología limítrofe de la personalidad, desde una perspectiva transversal y longitudinal. Se explica el concepto de apego adulto y su evaluación, como rasgo importante y que puede orientar al diagnóstico y tratamiento de pacientes con TPL. Finalmente se presenta el concepto de mentalización como una teoría explicativa acerca del desarrollo del TPL desde el apego.

Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) have generally a high degree of psychic suffering and poor quality of interpersonal relationships, which is associated with high disability, highly demanding of clinical services, and higher mortality rates compared to the general population. In the study of the etiology of this disorder have been identified biological and environmental factors within the latter, early relational characteristics between child-caregiver like attachment behavior has contributed greatly to the understanding of the development of psychopathology in particular of personality disorders. In the present paper information was collected about the relationship between attachment disorders and borderline personality pathology, from a cross-sectional and longitudinal point of view. It explains the concept of adult attachment and their evaluation, as an important feature that can guide the diagnosis and treatment of patients with BPD. Finally some concepts about mentalization as a theory about the development of BPD from attachment perspective.