EEG-heart rate connectivity changes after sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback training: Ancillary study.

OBJECTIVES: Neurofeedback can induce long-term changes in brain functional connectivity, but its influence on the connectivity between different physiological systems is unknown. The present paper is an ancillary study of a previous paper that confirmed the effect of neurofeedback on brain connectivity associated with chronic pain. We analysed the influence of neurofeedback on the connectivity between the electroencephalograph (EEG) and heart rate (HR). METHODS: Seventeen patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia were divided into three groups: good sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) training responders (n = 4), bad SMR responders (n = 5) and fake training (SHAM, n = 8). Training consisted of six sessions in which participants learned to synchronize and desynchronize SMR power. Before the first training (pre-resting state) and sixth training (post-resting state) session, open-eye resting-state EEG and electrocardiograph signals were recorded. RESULTS: Good responders reduced pain ratings after SMR neurofeedback training. This improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms was associated with a reduction of the connectivity between the central area and HR, between central and frontal areas, within the central area itself, and between central and occipital areas. The sham group and poor responders experienced no changes in their fibromyalgia symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide new evidence that neurofeedback is a promising tool that can be used to treat of chronic pain syndromes and to obtain a better understanding of the interactions between physiological networks. These findings are preliminary, but they may pave the way for future studies that are more methodologically robust. In addition, new research questions are raised: what is the role of the central-peripheral network in chronic pain and what is the effect of neurofeedback on this network.

Sympathetic contributions to habituation and recovery of the cardiac defense response.

The cardiac defense response (CDR) to intense auditory stimulation is characterized by two acceleration-deceleration heart rate (HR) components. This study investigated contributions of sympathetic cardiac control to habituation and recovery of the CDR. Fifty-six healthy subjects were presented with noise stimuli eliciting the CDR. Three stimuli were presented with short and long (2.5 min and 12.5 min) inter-trial intervals (ITIs). The pre-ejection period was recorded as an index of sympathetic cardiac control, in addition to HR. Repeated stimulation at short ITI was associated with marked habituation of the HR and sympathetic responses; both responses exhibited a degree of recovery with long ITI. Regarding the time course, the first acceleration-deceleration was accompanied by a decline and subsequent increase in sympathetic cardiac control. During the second acceleration-deceleration, the parameters exhibited parallel courses. These results suggest that the sympathetic contribution to the habituation and recovery is limited to the second HR component.

Heart rate and P300: Integrating peripheral and central indices of cognitive processing.

To assess the integration of peripheral (heart rate, HR) and central (event-related potential, P300) measures of cognition, the present study varied inter-stimulus presentation time (ISI) and employed comparable data reduction methods for the HR and ERP data. Young adults (n=33) performed an auditory oddball count task in which the ISI was varied (short vs. long, to maximize target detection for both measures) and task condition (single stimulus, short-ISI oddball, long-ISI oddball, to assay stimulus presentation condition between HR and P300). The off-line cardiotachometer method parallels signal averaging and was applied to HR data reduction. The main goal was to characterize target vs. standard processing in each measurement type using appropriate recording approaches with respect to differentiating the two stimuli in each task (target vs. silence, target vs. standard short-ISI, target vs. standard long-ISI). Results demonstrated reliable differences between target/standard stimuli for both the biphasic HR (deceleration/acceleration) signal and for P300 amplitude production, with larger amplitudes for target than standard. The short and long ISIs yielded no reliable initial HR deceleration differences, but the late acceleration was observed for the long-ISI condition only. Correlational analysis between HR and P300 measures indicated that people with smaller HR deceleration had larger P300 amplitude suggesting that the larger target/standard differences for HR deceleration and P300 amplitude, observed at an experimental level, are reversed at an individual level. The contributions of simultaneously recording HR and P300 to characterize cognition and theoretical implications are discussed.

Dissociation between the cognitive and interoceptive components of mindfulness in the treatment of chronic worry.

OBJETIVES: Despite the increasing interest in mindfulness, the basic components and action mechanisms of mindfulness remain controversial. The present study aims at testing the specific contribution of two components of mindfulness -attention to cognitive experience (metacognition) and awareness of interoceptive sensations (metainteroception)- in the treatment of chronic worry. METHOD: Forty five female university students with high scores in the Penn State Worry Questionnaire were split into three groups: a mindfulness cognitive training group, a mindfulness interoceptive training group, and a non-intervention control group. Participants were assessed before and after the intervention using physiological indices of autonomic regulation (skin conductance, heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia) and self-report indices of mindfulness and clinical symptoms (chronic worry, depression, positive and negative affect, and perceived stress). RESULTS: Both mindfulness training groups showed significant improvement after the intervention in self-report indices of mindfulness and clinical symptoms. However, the interoceptive training group was superior in also showing significant improvement in the physiological indices of autonomic regulation. LIMITATIONS: The relatively small sample size may have increased the probabilities of type I and II errors. Our Intervention program was relatively short. The participants were all female. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that, in the context of treating chronic worry, the interoceptive and cognitive components can be somewhat dissociated and that, when both components are applied separately, compared to a non-intervention condition, the interoceptive component is more effective.

Mindfulness (Vipassana) meditation: effects on P3b event-related potential and heart rate variability.

The concept of mindfulness is based on Vipassana, a Buddhist meditation technique. The present study examines the physiological indices of attention and autonomic regulation in experienced Vipassana meditators to test the claim that mindfulness is an effective therapeutic tool due to its effects on increasing awareness of present experience and emotional self-regulation. Ten male experienced Vipassana meditators underwent two assessment sessions, one where they practiced Vipassana meditation and another where they rested with no meditation (random thinking). Each meditation/no-meditation session lasted 30 min and was preceded and followed by an auditory oddball task with two tones (standard and target). Event-related potentials to the tones were recorded at the Fz, Cz, and Pz locations. Heart rate variability, derived from an EKG, was recorded continuously during the meditation/no-meditation sessions and during a 5-minute baseline before the task. The Vipassana experts showed greater P3b amplitudes to the target tone after meditation than they did both before meditation and after the no-meditation session. They also showed a larger LF/HF ratio increase during specific Vipassana meditation. These results suggest that expert Vipassana meditators showed increased attentional engagement after meditation and increased autonomic regulation during meditation supporting, at least partially, the two claims concerning the clinical effectiveness of mindfulness.

Eficacia de un programa de entrenamiento en conciencia plena (mindfulness) y valores humanos como herramienta de regulación emocional y prevención del estrés para profesores / Human values education and mindfulness meditation as a tool for emotional regulation and stress prevention for teachers: an efficiency study

El presente estudio pone a prueba la eficacia de un entrenamiento que aúna los valores humanos y las habilidades de conciencia plena (mindfulness) como herramientas de autorregulación emocional y prevención del estrés. Participaron cuarenta profesores que constituyeron un grupo de intervención (N= 25) y otro control (N= 15). Se utilizaron indicadores subjetivos, conductuales y psicofisiológicos (respiración y conductancia dérmica), apreciándose diferencias en los tres tipos de medida. El grupo de profesores entrenado mejoró los índices subjetivos de afecto negativo, ansiedad, depresión, preocupación, sensación de estrés percibido, comprensión emocional y dolores musculares en contraste con el grupo control. Asimismo, los resultados de la prueba psicofisiológica señalaron una tendencia a tener menor reactividad frente a situaciones desagradables asociada a una menor activación del sistema nervioso simpático. Además, en los indicadores conductuales se apreció un incremento en la calidad de su atención. En conclusión, el entrenamiento en habilidades de conciencia plena y valores humanos mostró eficacia como herramienta de autorregulación emocional y prevención del estrés propiciando una mejora en la calidad de vida de los profesionales de la educación (AU)

This study was aimed at testing the efficacy of a training program involving human values education and mindfulness skills as a tool for emotional self-regulation and stress prevention. Forty school teachers took part in this study. Participants were assigned to two different groups: experimental (N= 25) and control (N= 15). Subjective, behavioral and psychophysiological (respiration and skin conductance) measures were taken. The results revealed significant effects of the training program on the three types of measures. The experimental group showed significant improvements in the subjective measures of negative affect, anxiety, depression, worry, perceived stress, emotional comprenhension and muscular pain. Participants who received the training program also showed, in the psychophysiological test, less activation of the sympathetic nervous system associated with less reactivity to unpleasant and stressful situations. In addition, behavioral measures suggested an improvement in the quality of attention. It is concluded that training in human values and mindfulness skills is an effective tool for emotional self-regulation and stress prevention helping to improve the quality of life for teaching proffesionals

Treating chronic worry: Psychological and physiological effects of a training programme based on mindfulness.

The present study examines psychological and physiological indices of emotional regulation in non-clinical high worriers after a mindfulness-based training programme aimed at reducing worry. Thirty-six female university students with high Penn State Worry Questionnaire scores were split into two equal intervention groups: (a) mindfulness, and (b) progressive muscle relaxation plus self-instruction to postpone worrying to a specific time of the day. Assessment included clinical questionnaires, daily self-report of number/duration of worry episodes and indices of emotional meta-cognition. A set of somatic and autonomic measures was recorded (a) during resting, mindfulness/relaxation and worrying periods, and (b) during cued and non-cued affective modulation of defence reactions (cardiac defence and eye-blink startle). Both groups showed equal post-treatment improvement in the clinical and daily self-report measures. However, mindfulness participants reported better emotional meta-cognition (emotional comprehension) and showed improved indices of somatic and autonomic regulation (reduced breathing pattern and increased vagal reactivity during evocation of cardiac defense). These findings suggest that mindfulness reduces chronic worry by promoting emotional and physiological regulatory mechanisms contrary to those maintaining chronic worry.

Habituation and sensitization of protective reflexes: dissociation between cardiac defense and eye-blink startle.

We examined the habituation and recovery of two protective reflexes, cardiac defense and eye-blink startle, simultaneously elicited by a white noise of 500ms as a function of the time interval between stimulus presentations. Participants were 90 volunteers (54 women) randomly distributed into 6 inter-trial interval (ITI) conditions. They all received three presentations of the stimulus with a time interval of 30min between the first and third noise. The timing of the second noise was manipulated in six steps, using a between-group design, in order to increase the ITI between Trials 1 and 2 and symmetrically decrease the ITI between Trials 2 and 3. Cardiac defense showed fast habituation at the shortest ITI (2.5min), but reduced habituation and increased recovery at the longest ITI (27.5min). In contrast, eye-blink startle showed sensitization irrespective of the ITI. This pattern of findings highlights dissociations between protective reflexes when simultaneously examined. The results are discussed in the context of the cascade model of defense reactions.

Non-conscious modulation of cardiac defense by masked phobic pictures.

The present study investigated the modulation of cardiac defense by presenting emotional pictures under both effective and non-effective masking procedures. The aim was to test Ohman's model of pre-attentive processing of fear. Participants were 48 women volunteers with intense fear of spiders. The stimulus to elicit cardiac defense was a white noise of 105 dB, 500 ms duration and instantaneous risetime. Subjects had two trials of picture-noise presentation-one with a picture of a spider and one with a picture of a flower-, either under an effective masking procedure (30 ms duration) or a non-effective masking procedure (500 ms duration). Order of presentation was counterbalanced. Dependent variables were heart rate and subjective assessment of the noise. Results showed an increased cardiac response in the first trial and a less reduced cardiac response in the second trial when the noise was preceded by the phobic picture under both masking procedures. The response was accompanied by an increase in the subjective unpleasantness of the noise. These results provide support to Ohman's theoretical model.

Revisiting the James versus Cannon debate on emotion: startle and autonomic modulation in patients with spinal cord injuries.

James' hypothesis that impaired peripheral physiology in patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) impairs emotional processing, as manifested in the modulation of physiological responses and in the subjective component of emotions, was examined in the present study. A pilot study confirmed the utility of Lang's picture viewing paradigm in a group of 78 students using the Spanish norms of the International Affective Picture System. In the main study, 19 patients with SCI and 19 well controls matched for sex, age and education were examined. Results showed: (1) no differences between SCI and control participants in the valence and arousal ratings of the pictures; (2) similar heart rate modulation in both groups, i.e. the unpleasant pictures produced greater deceleration than the pleasant ones; and (3) no decrease in emotional experience in the SCI group compared with the control group. The implications of the results for the James versus Cannon controversy on the theory of emotions are discussed.

Modulación emocional de la respuesta de sobresalto / Emotional modulation of startle reflex

Se presentan los resultados sobre el reflejo parpebral de sobresalto evocado por un estímulo auditivo intenso y su modulación mediante la visualización de diapositivas afectivas. El objeto del estudio fue poner a prueba la adaptación española de la metodología y los instrumentos desarrollados por Lang y colaboradores en la Universidad de Florida y aportar datos que confirmaran o desconfirmaran su modelo de 'priming' motivacional. Se estudiaron a 78 estudiantes de 2° de Psicología de la Universidad de Málaga. Los resultados confirman que los sujetos universitarios estudiados modulan la amplitud de la respuesta de sobresalto en función de la valencia de las imágenes observadas, potenciándola ante las desagradables e inhibiéndolas antes las agradables. Estos resultados confieren validez a la adaptación española del paradigma del reflejo de sobresalto y al modelo teórico propuesto por Lang (AU)

We present the results on the startle-probe reflex evoked by an intense auditory stimulus and its modulation through affective slide visualization. The aim was to test the validity of the Spanish adaptation of the methodology and instruments developed by Lang and colleagues at Florida University and to confirm his model of motivational priming. 78 students in the second year of Psychology from Málaga University participated in the study. The results confirm that the university students modulated the magnitude of the startle-probe reflex according to the emotional valence of the image: it was largest when the subject was viewing unpleasant slides and smallest when viewing pleasant ones. These results confer validity on the Spanish adaptation of the startle-probe reflex paradigm and Lang’s theoretical model (AU)