Leah M Mayo1, Irene Perini2, Per A Gustafsson3, J Paul Hamilton2, Robin Kämpe2, Markus Heilig4, Maria Zetterqvist2. 1. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. Electronic address: leah.mayo@liu.se. 2. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Center for Medical Image Visualization, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. 3. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Region Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden. 4. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Psychiatry, Region Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent in adolescent populations worldwide. Emotion dysregulation is believed to contribute to NSSI, but underlying mechanisms are less known. We combined psychophysiological and neural data with subjective self-report in close temporal proximity to examine the mechanisms underlying emotion processing in adolescents with NSSI relative to control adolescents without a psychiatric diagnosis. METHODS: Thirty female adolescents with NSSI and 30 age-matched female control subjects were included in this case-control study. Participants were presented with negative affective pictures during a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. In a separate facial electromyography session, the same participants were shown positive and negative affective images and also provided ratings of valence and arousal. RESULTS: Participants with NSSI responded to affective images with greater positive (e.g., zygomatic) and greater negative (e.g., corrugator) reactivity. We found no differences in self-reported affect in response to the images. Analyses of the negative picture-viewing functional magnetic resonance imaging data showed a significant positive correlation between anterior insula response and the averaged electromyography magnitude in NSSI, but not in control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with NSSI show enhanced emotional reactivity that is associated with anterior insula responding, but no abnormalities in self-reported affect. This discrepancy between self-report and objective measures of emotional reactivity potentially indicates a suppression of the emotional reaction in adolescents with NSSI. Moreover, the current data suggest potential targets for novel therapeutic approaches that can be combined with existing clinical treatment, such as real-time electromyography-based biofeedback focusing on emotional awareness, labeling, and expressing emotional experiences.
BACKGROUND: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent in adolescent populations worldwide. Emotion dysregulation is believed to contribute to NSSI, but underlying mechanisms are less known. We combined psychophysiological and neural data with subjective self-report in close temporal proximity to examine the mechanisms underlying emotion processing in adolescents with NSSI relative to control adolescents without a psychiatric diagnosis. METHODS: Thirty female adolescents with NSSI and 30 age-matched female control subjects were included in this case-control study. Participants were presented with negative affective pictures during a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. In a separate facial electromyography session, the same participants were shown positive and negative affective images and also provided ratings of valence and arousal. RESULTS:Participants with NSSI responded to affective images with greater positive (e.g., zygomatic) and greater negative (e.g., corrugator) reactivity. We found no differences in self-reported affect in response to the images. Analyses of the negative picture-viewing functional magnetic resonance imaging data showed a significant positive correlation between anterior insula response and the averaged electromyography magnitude in NSSI, but not in control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with NSSI show enhanced emotional reactivity that is associated with anterior insula responding, but no abnormalities in self-reported affect. This discrepancy between self-report and objective measures of emotional reactivity potentially indicates a suppression of the emotional reaction in adolescents with NSSI. Moreover, the current data suggest potential targets for novel therapeutic approaches that can be combined with existing clinical treatment, such as real-time electromyography-based biofeedback focusing on emotional awareness, labeling, and expressing emotional experiences.
Authors: Irene Perini; Per A Gustafsson; Kajsa Igelström; Brigita Jasiunaite-Jokubaviciene; Robin Kämpe; Leah M Mayo; Johanna Molander; Håkan Olausson; Maria Zetterqvist; Markus Heilig Journal: Transl Psychiatry Date: 2021-04-17 Impact factor: 6.222
Authors: Hedvig Andersson; Erik Aspeqvist; Örjan Dahlström; Carl Göran Svedin; Linda S Jonsson; Åsa Landberg; Maria Zetterqvist Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2022-07-28 Impact factor: 5.435