International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology
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The concept of defense relates to the idea that organisms react physiologically to the presence of danger or threat in order to protect themselves from potential injury or death. This article reviews the literature on cardiac defense, a specific defense reaction that has a long tradition in psychophysiological research. ⋯ A critical analysis of these assumptions follows centered on evidence from a systematic research of the cardiac response to intense acoustic stimulation. Finally, an integrative model of cardiac defense is presented which emphasizes the dynamic nature of this defense reaction - characterized by a complex pattern of heart rate changes with accelerative and decelerative components, with sympathethic and parasympathetic influences, and with both attentional and motivational significance - providing a new framework in which the two opposite traditional approaches can be reconciled.
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Int J Psychophysiol · Dec 2007
Affective modulation of eyeblink reactions to noxious sural nerve stimulation: a supraspinal measure of nociceptive reactivity?
Research suggests affective picture-viewing modulates subjective and physiological reactions to noxious stimulation (pain report, heart rate acceleration, skin conductance response, nociceptive flexion reflex). Because the nociceptive flexion reflex (a spinal reflex) is modulated by picture-viewing, this suggests affective processes are able to modulate afferent nociception at spinal levels. This highlights the importance of assessing nociceptive reactivity from physiological measures mediated at different levels of the neuraxis (spinal vs. supraspinal) to help elucidate the mechanisms associated with pain regulation. ⋯ Eyeblinks were larger during highly arousing unpleasant pictures (attack) than highly arousing pleasant pictures (erotica), but low arousal pictures (loss, food) did not lead to significant modulation. Affective modulation was independent of picture duration or the perceived painfulness of noxious stimulation. This study suggests eyeblink reactions can serve as a supraspinal outcome in procedures used to study affective modulation of pain and nociception.
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Int J Psychophysiol · Nov 2007
Individual differences in cognitive reappraisal: experiential and physiological responses to an anger provocation.
Effective emotion regulation is widely seen as vital for healthy adaptation. There remains considerable uncertainty, however, as to what constitutes effective emotion regulation. One promising emotion regulation strategy is cognitive reappraisal, which involves reframing emotional events so as to decrease their emotional impact. ⋯ Results indicated that compared to low reappraisers, high reappraisers had a more adaptive profile of emotion experience and cardiovascular responding. Specifically, across baseline and provocation periods, high reappraisers reported less anger, less negative emotion, and more positive emotion, showed greater cardiac output and ventricular contractility, and lesser total peripheral resistance. These findings suggest that reappraisers are successful at down-regulating negative emotions, even in the context of a potent negative emotion such as anger.
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The effects of healthy cognitive aging on electroencephalographic (EEG) theta (4.9-6.8 Hz) power were examined during performance of a modified Sternberg, S., 1966. High-speed scanning in human memory. Science 153, 652-654.) word recognition task. ⋯ A significant decrease in older adults' mean theta power was also observed in resting EEG, however, it was of substantially smaller magnitude than the task-related theta difference. It is proposed that a neurophysiological measure(s), such as task-specific frontal midline theta (fmtheta) power, may be a more sensitive marker of cognitive aging than task performance measures. Furthermore, as recent research indicates that fmtheta is generated primarily in the anterior cingulate cortex, the current findings support evidence that the function of brain networks incorporating this structure may be affected in cognitive aging.
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Theories of emotion consider the self-perception of visceral activity to play an important role in emotion. This study examined the relationship between interoceptive sensitivity and both the subjective emotional experience and the processing of emotional pictures. According to their results in a heartbeat detection task subjects were classified as good (N = 17) or poor (N = 20) heartbeat perceivers. ⋯ Good heartbeat perceivers showed significantly greater P300 and slow wave amplitudes for emotional pictures at antero-inferior, medial and posterior electrode sites and experienced a greater arousal for emotional pictures compared to poor heartbeat perceivers. The heartbeat perception score correlated significantly positive both with emotional P300 and slow wave amplitudes as well as with the arousal ratings for emotional pictures. The results indicate that there is a significant and strong association between interoceptive sensitivity and the intensity of emotional experience as well as the central processing of emotional stimuli.