Repeated theta burst stimulation of the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex reveals strong habituation in the context of stress and rumination.

Unlabelled: Prefrontal hypoactivation under stress has been consistently observed in individuals with high trait rumination and in patients with depression. However, no study has yet investigated the mechanisms of modulating activity of the Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex (VLPFC) by using excitatory and inhibitory Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) in this context. To address this, we recruited 89 healthy participants (44 low trait ruminators and 45 high trait ruminators) who attended two lab sessions, each including stress induction via the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST).

Interhemispheric effects of iTBS on the fronto-parietal network: Evidence from dual-site stimulation.

This study investigated the neuromodulatory effects of Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) on resting-state functional connectivity (FC) following psychosocial stress induced by the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Given its key role in cognitive control and emotion regulation - processes highly relevant for rumination - we focused on the frontoparietal network. Across two studies, intermittent (iTBS) and continuous (cTBS) protocols were applied to the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC; study 1) and right Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex (VLPFC; study 2) prior to stress induction.

Differential Effects of Cerebellar tDCS on Sequential Mentalizing.

The cerebellum has been increasingly recognized for its role in social cognition, particularly in mentalizing processes. A way to measure mentalizing is the picture sequencing task, a well-established measure of social action sequencing during mentalizing of other’s beliefs. Recent studies have shown that cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation can affect social sequence processing in adults, however, the effects of different types of stimulation remain unclear.

Social rejection in minority groups and its impact on current and future mental health: a study in transgender people.

Background: Minority groups including transgender persons are frequently subjected to social rejection and ostracism, leading to minority stress. This stress may lead to a variety of adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Yet, the impact of this stress on underlying psychophysiology in transgender people has not been tested experimentally.

Investigating the neural and behavioral correlates of the stress-rumination link in healthy humans by modulating the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex using Theta Burst Stimulation.

Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) offers a noninvasive way to modulate neural activation patterns, helping to explore the causal role of brain regions in psychiatric symptoms. Prefrontal hypoactivation is commonly observed in high ruminators and patients with depression during stress. However, the impact of modulating Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) activity via excitatory and inhibitory TBS during stress remains unexplored.

Cognitive appraisal modulates Theta Burst Stimulation effects on stress-reactive rumination and affect.

The DLPFC plays a central role in cognitive appraisal and stress regulation, as this process-particularly secondary appraisal, where individuals assess their ability to cope with a situation-significantly influences stress responses on both psychological and physiological levels. We conducted a study where we applied different types of Theta Burst Stimulation (intermittent (i)TBS vs. continuous (c)TBS vs.

Better together: The importance of brain health in the relationship between stress regulation, social connection and lifestyle in promoting mental health and well-being.

Regulating stress effectively has a profound impact on our well-being and is known to be significantly interrelated to our social connections, as well as healthy lifestyle behaviors. However, the complex mechanisms through which these components are associated with maintaining well-being remain enigmatic. We propose a theoretical interrelated framework for which the maintenance of brain health assumes a central role.

Should I stay or should I go? Investigating reward-based decision-making in anhedonic individuals.

Background: Anhedonia leads to reduced pleasure and interest, and may result from altered reward-based decision-making processes. Whereas research with anhedonic individuals typically focuses on tasks to choose between options, daily life involves situations where reward rate varies and decisions evolve over time. In this scenario, foraging models provide a framework in which individuals must consider the rewards they are currently receiving (foreground) and weigh them against potential rewards available elsewhere (background/environment).

The importance of the cumulation of risk factors for antepartum depression.

Objectives: Pregnancy is a period of heightened vulnerability to mental health problems. This pilot study aims to investigate the association between psychosocial and obstetric risk factors and the onset of depressive and anxious symptoms during pregnancy, with a focus on cumulative risks.

Method: Conducted at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium, this prospective observational study involved 378 pregnant women.

Challenges and future directions of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Depression: insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Depression is a common and debilitating disorder affecting millions. First-line treatments fail to achieve remission in about one-third of patients, highlighting a critical treatment need. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a novel treatment for depression.

Effects of home-use transcranial direct current stimulation on clusters of depressive symptoms: an ancillary analysis of the PSYLECT study.

Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is heterogeneous. While transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an effective treatment, its impact on symptoms remains underexplored. This ancillary study investigated home-use tDCS effects on depression symptom clusters.

Counterfactual thinking is associated with impoverished attentional control in women prone to self-critical rumination.

Background And Objectives: Excessive engagement in counterfactual thinking (CFT), where individuals imagine alternative outcomes to past events, is associated with rumination, a process characterized by repetitive negative self-referential thoughts. Attentional control difficulties are closely linked with rumination, and negative thoughts can negatively impact attentional control among rumination-prone individuals. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between CFT and emotional and non-emotional attentional control among individuals with varying levels of self-critical rumination.

Stress and telomere length in leukocytes: Investigating the role of GABRA6 gene polymorphism and cortisol.

Telomere length (TL) is considered a biomarker of aging, and short TL in leukocytes is related to age and stress-related health problems. Cumulative lifetime stress exposure has also been associated with shorter TL and age-related health problems, but the mechanisms are not well understood. We tested in 108 individuals whether shorter TL in leukocytes is observed in individuals with the GABRA6 TT genotype, which has been associated with dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity (the main biological stress system) compared to the CC genotype.

Baseline gray matter volume associates with working memory performance after prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation.

Working memory is crucial for daily life and is often impaired in neuropsychiatric conditions. Attempts to enhance it using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have shown mixed results, possibly due to large inter-individual variability. This study assessed whether baseline regional brain volume was associated with working memory performance following tDCS.

Exploring autonomic dysfunction in functional dysphonia: A protocol for a case-control study and a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Although psychological factors have been implicated in patients with functional dysphonia (FD), conventional voice therapy (CVT) typically targets the aberrant voice symptoms exclusively. Yet, CVT is not always successful, and in view of the significant adverse quality of life impact combined with the financial burden on the healthcare system and society, research is needed to elucidate the underlying psychophysiology of FD and improve treatment outcomes.

Objectives: The first objective of this research project is to compare the occurrence and frequency of symptoms and/or disorders related to autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction in patients with FD with gender- and age-matched vocally healthy controls, using a case-control study.

Unraveling the temporal interplay of slow-paced breathing and prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation on cardiac indices of autonomic activity.

The neurovisceral integration model proposes that information flows bidirectionally between the brain and the heart via the vagus nerve, indexed by vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV). Voluntary reduction in breathing rate (slow-paced breathing, SPB, 5.5 Breathing Per Minute (BPM)) can enhance vmHRV.

No Impact of Tdcs on Stress-Induced State Rumination and no Influence of Executive Control and Trait Rumination: A Double-Blind Sham-Controlled Within-Subjects Study.

Objective: Rumination is conceptualized as a critical transdiagnostic vulnerability and maintenance factor for affective dysregulation and related emotional disorders. Recent research has pointed to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a novel therapeutic tool for alleviating rumination, especially stress-induced rumination. However, the mechanisms of action underlying this effect remain unclear, particularly regarding the potential moderating role of executive control and trait-like rumination.

Trait-dependent effects of theta burst stimulation after psychosocial stress: a sham-controlled study in healthy individuals.

Objective: Previous studies suggest that theta burst stimulation (TBS), a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) might be a promising approach to modulate stress-reactive rumination and the associated psychophysiological stress response. Crucially, individuals showing higher levels of trait rumination might benefit more from prefrontal stimulation.

Methods: In this sham-controlled study, 127 healthy individuals, with varying ruminative tendencies, received a single-session of intermittent TBS (iTBS), continuous TBS (cTBS) or sham TBS (sTBS) over the left DLPFC before being confronted with a Trier Social Stress Test.

Dose-dependent response of prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation on the heart rate variability: An electric field modeling study.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) modulates the autonomic nervous system by activating deeper brain areas via top-down pathway. However, effects on the nervous system are heterogeneous and may depend on the amount of current that penetrates. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the variable effects of tDCS on heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of the functional state of the autonomic nervous system.

Acoustic and prosodic speech features reflect physiological stress but not isolated negative affect: a multi-paradigm study on psychosocial stressors.

Heterogeneity in speech under stress has been a recurring issue in stress research, potentially due to varied stress induction paradigms. This study investigated speech features in semi-guided speech following two distinct psychosocial stress paradigms (Cyberball and MIST) and their respective control conditions. Only negative affect increased during Cyberball, while self-reported stress, skin conductance response rate, and negative affect increased during MIST.

Unraveling how the adolescent brain deals with criticism using dynamic causal modeling.

Sensitivity to criticism, which can be defined as a negative evaluation that a person receives from someone else, is considered a risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders in adolescents. They may be more vulnerable to social evaluation than adults and exhibit more inadequate emotion regulation strategies such as rumination. The neural network involved in dealing with criticism in adolescents may serve as a biomarker for vulnerability to depression.

Home-Use Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for the Treatment of a Major Depressive Episode: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is moderately effective for depression when applied by trained staff. It is not known whether self-applied tDCS, combined or not with a digital psychological intervention, is also effective.

Objective: To determine whether fully unsupervised home-use tDCS, combined with a digital psychological intervention or digital placebo, is effective for a major depressive episode.

Investigating the variability of prefrontal tDCS effects on working memory: An individual E-field distribution study.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the prefrontal cortex has the potential to enhance working memory by means of a weak direct current applied to the scalp. However, its effects are highly variable and possibly dependent on individual variability in cortical architecture and head anatomy. Unveiling sources of heterogeneity might improve fundamental and clinical application of tDCS in the field.