Investigating the Neural Systems That Support the Beneficial Effects of Positive Emotion on Stress Regulation

University of Denver

Status: Completed

Conditions: Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: Neutral Emotion Induction; Behavioral: Positive Emotion Induction

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT04496258

2R15MH106928-02A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

1606445

Details and patient eligibility

About

For this study, community participants visited the PI's psychophysiology lab for a single experimental session. In this study, participants completed a brief mood measure, followed by a task training in which a research assistant described and gave examples of cognitive reappraisal in response to negative images. Participants were then randomly assigned to positive or neutral emotion induction conditions, delivered by virtual reality. Then, participants completed an event-related, picture-based cognitive reappraisal task for 23 minutes. Following the task, participants once again responded to a mood measure, completed post-task questionnaires (individual difference measures) and answered a series of questions regarding the task they completed, including difficulty of regulation, or any images that were personally relevant.

The investigators predicted that the positive emotion induction would result in powerful effects on self-reported emotion, which may or may not interact with the cognitive reappraisal condition.

Full description

For the studies, participants were recruited via paper and electronic flyers on campus and in the surrounding communities. Interested participants were screened via phone, email and/or web form to assess eligibility according to criteria listed elsewhere. If participants qualified, they were be invited to complete a single laboratory session in the PI's lab.

Once arriving at the laboratory, participants completed the consent process, in which a research assistant trained in ethical principles regarding human subjects research answered any questions about the consent form and verbally reinforced the key rights of the participants outlined there. Once both parties were satisfied, the consent form was signed.

Participants sat with a trained research assistant/experimenter who gave an overview of the entire session, and then began training for the cognitive reappraisal task. The training took 10-15 minutes. During the training, the experimenter offered several possible reappraisals of negative images and allowed the participants to offer their own as well, providing encouragement and feedback. During this training, the experimenter also went over the method of responding (using the VR equipment). Participants were reminded during training that they may stop the experiment at any point if the pictures are too upsetting.

Immediately following task training, participants will made a general mood rating using the mDES. Then, they were randomly assigned to a positive or neutral mood induction, to be delivered via the VR headset for three minutes. Participants were encouraged to explore the VR environment, which was either a positive (beach scene) or neutral (office scene). The VR environment was implemented using a headset with integrated audio. After the VR exploration, participants made a rating of their current positive and negative affect in the VR environment. Then, participants completed the reappraisal task in the VR environment. The task took approximately 23 minutes.

Finally, participants completed post-task individual difference measures.

Enrollment: 99 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 55 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Community members ages 18-55
• Fluent in English
• Without present psychotic symptoms

Exclusion criteria

• None

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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99 participants in 2 patient groups

Positive VR Scene

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will explore a virtual reality (VR) environment of a beach scene. Participants will be randomly assigned (between subjects) to beach or office scene. VR will be presented on an Occulus Rift device.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Positive Emotion Induction

Neutral VR Scene

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will explore a virtual reality (VR) environment of a neutral office scene. Participants will be randomly assigned (between subjects) to beach or office scene. VR will be presented on an Occulus Rift device.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Neutral Emotion Induction