Poster No:
601
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Anya Dietrich1, Edoardo Pinzuti2, Yuranny Cabral-Calderin3, Florian Müller-Dahlhaus4, Michael Wibral5, Oliver Tuescher2
Institutions:
1Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, 2Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, 3Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, 4University Medical Center,, Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, 5Georg August University Goettingen, Goettingen, Lower Saxony
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Edoardo Pinzuti
Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research
Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate
Michael Wibral
Georg August University Goettingen
Goettingen, Lower Saxony
Oliver Tuescher
Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research
Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate
Introduction:
Interactions between emotional and cognitive processes are key to understanding human behavior. Arousing or salient emotional stimuli often disrupt cognitive processing, challenging goal-directed behavior. This interference, and its inhibition, is particularly significant in psychiatric disorders. Previous studies on the neural basis of emotion-cognition interaction relied on methods with either high temporal (e.g., EEG/MEG) or spatial (e.g., fMRI) resolution, limiting insight into both timing and localization. This study addressed these gaps by investigating neural mechanisms of emotion-cognition interaction in a large cohort (N=121) using EEG with finite-element modeling (FEM) and advanced source reconstruction. Data analysis identified the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) as a key site of a transient interaction, prompting a focused examination of its role in resolving emotional-cognitive resource competition, crucial for maintaining task performance. Furthermore, it modulates visual areas which predicts task-performance. The emotional Flanker task was used to induce controlled competition, offering a framework to explore the temporal dynamics and spatial localization of these interactions.
Methods:
A cohort of 121 healthy participants (18-54 years) completed an emotional Flanker task while 64-channel EEG data were recorded. Emotional stimuli (negative/neutral IAPS images) preceded congruent/incongruent Flanker stimuli to induce emotional and cognitive interference. Individualized finite-element head models (FEM) using high-resolution T1- and T2-weighted MRIs enabled precise source localization. EEG data were analyzed with beamformer techniques, including dynamic imaging of coherent sources (DICS) for frequency-specific analysis and linear constrained minimum variance (LCMV) for time-domain localization. Behavioral data (reaction times, accuracy) were analyzed with Bayesian hierarchical models to assess emotion, cognition, and their interaction. Neural activity was examined through time-frequency analyses with Morlet wavelets and multitapers. Granger causality (GC) assessed information flow, focusing on rIFG subdivisions, while time-resolved support vector machine (t-SVM) analysis decoded temporal dynamics. Statistical tests included cluster-based permutation methods and corrections for multiple comparisons across time, frequency, and spatial sources.
Results:
Behavioral data demonstrated significant effects of emotion and cognition, as well as their interaction. Emotional interference increased reaction times and decreased accuracy, with stronger effects under lower cognitive load. Neural source analysis identified the rIFG, particularly the pars triangularis, as a key site for emotion-cognition interaction. The interaction effect in the rIFG pars triangularis peaked during the transition from emotional to cognitive processing
Granger causality revealed frequency-specific communication within rIFG subdivisions and with posterior regions (precuneus and V2). Early (50-300 ms) information flow showed emotional dominance, while later (250-500 ms) phases shifted toward cognitive processing. Importantly, top-down modulations from the rIFG to visual areas predicted individual differences in behavioral performance, suggesting a mechanistic role for the rIFG in managing emotional-cognitive resource competition. These findings underscore the rIFG's role in dynamically allocating processing resources to mitigate emotional interference and support task performance.
Conclusions:
This study highlights the rIFG's key role in emotion-cognition interaction, with the pars triangularis mediating transient resource competition. Top-down modulation of visual areas by the rIFG emphasizes its role in managing behavioral outcomes. These findings enhance understanding of emotion-cognition dynamics and suggest the rIFG as a target for interventions in psychiatric disorders, warranting further exploration in clinical populations.
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Emotional Perception
Emotion and Motivation Other 1
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making 2
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
EEG/MEG Modeling and Analysis
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
EEG
Keywords:
Cognition
Electroencephaolography (EEG)
Emotions
STRUCTURAL MRI
Other - FEM
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.
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Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
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Was this research conducted in the United States?
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Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel?
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Please indicate which methods were used in your research:
EEG/ERP
Structural MRI
For human MRI, what field strength scanner do you use?
3.0T
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FSL
Free Surfer
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