Neural Correlates of Anti-Vaping Message Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Extraversion
Poster No:
1483
Submission Type:
Late-Breaking Abstract Submission
Authors:
Emily Norton1, Julia Hustead1, Lawrence Sweet1, Jiaying Liu2
Institutions:
1University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 2University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barabara, CA
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Late Breaking Reviewer(s):
Introduction:
Vaping nicotine products has rapidly gained popularity among young adults (YA), with the highest prevalence in the 18-24 age group in the US1. Despite growing popularity, serious health consequences such as respiratory ailments, attention impairments, and long-term memory deficits are associated with vaping2. Previous research specifically links vaping of nicotine products to neurocognitive dysfunction, characterized by altered function within brain networks involved in cognitive control and emotional processing3. Anti-vaping public service announcements (PSAs) garner modest perceived effectiveness (PE) from viewers4; however, individual differences in perceived effectiveness can be dependent on personality traits. Tailoring PSAs to the personality traits of the target audience and improving understanding of neurocognitive responsivity to them may enhance their impact in future campaigns5. Extraversion, which peaks in young adulthood6, and neuroticism, which is associated with vaping uptake, are particularly relevant traits for designing anti-vaping PSAs. This study examines how extraversion and neuroticism moderate brain network activity in response to social and emotional anti-vaping PSAs among YA vapers.
Methods:
47 YA vapers (66.7% female; 75% White) completed a functional MRI paradigm presenting emotional and cognitive appeal PSAs using a 3T scanner with 2s temporal and 3.5mm3 spatial resolution. Brain regions of interest (ROIs) were determined via a Neurosynth meta-analysis a uniformity test search7 of "emotional," "salience," "cognitive control," and "default mode" networks and thresholding significant clusters until the four most robust remained. 5mm radius spheres around the 4 center mass coordinates were used to represent each network. GLM was used to calculate emotion and cognitive appeal PSA effects per voxel vs a scrambled control stimulus. Resulting beta values were averaged across the a-priori ROIs of each network. Two ROIs that did not significantly (p >.05) respond to either PSA condition vs the scrambled condition were excluded from further analysis. Personality traits were assessed using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI-5)8, and PE of PSAs was measured through a post-scan self-report survey.
Results:
Results revealed significant main effects of extraversion on the PE of emotional PSAs, with higher extraversion associated with greater PE across several brain networks, including the emotional network (β = .29,t = 2.20, p = 0.03), default mode network (DMN) (β = .29,t = 2.14, p = 0.04), and central executive network (CCN) (β = .27,t = 2.02, p < 0.05). A marginally significant effect was observed in the salience network (β = .24, t = 1.87, p = 0.06). However, none of the moderation models were significant. A marginally significant interaction was observed between extraversion and neural activity in the emotional network on the PE of social PSAs (β = -0.25, t = -1.90, p = .06). This interaction (Figure 1) was significant for individuals with low levels of extraversion (β = .43, t = 2.15, p = 0.04).
Conclusions:
Findings suggest the utility of brain response patterns in the development of anti-vaping PSAs, and that personality traits, particularly extraversion, play a crucial role in moderating the neural and perceptual responses to anti-vaping PSAs. Specifically, individuals with higher extraversion are more likely to respond effectively to emotionally appealing PSAs, whereas those with lower extraversion show greater responsiveness to social PSAs, particularly when their emotional network has engaged. This pattern may reflect heightened emotional reactivity to social PSAs among less extraverted individuals, potentially due to reduced sociability and a more fear-based response to social interaction. Individually tailoring PSAs based on personality traits, particularly extraversion, could enhance their impact, providing valuable insights for developing more targeted and effective public health campaigns.
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Social Cognition 2
Social Interaction
Emotion and Motivation Other
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
Activation (eg. BOLD task-fMRI)
fMRI Connectivity and Network Modeling 1
Other Methods
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
BOLD fMRI
Perception, Attention and Motor Behavior:
Perception: Visual
Keywords:
Addictions
Cognition
Cortex
FUNCTIONAL MRI
Neurological
Perception
Social Interactions
Sub-Cortical
Other - Personality
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Abstract Information
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Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
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? NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.
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