The neural bases of emotion regulation: reappraisal and suppression of negative emotion

Abstract

Background: Emotion regulation strategies are thought to differ in when and how they influence the emotion-generative process. However, no study to date has directly probed the neural bases of two contrasting (e.g., cognitive versus behavioral) emotion regulation strategies. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine cognitive reappraisal (a cognitive strategy thought to have its impact early in the emotion-generative process) and expressive suppression (a behavioral strategy thought to have its impact later in the emotion-generative process).

Methods: Seventeen women viewed 15 sec neutral and negative emotion-eliciting films under four conditions--watch-neutral, watch-negative, reappraise-negative, and suppress-negative--while providing emotion experience ratings and having their facial expressions videotaped.

Results: Reappraisal resulted in early (0-4.5 sec) prefrontal cortex (PFC) responses, decreased negative emotion experience, and decreased amygdala and insular responses. Suppression produced late (10.5-15 sec) PFC responses, decreased negative emotion behavior and experience, but increased amygdala and insular responses.

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the differential efficacy of reappraisal and suppression on emotional experience, facial behavior, and neural response and highlight intriguing differences in the temporal dynamics of these two emotion regulation strategies.

Figures

Figure 1

Hypothesized temporal dynamics of prefrontal cortex emotion regulatory neural activity related to cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression.

Figure 2

Experimental design for a single trial. The experiment consisted of 40 trials with 40 unique film clips. There were 10 trials each of watch neutral, watch negative, reappraise negative, and suppress negative. A single trial consisted of a 3s instruction to either Watch, Think objectively, or Keep face still, 15s film clip, 3s How negative do you feel? rating (1=not at all to 3=moderately to 5=extremely), 3s Watch instruction, 6s static pleasant landscape image, and 9s counting the number of asterisks on the screen. A single trial lasted 29s.

Figure 3

Effect of reappraisal and suppression on negative emotion ratings and disgust facial expression intensity during the four film viewing conditions. Error bars = SEM.

Figure 4

fMRI BOLD signal time-series in percent signal change relative to the watch-neutral condition across 15s (10 time points × 1.5s each) for reappraisal, suppression, and watch-negative conditions in bilateral amygdala and insula.

Figure 5

fMRI BOLD signal time-series in percent signal change relative to the watch-neutral condition for reappraisal, suppression, and watch-negative conditions in medial prefrontal cortex BA 10 (−11 67 18), left inferior prefrontal cortex BA 46 (−51 41 2), and left lateral orbitofrontal cortex BA 11 (−38 45 −10).

Figure 6

Association of early (0−4.5s) enhanced cognitive reappraisal-related BOLD responses in orbitofrontal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex with reduced late (10.5−15s) insula and amygdala responses.

Figure 7

fMRI BOLD signal time-series in percent signal change relative to the watch-neutral condition for reappraisal, suppression, and watch-negative conditions in right inferior prefrontal cortex BA 46 (50 42 3) and right inferior prefrontal cortex BA 45 (52 20 11).