基于注意分配策略的后悔情绪脑调控研究

As one of most significant social affections, regret plays an important role in decision-making deviation and some mental disorders, such as depression. Therefore, the regulation of regret and its brain modulation mechanism catch much attention of researchers. In the previous works, the applicant successfully took use of a sequential risk taking task to induce real-time regret on individuals. For the first time in research works using similar paradigm, the applicant introduced an attentional deployment manipulation by inducing participants to focus on obtained gain or missed chance of the outcome, and then explored how attentional deployment could modulate participant’s regret. The result revealed focusing on obtained gain of the outcome could reduce regret effectively and superior frontal gyrus (SFG) played a key role in the modulation of regret. However, due to the technological nature of fMRI, the study had a limitation that any discussion on connection between behavioral change and brain activity could only work on a correlational level. Based on aforementioned job, the current project aims to shed light on the causal role of SFG in the modulation of regret by using the technique of EEG-rTMS, which could help to uncover the top-down modulatory role of cerebral cortex in regret regulation with attentional deployment strategy. Moreover, the current project tries to differentiate modulation mechanisms on two different types of regret (i.e., regret induced by missed chance or regret induced by real loss) for the first time. The planned researches in the current project could not only help investigate the causal role of SFG in the modulation for regret systematically, but also provide more accurate guidance for the rTMS treatment of some mental diseases triggered by regret. Additionally, taking the advantage of combining eye-tracking technology with the measurement of instantaneous change of the EEG and the subjective feeling, the current project could collect more solid evidence of the effectiveness of attentional deployment manipulation, and also the evidence of the causal role of SFG in the modulation of regret.

后悔不单是诱发决策偏差的重要因素，还可能会诱发抑郁症等精神疾病，因此如何对后悔进行调节日益受到研究者关注。申请人在前期研究中结合连续风险决策任务，通过基于注意分配策略的关注点操纵对后悔调节进行了探讨，发现额上回皮层在其中起到了关键作用，但该研究结果限于fMRI技术只能在行为改变与脑活动间相关关系上进行探讨。因此，本项目：利用EEG-rTMS技术，探明额上回在后悔调节中的因果作用机制，揭示基于注意分配策略的后悔调节中大脑皮层自上而下的调控作用；在连续风险决策任务下，初次将错失所得的后悔与错失机会的后悔进行区分，全面解析注意分配策略对两种后悔进行调节时大脑皮层自上而下的不同调控作用，为来自后悔触发的一些精神疾病的脑调控治疗提供更为精准的技术对策和理论指导；采用眼动技术获得注意分配策略操纵有效性的量化指标，旨在从眼动轨迹与EEG即时变化、情绪评分等方面，探寻脑区神经节律调控与它们之间因果联系。

后悔不单是诱发决策偏差的重要因素，还可能会诱发抑郁症等精神疾病，因此如何对后悔进行调节日益受到研究者关注。在项目负责人前期研究基础上，本项目利用行为学范式、脑电技术、功能磁共振成像技术等，探究注意分配策略对后悔情绪的调节。结果发现，前额叶、P2成分、alpha频段等在注意分配对后悔情绪的调节中发挥关键作用，且注意分配训练也能够有效的对后续后悔情绪产生影响。此外，项目团队还探讨了注意分配对抑郁个体后悔情绪的调节，结果发现相比于健康个体，抑郁个体的后悔情绪更强，注意分配策略可以有效调节抑郁个体的后悔情绪。当前的研究成果，为进一步利用EEG-rTMS技术，探明前额叶在后悔调节中的因果作用机制，揭示基于注意分配策略的后悔调节中大脑皮层自上而下的调控作用奠定基础，也为来自后悔触发的一些精神疾病的脑调控治疗提供更为精准的技术对策和理论指导。