When does imagery rescripting become a double-edged sword? - Investigating the risk of memory distortion through imagery rescripting in an online Trauma film study.

Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) has proven effective in reducing involuntary emotional memories. However, it is unclear whether and when it may lead to reduced accuracy of voluntary memory. Although previous analogue studies suggest that ImRs does not pose a general risk regarding memory distortion, it can not be ruled out that ImRs could cause memory impairment under certain risk conditions.

Effects of imagery rescripting and imaginal exposure on voluntary memory.

Trauma-focused imagery-based interventions, such as Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) and Imaginal Exposure (ImE), are effective in reducing involuntary re-experiencing in PTSD. However, it has been suggested that they may impair voluntary memory. This study investigates whether ImRs and ImE distort voluntary memory of an analogue trauma.

The dilemma of trauma-focused therapy: effects of imagery rescripting on voluntary memory.

Trauma-focused imagery-based interventions are suspected to alter or even distort declarative voluntary memory of a traumatic event, especially if they involve the active modification of imagery, e.g., as used in imagery rescripting (ImRs).

(When and how) does basic research in clinical psychology lead to more effective psychological treatment for mental disorders?

An important aim of basic research in Clinical Psychology is to improve clinical practice (e.g., by developing novel interventions or improving the efficacy of existing ones) based on an improved understanding of key mechanisms involved in psychopathology.

Positive Emotion Dysregulation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Although PTSD is associated with both emotion regulation (ER) difficulties and persistent difficulties experiencing positive emotions, research concerning positive ER in PTSD is still scarce. We aimed to clarify whether PTSD patients show dysfunctional responses to positive emotions and whether positive ER is associated with PTSD symptom severity. PTSD patients (N = 59) were compared to healthy controls (HC, N = 58) with respect to their self-reported regulation of positive and negative emotions.

Challenging control over emotions in borderline personality disorder - a tDCS study.

Background: Deficient cognitive control (CC) over emotional distraction is a central characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Reduced activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) has been linked to this deficit. This study investigates whether it is possible to ameliorate CC deficits via anodal tDCS over the left dlPFC in BPD.

Theory of mind in remitted bipolar disorder: Younger patients struggle in tasks of higher ecological validity.

Background: To date, research concerning Theory of Mind (ToM) in remitted bipolar disorder (rBD) has yielded inconclusive results. This may be a result of methodological shortcomings and the failure to consider relevant third variables. Furthermore, studies using ecologically valid stimuli are rare.

Impaired cognitive control over emotional material in euthymic bipolar disorder.

Background: Previous research suggests that bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by deficits in cognitive control (CC). Impaired CC has been found in high-risk samples and is associated with the maintenance of BD symptoms. It remains unclear, however, whether BD is characterized by a general deficit in CC or by a deficit that is specifically related to the processing of emotional material.

Facial emotion recognition, theory of mind and the role of facial mimicry in depression.

Background: This study examined whether acutely (aMDD) and remitted depressed patients (rMDD) show deficits in the two aspects of social cognition - facial emotion recognition (FER) and reasoning - when using ecologically valid material. Furthermore, we examined whether reduced facial mimicry mediates the association between depressive symptoms and FER, and whether FER deficits and reasoning deficits are associated.

Method: In 42 aMDD, 43 rMDD, and 39 healthy controls (HC) FER was assessed using stimuli from the Amsterdam Dynamic Facial Expression Set, reasoning by the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition.

Emotional Distraction and Bodily Reaction: Modulation of Autonomous Responses by Anodal tDCS to the Prefrontal Cortex.

Prefrontal electric stimulation has been demonstrated to effectively modulate cognitive processing. Specifically, the amelioration of cognitive control (CC) over emotional distraction by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) points toward targeted therapeutic applications in various psychiatric disorders. In addition to behavioral measures, autonomous nervous system (ANS) responses are fundamental bodily signatures of emotional information processing.

Targeting the biased brain: non-invasive brain stimulation to ameliorate cognitive control.

Non-invasive brain stimulation has become important for the investigation of healthy and impaired neuronal functioning. Moreover, non-invasive brain stimulation has emerged as a new means of psychiatric treatment, although the mechanisms of action are still not understood and the optimal mode of application is still under development. Dysfunctional cognitive control is a central characteristic of various psychiatric disorders and is associated with dysregulations of prefrontal cortex activity and biased information processing.

Keep calm and carry on: improved frustration tolerance and processing speed by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Cognitive control (CC) of attention is a major prerequisite for effective information processing. Emotional distractors can bias and impair goal-directed deployment of attentional resources. Frustration-induced negative affect and cognition can act as internal distractors with negative impact on task performance.

Induction of a depression-like negativity bias by cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation.

Cognitive control (CC) over emotional distraction is of particular importance for adaptive human behaviour and is associated with activity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Deficient CC, e.g.

Cognitive emotion regulation in euthymic bipolar disorder.

Background: Based on findings indicating increased stress reactivity and prolonged stress recovery in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), it has been proposed that emotion regulation (ER) deficits lie at the core of this disorder. Recent studies show an increased use of maladaptive ER strategies and a decreased use of adaptive ER strategies in BD. Whether this pattern is merely a correlate of affective episodes or might be a stable characteristic of BD, however, remains to be explored.

Amelioration of cognitive control in depression by transcranial direct current stimulation.

Background: Deficient cognitive control over emotional distraction is a central characteristic of major depressive disorder (MDD). Hypoactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) has been linked with this deficit. In this study, we aimed to enhance the activity of the dlPFC in MDD patients by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and thus ameliorate cognitive control.

Is impaired set-shifting a feature of "pure" anorexia nervosa? Investigating the role of depression in set-shifting ability in anorexia nervosa and unipolar depression.

Impaired set-shifting has been reported in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and in patients with affective disorders, including major depression. Due to the prevalent comorbidity of major depression in AN, this study aimed to examine the role of depression in set-shifting ability. Fifteen patients with AN without a current comorbid depression, 20 patients with unipolar depression (UD) and 35 healthy control participants were assessed using the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and a Parametric Go/No-Go Test (PGNG).

Specificity of jumping to conclusions and attributional biases: a comparison between patients with schizophrenia, depression, and anorexia nervosa.

Introduction: The knowledge of the specificity of cognitive biases in psychiatric disorders is important in order to develop disorder-specific cognitive models and therapies. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the specificity of jumping to conclusions (JTC) and attributional biases (AB) for patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: Twenty patients with paranoid schizophrenia were compared with patients with depression (n=20) and with anorexia nervosa (n=15) and nonclinical controls (n=55).

I can see what you feel, but I can't deal with it: Impaired theory of mind in depression.

Background: Even though unipolar depression is associated with considerably impaired social functioning, only a few studies so far have investigated Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities of unipolar depressed patients. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to examine whether depressed patients are impaired in their ToM as compared to healthy controls. Thereby, both aspects of ToM, i.

Misdiagnosing bipolar disorder--do clinicians show heuristic biases?

Background: Bipolar disorders (BD) are often misdiagnosed. Clinicians seem to use heuristics instead of following the recommendations of diagnostic manuals. Bruchmüller and Meyer (2009) suggest that 'reduced sleep' is a prototypic criterion that increases the likelihood of a bipolar diagnosis.

Is mood affected by interactions with people at risk for affective disorders?

The interpersonal behavior of individuals who have affective disorders can increase the likelihood of interpersonal conflicts. A related issue is whether vulnerability for developing affective disorder expresses itself in social interactions that affect the mood of interaction partners as well. Adolescents (n = 119) have been divided into subgroups: "mania risk" (scoring high on "Hypomanic Personality"); "unipolar risk" (scoring high on "Rigidity"); and a control group (scoring low on both scales).

The Hypomania Checklist-32 and the Mood Disorder Questionnaire as screening tools--going beyond samples of purely mood-disordered patients.

Background: Bipolar disorders are often not recognized. Several screening tools have been developed, e.g.

Current alcohol use and risk for hypomania in male students: generally more or more binging?

Background: Alcohol use disorders and bipolar disorder are highly comorbid. Some studies suggest that alcohol abuse or misuse might even precede the onset of bipolar disorder, but few studies have looked at the daily drinking pattern beyond diagnostic categories. We therefore examined if risk for hypomania is associated with a specific drinking pattern when using a calendar-based interview.

What factors influence attitudes towards people with current depression and current mania?

Background: Previous studies have detected different variables influencing the attitude towards mentally ill individuals but they have never addressed mania. Furthermore, it is not known whether the same factors affect attitudes towards individuals experiencing major depressive or manic episodes.

Aims: Besides factors such as familiarity with mental illness, we were interested whether vulnerability to psychosis and mood disorders as well as social desirability can affect attitudes towards major depressive episodes and manic episodes.

Attitudes of young people towards depression and mania.

Objectives: Despite the known effects of stigma on people suffering from affective disorders, no study so far has investigated and compared attitudes of the general public towards depression and mania. Furthermore, we were interested if it makes a difference if one asks a sample about its own attitudes or the assumed opinions of 'others'.

Design: We used an experimental and randomized design.