TY - JOUR

T1 - Change in emotional self-concept following socio-cognitive training relates to structural plasticity of the prefrontal cortex

AU - Lumma, Anna Lena

AU - Valk, Sofie L.

AU - Böckler, Anne

AU - Vrtička, Pascal

AU - Singer, Tania

N1 - Funding Information: Funding information Tania Singer, as principal investigator, received funding for the ReSource Project from the European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013/ERC Grant Agreement Number 205557 to T.S.) and from the Max Planck Society We are thankful to all the members of the Department of Social Neuroscience involved in the ReSource study over the many years, in particular to all ReSource teachers who taught the intervention program, to Astrid Ackermann, Christina Bochow, Matthias Bolz, and Sandra Zurborg for managing the large-scale longitudinal study, to Hannes Niederhausen, Henrik Grunert, and Torsten K?stner for their technical support, to Sylvia Tydeks, Elisabeth Murzick, Manuela Hofmann, Sylvie Neubert, and Nicole Pampus for their help with recruitment and data collection, and to Bethany Kok for her statistical guidance. The current study was not preregistered in an independent, institutional registry. All data are available from the authors upon request. Funding Information: funding for the ReSource Project from the European Research Council under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013/ERC Grant Agreement Number 205557 to T.S.) and from the Max Planck Society

PY - 2018/4/10

Y1 - 2018/4/10

N2 - Introduction: Self-referential processing is a key component of the emotional self-concept. Previous studies have shown that emotional self-referential processing is related to structure and function of cortical midline areas such as medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and that it can be altered on a behavioral level by specific mental training practices. However, it remains unknown how behavioral training-related change in emotional self-concept content relates to structural plasticity. Methods: To address this issue, we examined the relationship between training-induced change in participant's emotional self-concept measured through emotional word use in the Twenty Statement Test and change in cortical thickness in the context of a large-scale longitudinal mental training study called the ReSource Project. Results: Based on prior behavioral findings showing increased emotional word use particularly after socio-cognitive training targeting perspective-taking capacities, this study extended these results by revealing that individual differences in the degree to which participants changed their emotional self-concept after training was positively related to cortical thickness change in right mPFC extending to dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC). Furthermore, increased self-related negative emotional word use after training was positively associated with cortical thickness change in left pars orbitalis and bilateral dlPFC. Conclusions: Our findings reveal training-related structural brain change in regions known to be involved in self-referential processing and cognitive control, and could indicate a relationship between restructuring of the emotional self-concept content as well as reappraisal of negative aspects and cortical thickness change. As such, our findings can guide the development of psychological interventions targeted to alter specific facets of the self-concept.

AB - Introduction: Self-referential processing is a key component of the emotional self-concept. Previous studies have shown that emotional self-referential processing is related to structure and function of cortical midline areas such as medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and that it can be altered on a behavioral level by specific mental training practices. However, it remains unknown how behavioral training-related change in emotional self-concept content relates to structural plasticity. Methods: To address this issue, we examined the relationship between training-induced change in participant's emotional self-concept measured through emotional word use in the Twenty Statement Test and change in cortical thickness in the context of a large-scale longitudinal mental training study called the ReSource Project. Results: Based on prior behavioral findings showing increased emotional word use particularly after socio-cognitive training targeting perspective-taking capacities, this study extended these results by revealing that individual differences in the degree to which participants changed their emotional self-concept after training was positively related to cortical thickness change in right mPFC extending to dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC). Furthermore, increased self-related negative emotional word use after training was positively associated with cortical thickness change in left pars orbitalis and bilateral dlPFC. Conclusions: Our findings reveal training-related structural brain change in regions known to be involved in self-referential processing and cognitive control, and could indicate a relationship between restructuring of the emotional self-concept content as well as reappraisal of negative aspects and cortical thickness change. As such, our findings can guide the development of psychological interventions targeted to alter specific facets of the self-concept.

KW - cortical thickness

KW - emotional word use

KW - meditation

KW - mental training

KW - neuroplasticity

KW - self-concept content

KW - self-descriptions

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85043605113&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/brb3.940

DO - 10.1002/brb3.940

M3 - Article

C2 - 29670822

AN - SCOPUS:85043605113

VL - 8

JO - Brain and behavior

JF - Brain and behavior

SN - 2157-9032

IS - 4

M1 - e00940

ER -