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Review
. 2022 Jun:176:73-88.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.03.008. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Event-related potential studies of emotion regulation: A review of recent progress and future directions

Annmarie MacNamara  1 , Keanan Joyner  2 , Julia Klawohn  3
Affiliations
Review

Event-related potential studies of emotion regulation: A review of recent progress and future directions

Annmarie MacNamara et al. Int J Psychophysiol. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Event-related potentials (ERPs) bring many strengths to the study of emotion regulation, including: direct measurement of neural activity, high temporal resolution, affordability and suitability to a wide range of participants. Research using ERPs to study emotion regulation began approximately two decades ago, but has grown exponentially over the last 10 years. Here, we highlight progress in this body of work throughout the past decade, as well as emerging themes, novel approaches and paradigms that will likely shape the field in the coming years. While standardized picture sets are still the most commonly used stimuli in these studies, new types of stimuli (e.g., mental imagery, autobiographical memories) have become increasingly common throughout the past decade, with the potential for improved ecological validity. Cognitive reappraisal is still seen by many as the gold standard of emotion regulation, yet mixed findings suggest that its utility might be better understood by taking into account the type of stimuli and context to which it is applied. Moreover, other emotion regulation techniques, particularly for the upregulation of positive emotion (e.g., savoring), have been relatively unexamined in the ERP literature to-date, as have associations between controlled, lab-based measures of emotion generation and regulation in everyday life (e.g., as assessed using ambulatory techniques). In sum, the past decade has seen progress in a more granular understanding of emotion regulation, with ongoing and future work aimed at increasing understanding of the boundary conditions of emotion regulation; novel techniques and emotion regulation's application to everyday life.

Keywords: Cognitive reappraisal; Electroencephalography (EEG); Emotion regulation; Event-related potentials (ERPs); Late positive potential (LPP).

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The N170. Grand-averaged waveforms at the temporo-occipital pools where the N170 was maximal, shown separately for A) left hemispheric sites (PO3, P3, P7) and B) right hemispheric sites (PO4, P4, P8) and C) headmaps depicting scalp distributions of voltage differences of faces that predicted shock onset minus faces that were not paired with shock, from 140 to 170 ms after face onset.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
The EPN. A) Grand-averaged waveforms at Oz where the EPN was maximal and B) headmaps depicting scalp distributions of voltage differences for positive minus neutral pictures, from 170 to 250 ms after picture onset.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
The P300 and the LPP. A) Grand-averaged waveforms at the centroparietal pooling where the P300 and the LPP were maximal (CP1, CP2, Cz, Pz) and B) headmaps depicting scalp distributions of voltage differences for negative minus neutral pictures and positive minus neutral pictures, from 300 to 400 ms (P300) and 400–1500 ms (LPP) after picture onset.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Positive pictures that were previously savored elicit larger LPPs 24 h later, in the absence of emotion regulation instructions (i.e., during passive picture viewing). Grand-averaged waveforms where the LPP was maximal (CP1, CP2, Cz, Pz) and headmaps depicting scalp distributions of voltage differences for Neutral Savor minus Neutal View and Positive Savor minus Positive View, shown separately for: A) Savor and View Task, in which participants savored and viewed neutral and positive pictures and B) Passive Picture Viewing task, performed 24 h later with the same neutral and positive pictures as previously shown.
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