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Investigating the neural systems that support the beneficial effects of positive emotion on stress regulation

Award Number: R15MH106928
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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ABSTRACT/ PROJECT SUMMARY Stress can have profound deleterious effects on mental and physical health, but two processes can intervene to mitigate stress. Experiencing positive emotions is a well-established stress regulator, protecting people from psychopathology and promoting adaptive responses to stress. Cognitive reappraisal is an established, adaptive emotion regulation strategy which involves changing one’s emotional response to stress by changing the way that people interpret the stressors. This project will continue to integrate psychological and neural models of positive emotions, stress, and emotion regulation to answer the question: “Which neural systems support the beneficial effects of positive emotion on stress regulation?” We have updated our neurocognitive model and now propose the incidental (unrelated to the stressor) positive emotion does NOT further facilitate subsequent stress regulation, while integral (related to the stressor) positive emotion DOES facilitate stress regulation, as measured by self-reported emotion, psychophysiology, and engagement of emotional neural systems. Furthermore, we predict engagement of vmPFC and connectivity between vmPFC and other regions of prefrontal cortex will be a neural mediator of the effect of integral positive emotion on stress regulation. Our specific hypotheses build directly from our findings during the initial award period. Specific Aim 1 is to test the hypothesis that incidental positive emotion, while having a direct effect on emotion, does not facilitate cognitive reappraisal. Powerful virtual reality will induce positive emotion, and we will test for the effects of incidental positive emotion on self-reported emotion and skin conductance level. Specific Aim 2 is to test the hypothesis that integral positive emotion (spontaneous use of future-focused cognition) will facilitate of cognitive reappraisal, measured by self-reported and neural measures of emotion. Further, we predict that vmPFC activation and the connectivity between vmPFC and other prefrontal regions will reflect facilitated reappraisal. Specific Aim 3 is to test the hypothesis that manipulating future-focused cognition will engage vmPFC during reappraisal planning, and result in greater changes in emotion following reappraisal implementation. Further, we hypothesize that the relationship between vmPFC during planning and reappraisal success will be mediated by connectivity between vmPFC and other prefrontal regions during reappraisal implementation. Our studies will be conducted in large part by undergraduate students, model scientific collaboration across two undergraduate-focused universities and deepen our understanding of stress and emotion regulation. The goals of this grant are to 1) significantly advance our knowledge of the neural systems that support the effects of positive emotion on stress regulation, and 2) significantly strengthen the research environment at our universities by training students in advanced affective science and neuroimaging.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$6,287 )
2025	2020	UNIVERSITY OF DENVER	2199 S UNIVERSITY BLVD RM 222	DENVER	CO	80210	DENVER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	11/7/2024	COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$6,287
														Subtotal = -$6,287

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2020	COLORADO SEMINARY	2199 S UNIVERSITY BLVD	DENVER	CO	80210	DENVER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	8/1/2023	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $446,914 )
2020	2020	COLORADO SEMINARY	2199 S UNIVERSITY BLVD	DENVER	CO	80210	DENVER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	4/15/2020	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$446,914
														Subtotal = $446,914

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = -$11,734 )
2019	2015	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY	1834 WAKE FOREST RD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27109	FORSYTH	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	1	9/5/2019	NEW	-$11,734
2019	2015	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY	1834 WAKE FOREST RD	WINSTON SALEM	NC	27109	FORSYTH	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	10/24/2018	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = -$11,734

Issue Date FY: 2015 ( Subtotal = $440,814 )
2015	2015	WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY	POST OFFICE BOX 7528	WINSTON-SALEM	NC	27109		USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	4/6/2015	NEW	$440,814
														Subtotal = $440,814

Grand Total All Awards = $869,707

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Investigating the neural systems that support the beneficial effects of positive emotion on stress regulation

Award Number: R15MH106928

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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