Speaker
Description
Individuals with depression tend to exhibit difficulties in attentional control which leads them to persistently focus on negatively valenced information. Recent studies suggest that such attentional biases (AB) can be reduced through Attention Bias Modification (ABM) training, resulting in a decrease in depressive symptoms. Although ABM represents an accessible and well-tolerated treatment, evidence for its clinical efficacy is still inconsistent
Twelve participants with subclinical anxiety and depressive symptoms took part in a longitudinal fMRI study. Attentional biases were assessed using an emotional version of the dot-probe task, in which we presented on a screen two faces—one emotionally charged (threatening or happy) and one neutral—positioned to the left and right of a central fixation point, followed by a small black dot. Participants were instructed to respond as fast as possible whenever they saw the black dot by pressing a button. Preliminary data indicate that, before treatment, participants respond more quickly to the dot when it appears in the same spatial location as a threatening face, but not when it appears in place of a positive face. This tendency to selectively orient attention toward negative stimuli decreases after the training.
These results suggest a possible restoration of disengagement and reallocation mechanisms of spatial attention following participation in the ABM program. Neuroimaging analysis will complement the behavioral findings by helping to identify the neural correlates underlying this attentional deficit.
| If you're submitting a symposium talk, what's the symposium title? | Attenzione ed emozioni: bias cognitivi e implicazioni per la riabilitazione |
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| If you're submitting a symposium, or a talk that is part of a symposium, is this a junior symposium? | No |
