Advances in Working Memory and Emotion Regulation Research

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 5598

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Bari, Italy
Interests: flashbulb memories; autobiographical memory; emotion regulation; executive functions; psychopathy; emotional intelligence

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Guest Editor
1. Leuven Institute of Criminology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
2. Department of Clinical Psychological Science-Section Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Interests: autobiographical memor; eyewitness memory; memory distortions; executive functions; individual differences; lying; rumination

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Working memory is a core component of memory storage and retrieval, also intervening in the processing of emotional information. As such, several aspects of working memory functioning have captured researchers’ attention. In particular, studies in different fields (e.g., clinical, neuroscientific, cognitive) have demonstrated that working memory affects the use of certain emotion regulation strategies, thus providing practical information for psychological intervention in healthy and clinical populations.

This Special Issue of Brain Sciences aims to collect a pool of articles providing innovative findings and insights into research focusing on the relationship between working memory and emotion regulation. Authors are encouraged to propose articles aiming to replicate and generalize prior findings as well as articles with innovative paradigms and approaches. In addition, due to the practical implications of this line of research, submissions of both theoretical and applicative articles are encouraged. The following topics-but not only are welcomed:

  • Working memory and emotion regulation in non-clinical populations;
  • Working memory and emotion regulation in clinical and forensic populations;
  • Individual differences in working memory ability and emotion regulation;
  • Working memory training and its effect on emotion regulation.

Therefore, we invite authors to submit their articles within the scope of this Special Issue.

Dr. Antonietta Curci
Dr. Fabiana Battista
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • working memory
  • emotion regulation
  • non-clinical population
  • clinical and forensic population
  • working memory training

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1335 KiB  
Article
The Cognitive Cost of Repetitive Thinking: A Study on the Effects of Shifting and Updating on Rumination of Emotional Experiences
by Fabiana Battista, Tiziana Lanciano, Patrizia Borrelli and Antonietta Curci
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(11), 1569; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13111569 - 09 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 943
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the consequence of resource competition between post-emotional processing and concurrent cognitive tasks. Previous studies have shown that such a resource competition engenders both short-term (e.g., defeats in the execution of the working memory task) and long-term effects [...] Read more.
The present study aimed to investigate the consequence of resource competition between post-emotional processing and concurrent cognitive tasks. Previous studies have shown that such a resource competition engenders both short-term (e.g., defeats in the execution of the working memory task) and long-term effects (e.g., procrastination or rumination following an emotional experience). We expected these effects to vary as a function of the different WM components involved (shifting, Study 1; updating, Study 2). In two studies, participants (Study 1: N = 48; Study 2: N = 42) were administered one out of two variants of a visuospatial task (Study 1: shifting; Study 2: updating) adopted by Curci and colleagues before and after a negative or neutral manipulation. Rumination was assessed immediately after the second WM task performance and 24 h later. In Study 1, results showed that the exposure to negative content impaired the subsequent executive performance compared with exposure to neutral material, while no difference was found in Study 2. Rumination for emotional material was higher and more persistent over time as a function of shifting resources but not for updating ones. These findings provide information on the possible role of individuals’ cognitive resources on rumination for emotional experiences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Working Memory and Emotion Regulation Research)
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13 pages, 595 KiB  
Article
Theory of Mind and Executive Functions in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Healthy Aging
by Livio Clemente, Daphne Gasparre, Federica Alfeo, Fabiana Battista, Chiara Abbatantuono, Antonietta Curci, Tiziana Lanciano and Paolo Taurisano
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(10), 1356; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13101356 - 22 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1363
Abstract
Social cognition involves skills for maintaining harmonious personal and social relationships throughout life. Social cognition issues, including Theory of Mind (ToM), can significantly impact the well-being of older individuals and intensify with the onset of neurological conditions. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a [...] Read more.
Social cognition involves skills for maintaining harmonious personal and social relationships throughout life. Social cognition issues, including Theory of Mind (ToM), can significantly impact the well-being of older individuals and intensify with the onset of neurological conditions. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a state between healthy and pathological neurocognitive aging, where monitoring social functions is crucial. Despite numerous studies on ToM challenges in older adults and cognitive disorders, the underlying mechanisms remain debated. Uncertainty exists regarding whether ToM deficits are related to other cognitive functions, such as Executive Functions (EFs). Our study examined the correlation between EF and ToM performance in 32 MCI patients and 36 healthy elderly controls. The findings revealed a link between EF and ToM performance among healthy elderly individuals. Specifically, within the assessed EFs, the role of the working memory (WM) emerged. The study also highlighted distinctions between the MCI group and the healthy elderly group, showing that despite a general reduction in cognitive performance, the condition could impact these abilities in different ways. The study contributes to the literature, fostering comprehension of the mechanisms underlying ToM difficulties, while also paving the way for targeted interventions and enhanced clinical or preventative care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Working Memory and Emotion Regulation Research)
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Other

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10 pages, 671 KiB  
Brief Report
Stress and Right Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Interactive Effects on Visual Working Memory and Learning
by Yael L. E. Ankri, Yoram C. Braw and Oded Meiron
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(12), 1642; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13121642 - 27 Nov 2023
Viewed by 862
Abstract
Stress impacts prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and modulates working memory performance. In a recent study, stimulating the dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) interacted with social stress in modulating participants’ working memory. More specifically, stress disrupted the enhancing effects of [...] Read more.
Stress impacts prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and modulates working memory performance. In a recent study, stimulating the dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) interacted with social stress in modulating participants’ working memory. More specifically, stress disrupted the enhancing effects of dlPFC tDCS on working memory performance. The current study aimed to further explore these initial findings by randomizing healthy females to four experimental conditions (N = 130); stimulation (right dlPFC tDCS vs. sham) and stress manipulation (social stress vs. control). Participants performed cognitive tasks (i.e., visual working memory task and a visual declarative memory task) at baseline and post-stimulation. They also completed self-report measures of stress and anxiety. A significant stimulation × stress interaction was evident in the declarative memory (One-Card Learning, OCL) task, while working memory performance was unaffected. Though tDCS stimulation and stress did not interact to affect working memory, further research is warranted as these initial findings suggest that immediate visual-memory learning may be affected by these factors. The limited number of earlier studies, as well as the variability in their designs, provides additional impetus for studying the interactive effects of stress and tDCS on human visual learning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Working Memory and Emotion Regulation Research)
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14 pages, 945 KiB  
Systematic Review
The Effects of Four Compounds That Act on the Dopaminergic and Serotonergic Systems on Working Memory in Animal Studies; A Literature Review
by Ștefania-Alexandra Grosu, Marinela Chirilă, Florina Rad, Andreea Enache, Claudia-Mariana Handra and Isabel Ghiță
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(4), 546; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13040546 - 25 Mar 2023
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Abstract
The dopaminergic and serotonergic systems are two of the most important neuronal pathways in the human brain. Almost all psychotropic medications impact at least one neurotransmitter system. As a result, investigating how they affect memory could yield valuable insights into potential therapeutic applications [...] Read more.
The dopaminergic and serotonergic systems are two of the most important neuronal pathways in the human brain. Almost all psychotropic medications impact at least one neurotransmitter system. As a result, investigating how they affect memory could yield valuable insights into potential therapeutic applications or unanticipated side effects. The aim of this literature review was to collect literature data from animal studies regarding the effects on memory of four drugs known to act on the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems. The studies included in this review were identified in the PubMed database using selection criteria from the PRISMA protocol. We analyzed 29 articles investigating one of four different dopaminergic or serotonergic compounds. Studies conducted on bromocriptine have shown that stimulating D2 receptors may enhance working memory in rodents, whereas inhibiting these receptors could have the opposite effect, reducing working memory performance. The effects of serotonin on working memory are not clearly established as studies on fluoxetine and ketanserin have yielded conflicting results. Further studies with better-designed methodologies are necessary to explore the impact of compounds that affect both the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems on working memory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Working Memory and Emotion Regulation Research)
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