Vilfredo De Pascalis - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Vilfredo De Pascalis
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Sep 1, 1993
Brain sciences, Jan 24, 2024
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Oct 1, 2021
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Sep 1, 2010
Personality and Individual Differences, Oct 1, 2022
International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2004
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Jul 1, 1991
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Sep 1, 2008
N170, N200 and P300 showed a decrement in their latency during the musical contexts in comparison... more N170, N200 and P300 showed a decrement in their latency during the musical contexts in comparison to those without music. In addition, N200 amplitude showed a shorter latency in HA while listening to HM and in FE while listening to SM. In addition, P3a was observed in the prefrontal areas with higher amplitude in HR only during musical context congruent with that task (HM). P3b amplitude, showed an enhancement during both musical contexts in relation to those without music. These results suggest that musical pieces caused facilitatory effects in early and late emotional stimuli processing. P3a could be reflecting an automatic processing associated with emotional congruency between the emotional context (HM) and the emotion to be recognized (HA).
Symmetry, Aug 4, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Perceptual and Motor Skills, Oct 1, 1984
22 men and women, students in psychology, were given the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, also ... more 22 men and women, students in psychology, were given the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, also percent theta, alpha and beta EEG spectral powers were evaluated during an hypnotic induction induced according to Barber's method. The EEG performance was compared with two baseline eyes-open, eyes-closed conditions and with a neutral control situation of listening to a weather report. No relation was found between Extraversion-Introversion scores and scores on the Barber Suggestibility Scale. The difference in EEG powers was nonsignificant for groups high and low in suggestibility, while a significant interaction was found for eyes open or closed × suggestibility groups when extreme scores of Extraversion-Introversion and Neuroticism were considered according to Eysenck's (1966) method. The right theta power of the stable extraverts and neurotic introverts, high in susceptibility in eyes-open condition was higher than the neurotic extraverts, and stable introverts who were low in susceptibility to hypnosis. The right theta power of the neurotic extraverts and stable introverts who were low in susceptibility to hypnosis showed a tendency to increase in eyes-closed conditions, while an opposite observation was made for the stable extraverts and neurotic introverts, subjects who were high in susceptibility. It is interesting to notice, according to Galbraith, et al. (1970) that it was the eyes-open condition which yielded the best EEG predictor of hypnotic susceptibility.
Comprehensive Psychiatry, Jul 1, 2011
The cross-cultural generalizability of Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy questionnaire (I(7))... more The cross-cultural generalizability of Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy questionnaire (I(7)) is investigated with a sample of 578 Italian adults, mostly nonstudents. Results indicate that Italian I(7) scale intercorrelations and reliabilities were similar to those obtained in other cultural contexts; furthermore, the 3-factor structure is generalizable across sexes and invariant compared with the English normative structure, as well as with those found in the French, Dutch, and Spanish versions. Impulsiveness was positively correlated with Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and with Dickman's dysfunctional impulsivity scale but independent of the functional impulsivity scale. Plotting the scale onto the Eysenck's psychoticism-extraversion-neuroticism factor space, impulsiveness was more strongly related to psychoticism and neuroticism than to extraversion. We remark that the impulsiveness measure of I(7) is fairly stable across languages and cultures and can be used reliably in Italian speaking samples.
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Aug 1, 1991
The present study was designed to examine the possibility that individual differences in heartbea... more The present study was designed to examine the possibility that individual differences in heartbeat perception and instructions to control heart rate (HR) may influence the acquisition of voluntary control. Good (n = 20) and poor (n = 20) perceivers of cardiac activity were selected on the basis of their performance according to Whitehead et al. (1977) heartbeat discrimination procedure. Measures of state and trait anxiety (the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form X-l and Form X-2) and Tellegen's Absorption Scale (TAS) were used to assess emotionality and absorptive ability. Good and poor heartbeat perceivers (a) were given non-motivating instructions to try to either increase or decrease their heart rate (HR) with, or (b) without the use of HR-feedback. and (c) were given motivating instructions to try to either increase or decrease their HR with, or (d) without HR-feedback. Heart rate. skin conductance (SC), and EMG activity were monitored. Subjects were also requested to indicate the cognitive strategies used during their HR control training. No relationship between heartbeat perception and state-trait anxiety measures was found. The results did not support the idea that individual differences in heartbeat perception are related to individual differences in HR-control. They did indicate, however, that motivating instructions improve the capacity to increase or decrease HR. Subjects were able to voluntarily increase or decrease their HRs with or without a feedback signal. However, more pronounced HR increases were obtained in the feedback as compared with the no-feedback condition. SC and EMG activity were in accordance with arousal levels demanded by HR decrease and increase tasks. Subjects used cognitive strategies concerning activation responses during HR-increase and relaxation responses during HR-decrease conditions. * The system to record the HB discrimination data was designed by Dino Moretti and Pietro Fermani, technicians of the
Perceptual and Motor Skills, Aug 1, 1984
8 women and 8 men took Cattell's IPAT-anxiety questionnaire and later McFarland's test of... more 8 women and 8 men took Cattell's IPAT-anxiety questionnaire and later McFarland's test of ability to perceive heart activity. The second test involved subjects' tracking their own heart rates, then they enrolled in an EKG biofeedback session to evaluate ability to increase and decrease heart rate from subjects' resting baselines. At the end of the session each subject completed Blanchard, et al.'s questionnaire to specify the cognitive strategies used for heart-rate control. Heart rate, abdominal respiration rate, respiration amplitude, EEG percent power in theta, alpha, and beta bands were evaluated. Success of heart-rate decrease seemed to depend mainly on activity levels: the subjects who achieved high scores on the activity test decreased heart rate significantly better than did low scorers. The relationship between scores for perception of heart and increases in heart rate was nonsignificant: increased heart-rate seemed to depend on differences in respiration between the rest and periods of increase. The significant, negative correlation between trait anxiety and perceptions of heart activity suggested that anxiety affected subjects' ability to perceive heart rate. The theta EEG power of the right hemisphere was significantly higher in subjects scoring high than for those low in perception of heart activity. During heart-rate increase tasks subjects mainly reported use of ‘arousal responses,’ similarly during heart-rate decrease tasks they reported use of relaxation responses.
Personality and Individual Differences, Mar 1, 1999
The aim of the study was to examine the role of six temperamental traits as measured by the Forma... more The aim of the study was to examine the role of six temperamental traits as measured by the Formal Characteristics of Behavior±Temperament Inventory [briskness (BR), perseveration (PE), sensory sensitivity (SS), emotional reactivity (ER), endurance (EN) and activity (AC)] in mediating event-related potentials and heart rate responses to visual stimuli. 63 right-handed women, aged 19±25 years, participated in the study. Pleasant, unpleasant and nonsense words were used to elicit physiological responses. Subjects were required to indicate if a probe was a real word or a nonsense word. P300 ERP peak and peak amplitude in the 350±600-ms latency range (N500) were measured from Fz, Cz and Pz scalp leads. Measures of HR deceleration response and reaction time (RT) were also obtained. Split plot ANOVAs were performed between high and low level groups selected on the basis of FCB-TI scales. The high-EN group, compared to the low-EN group, produced signi®cantly smaller P300 peaks to all categories of words. The high-SS group, compared to low-SS one, showed greater P300 peaks on Fz to positive words and on Cz and Pz to negative and nonsense words. The high-PE group, compared to low-PE group, showed larger N500 peaks to emotional and nonsense words on Fz and Cz leads. The HR deceleration response was larger in the lowER and high-EN groups as compared to opposite temperament characteristics. High-SS subjects, as compared to low-SS ones, displayed shorter RT and a greater HR deceleration to positive words. With respect to FCB-TI dimensions, individual dierences in physiological responding are discussed in terms of arousal theory.
International Journal of Psychophysiology, May 1, 2005
The neural mechanisms underlying pain perception and anti-nociceptive effects of mental imagery a... more The neural mechanisms underlying pain perception and anti-nociceptive effects of mental imagery are not well understood. Using a measure of phase-ordered beta and gamma EEG oscillations in response to painful electric stimulation, we recently found that somatosensory event-related phase-ordered gamma oscillations (38-42 Hz), elicited by the onset of painful stimuli over Cz scalp site, were linearly related to pain perception. In the present study, 38 subjects were engaged in a painful stimulus detection task using an oddball paradigm. This task was performed under a condition in which subjects were required simply to count the number of target stimuli (pain condition) and under another condition in which subjects were required to produce an obstructive mental imagery of painful stimulus perception (obstructive imagery). Only EEG responses to standard stimuli were analyzed in this study. Correlation analysis of sweeps for each individual revealed brief intervals of phase ordering of EEG patterns in the beta and gamma bands. The frequencies of interest were the beta1 (26-30 Hz), beta2 (30-34 Hz), gamma1 (34-38 Hz), gamma2 (38-42 Hz) and gamma3 (42-46 Hz) bands. Obstructive imagery treatment, compared to pain condition, significantly reduced pain perception. This reduction was paralleled by significant decreases of evoked phase-ordered gamma2 and gamma3 patterns over Cz scalp site. Phase-ordered oscillations at Cz scalp site, for both gamma2 and gamma3 bands, significantly predicted pain ratings during pain condition. Phase-ordered oscillation scores, obtained for these gamma bands over parietal and frontal scalp sites, resulted the best predictor of pain ratings during obstructive imagery. This study provides evidence for the role of gamma oscillations in the subjective experience of pain. Further, it has provided support for the view that pain reduction during obstructive mental imagery is the product of an inhibitory process involving frontal and parietal cortical regions.
Clinical Neurophysiology, Feb 1, 2013
We evaluate the association of trait-emotionality and fear with startle response. Higher behaviou... more We evaluate the association of trait-emotionality and fear with startle response. Higher behavioural system activation was associated with smaller N100 and P200 waves. We observed reduced current density for the P200 in the parietal lobe. Higher anxiety was associated with larger eyeblink startle response. Lower fear was associated to enhanced activation in the medial frontal gyrus (BA6). a b s t r a c t Objectives: To examine the association of personality trait-emotionality (behavioural inhibition system, BIS; behavioural activation system, BAS; anxiety and fear) and measures of auditory startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition (PPI) in a non-clinical sample. Methods: Forty-seven women were tested for ASR and prepulse inhibition of the eyeblink component of the startle reflex as measured by electromyographic (EMG) responses of the left orbicularis oculi muscle and N100 and P200 components of the event-related potential (ERP) using sLORETA (standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography). Startling stimuli (115 dB, 40 ms) were presented alone (pulse-alone) or were preceded by discrete (20 ms) prepulse stimuli (85 dB) at three prepulse-to-pulse intervals (30, 60 and 120 ms) over a steady background noise (70 dB). Measures of trait emotionality were assessed using a comprehensive battery of theoretically motivated personality scales. Results: Consistent with previous reports, PPI (defined as percentage reduction in the amplitude of the ASR) increased as the prepulse-to-pulse interval increased. PPI measures were insensitive to individual differences in personality traits, while measures of ASR to pulse-alone stimuli disclosed significant effects. Higher BAS was associated with reduced N100 and P200 amplitudes to the pulse-alone stimulus, and with reduced current density for the N100 in the parietal lobe (BA40 and BA31). This effect indicated a smaller sensitivity or a higher avoidance level of these individuals for negative-startle stimuli. Higher trait anxiety was associated with larger ASR, suggesting an enhanced sensitivity to intense stimuli and a hasty style of reaction in anxious individuals. Lower self-report fear was associated with larger P200 amplitude, and enhanced current density in the medial and superior frontal gyrus (BA6). This effect indicates that prefrontal cortex may play an important role in inhibiting fear responses. Conclusions: Our findings are in good accordance with existing brain imaging studies and underline that ERP source localization is a useful alternative for identifying startle-relevant cortical regions. Significance: The present observations extend previous startle findings observed in clinical samples to normal personality individuals. These results imply that hypotheses derived from clinical data may hold important implications for understanding human emotion and motivation, especially in relation to fear and anxiety.
Pain, Nov 1, 2004
Somatosensory event-related phase-ordered gamma oscillations (40-Hz) to electric painful standard... more Somatosensory event-related phase-ordered gamma oscillations (40-Hz) to electric painful standard stimuli under an odd-ball paradigm were analyzed in 13 high, 13 medium, and 12 low hypnotizable subjects during waking, hypnosis, and post-hypnosis conditions. During these conditions, subjects received a suggestion of Focused Analgesia to produce an obstructive hallucination of stimulus perception; a No-Analgesia treatment served as a control. After hypnosis, a post-hypnotic suggestion was given to draw waking subjects into a deep hypnosis with opened eyes. High hypnotizables, compared to medium and low ones, experienced significant pain and distress reductions for Focused Analgesia during hypnosis and, to a greater extent, during post-hypnosis condition. Correlational analysis of EEG sweeps of each individual revealed brief intervals of phase ordering of gamma patterns, preceding and following stimulus onset, lasting approximately six periods. High and medium hypnotizable subjects showed significant reductions in phase-ordered gamma patterns for Focused Analgesia during hypnosis and post-hypnosis conditions; this effect was found, however, more pronounced in high hypnotizable subjects. Phaseordered gamma scores over central scalp site predicted subject pain ratings across Waking-Pain and Waking-Analgesia conditions, while phase-ordered gamma scores over frontal scalp site predicted pain ratings during post-hypnosis analgesia condition. During waking conditions, this relationship was present in high, low and medium hypnotizable subjects and was independent of stimulus intensity measures. This relationship was unchanged by hypnosis induction in the low hypnotizable subjects, but not present in the high and medium ones during hypnosis, suggesting that hypnosis interferes with phase-ordered gamma and pain relationship.
Personality and Individual Differences, Aug 1, 2000
Three orthogonal personality factors were derived from a joint analysis of EPQ and SSS-V question... more Three orthogonal personality factors were derived from a joint analysis of EPQ and SSS-V questionnaires: (1) extraversion Ð sensation seeking (E-SS); (2) psychoticism Ð sensation seeking (P-SS); (3) anxiety (Anx). P300 amplitude, heart rate (HR) and reaction times (RTs) and emotional ratings were obtained from 59 subjects during a spatially cued stimulus recognition task. Pleasant, unpleasant and neutral words served as cues in a covert attention spatial orienting task. Split plot ANOVAs were performed between high and low level groups selected on the basis of three orthogonal factors. High E-SS subjects displayed more intense feeling for pleasant words than did low E-SS subjects. There were higher P300 peaks in high E-SS subjects compared to low E-SS ones for stimuli delivered in the left hemi®eld over frontal and parietal cortical regions. Low P-SS subjects, compared to high P-SS ones, had greater HR acceleration responses and greater P300 peaks across neutral-and pleasant-cued targets. The Anx dimension was independent from other personality factors and sensitive in detecting larger HR accelerations for unpleasant cueing in high Anx subjects as compared to the low ones. High Anx scores had slower RTs in detecting both pleasant and neutral cued targets. Results are discussed in terms of Eysenck's, Gray's and Zuckerman's models.
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Jun 1, 2023
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Nov 1, 2014
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Sep 1, 1993
Brain sciences, Jan 24, 2024
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Oct 1, 2021
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Sep 1, 2010
Personality and Individual Differences, Oct 1, 2022
International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2004
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Jul 1, 1991
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Sep 1, 2008
N170, N200 and P300 showed a decrement in their latency during the musical contexts in comparison... more N170, N200 and P300 showed a decrement in their latency during the musical contexts in comparison to those without music. In addition, N200 amplitude showed a shorter latency in HA while listening to HM and in FE while listening to SM. In addition, P3a was observed in the prefrontal areas with higher amplitude in HR only during musical context congruent with that task (HM). P3b amplitude, showed an enhancement during both musical contexts in relation to those without music. These results suggest that musical pieces caused facilitatory effects in early and late emotional stimuli processing. P3a could be reflecting an automatic processing associated with emotional congruency between the emotional context (HM) and the emotion to be recognized (HA).
Symmetry, Aug 4, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Perceptual and Motor Skills, Oct 1, 1984
22 men and women, students in psychology, were given the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, also ... more 22 men and women, students in psychology, were given the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, also percent theta, alpha and beta EEG spectral powers were evaluated during an hypnotic induction induced according to Barber's method. The EEG performance was compared with two baseline eyes-open, eyes-closed conditions and with a neutral control situation of listening to a weather report. No relation was found between Extraversion-Introversion scores and scores on the Barber Suggestibility Scale. The difference in EEG powers was nonsignificant for groups high and low in suggestibility, while a significant interaction was found for eyes open or closed × suggestibility groups when extreme scores of Extraversion-Introversion and Neuroticism were considered according to Eysenck's (1966) method. The right theta power of the stable extraverts and neurotic introverts, high in susceptibility in eyes-open condition was higher than the neurotic extraverts, and stable introverts who were low in susceptibility to hypnosis. The right theta power of the neurotic extraverts and stable introverts who were low in susceptibility to hypnosis showed a tendency to increase in eyes-closed conditions, while an opposite observation was made for the stable extraverts and neurotic introverts, subjects who were high in susceptibility. It is interesting to notice, according to Galbraith, et al. (1970) that it was the eyes-open condition which yielded the best EEG predictor of hypnotic susceptibility.
Comprehensive Psychiatry, Jul 1, 2011
The cross-cultural generalizability of Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy questionnaire (I(7))... more The cross-cultural generalizability of Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy questionnaire (I(7)) is investigated with a sample of 578 Italian adults, mostly nonstudents. Results indicate that Italian I(7) scale intercorrelations and reliabilities were similar to those obtained in other cultural contexts; furthermore, the 3-factor structure is generalizable across sexes and invariant compared with the English normative structure, as well as with those found in the French, Dutch, and Spanish versions. Impulsiveness was positively correlated with Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and with Dickman's dysfunctional impulsivity scale but independent of the functional impulsivity scale. Plotting the scale onto the Eysenck's psychoticism-extraversion-neuroticism factor space, impulsiveness was more strongly related to psychoticism and neuroticism than to extraversion. We remark that the impulsiveness measure of I(7) is fairly stable across languages and cultures and can be used reliably in Italian speaking samples.
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Aug 1, 1991
The present study was designed to examine the possibility that individual differences in heartbea... more The present study was designed to examine the possibility that individual differences in heartbeat perception and instructions to control heart rate (HR) may influence the acquisition of voluntary control. Good (n = 20) and poor (n = 20) perceivers of cardiac activity were selected on the basis of their performance according to Whitehead et al. (1977) heartbeat discrimination procedure. Measures of state and trait anxiety (the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form X-l and Form X-2) and Tellegen's Absorption Scale (TAS) were used to assess emotionality and absorptive ability. Good and poor heartbeat perceivers (a) were given non-motivating instructions to try to either increase or decrease their heart rate (HR) with, or (b) without the use of HR-feedback. and (c) were given motivating instructions to try to either increase or decrease their HR with, or (d) without HR-feedback. Heart rate. skin conductance (SC), and EMG activity were monitored. Subjects were also requested to indicate the cognitive strategies used during their HR control training. No relationship between heartbeat perception and state-trait anxiety measures was found. The results did not support the idea that individual differences in heartbeat perception are related to individual differences in HR-control. They did indicate, however, that motivating instructions improve the capacity to increase or decrease HR. Subjects were able to voluntarily increase or decrease their HRs with or without a feedback signal. However, more pronounced HR increases were obtained in the feedback as compared with the no-feedback condition. SC and EMG activity were in accordance with arousal levels demanded by HR decrease and increase tasks. Subjects used cognitive strategies concerning activation responses during HR-increase and relaxation responses during HR-decrease conditions. * The system to record the HB discrimination data was designed by Dino Moretti and Pietro Fermani, technicians of the
Perceptual and Motor Skills, Aug 1, 1984
8 women and 8 men took Cattell's IPAT-anxiety questionnaire and later McFarland's test of... more 8 women and 8 men took Cattell's IPAT-anxiety questionnaire and later McFarland's test of ability to perceive heart activity. The second test involved subjects' tracking their own heart rates, then they enrolled in an EKG biofeedback session to evaluate ability to increase and decrease heart rate from subjects' resting baselines. At the end of the session each subject completed Blanchard, et al.'s questionnaire to specify the cognitive strategies used for heart-rate control. Heart rate, abdominal respiration rate, respiration amplitude, EEG percent power in theta, alpha, and beta bands were evaluated. Success of heart-rate decrease seemed to depend mainly on activity levels: the subjects who achieved high scores on the activity test decreased heart rate significantly better than did low scorers. The relationship between scores for perception of heart and increases in heart rate was nonsignificant: increased heart-rate seemed to depend on differences in respiration between the rest and periods of increase. The significant, negative correlation between trait anxiety and perceptions of heart activity suggested that anxiety affected subjects' ability to perceive heart rate. The theta EEG power of the right hemisphere was significantly higher in subjects scoring high than for those low in perception of heart activity. During heart-rate increase tasks subjects mainly reported use of ‘arousal responses,’ similarly during heart-rate decrease tasks they reported use of relaxation responses.
Personality and Individual Differences, Mar 1, 1999
The aim of the study was to examine the role of six temperamental traits as measured by the Forma... more The aim of the study was to examine the role of six temperamental traits as measured by the Formal Characteristics of Behavior±Temperament Inventory [briskness (BR), perseveration (PE), sensory sensitivity (SS), emotional reactivity (ER), endurance (EN) and activity (AC)] in mediating event-related potentials and heart rate responses to visual stimuli. 63 right-handed women, aged 19±25 years, participated in the study. Pleasant, unpleasant and nonsense words were used to elicit physiological responses. Subjects were required to indicate if a probe was a real word or a nonsense word. P300 ERP peak and peak amplitude in the 350±600-ms latency range (N500) were measured from Fz, Cz and Pz scalp leads. Measures of HR deceleration response and reaction time (RT) were also obtained. Split plot ANOVAs were performed between high and low level groups selected on the basis of FCB-TI scales. The high-EN group, compared to the low-EN group, produced signi®cantly smaller P300 peaks to all categories of words. The high-SS group, compared to low-SS one, showed greater P300 peaks on Fz to positive words and on Cz and Pz to negative and nonsense words. The high-PE group, compared to low-PE group, showed larger N500 peaks to emotional and nonsense words on Fz and Cz leads. The HR deceleration response was larger in the lowER and high-EN groups as compared to opposite temperament characteristics. High-SS subjects, as compared to low-SS ones, displayed shorter RT and a greater HR deceleration to positive words. With respect to FCB-TI dimensions, individual dierences in physiological responding are discussed in terms of arousal theory.
International Journal of Psychophysiology, May 1, 2005
The neural mechanisms underlying pain perception and anti-nociceptive effects of mental imagery a... more The neural mechanisms underlying pain perception and anti-nociceptive effects of mental imagery are not well understood. Using a measure of phase-ordered beta and gamma EEG oscillations in response to painful electric stimulation, we recently found that somatosensory event-related phase-ordered gamma oscillations (38-42 Hz), elicited by the onset of painful stimuli over Cz scalp site, were linearly related to pain perception. In the present study, 38 subjects were engaged in a painful stimulus detection task using an oddball paradigm. This task was performed under a condition in which subjects were required simply to count the number of target stimuli (pain condition) and under another condition in which subjects were required to produce an obstructive mental imagery of painful stimulus perception (obstructive imagery). Only EEG responses to standard stimuli were analyzed in this study. Correlation analysis of sweeps for each individual revealed brief intervals of phase ordering of EEG patterns in the beta and gamma bands. The frequencies of interest were the beta1 (26-30 Hz), beta2 (30-34 Hz), gamma1 (34-38 Hz), gamma2 (38-42 Hz) and gamma3 (42-46 Hz) bands. Obstructive imagery treatment, compared to pain condition, significantly reduced pain perception. This reduction was paralleled by significant decreases of evoked phase-ordered gamma2 and gamma3 patterns over Cz scalp site. Phase-ordered oscillations at Cz scalp site, for both gamma2 and gamma3 bands, significantly predicted pain ratings during pain condition. Phase-ordered oscillation scores, obtained for these gamma bands over parietal and frontal scalp sites, resulted the best predictor of pain ratings during obstructive imagery. This study provides evidence for the role of gamma oscillations in the subjective experience of pain. Further, it has provided support for the view that pain reduction during obstructive mental imagery is the product of an inhibitory process involving frontal and parietal cortical regions.
Clinical Neurophysiology, Feb 1, 2013
We evaluate the association of trait-emotionality and fear with startle response. Higher behaviou... more We evaluate the association of trait-emotionality and fear with startle response. Higher behavioural system activation was associated with smaller N100 and P200 waves. We observed reduced current density for the P200 in the parietal lobe. Higher anxiety was associated with larger eyeblink startle response. Lower fear was associated to enhanced activation in the medial frontal gyrus (BA6). a b s t r a c t Objectives: To examine the association of personality trait-emotionality (behavioural inhibition system, BIS; behavioural activation system, BAS; anxiety and fear) and measures of auditory startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition (PPI) in a non-clinical sample. Methods: Forty-seven women were tested for ASR and prepulse inhibition of the eyeblink component of the startle reflex as measured by electromyographic (EMG) responses of the left orbicularis oculi muscle and N100 and P200 components of the event-related potential (ERP) using sLORETA (standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography). Startling stimuli (115 dB, 40 ms) were presented alone (pulse-alone) or were preceded by discrete (20 ms) prepulse stimuli (85 dB) at three prepulse-to-pulse intervals (30, 60 and 120 ms) over a steady background noise (70 dB). Measures of trait emotionality were assessed using a comprehensive battery of theoretically motivated personality scales. Results: Consistent with previous reports, PPI (defined as percentage reduction in the amplitude of the ASR) increased as the prepulse-to-pulse interval increased. PPI measures were insensitive to individual differences in personality traits, while measures of ASR to pulse-alone stimuli disclosed significant effects. Higher BAS was associated with reduced N100 and P200 amplitudes to the pulse-alone stimulus, and with reduced current density for the N100 in the parietal lobe (BA40 and BA31). This effect indicated a smaller sensitivity or a higher avoidance level of these individuals for negative-startle stimuli. Higher trait anxiety was associated with larger ASR, suggesting an enhanced sensitivity to intense stimuli and a hasty style of reaction in anxious individuals. Lower self-report fear was associated with larger P200 amplitude, and enhanced current density in the medial and superior frontal gyrus (BA6). This effect indicates that prefrontal cortex may play an important role in inhibiting fear responses. Conclusions: Our findings are in good accordance with existing brain imaging studies and underline that ERP source localization is a useful alternative for identifying startle-relevant cortical regions. Significance: The present observations extend previous startle findings observed in clinical samples to normal personality individuals. These results imply that hypotheses derived from clinical data may hold important implications for understanding human emotion and motivation, especially in relation to fear and anxiety.
Pain, Nov 1, 2004
Somatosensory event-related phase-ordered gamma oscillations (40-Hz) to electric painful standard... more Somatosensory event-related phase-ordered gamma oscillations (40-Hz) to electric painful standard stimuli under an odd-ball paradigm were analyzed in 13 high, 13 medium, and 12 low hypnotizable subjects during waking, hypnosis, and post-hypnosis conditions. During these conditions, subjects received a suggestion of Focused Analgesia to produce an obstructive hallucination of stimulus perception; a No-Analgesia treatment served as a control. After hypnosis, a post-hypnotic suggestion was given to draw waking subjects into a deep hypnosis with opened eyes. High hypnotizables, compared to medium and low ones, experienced significant pain and distress reductions for Focused Analgesia during hypnosis and, to a greater extent, during post-hypnosis condition. Correlational analysis of EEG sweeps of each individual revealed brief intervals of phase ordering of gamma patterns, preceding and following stimulus onset, lasting approximately six periods. High and medium hypnotizable subjects showed significant reductions in phase-ordered gamma patterns for Focused Analgesia during hypnosis and post-hypnosis conditions; this effect was found, however, more pronounced in high hypnotizable subjects. Phaseordered gamma scores over central scalp site predicted subject pain ratings across Waking-Pain and Waking-Analgesia conditions, while phase-ordered gamma scores over frontal scalp site predicted pain ratings during post-hypnosis analgesia condition. During waking conditions, this relationship was present in high, low and medium hypnotizable subjects and was independent of stimulus intensity measures. This relationship was unchanged by hypnosis induction in the low hypnotizable subjects, but not present in the high and medium ones during hypnosis, suggesting that hypnosis interferes with phase-ordered gamma and pain relationship.
Personality and Individual Differences, Aug 1, 2000
Three orthogonal personality factors were derived from a joint analysis of EPQ and SSS-V question... more Three orthogonal personality factors were derived from a joint analysis of EPQ and SSS-V questionnaires: (1) extraversion Ð sensation seeking (E-SS); (2) psychoticism Ð sensation seeking (P-SS); (3) anxiety (Anx). P300 amplitude, heart rate (HR) and reaction times (RTs) and emotional ratings were obtained from 59 subjects during a spatially cued stimulus recognition task. Pleasant, unpleasant and neutral words served as cues in a covert attention spatial orienting task. Split plot ANOVAs were performed between high and low level groups selected on the basis of three orthogonal factors. High E-SS subjects displayed more intense feeling for pleasant words than did low E-SS subjects. There were higher P300 peaks in high E-SS subjects compared to low E-SS ones for stimuli delivered in the left hemi®eld over frontal and parietal cortical regions. Low P-SS subjects, compared to high P-SS ones, had greater HR acceleration responses and greater P300 peaks across neutral-and pleasant-cued targets. The Anx dimension was independent from other personality factors and sensitive in detecting larger HR accelerations for unpleasant cueing in high Anx subjects as compared to the low ones. High Anx scores had slower RTs in detecting both pleasant and neutral cued targets. Results are discussed in terms of Eysenck's, Gray's and Zuckerman's models.
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Jun 1, 2023
International Journal of Psychophysiology, Nov 1, 2014
De Pascalis Vilfredo, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Clinical Neurophysiology, 1999
To determine whether a relationship existed across trials between evoked gamma and reaction time ... more To determine whether a relationship existed across trials between evoked gamma and reaction time in a conventional cognitive ERP paradigm.