previously found that the grey matter volume of a similar area of dACC was positively correlated with an individual’s self reported typical use of cognitive reappraisal. When compared with Giuliani, Drabant & Gross (2011) it might seem counterintuitive that individuals with a more positive attitude towards emotion regulation would display reductions in grey matter volume of dACC, rather than an increase, given that cognitive reappraisal is generally seen as a highly adaptive emotion regulation strategy (Gross & John, 2003). However one explanation might be that individuals more likely to engage in automatic emotion regulation, might require less of an ‘alarm’ signal from the dACC to engage in voluntary emotion regulation, because of their tendency to engage in regulation on a more automatic basis. An alternative explanation might be that individuals with a smaller dACC volume adopt a more automatic style of emotion regulation given that they may be less efficient at engaging in ‘voluntary’ emotion regulation such as cognitive reappraisal, as is suggested by Giuliani, Drabant & Gross (2011). There is also an interesting related line of investigation about the role of the dACC in the regulation of autonomic factors such as heart rate. Critchley et al., (2003), suggest that the role of the dACC is to mediate context-driven modulation of bodily arousal. They found that activation of the dACC was related to control of heart rate during a paradigm involving cognitive and motor control, with the interpretation that dACC coordinates cardiovascular arousal during effortful motor or cognitive control. This is particularly interesting given that the ability to regulate emotion is also linked to an individual’s underlying cardiac tone (Pu, Schmeichel & Demaree, 2009). Pu and colleagues found that individuals with a higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) (i.e. increased cardiac control) were judged to have expressed less emotion than those with a low RSA, even though the self reported emotion experience was similar. The authors suggest that cardiac vagal control may act as an internal marker of self-regulatory tendencies. Taken together this previous research and the current findings suggest that the dACC volume may act as an internal marker for emotion regulation tendency, as a result of its involvement in the regulation of bodily arousal. 5.10 Limitations
previously found that the grey matter volume of a similar area of dACC was positively correlated with an individual’s self reported typical use of cognitive reappraisal. When compared with Giuliani, Drabant & Gross (2011) it might seem counterintuitive that individuals with a more positive attitude towards emotion regulation would display reductions in grey matter volume of dACC, rather than an increase, given that cognitive reappraisal is generally seen as a highly adaptive emotion regulation strategy (Gross & John, 2003). However one explanation might be that individuals more likely to engage in automatic emotion regulation, might require less of an ‘alarm’ signal from the dACC to engage in voluntary emotion regulation, because of their tendency to engage in regulation on a more automatic basis. An alternative explanation might be that individuals with a smaller dACC volume adopt a more automatic style of emotion regulation given that they may be less efficient at engaging in ‘voluntary’ emotion regulation such as cognitive reappraisal, as is suggested by Giuliani, Drabant & Gross (2011). There is also an interesting related line of investigation about the role of the dACC in the regulation of autonomic factors such as heart rate. Critchley et al., (2003), suggest that the role of the dACC is to mediate context-driven modulation of bodily arousal. They found that activation of the dACC was related to control of heart rate during a paradigm involving cognitive and motor control, with the interpretation that dACC coordinates cardiovascular arousal during effortful motor or cognitive control. This is particularly interesting given that the ability to regulate emotion is also linked to an individual’s underlying cardiac tone (Pu, Schmeichel & Demaree, 2009). Pu and colleagues found that individuals with a higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) (i.e. increased cardiac control) were judged to have expressed less emotion than those with a low RSA, even though the self reported emotion experience was similar. The authors suggest that cardiac vagal control may act as an internal marker of self-regulatory tendencies. Taken together this previous research and the current findings suggest that the dACC volume may act as an internal marker for emotion regulation tendency, as a result of its involvement in the regulation of bodily arousal. 5.10 Limitations
GH_thesis_final.docx