Frontal EEG Asymmetry and Depression

Depression is a pervasive and costly source of emotional suffering. In this project, we are working toward identifying the role of a specific pattern of electro-encephalographic EEG activity, characterized by diminished activity in the left prefrontal cortex, in depression. Given the large and growing body of research associating depression with a generalized pattern of less left than right resting prefrontal brain activity, we are asking the questions: Does frontal EEG asymmetry function as 1) an episode marker that simply characterizes depressed individuals, 2) a liability marker that characterizes depressed persons and persons at risk for depression who are not currently depressed, or 3) both a liability and genetic marker of risk for depression. In addition to these broad questions, we are investigating the degree to which such asymmetries are measurable under traditional "resting" conditions as opposed to experimentally induced emotional challenges that draw out individual capabilities for emotional responding.

Neural Bases of the Social Regulation of Emotion

Social bonding and soothing behaviors mitigate the destructive effects of negative environmental events and promote enhanced health and well being. The likely mechanism underlying these effects is the social regulation of emotional responding. In this work, we are exploring the ways in which soothing behaviors (e.g., handholding) and close interpersonal relationships function to regulate neural responses to stress and adversity. This work involves the measurement of brain function via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG).

Neural Bases of Prepared Fear Learning

According to the theory of prepared learning, phobias are developed to a non-random set of objects, and humans and other primates most readily learn to fear classes of threats, such as snakes, that were recurrent throughout evolutionary history. Recently, Dr. Judy DeLoache and Vanessa Lobue found that infants match the image of a moving snake with the sound of a fearful voice while matching the image of a non-snake with a happy voice. Thus, babies find something natural about the relation between a frightened voice and a snake. In our lab, Vanessa has begun examining the neural activity underlying the process by which infants make the association between a fearful voice and the image of a snake, using EEG. In the lab, we will be examining EEG asymmetry while infants view different images of snakes and other animals when paired with happy or fearful voices.

The Neural Correlates of Learned Helplessness and Perseverative Coping

When faced with uncontrollable and repeated failures to achieve goals, individuals can begin to lose motivation for other activities, begin to feel hopeless and experience an increased likelihood of making mistakes when coping with problems that are in fact controllable. In this work, we are investigating the ways in which patterns of EEG activity over the frontal cortex track this process. We are also interested in specific patterns of neural activity associated with perseverative errors.

Eye & I -- A Public Art/Science Collaboration

With London designer Helen Storey, I have collaborated on a conceptual art exhibit that expresses many of my scientific interests and findings in a creative and accessible way that is available to the general public. The first installation of this exhibit occurred in May of 2005, and new installations are in the planning stages. This work has been assisted by the Royal Court Theatre and generously funded by the Arts Council of England, and Creative Partnerships. For more information, see

• "Eye & I" on Front Row with John Wilson (9.2 MB)
• http://www.helenstoreyfoundation.org/pro5.htm
• http://www.creative-partnerships.com/news/91033?view=Standa

AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE LABORATORY
University of Virginia • Department of Psychology • 314 Gilmer Hall • PO BOX 400400
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4400 • tel: 434.243.2323 • fax: 434.982.4766