The neural mechanisms underlying being criticized

How will the brain respond to criticism in different populations (e.g., healthy and depressed populations)?

In everyday life, people may be critique form their bosses, getting negative feedback from others, or even harsh words in fight with their parents and friends. Being criticized is a distressing experience and activates self-conscious emotions (e.g. feeling hurt) and self-referential thinking, which need to be regulated to prevent maladaptive emotional responses to occur. People who are sensitive to criticism, are more likely to have a high risk for developing mood, anxiety and other affective disorders. Researches demonstrated that both neuropsychiatric patients and healthy individuals who are vulnerable to develop psychopathology show a similar neural sensitivity to criticism.

In this project, with the combination of fMRI technique, we aim to investigate the neural mechanisms when people confronted with criticism. Besides, we also want to detect the neuroimaging biomarkers for predicting the vulnerability for psychopathology.

Contact: Qinyuan.Chen@UGent.be

Back

Combining neurostimulation with group cognitive behavioral therapy to treat rumination

In this endeavor, we aim to investigate the efficacy of a collaborative treatment strategy that merges tDCS neurostimulation and talk therapy to ease rumination.

Non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve in the elderly depressed

The purpose of this project is to investigate whether the impacts of tVNS on depression among elderly individuals are influenced by a boost in noradrenaline.

Combining physical exercise and slow-paced breathing to improve stress recovery

Modern society is challenged by stress. Therefore, we investigate the combined effect of physical exercise and slow-paced breathing on stress response and reactivity.

Brain stimulation for behavioral disorders in dogs

The lab is currently engaged in a study of canines' brains. In this investigation, we examine the insights that can be gained from analyzing the brains of our beloved four-legged companions.

Exploring emotion regulation strategy deficiencies in high ruminators

A fNIRS study focused on the dlPFC and precuneus.

Association between tDCS electric field distribution and cognitive outcomes: a meta-modeling study

We aim to create a large dataset of individual participant data across studies to investigate how electric field distributions influence the modulatory effects of tDCS.

Exploring the efficacy of tDCS across depression symptom clusters

We investigate whether tDCS is more effective for specific symptoms of depression, and consequently, for specific individuals.

De gevalideerde Nederlandstalige Zelf-Kritische Ruminatie Schaal (SCRS-NL)! – Dutch only

Waarom blijven mensen vastzitten in zelfkritiek? Om dit destructieve denkpatroon beter te meten in Nederlandstalige klinische en onderzoekscontexten, hebben we de Self-Critical Rumination Scale (SCRS) succesvol vertaald en gevalideerd.