TITLE
Low-Fequency Brain Stimulation to the Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Increases the Negative Impact of Social Exclusion Among Those High in Personal Distress
AUTHORS
Fitzgibbon BM; Kirkovski M; Bailey NW; Thomson RH; Eisenberger N; Enticott PG; Fitzgerald PB. Institution Fitzgibbon, Bernadette Mary. a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Kirkovski, Melissa. a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Kirkovski, Melissa. c Department of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Bailey, Neil Wayne. a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Thomson, Richard Hilton. a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Eisenberger, Naomi. b Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Enticott, Peter Gregory. c Department of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Fitzgerald, Paul Bernard. a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
SOURCE
Social Neuroscience. 12(3):237-241, 2017 Jun.
ABSTRACT
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is thought to play a key role in the cognitive control of emotion and has therefore, unsurprisingly, been implicated in the regulation of physical pain perception. This brain region may also influence the experience of social pain, which has been shown to activate similar neural networks as seen in response to physical pain. Here, we applied sham or active low-frequency (1 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the left DLPFC, previously shown to exert bilateral effects in pain perception, in healthy participants. Following stimulation, participants played the “Cyberball Task”; an online ball-tossing game in which the subject participant is included or excluded. Compared to sham, rTMS did not modulate behavioural response to social exclusion. However, within the active rTMS group only, greater trait personal distress was related to enhanced negative outcomes to social exclusion. These results add further support to the notion that the effect of brain stimulation is not homogenous across individuals, and indicates the need to consider baseline individual differences when assessing response to brain stimulation. This seems particularly relevant in social neuroscience investigations, where trait factors may have a meaningful effect.
