ELECTROCORTICAL CHANGES FOLLOWING ATTENTION BIAS MODIFICATION IN A SAMPLE OF HIGH-BIPOLAR TRAIT INDIVIDUALS

<p>Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric condition. It is phasic condition where individuals oscillate between mania or hypomania, depression, and euthymia. It is closely related to major depressive disorder; however, it is distinguished by periods of increased activity typical of (hypo)manic episodes. During these episodes, people may experience enhanced goal-motivate behavior and risk-taking. It is thought that enhanced dopaminergic activity within reward-mediated pathways in the brain underlies these behaviors. Recent research has identified a link between an attentional bias to rewarding feedback and reward sensitivity. Due to this connection, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of attention bias modification (ABM) on electrocortical markers of attention and reward sensitivity. Seventeen participants completed two sessions for $30 of compensation. In session one, baseline electrocortical measures were obtained for attention (N1) and reward sensitivity (reward positivity; RewP) during a roulette-gambling task. Questionnaires assessing mood, personality, handedness, and demographics were obtained afterward. Participants completed a second session where they completed attentional (or control) training prior to the roulette-gambling task. ABM did not attenuate ΔN1 and ΔRewP in the training group. Exploratory analyses found effects of session on both N1 and RewP raw amplitudes across groups. Considering the small sample size and demographic homogeneity, results and the subsequently derived conclusions should be taken with caution.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychological Science

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• Lyons, Siraj J.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Lin Fang

• bipolar disorder
• hypomanic personality traits
• attention bias modification
• attention bias
• reward processing
• Biological Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/722

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1758