Nature-Nurture Journal of Psychology

Neural Correlates of Placebo Analgesia and Emotion Regulation: A Coordinate-Based Neuroimaging Meta-Analysis

2025-09-18T04:04:55+00:00

Background: Placebo analgesia and emotion regulation engage overlapping cognitive and affective mechanisms, yet the extent of shared versus distinct neural circuits remains unclear. This study aimed to: (i) identify brain regions consistently activated during placebo response and emotion regulation, (ii) quantify neural overlap between these processes, and (iii) characterize top-down versus bottom-up network engagement through contrast analyses.

Method: A coordinate-based meta-analysis was performed using Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) across published fMRI studies of placebo analgesia and emotion regulation in healthy adults. Conjunction analyses identified shared neural substrates, while contrast analyses isolated process-specific regions reflecting top-down (emotion regulation) versus bottom-up (placebo) mechanisms. Literature was systematically searched using the NeuroSynth Compose tool, applying stringent inclusion/exclusion criteria: only studies with healthy adults (≥18 years), fMRI-based paradigms, sample size ≥15, and direct investigation of placebo analgesia or emotion regulation were included. Data extraction followed a uniform template to ensure consistency. ALE maps of local maxima were generated, and subsequent conjunction and subtraction analyses were conducted to delineate overlapping and distinct activation patterns.

Results: Conjunction analysis revealed bilateral insula activation as a shared hub integrating interoceptive awareness and cognitive appraisal. Contrast analyses demonstrated that emotion regulation preferentially engaged the middle temporal gyrus, hippocampus/amygdala complex, inferior frontal gyrus, and supplementary motor area (SMA), reflecting top-down control, semantic processing, and emotion modulation. In contrast, placebo analgesia elicited stronger activation in the mid-cingulate cortex, Rolandic operculum, basal ganglia, and bilateral insula, consistent with bottom-up expectancy, sensory integration, interoceptive processing, and reward-related learning.

Conclusions: These findings support a dual-process model wherein both placebo response and emotion regulation share salience and interoceptive processing via the insula, but differ in their engagement of top-down versus bottom-up networks. This work advances our understanding of the neural architecture underlying internally generated versus expectancy-driven affective modulation and informs the development of non-pharmacological interventions for pain and emotion regulation.

Cognitive Debt in the ChatGPT Era: How Ethical and Emotional Use Shapes Cognitive Function in Emerging Adults

2025-09-07T15:39:58+00:00

Background:The accelerated use of large language models like ChatGPT has revolutionized human emotional and cognitive involvement, yet its neuropsychological implications remain poorly known. The present study proposes the concept of cognitive debt, the accumulated strain on attention, memory, and metacognitive control triggered by sustained AI engagement. This study investigated how distinctive patterns of ChatGPT involvement spanning usage frequency, emotional and cognitive engagement, and ethical reflection predict cognitive dysfunction across four user typologies: low–moderate, minimal/unhealthy, balanced–cognitive, and ethically reflective users.

Method: This study employed a purposive sampling strategy within a web-based cross-sectional design to recruit 300 emerging adults (aged 18–25 years) from universities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, between June 25 and July 12, 2025. Participants completed two standardized psychological instruments examining ChatGPT usage and cognitive dysfunction via an online survey administered on Google Forms. The survey link was disseminated through multiple digital platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, and official university email network to ensure broad accessibility and voluntary participation.

Results: The results revealed that higher ChatGPT usage, specifically emotionally driven involvement, was associated with increased cognitive dysfunction, including impairments in memory, attention, and executive control across all user profiles, proposing that emotionally driven and impulsive interplay with generative AI diminishes executive control and heightens cognitive load. In contrast, ethical reflection indicated a mild protective effect against cognitive dysfunction. Moreover, females exhibited higher cognitive vulnerability than males, while males reported greater ChatGPT engagement and susceptibility to its cognitive effects as compared to females.

Conclusions: The results explain two diverse cognitive stress pathways: (1) emotional compulsive engagement, described by affect-laden and impulsive AI use, and (2) reflective cognitive overload, where ethical contemplation paradoxically develops metacognitive load. These novel results improve the concept of cognitive debt, proposing that both over reflective and overreliant AI interactions could impair cognitive efficacy. The research highlights the urgency of establishing evidence-based digital ethical-use and literacy approaches to promote cognitively sustainable AI usage.

Psychometric Development and Validation of Coercive Control Scale for Married Individuals in Pakistan

2025-07-26T05:56:29+00:00

Background: Coercive control represents a pervasive yet under-recognized form of domestic abuse, particularly within marital relationships in Pakistan. Despite its high occurrence, limited empirical attention has been given to its typology, frequency, and psychological consequences. The present study aimed to conceptualize and develop a psychometrically robust scale for assessing coercive control among married individuals in Pakistan.

Method: A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design employing convenience sampling was utilized. The study comprised two phases. Phase I involved qualitative exploration through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with married individuals (N = 57; age range = 34–50 years) and semi-structured interviews with marital counselors and psychologists (N = 3). Thematic analysis guided the generation of an initial item pool, from which 42 items were retained. A preliminary pilot test was conducted with married individuals (N = 60; age range = 23–70 years; M = 38.70, SD = 10.52) to refine the scale. Phase II consisted of determining the factor structure and psychometric properties of the scale through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using a larger sample (N = 500; men = 251, women = 249; age range = 20–70 years; M = 37.43, SD = 9.99).

Results: The EFA results indicated a clear six-factor structure of coercive control. All subscales demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, as evidenced by acceptable Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, establishing internal reliability. Construct validity was supported through significant inter-subscale correlations and strong correlations of each subscale with the total score, confirming convergent and internal construct validity. Content validity was ensured during item development through expert review and qualitative thematic analysis. Overall, the findings indicate that the scale possesses sound reliability and validity for measuring coercive control among married individuals.

Conclusions: The study resulted in the development of an indigenous, psychometrically sound instrument for assessing coercive control among married individuals in Pakistan. Findings support the reliability and validity of the scale and highlight its potential utility for research, clinical assessment, and intervention planning in the context of marital abuse.

Effects of Experimentally Induced Visual and Auditory Hallucinations on Cognitive and Emotional Functioning in Schizophrenia Patients and Healthy Individuals: The Modulatory Role of Placebo Intervention

2025-07-08T07:49:21+00:00

Background: Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by profound deficits in cognitive and emotional functioning, including altered perceptual experiences, heightened anxiety, amnesia, and impairments in episodic memory. While extensive research has examined naturalistic hallucinations, primarily through correlational approaches, experimental induction of hallucinations remains limited. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of experimentally induced visual and auditory hallucinations on cognitive and emotional functioning and to evaluate the efficacy of a placebo intervention in mitigating their impact in schizophrenia patients and healthy individuals.

Method: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, mixed within- and between-group randomized block design was employed. Sixty participants (schizophrenia patients, n = 30; healthy controls, n = 30), aged 18–65 years, were recruited from multiple centers in Islamabad, Pakistan. Participants completed 10 experimental trials involving positive and negative visual and auditory hallucination induction using advanced PsychoPy software, alongside standardized assessments of cognitive and emotional processes.

Results: Results revealed that schizophrenia patients exhibited heightened susceptibility to hallucination perception and increased anxiety during exposure to combined negative visual and auditory hallucinations relative to healthy controls. Negative hallucinations exacerbated amnesia and impaired episodic memory retrieval, whereas positive hallucinations facilitated cognitive performance. Importantly, the placebo intervention significantly attenuated the cognitive and emotional consequences of hallucinations, with more pronounced effects observed in schizophrenia patients.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential therapeutic benefits of non-pharmacological interventions in schizophrenia and provide novel insights into the interaction between multisensory hallucinations and cognitive-emotional functioning. The study underscores the importance of developing individualized therapeutic strategies to address the complex clinical manifestations of schizophrenia across diverse healthcare settings.