Schedule of Events | Search Abstracts | Invited Symposia | Symposia | Poster Sessions | Data Blitz

Sketchpad Series 

Inhibitory stimulation of the dorsolateral cortex impairs emotional regulation via disrupted frontoparietal and cingulo-opercular connectivity

Poster Session D - Monday, March 9, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom
Also presenting in Data Blitz Session 3 - Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm PST, Salon E.

Miroslaw Wyczesany¹ (), Agnieszka K Adamczyk¹; ¹Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

Implicit emotion regulation (ER) is a form of affective control that is executed without conscious effort or intention. Used habitually, it is very important for psychological well-being, yet its neural mechanisms are not well recognized. Here, we tested the causal role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in implicit ER using a within-subject design combining inhibitory transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), EEG-based connectivity analyses, and a self-control priming paradigm. Across three stimulation sessions (sham, left cathodal, right cathodal), participants (N = 35) passively viewed negative and neutral images under conditions of implicit regulation (REG) or no regulation (NREG). In the sham session, implicit ER reduced emotional reactivity, reflected in decreased Late Positive Potential (LPP) amplitudes and prestimulus alpha suppression in the right visual cortex—replicating prior findings and indicating modulation of both anticipatory and sustained processing stages. However, these effects were abolished following dlPFC inhibition. Directed connectivity analyses further revealed tDCS-induced disruptions in both within-network frontoparietal connectivity and cross-network interactions between frontoparietal and cingulo-opercular systems, particularly in the theta (3–7 Hz) and beta (15–30 Hz) bands. These findings support the idea that implicit ER engages large-scale cognitive control networks, with the dlPFC acting as a hub for dynamic coordination of visual and executive systems. Contrary to models that treat implicit ER as independent of cognitive control, our results indicate that even automatic regulatory processes depend on intact top-down circuitry and frequency-specific communication across networks.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Emotion-cognition interactions