Association Between the Visual N1-P2 Complex and Neuroticism

Xiu, Bowen; Andanty, Christopher; Dai, Nasia; Zai, Clement C.; Graff, Ariel; McNeely, Heather E.; Daskalakis, Zafiris J.; Luca, Vincenzo De

doi:10.1177/15500594211039937

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…P2 peaks around 200 ms and can reflect attentional orientation to emotional categories [24]. Increased P2 amplitudes and latencies in frontal and parietal regions, respectively, have been linked to high neuroticism, reflecting a putative deficit in visual attention and short-term memory [25]. Finally, the N2 component peaks around 250 ms and is presumably enhanced in response to erotic pictures [26], but is also involved in cognitive control [27], alertness and attentional control under stress [28].…”

Section: Neuroelectric Correlates Of Automatic Attentionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automatic attention to sexual stimuli: exploring the role of neuroticism and sexual excitation/inhibition through event-related potentials

Aguiar

Carvalho

Carrito

et al. 2023

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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Background Previous findings have shown that neuroticism is a higher-order vulnerability factor in the development and maintenance of sexual dysfunctions and can have an impact on the attentional processing of sexual stimuli; however, the influence of psychosexual dimensions on the early automatic phases of such cognitive processes has not been established yet. Aim To examine the mediating role of sexual inhibition/excitation propensity in the relationship between neuroticism and automatic attention to visual erotica and to identify the neuroelectric correlates of such a process. Methods We analyzed the answers provided by 58 individuals on the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO Personality Inventory–Revised and the Sexual Inhibition/Excitation Scales. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a modified oddball paradigm containing romantic and sexually explicit pictures. Parallel mediations were performed to simultaneously test the mediating role of sexual inhibition/excitation in the relationship between neuroticism and each ERP. Outcomes Three early attention ERP components (P1, P2, and N2) were assessed. Results Findings revealed an indirect effect of neuroticism on automatic attention, via sexual inhibition due to threat of performance failure (SIS1), for romantic and sexually explicit stimuli. This effect was significant only for component N2, which showed increased amplitudes and earlier latencies in participants with high SIS1. Clinical Implications Sexual stimuli, due to their emotional valence and arousal potential, might be perceived as virtually threatening by individuals with neuroticism, who may benefit from strategies that decrease hyperarousal and sympathetic activation. Strengths and Limitations This was one of the first studies to analyze neuroelectric activity associated with automatic attention toward sexual stimuli in relation to personality and sexual excitation/inhibition propensity. Nevertheless, the limited number of participants demands caution in generalizing the results. Conclusion These results provide a better understanding of the relationship between personality and sexual cognition and open new avenues of research in relation to other automatic cognitive phenomena related to human sexual behavior.

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Section: Neuroelectric Correlates Of Automatic Attentionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automatic attention to sexual stimuli: exploring the role of neuroticism and sexual excitation/inhibition through event-related potentials

Aguiar

Carvalho

Carrito

et al. 2023

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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Neural correlates of trait anxiety in sensory processing and distractor filtering

Faerman,

Ehgoetz Martens,

Meehan

et al. 2024

Psychophysiology

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Evidence suggests that trait anxiety relates to cognitive processing and behavior. However, the relationships between trait anxiety and sensory processing, goal‐directed performance and sensorimotor function are unclear, particularly in a multimodal context. This study used electroencephalography to evaluate whether trait anxiety influenced visual and tactile event‐related potentials (ERPs), as well as behavioral distractor cost, in a bimodal sensorimotor task. Twenty‐nine healthy young adults completed the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. Participants were directed to focus on either tactile or visual stimuli while disregarding the other modality, responding to target stimulus amplitude with a proportional grip. Previous research suggests that somatosensory N70 and visual P2 ERPs serve as markers of attentional relevance, with attention also impacting the visual P3 ERP. It was hypothesized that trait anxiety would modulate the ERPs susceptible to attentional modulation (tactile N70, visual P2 and P3) and not affect behavioral performance. Trait anxiety showed a large, significant interaction with attention for visual P3 latency in response to unimodal visual stimuli, with a positive relationship between P3 latencies and trait anxiety when attending toward the stimulus and negative when attending away. A large, positive main effect of trait anxiety on visual N1 amplitude for bimodal stimuli was also detected. As predicted, trait anxiety related to ERPs but not behavioral distractor cost. These findings suggest that trait anxiety modulates visual but not somatosensory processing correlates based on attention. The absence of overt behavioral performance effects suggests compensatory mechanisms may offset underlying differences in sensory processing.

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Automatic Attention to Sexual Stimuli: Exploring the Role of Neuroticism and Sexual Excitation/Inhibition Through Event-Related Potentials

Aguiar¹,

Carvalho²,

Carrito³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Previous findings have shown that neuroticism is a higher-order vulnerability factor in the development and maintenance of sexual dysfunctions and can have an impact on the attentional processing of sexual stimuli; however, the influence of psychosexual dimensions on the early automatic phases of such cognitive processes has not been established yet.Aim: Examine the mediating role of sexual inhibition/excitation propensity in the relationship between neuroticism and automatic attention to visual erotica and identify the neuroelectric correlates of such a process. Methods: We analysed the answers provided by 58 individuals in a sociodemographic questionnaire, in the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) and in the Sexual Inhibition/Excitation Scales (SIS/SES). Event-related potentials (ERP) P1, P2 and N2 were recorded during a modified oddball paradigm containing romantic and sexually explicit pictures. Parallel mediations were performed to simultaneously test the mediating role of sexual inhibition/excitation in the relationship between neuroticism and each ERP of interest. Outcomes: Findings revealed an indirect effect of neuroticism on automatic attention, via sexual inhibition due to threat of performance failure (SIS1), for both romantic and sexually explicit stimuli. This effect was only significant for component N2, which showed increased amplitudes and earlier latencies in participants with high SIS1, as a result of high neuroticism. This suggests that neuroticism is linked to SIS1 which, in turn, impacts how sexual cues are attentively perceived. The neuroelectric signal shows that the highest the SIS1 the more salient and prioritised are the sexual cues.Clinical Translation: Findings suggest that sexual stimuli, due to their emotional valence and arousal potential, could be perceived as virtually threatening by individuals with neuroticism, and trigger maladaptive strategies, such as a stress response. These results provide a better understanding of the relationship between personality and sexual cognition and could help fine-tune clinical interventions for those who experience sexual difficulties. Strengths and Limitations: This was one of the first studies to analyse the neuroelectric activity associated with automatic attention towards sexual stimuli, in relation to personality and sexual excitation/inhibition propensity. Nevertheless, the limited number of participants and the constraints posed by the laboratory apparatus demand caution in the generalization of the results. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that automatic attentional mechanisms can hold a close relationship to personality and sexual-related domains, and open new avenues of research in relation to other automatic cognitive phenomena related to human sexual behaviour.

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Association Between the Visual N1-P2 Complex and Neuroticism

Cited by 3 publications

References 51 publications

Automatic attention to sexual stimuli: exploring the role of neuroticism and sexual excitation/inhibition through event-related potentials

Automatic attention to sexual stimuli: exploring the role of neuroticism and sexual excitation/inhibition through event-related potentials

Neural correlates of trait anxiety in sensory processing and distractor filtering

Automatic Attention to Sexual Stimuli: Exploring the Role of Neuroticism and Sexual Excitation/Inhibition Through Event-Related Potentials

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