title: Affective impact and electrocortical correlates of a psychotherapeutic microintervention: an ERP study of cognitive restructuring.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psychotherapy for depression emphasizes techniques that can help individuals regulate their moods. The present study investigated the affective impact and electrocortical correlates of cognitive restructuring, delivered as a 90-minute psychotherapeutic microintervention in a dysphoric sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N = 92) who reported either low or high levels of dysphoric symptoms were randomly assigned to the restructuring microintervention, a control intervention or a no-intervention condition. We obtained recordings of event-related potentials (ERPs) as well as mood self-ratings during an experimental session immediately after the psychotherapeutic microintervention and the control intervention in which a set of negatively valenced pictures (IAPS) was presented with different instructions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whereas the restructuring intervention group and the control intervention group reported both increases in positive and decreases in negative affect from pre- to post-intervention, the three groups differed significantly on ERP measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings provide support for current models of mechanisms of action in cognitive therapies.
authors.affiliation: a Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology , University of Trier , Trier , Germany.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zaunmüller
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Strauman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EEG; cognitive restructuring; depression; microintervention; neuroscience