title: Low-frequency brain stimulation to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increases the negative impact of social exclusion among those high in personal distress.
abstract: The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is thought to play a key role in the cognitive control of emotion and has therefore, unsurprisingly, been implicated in the regulation of physical pain perception. This brain region may also influence the experience of social pain, which has been shown to activate similar neural networks as seen in response to physical pain. Here, we applied sham or active low-frequency (1 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the left DLPFC, previously shown to exert bilateral effects in pain perception, in healthy participants. Following stimulation, participants played the "Cyberball Task"; an online ball-tossing game in which the subject participant is included or excluded. Compared to sham, rTMS did not modulate behavioural response to social exclusion. However, within the active rTMS group only, greater trait personal distress was related to enhanced negative outcomes to social exclusion. These results add further support to the notion that the effect of brain stimulation is not homogenous across individuals, and indicates the need to consider baseline individual differences when assessing response to brain stimulation. This seems particularly relevant in social neuroscience investigations, where trait factors may have a meaningful effect.
authors.affiliation: a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School , Monash University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Bernadette Mary
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Fitzgibbon
authors.affiliation: a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School , Monash University , Melbourne , Australia.|c Department of Psychology , Deakin University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirkovski
authors.affiliation: a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School , Monash University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Neil Wayne
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School , Monash University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Richard Hilton
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , University of California, Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eisenberger
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , Deakin University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Peter Gregory
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Enticott
authors.affiliation: a Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School , Monash University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Paul Bernard
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Social pain; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; personal distress; repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; social exclusion