@article{PollatosSchuboeHerbertetal.2008, author = {Pollatos, Olga and Schub{\"o}, Anna and Herbert, Beate M. and Matthias, Ellen and Schandry, Rainer}, title = {Deficits in early emotional reactivity in alexithymia}, issn = {0048-5772}, year = {2008}, abstract = {Abstract Alexithymia is characterized by a difficulty in identifying and describing one"s emotions. This study addressed the question of whether alexithymic tendencies are related to limited affective reactivity to briefly presented emotional stimuli. Skin conductance responses were assessed and backward masking was used to minimize elaborated processing of emotional pictures. Results indicated that alexithymic tendencies are associated with smaller electrodermal responses to briefly presented negative pictures. These effects were driven by difficulties in identifying and communicating emotions whereas externally orientated thinking was unrelated to affective reactivity. We conclude that there is an early processing deficit in response to negative stimuli in participants with high scores in alexithymia. Differences in the early emotional reactivity to arousing material could contribute to difficulties in emotional processes related to alexithymia.}, language = {en} } @article{PollatosHerbertSchandryetal.2008, author = {Pollatos, Olga and Herbert, Beate M. and Schandry, Rainer and Gramann, Klaus}, title = {Impaired central processing of emotional faces in anorexia nervosa}, issn = {0033-3174}, year = {2008}, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the potential relationship between classification of emotional faces and impaired central processing in eating disorders and to investigate the potential mediatory role of alexithymia and depression in this relationship. METHODS: Visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) to emotional faces and classification performance were assessed in 12 anorexic females and matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Patients with anorexia nervosa showed no modulation of emotional face processing and displayed significantly increased N200 amplitudes in response to all emotional categories and decreased VEPs in response to unpleasant emotional faces in the P300 time range as compared with healthy controls. They also made more mistakes in emotional face recognition, in particular, for neutral, sad, and disgusted content. CONCLUSIONS: There are marked differences in evoked potentials and emotion recognition performances of patients with anorexia nervosa and controls in facial processing. Differences in brain dynamics might contribute to difficulties in the correct recognition of facially expressed emotions, deficits in social functioning, and in turn the maintenance of eating disorders.}, language = {en} } @article{HerbertHerbertPollatosetal.2010, author = {Herbert, Beate M. and Herbert, Cornelia and Pollatos, Olga and Weimer, Katja and Sauer, Helene and Enck, Paul and Zipfel, Stephan}, title = {Effects of short-term food deprivation on interoceptive awareness, feelings and autonomic cardiac activity : implications for eating disorders}, issn = {0048-5772}, doi = {10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.01111.x}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Poster session abstracts. Poster 9}, language = {en} } @article{PollatosDietelHerbertetal.2011, author = {Pollatos, Olga and Dietel, Anja and Herbert, Beate M. and Wankner, Sarah and Wachsmuth, Cornelia and Henningsen, Peter and Sack, Martin}, title = {Blunted autonomic reactivity and increased pain tolerance in somatoform patients}, series = {Pain : journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain}, volume = {152}, journal = {Pain : journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain}, number = {9}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0304-3959}, doi = {10.1016/j.pain.2011.05.024}, pages = {2157 -- 2164}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Somatoform disorders are characterized by the presence of multiple somatic symptoms. Patients often experience different pain syndromes, and recent research suggests that sympathovagal balance is disturbed in somatoform patients, which could be related to alteration in pain sensitivity. This study analyzed how proposed sympathovagal imbalance interacts with objective pain assessment and the imagination of pain in somatoform disorders. Twenty-one patients (4 men) with diagnosed multisomatoform disorder were included in the study and matched to healthy control subjects. Autonomic measures and heart rate variability were assessed during baseline; pain perception was assessed by means of a pressure algometer and pain imagination. We found evidence for a sympathovagal imbalance in somatoform disorders characterized by low parasympathetic activation and high sympathetic activation during all conditions. Additionally, somatoform patients had reduced pain tolerance. Vagal withdrawal during pain assessment was more pronounced for healthy control subjects and correlated positively with assessed pain tolerance. During imagination somatoform, patients reported higher pain unpleasantness and higher pain intensity as compared to control subjects. We conclude that our data demonstrate an imbalance in sympathovagal activation and a hyposensitivity to pain tolerance stimuli in somatoform disorders. Parasympathetic reactivity might form crucial information when judging pain-associated affective-motivational components. Our results might be attributable to a deficient detection of visceral signals and might be a pathogenetic mechanism for the development of emotional difficulties and increased everyday vulnerability in somatoform patients.}, language = {en} } @article{PollatosWernerDuscheketal.2011, author = {Pollatos, Olga and Werner, Natalie S. and Duschek, Stefan and Schandry, Rainer and Matthias, Ellen and Traut-Mattausch, Eva and Herbert, Beate M.}, title = {Differential effects of alexithymia subscales on autonomic reactivity and anxiety during social stress}, series = {Journal of psychosomatic research}, volume = {70}, journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research}, number = {6}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0022-3999}, doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.12.003}, pages = {525 -- 533}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Objectives: Alexithymia is characterized by a difficulty in identifying and describing one's emotions. Recent research has associated differential effects of the alexithymia facets to hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis markers during stress. This study aimed to analyze how the facets of alexithymia interact with autonomic reactivity as well as self- and observer-rated anxiety during a social stress task. Methods: With the use of a public-speaking paradigm, skin conductance levels (SCLs) and heart rate (HR) during the defined periods of baseline, preparation, stress, and recovery were assessed in 60 volunteers (42 females, mean age 22.8) categorized as having either high (HDA) or low (LDA) degrees of alexithymia. Results: We found smaller SCLs during preparation and speech in the HDA group. Regression analyses indicated that only the alexithymia facet "difficulty in describing feelings" (DDF) was associated with smaller electrodermal responses. In the HDA group, self- and observer-rated anxiety was higher in the HDA than in the LDA group, which was attributable to higher scores in the subscales "difficulty in identifying feelings" (DIF) and "externally oriented thinking" (EOT). Conclusions: Our data support and specify the decoupling hypothesis of alexithymia by showing that the facets of alexithymia are differentially related to autonomic reactivity as well as self- and observer-rated anxiety during social stress.}, language = {en} } @article{PollatosHerbertWankneretal.2011, author = {Pollatos, Olga and Herbert, Beate M. and Wankner, Sarah and Dietel, Anja and Wachsmuth, Cornelia and Henningsen, Peter and Sack, Martin}, title = {Autonomic imbalance is associated with reduced facial recognition in somatoform disorders}, series = {Journal of psychosomatic research}, volume = {71}, journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research}, number = {4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0022-3999}, doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.03.012}, pages = {232 -- 239}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Objectives: Somatoform disorders are characterized by the presence of multiple somatic symptoms. While the accuracy of perceiving bodily signal (interoceptive awareness) is only sparely investigated in somatoform disorders, recent research has associated autonomic imbalance with cognitive and emotional difficulties in stress-related diseases. This study aimed to investigate how sympathovagal reactivity interacts with performance in recognizing emotions in faces (facial recognition task). Methods: Using a facial recognition and appraisal task, skin conductance levels (SCLs), heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed in 26 somatoform patients and compared to healthy controls. Interoceptive awareness was assessed by a heartbeat detection task. Results: We found evidence for a sympathovagal imbalance in somatoform disorders characterized by low parasympathetic reactivity during emotional tasks and increased sympathetic activation during baseline. Somatoform patients exhibited a reduced recognition performance for neutral and sad emotional expressions only. Possible confounding variables such as alexithymia, anxiety or depression were taken into account. Interoceptive awareness was reduced in somatoform patients. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate an imbalance in sympathovagal activation in somatoform disorders associated with decreased parasympathetic activation. This might account for difficulties in processing of sad and neutral facial expressions in somatoform patients which might be a pathogenic mechanism for increased everyday vulnerability.}, language = {en} } @article{HerbertHerbertPollatos2011, author = {Herbert, Beate M. and Herbert, Cornelia and Pollatos, Olga}, title = {On the relationship between interoceptive awareness and alexithymia - is interoceptive awareness related to emotional awareness?}, series = {Journal of personality}, volume = {79}, journal = {Journal of personality}, number = {5}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Malden}, issn = {0022-3506}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00717.x}, pages = {1149 -- 1175}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Interoceptive awareness (IA) is associated with emotional experience, the processing of emotional stimuli, and activation of brain structures that monitor the internal visceral and emotional state of the organism. Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing one's emotions and externally oriented thinking (EOT) and reflects impairments in emotional awareness and the regulation of emotions. This study examined the relationship between alexithymia and IA in a healthy population of N = 155 persons. A well-validated heartbeat perception task to measure interoceptive awareness, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and a depression questionnaire (BDI-2) were administered to 88 women and 67 men. IA was inversely associated with all features of alexithymia in the whole sample. When considering sex differences, IA turned out to be a relevant negative predictor for the EOT subscale only in men. This large sample investigation in a nonclinical population indicates that IA represents a relevant negative predictor for alexithymia.}, language = {en} } @article{PollatosHerbertFuestoesetal.2012, author = {Pollatos, Olga and Herbert, Beate M. and Fuestoes, Juergen and Weimer, Katja and Enck, Paul and Zipfel, Stephan}, title = {Food deprivation sensitizes pain perception}, series = {International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology}, volume = {26}, journal = {International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Hogrefe}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {0269-8803}, doi = {10.1027/0269-8803/a000062}, pages = {1 -- 9}, year = {2012}, abstract = {While food deprivation has known effects on sympathovagal balance, little is known about hunger's influence on the perception of pain. Since autonomic activities influence many cognitive and emotional processes, this suggests that food deprivation should interact with the perception of pain. This study analyzed the possible effects of short-term food deprivation on pain sensitivity in healthy female participants. This study was comprised of 32 healthy female participants who underwent a 48-hr inpatient hospital investigation. Prior to testing, heart rate and heart rate variability were assessed. After a standardized breakfast, day 1 measurements were taken. Food intake was then not allowed again until the following evening for 22 participants (experimental group), while 12 participants were served standard meals (control group). Pain threshold and tolerance were assessed at 10:00 a. m. on both days using a pressure algometer. Additionally pain experience was examined. Food deprivation significantly reduced pain thresholds and tolerance scores in the experimental group. Additionally, the sympathovagal balance changed, characterized by a decrease in parasympathetic activation. Higher vagal withdrawal after food deprivation was associated with higher pain sensitivity in the experimental group. Furthermore, perceived unpleasantness and pain intensity increased for threshold and tolerance stimuli in the experimental group. We conclude that short-term food deprivation sensitized pain perception in healthy females. An imbalance in sympathovagal activation evoked by food deprivation accounted for this effect. Our results might be a pathogenic mechanism for the development of emotional difficulties associated with disturbed eating behavior.}, language = {en} } @article{HerbertHerbertPollatosetal.2012, author = {Herbert, Beate M. and Herbert, Cornelia and Pollatos, Olga and Weimer, Katja and Enck, Paul and Sauer, Helene and Zipfel, Stephan}, title = {Effects of short-term food deprivation on interoceptive awareness, feelings and autonomic cardiac activity}, series = {Biological psychology}, volume = {89}, journal = {Biological psychology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0301-0511}, doi = {10.1016/j.biopsycho.2011.09.004}, pages = {71 -- 79}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The perception of internal bodily signals (interoception) plays a relevant role for emotion processing and feelings. This study investigated changes of interoceptive awareness and cardiac autonomic activity induced by short-term food deprivation and its relationship to hunger and affective experience. 20 healthy women were exposed to 24 h of food deprivation in a controlled setting. Interoceptive awareness was assessed by using a heartbeat tracking task. Felt hunger, cardiac autonomic activity, mood and subjective appraisal of interoceptive sensations were assessed before and after fasting. Results show that short-term fasting intensifies interoceptive awareness, not restricted to food cues, via changes of autonomic cardiac and/or cardiodynamic activity. The increase of interoceptive awareness was positively related to felt hunger. Additionally, the results demonstrate the role of cardiac vagal activity as a potential index of emotion related self-regulation, for hunger, mood and the affective appraisal of interoceptive signals during acute fasting.}, language = {en} } @article{HerbertMuthPollatosetal.2012, author = {Herbert, Beate M. and Muth, Eric R. and Pollatos, Olga and Herbert, Cornelia}, title = {Interoception across modalities on the relationship between cardiac awareness and the sensitivity for gastric functions}, series = {PLoS one}, volume = {7}, journal = {PLoS one}, number = {5}, publisher = {PLoS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0036646}, pages = {9}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The individual sensitivity for ones internal bodily signals ("interoceptive awareness'') has been shown to be of relevance for a broad range of cognitive and affective functions. Interoceptive awareness has been primarily assessed via measuring the sensitivity for ones cardiac signals ("cardiac awareness'') which can be non-invasively measured by heartbeat perception tasks. It is an open question whether cardiac awareness is related to the sensitivity for other bodily, visceral functions. This study investigated the relationship between cardiac awareness and the sensitivity for gastric functions in healthy female persons by using non-invasive methods. Heartbeat perception as a measure for cardiac awareness was assessed by a heartbeat tracking task and gastric sensitivity was assessed by a water load test. Gastric myoelectrical activity was measured by electrogastrography (EGG) and subjective feelings of fullness, valence, arousal and nausea were assessed. The results show that cardiac awareness was inversely correlated with ingested water volume and with normogastric activity after water load. However, persons with good and poor cardiac awareness did not differ in their subjective ratings of fullness, nausea and affective feelings after drinking. This suggests that good heartbeat perceivers ingested less water because they subjectively felt more intense signals of fullness during this lower amount of water intake compared to poor heartbeat perceivers who ingested more water until feeling the same signs of fullness. These findings demonstrate that cardiac awareness is related to greater sensitivity for gastric functions, suggesting that there is a general sensitivity for interoceptive processes across the gastric and cardiac modality.}, language = {en} } @article{HerbertPollatos2012, author = {Herbert, Beate M. and Pollatos, Olga}, title = {The body in the mind On the relationship between interoception and embodiment}, series = {Topics in cognitive science}, volume = {4}, journal = {Topics in cognitive science}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1756-8757}, doi = {10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01189.x}, pages = {692 -- 704}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The processing, representation, and perception of bodily signals (interoception) plays an important role for human behavior. Theories of embodied cognition hold that higher cognitive processes operate on perceptual symbols and that concept use involves reactivations of the sensory-motor states that occur during experience with the world. Similarly, activation of interoceptive representations and meta-representations of bodily signals supporting interoceptive awareness are profoundly associated with emotional experience and cognitive functions. This article gives an overview over present findings and models on interoception and mechanisms of embodiment and highlights its relevance for disorders that are suggested to represent a translation deficit of bodily states into subjective feelings and self-awareness.}, language = {en} } @article{FuestoesGramannHerbertetal.2013, author = {F{\"u}st{\"o}s, J{\"u}rgen and Gramann, Klaus and Herbert, Beate M. and Pollatos, Olga}, title = {On the embodiment of emotion regulation - interoceptive awareness facilitates reappraisal}, series = {Frontiers in human neuroscience}, volume = {8}, journal = {Frontiers in human neuroscience}, number = {8}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1749-5016}, doi = {10.1093/scan/nss089}, pages = {911 -- 917}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The ability to cognitively regulate emotional responses to aversive events is essential for mental and physical health. One prerequisite of successful emotion regulation is the awareness of emotional states, which in turn is associated with the awareness of bodily signals [interoceptive awareness (IA)]. This study investigated the neural dynamics of reappraisal of emotional responses in 28 participants who differed with respect to IA. Electroencephalography was used to characterize the time course of emotion regulation. We found that reappraisal was accompanied by reduced arousal and significant modulation of late neural responses. What is more, higher IA facilitated downregulation of affect and was associated with more pronounced modulation of underlying neural activity. Therefore, we conclude that IA not only advances the consolidation of somatic markers required for guiding individual behaviour but also creates processing advantages in tasks referring to these bodily markers.}, language = {en} } @article{MaiGramannHerbertetal.2015, author = {Mai, Sandra and Gramann, Klaus and Herbert, Beate M. and Friederich, Hans-Christoph and Warschburger, Petra and Pollatos, Olga}, title = {Electrophysiological evidence for an attentional bias in processing body stimuli in bulimia nervosa}, series = {Biological psychology}, volume = {108}, journal = {Biological psychology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0301-0511}, doi = {10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.03.013}, pages = {105 -- 114}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Empirical evidence suggests abnormalities in the processing of body stimuli in bulimia nervosa (BN). This study investigated central markers of processing body stimuli by means of event-related potentials in BN. EEG was recorded from 20 women with BN and 20 matched healthy controls while watching and evaluating underweight, normal and overweight female body pictures. Bulimics evaluated underweight bodies as less unpleasant and overweight bodies as bigger and more arousing. A higher P2 to overweight stimuli occurred in BN only. In contrast to controls, no N2 increase to underweight bodies was observed in BN. P3 was modulated by stimulus category only in healthy controls; late slow waves to underweight bodies were more pronounced in both groups. P2 amplitudes to overweight stimuli were correlated with drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction. We present novel support for altered perceptual and cognitive-affective processing of body images in BN on the subjective and electrophysiological level. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} }