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In the emotion regulation literature, the amount of neuroimaging studies on cognitive reappraisal led the impression that the same top-down, control-related neural mechanisms characterize all emotion regulation strategies. However, top-down processes may coexist with more bottom-up and emotion-focused processes that partially bypass the recruitment of executive functions. A case in point is acceptance-based strategies. To better understand neural commonalities and differences behind different emotion regulation strategies, in the present study we applied a meta-analytic method to fMRI studies of task-related activity of reappraisal and acceptance. Results showed increased activity in left-inferior frontal gyrus and insula for both strategies, and decreased activity in the basal ganglia for reappraisal, and decreased activity in limbic regions for acceptance. These findings are discussed in the context of a model of common and specific neural mechanisms of emotion regulation that support and expand the previous dual-routes models. We suggest that emotion regulation may rely on a core inhibitory circuit, and on strategy-specific top-down and bottom-up processes distinct for different strategies., Comment: 32 pages, 3 figures

Despite the traditional view of Schizophrenia (SZ) and Bipolar disorder (BD) as separate diagnostic categories, the validity of such a categorical approach is challenging. In recent years, the hypothesis of a continuum between Schizophrenia (SZ) and Bipolar disorder (BD), postulating a common pathophysiologic mechanism, has been proposed. Although appealing, this unifying hypothesis may be too simplistic when looking at cognitive and affective differences these patients display. In this paper, we aim to test an expanded version of the continuum hypothesis according to which the continuum extends over three clusters: the psychotic, the cognitive, and the affective. We applied an innovative approach known as Source-based Morphometry (SBM) to the structural images of 46 individuals diagnosed with SZ, 46 with BD and 66 healthy controls (HC). We also analyzed the psychological profiles of the three groups using cognitive, affective, and clinical tests. At a neural level, we found evidence for a shared psychotic core in a distributed network involving portions of the medial parietal and temporo-occipital areas, as well as parts of the cerebellum and the middle frontal gyrus. We also found evidence of a cognitive core more compromised in SZ, including alterations in a fronto-parietal circuit, and mild evidence of an affective core more compromised in BD, including portions of the temporal and occipital lobes, cerebellum, and frontal gyrus. Such differences were confirmed by the psychological profiles, with SZ patients more impaired in cognitive tests, while BD in affective ones. On the bases of these results we put forward an expanded view of the continuum hypothesis, according to which a common psychotic core exists between SZ and BD patients complemented by two separate cognitive and affective cores that are both impaired in the two patients' groups, although to different degrees.

Despite the traditional view of Schizophrenia (SZ) and Bipolar disorder (BD) as separate diagnostic categories, the validity of such a categorical approach is challenging. In recent years, the hypothesis of a continuum between Schizophrenia (SZ) and Bipolar disorder (BD), postulating a common pathophysiologic mechanism, has been proposed. Although appealing, this unifying hypothesis may be too simplistic when looking at cognitive and affective differences these patients display. In this paper, we aim to test an expanded version of the continuum hypothesis according to which the continuum extends over three clusters: the psychotic, the cognitive, and the affective. We applied an innovative approach known as Source-based Morphometry (SBM) to the structural images of 46 individuals diagnosed with SZ, 46 with BD and 66 healthy controls (HC). We also analyzed the psychological profiles of the three groups using cognitive, affective, and clinical tests. At a neural level, we found evidence for a shared psychotic core in a distributed network involving portions of the medial parietal and temporo-occipital areas, as well as parts of the cerebellum and the middle frontal gyrus. We also found evidence of a cognitive core more compromised in SZ, including alterations in a fronto-parietal circuit, and mild evidence of an affective core more compromised in BD, including portions of the temporal and occipital lobes, cerebellum, and frontal gyrus. Such differences were confirmed by the psychological profiles, with SZ patients more impaired in cognitive tests, while BD in affective ones. On the bases of these results we put forward an expanded view of the continuum hypothesis, according to which a common psychotic core exists between SZ and BD patients complemented by two separate cognitive and affective cores that are both impaired in the two patients' groups, although to different degrees.

Emotion regulation is a key concept in psychopathology and psychotherapy theoretical models (Aldao et al., 2012; Greemberg & Pascual-Leone, 2006). It has been taken into consideration as an important issue in the debates about the possibilities and limits of neuroimaging techniques application in studying complex clinical phenomena (Westen & Gabbard, 2002; Kandel, 2007). In neuroscience, emotion regulation has been described in terms of cognitive control of emotional responses, in line with the dual-process models based on the difference between controlled and automatic processes (Barrett et al, 2004). In the first chapter, a meta-analysis of fMRI studies on neural correlates of emotion regulation is described with the aim to summarize the data from the literature, and, in the second place, to compare adaptive and non-adaptive forms of emotion regulation. The results confirm the previous literature that has shown the increase of prefrontal areas activation and the decrease of limbic areas activation in carrying out voluntary strategies of emotion regulation (Ochsner et al., 2008; Diekhof et al., 2011). However, the comparison between adaptive and non-adaptive emotion regulation strategies did not show relevant differences. These results are discussed taking into account the studies’ methodological limits and the intervention of processes that go beyond the categorization of the dual-process models. Dual-process model of emotion regulation has been applied in describing psychotherapy effects. In this case, it has been hypothesized a change in emotion regulation brain areas as effect of psychotherapy intervention (De Rubeis et al., 2008). With the aim to verify this hypothesis, in the second chapter the results of a second meta-analysis of longitudinal studies on neural effects of psychotherapy is exposed. In line with the results, only a partial confirmation to the dual-process model was provided, whereas it was shown the intervention of semantic attribution processes, dependent on temporal areas (Binder et al., 2009), and self-related information processes, depending on the cortical midline structures (Northoff et al., 2006). In order to enrich the dual process models of emotion regulation, a neuroimaging study, described in the third chapter, had the aim to explain the implication of attentional processes not attributable to cognitive control. With this aim, the neural correlates of proactive interference (the interference of responses that were previously correct but no longer are) have been investigated. Proactive interference resolution require the control of the internal informational environment, as opposed to resisting the effects of salient or prepotent stimuli of external origin in the elaboration of response, and it is related with semantic categories of the experimental stimuli, which in this experiment included emotional or neutral categories. The result of this study have shown that the emotional content of the experimental stimuli interacts with the increase of proactive interference affecting the modulation of cerebral areas part of the semantic system, (Binder et al., 2001), of the attentional ventral network, involved in forms of attention dependent on the behavioural relevance of stimuli, more than on voluntary attention (Corbetta et al., 2008), and the default system associated with internal directed attention (Raichle et al., 2001). In the fourth chapter, an analysis of individual differences is described, which showed the association between individual differences in spontaneous avoidance and the modulation of temporal semantic areas. Finally, at the conclusion of the present dissertation, some clinical and conceptual remarks related to the empirical data are discussed.

Background: Therapist characteristics seem to be a key factor in clinical effectiveness. Trainees’ personal and professional background, motivation, and interpersonal style have been shown to deserve attention in previous research concerning therapist development and warrant further study due to their potential implications for psychotherapy training outcomes. Aim: To explore personal and professional background, motivation, and interpersonal style of psychotherapy trainees with different theoretical approaches. Findings: In the present study, 135 post-graduate psychotherapy trainees with different theoretical approaches (psychodynamic, systemic, and cognitive-behavioral) completed the Trainee Background Information Form (TBIF), reporting information concerning their background, style of relating, and motivations. Personal experiences of trainees were frequently reported as a motivation in undertaking psychotherapy training and were associated with negative experiences in childhood. Significant differences were found in the motivations and interpersonal style of trainees with different theoretical approach. Implications: Personal experiences, motivation and interpersonal styles should be taken into consideration in future studies on therapists’ development and in the implementation of psychotherapy programs. © 2018 British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy