Neural networks in bottom up 'experiential emotion regulation'.

Emotion regulation is thought to differ in when and how it influence emotion, well being and representation in the brain. While previous research on ER has focused on gray matter correlates, this study represents the first exploratory study on white matter integrity of brain networks of ER. Responding to the gap between cognitive and affective approaches of ER, pertaining to some of the daily emotional stressors, the present study investigates a complementary experiential approach such as 'Emotional approach' or the tendency to affectively acknowledge, understand and express emotional experience (cf. Stanton et al., 2000). Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI-MRI) measures of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) evaluated dispositional ER in a group of 21 women with (1) a 'high emotional approach' (HEA) (N = 11) and (2) a 'low emotional approach' (LEA) (N = 10). HEA exhibited more FA of the cingulum supporting emotion processing and emotion regulation, whereas LEA showed a higher FA in the right corticospinal tracts supporting automatic action tendencies and together with a higher FA in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), cognitive control tasks and monitoring of emotion. LEA also correlated with a significant increase in MD in the body (p. = 0.05) and in the splenium of the corpus callosum (CC). A higher FA in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (IFL) may indicate higher visual- affective integration within emotion processing, whereas more MD in the body and splenium of the CC decreases the interhemispheric integration of emotional information within emotion processing and emotion regulation.