Highlights
- •Neurocognitive process of pain-related attention bias was depicted by DDM and ERPs
- •Facilitated attention engagement to pain was indexed by DDM-derived non-decision time
- •Facilitated attention engagement to pain was driven by cue-evoked N1 amplitudes
- •Retarded attention disengagement from pain was indexed by DDM-derived drift rate
- •Retarded attention disengagement from pain was driven by target-evoked N2 amplitudes
Abstract
Although combining computational modeling with event-related potentials (ERPs) can
precisely characterize neurocognitive processes involved in attention bias, it has
yet to be applied in the context of pain. Here, a hierarchical drift-diffusion model
(DDM) along with ERPs was used to characterize the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying
attention bias towards pain. A spatial cueing paradigm was adopted, in which the locations
of targets were either validly or invalidly predicted by spatial cues related to pain
or non-pain signals. DDM-derived non-decision time was shorter for targets validly
cued by pain signals than by non-pain signals, thus indicating speeded attention engagement
towards pain; drift rate was slower for targets invalidly cued by pain signals than
by non-pain signals, reflecting slower attention disengagement from pain. The facilitated
engagement towards pain was partially mediated by the enhanced lateralization of cue-evoked
N1 amplitudes, which relate to the bottom-up, stimulus-driven processes of detecting
threatening signals. On the other hand, the retarded disengagement from pain was partially
mediated by the enhanced target-evoked anterior N2 amplitudes, which relate to the
top-down, goal-driven processes of conflict monitoring and behavior regulating. These
results demonstrated that engagement and disengagement components of pain-related
attention bias are governed by distinct neurocognitive mechanisms. However, it remains
possible that the findings are not pain-specific, but rather, are related to threat
or aversiveness in general. This deserves to be further examined by adding a control
stimulus modality.
Perspective: This study characterized the neurocognitive processes involved in attention
bias towards pain through combining a hierarchical drift-diffusion model and event-related
potentials. Our results revealed distinctive neurocognitive mechanisms underlying
engagement and disengagement components of attention bias. Future studies are warranted
to examine whether our findings are pain-specific or not.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 7,
2023
Received in revised form:
March 6,
2023
Received:
September 28,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
Disclosures This study was supported by the ‘Sci-Tech Innovation 2030’ Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology Research by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (grant number: 2022ZD0206400), National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers: 32271105 and 62101236) and Shenzhen Basic Research Project (grant numbers: JCYJ20190808154413592). All authors declared no conflict of interest.
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© Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
