Affective impact and electrocortical correlates of a psychotherapeutic microintervention: an ERP study of cognitive restructuring

Abstract

Objective: Psychotherapy for depression emphasizes techniques that can help individuals regulate their moods. The present study investigated the affective impact and electrocortical correlates of cognitive restructuring, delivered as a 90-minute psychotherapeutic microintervention in a dysphoric sample.

Method: Participants (N = 92) who reported either low or high levels of dysphoric symptoms were randomly assigned to the restructuring microintervention, a control intervention or a no-intervention condition. We obtained recordings of event-related potentials (ERPs) as well as mood self-ratings during an experimental session immediately after the psychotherapeutic microintervention and the control intervention in which a set of negatively valenced pictures (IAPS) was presented with different instructions.

Results: Whereas the restructuring intervention group and the control intervention group reported both increases in positive and decreases in negative affect from pre- to post-intervention, the three groups differed significantly on ERP measures.

Conclusions: Findings provide support for current models of mechanisms of action in cognitive therapies.

Keywords: EEG; cognitive restructuring; depression; microintervention; neuroscience.