Suppression of emotional words in the Think/No-Think paradigm investigated with functional near-infrared spectroscopy

The current pilot study was designed to investigate mechanisms of suppression of emotional and non-emotional words with Anderson's Think/No-Think paradigm using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We found no differences in the suppression of negative, positive and neutral words on the behavioral level. Neurophysiological data, however, have shown more activation in right dlPFC and right vlPFC during attempts to suppress negative stimuli than during attempts to suppress neutral or positive stimuli. Our results thus provide further insights into the different mechanisms of voluntary thought suppression, recruited for the inhibition of thoughts of neutral, negative or positive content. Thereby, they provide a basis for continuing this line of research in a psychiatric sample of patients with Major Depressive Disorder and Panic Disorder, both disorders associated with persistent attempts to manipulate emotional memories.