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Avoidance-related EEG asymmetry predicts circulating interleukin-6.
Grant S Shields1, Wesley G Moons2
1Department of Psychology, University of California.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|October 14, 2015
Summary
Avoidance motivation, linked to inflammation, may activate an adaptive immune response. Greater right frontal cortex activity, associated with avoidance, correlated with higher interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, supporting this link.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Immunology
Background:
- Recent research connects avoidance motivation to increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.
- A proposed theory suggests inflammation is an adaptive response to threats activating the avoidance system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the neural correlate of avoidance motivation and baseline levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Main Methods:
- Assessed resting neural activity in the frontal cortex.
- Measured baseline levels of circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6).
- Controlled for relevant covariates in the analysis.
Main Results:
- Greater resting neural activity in the right frontal cortex compared to the left frontal cortex was observed.
- This neural activity pattern, the correlate of avoidance motivation, was significantly associated with higher baseline IL-6 levels.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the hypothesis that the avoidance motivational system is closely linked to systemic inflammatory activity.
- This suggests a potential biological mechanism connecting psychological states of avoidance to inflammatory responses.
