FusSADGCNN: Decoding the Impact of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation on Neuromodulation in Emotion Recognition and...

Emotional neuromodulation refers to the direct manipulation of the nervous system using techniques such as electrical or magnetic stimulation to manage and adjust an individual's emotional experiences. Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) targeting the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC) has been widely used to modulate emotions. However, the impact of emotions on brain network changes and modulation during tES remains unclear. In this study, we developed a subject-adaptive dynamic graph convolution network with fused features (FusSADGCNN) to decode the impact of tES on neuromodulation for emotion recognition and emotion elicitation. Specifically, we developed a fused feature, CPE, which integrates the average sub-frequency phase-locking value representing global functional connectivity with differential entropy characterizing local activation to explore network differences across emotional states, while incorporating an improved dynamic graph convolution to adaptively integrate multi-receptive neighborhood information for precise decoding of individual tES effects. On the SEED dataset and our laboratory data, the FusSADGCNN model outperforms the state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, we utilized these tools to assess the emotional modulation states induced by tES. Results indicated that in the experiment involving music-elicited emotional modulation, the tools effectively identified improvements in negative emotions under true stimulation, with predictive accuracy significantly related to the average connectivity strength of the brain network. In the active facial emotion recognition modulation experiment, jointed stimulation of rVLPFC and temporo-parietal junction achieved better modulation effects. These findings highlight that the FusSADGCNN effectively evaluate the neuromodulation states during tES-induced emotional regulation, providing a reliable foundation for integrating emotion recognition and neuromodulation.