Eric S. Drollette, Praveen A. Pasupathi, Andrew S. Cornwall, Bryan Montero-Herrera, Megan M. O'Brokta
{"title":"Pedaling and schoolwork: Stability in academic performance, cognition, and neuroelectric function during moderate-intensity cycling in children","authors":"Eric S. Drollette, Praveen A. Pasupathi, Andrew S. Cornwall, Bryan Montero-Herrera, Megan M. O'Brokta","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113329","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113329","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examined the effects of an acute bout of moderate-intensity cycling (20-min) on inhibitory control, academic achievement, and P3 event-related potential (ERP) in children. Participants (<em>n</em> = 22; aged 9–12) completed two counterbalanced laboratory cycling and seated rest sessions on separate days while wearing an EEG cap (64 Ag/AgCl electrodes). EEG data were recorded while performing the flanker task before, during, and after each condition. Participants also completed academic measures of fluency (word recognition, decoding, silent reading, and math) during cycling and seated rest. Results revealed no changes in reaction time or response accuracy for the flanker task across time and between conditions, and no changes in academic performance between cycling and seated rest. P3 ERP analyses revealed no change in amplitude, latency, or scalp topography, suggesting preserved attentional resource allocation and neural stability during and after dual-task performance. Together, children may be able to successfully accomplish academic responsibilities while exercising without behavioral or neurocognitive decrements to effectively meet task demands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 113329"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145994735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Towards a novel contactless autonomic biomarker: Investigating the relationship between heart rate variability and facial temperature during resting state","authors":"Giulio Piperno , Marina Scattolin , Alisha Vabba , Cristina Ottaviani , Julian F. Thayer , Giuseppina Porciello , Maria Serena Panasiti","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Facial temperature is a promising non-invasive index of autonomic activity, yet its dynamics during resting state remain largely unexplored. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between facial temperature in the key regions of the nose tip and the periorbital area, and cardiac activity. Facial temperature was measured using functional infrared thermal imaging, while cardiac parasympathetic activity was indexed by high-frequency (HF) power and the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) of heart rate variability (HRV). Analyses included (i) grand-average correlations to identify overarching physiological patterns, (ii) within-subject correlations to explore the strength of individual-level relationship, and (iii) between-subject correlations to examine inter-individual variability in the association between cardiac and thermal signals. Across 32 participants, during a 13.5-min resting-state session, HF power showed a positive association with nose-tip temperature and a negative association with periorbital temperature, whereas RMSSD showed weaker effects. A differential temperature index (nose-tip minus periorbital) emerged as the most robust correlate of HF power. These findings suggest that facial thermal dynamics mirror vagal modulation at rest and that the differential index, which integrates information from distinct facial areas, may offer a sensitive, contactless indicator of autonomic activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 113332"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146020802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of task duration on mental fatigue: A multimodal analysis based on subjective, behavioral, and electrophysiological measures","authors":"Chenyuan Zhang , Naiying Liu , Dayuan Xu , Wenxue Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113336","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113336","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mental fatigue is typically induced by prolonged cognitive tasks. However, the task durations employed across studies vary significantly, potentially influencing the sensitivity of different assessment measures. This study evaluated the effects of three task durations on subjective, behavioral, and neurophysiological measures of mental fatigue. Twenty-two healthy adults completed the Stroop tasks under three duration conditions (30-, 60-, and 90-minute) on separate days in randomized order. Mental fatigue was assessed using subjective measures [Brunel Mood Scale–Chinese version (BRUMS-C) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)], behavioral measures (response times and accuracy), and neurophysiological measures (P300 amplitude and latency). Results indicated that subjective ratings indicated increased subjective mental fatigue under all three conditions, the 90-minute task led to a significantly greater increase in VAS score. Behaviorally, both the 60-minute (<em>p</em> = 0.009) and 90-minute (<em>p</em> = 0.006) Stroop tasks led to prolonged response times, but a reduction in accuracy was observed only in the 90-minute condition (<em>p</em> = 0.039). Neurophysiologically, a decrease in P300 amplitude was observed only after completing the 90-minute task (<em>p</em> < 0.001), whereas P300 latency remained stable across all conditions. These findings indicate that commonly used measures of mental fatigue differ in their sensitivity to task duration. Subjective, behavioral, and neurophysiological indices did not respond uniformly across task durations, highlighting the importance of employing multimodal assessment strategies when evaluating mental fatigue induced by prolonged cognitive engagement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 113336"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146067893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kaoru Nashiro , Jungwon Min , Hyun Joo Yoo , Christine Cho , Martin J. Dahl , Paul Choi , Hye Rynn J. Lee , Jeiran Choupan , Noah Mercer , Padideh Nasseri , Andy Jeesu Kim , Kalekirstos Alemu , Nicole F. Rose , Alexandra Ycaza Herrera , Rachel Custer , Markus Werkle-Bergner , Julian F. Thayer , Lorena Sordo , Elizabeth Head , Mara Mather
{"title":"Testing effects of paced breathing on plasma Aβ and brain perivascular spaces","authors":"Kaoru Nashiro , Jungwon Min , Hyun Joo Yoo , Christine Cho , Martin J. Dahl , Paul Choi , Hye Rynn J. Lee , Jeiran Choupan , Noah Mercer , Padideh Nasseri , Andy Jeesu Kim , Kalekirstos Alemu , Nicole F. Rose , Alexandra Ycaza Herrera , Rachel Custer , Markus Werkle-Bergner , Julian F. Thayer , Lorena Sordo , Elizabeth Head , Mara Mather","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113334","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2026.113334","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aging is the strongest known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and elevated plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) levels in healthy adults are associated with increased AD risk. Aging is also associated with autonomic imbalance, characterized by increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity. In our previous randomized clinical trial, we found that four weeks of daily slow-paced breathing designed to enhance parasympathetic activity reduced plasma Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels in younger and older adults and showed a trend toward increasing Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio only in older adults. The primary goal of the current study was to extend these findings in 62 adults aged 50 to 70 years using randomized assignment to 10 weeks of slow-paced breathing or a random-paced breathing control with three assessment time points. Secondary objectives included examining the effects of slow-paced breathing on brain structure (i.e., perivascular space and hippocampal volumes) and cognitive performance. Consistent with prior findings, the slow-paced breathing group showed greater decreases in plasma Aβ42 than the control group. However, group differences were not significant for Aβ40 or Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios, and no significant effects were observed for the secondary outcomes. The non-significant findings may be due to changes we made to both intervention and control condition methods relative to our previous trial. Further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and potential effects of slow-paced breathing on Aβ accumulation in the brain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"221 ","pages":"Article 113334"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146047475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael Batashvili , Barr Haim Israel , Daniel A. Levy , Limor Shtoots
{"title":"Effects of theta tACS on tactile texture memory consolidation","authors":"Michael Batashvili , Barr Haim Israel , Daniel A. Levy , Limor Shtoots","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113318","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tactile texture memory has been underexplored compared to visual and auditory memory, despite its importance in daily functioning. Prior research indicates that theta oscillations support memory consolidation across modalities, and frontal midline theta transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has been shown to enhance long-term visual and auditory memory. This study examined whether theta-frequency tACS similarly influences tactile texture memory. 59 participants were randomly assigned to theta tACS (3 Hz), beta tACS (16 Hz), or sham stimulation administered immediately after encoding. During encoding, blindfolded participants explored 25 textures twice under auditory and visual masking. Following 20 min of stimulation and a two-hour delay, participants completed a recognition task with 25 studied textures and 25 foils, providing old/new judgments with confidence ratings. Analyses revealed no significant differences in recognition accuracy across conditions. Similarly, theta stimulation did not increase subsequent confidence in recognition judgments. These findings indicate that, unlike visual and auditory domains, post-encoding theta tACS did not enhance tactile texture memory accuracy. The results highlight potential modality-specific mechanisms in tactile memory consolidation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 113318"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145821948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Valentina Giuffrida , Isabel Beatrice Marc , Stefano Ferraina , Emiliano Brunamonti , Pierpaolo Pani
{"title":"Behavioral strategies and pupillary response in a rewarded stop-signal task","authors":"Valentina Giuffrida , Isabel Beatrice Marc , Stefano Ferraina , Emiliano Brunamonti , Pierpaolo Pani","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113305","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113305","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cognitive control, specifically inhibition, is essential for behavior adaptation to environmental changes. While reward expectation influences cognitive strategies, it is still underexplored how reward may influence inhibitory control and how and whether this may be reflected in autonomic physiological responses. In this study, we explore whether trial-by-trial reward cues modulate both behavioral performance and pupil size, an autonomic correlate of cognitive effort. Twenty-five participants performed a rewarded Stop-Signal Task under three reward conditions: Go Plus (greater reward for correctly performed movements Go trials), Stop Plus (greater reward for correctly inhibited movements Stop trials), and Neutral (equal reward for both trial types). Although inhibitory ability remained unchanged across reward conditions, Go trials' accuracy was higher in Go Plus and Neutral conditions. Reaction times were longer in Go trials in the Stop Plus condition, where inhibition was most rewarded. When task strategies required balancing focus to achieve high rewards in both trial types, pupil size increased, suggesting increased cognitive effort. These findings support the hypothesis that reward expectancy shapes cognitive control and its autonomic correlates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 113305"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145696346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Annie T. Ginty , Gavin P. Trotman , Anna G. Hogue , Katherine M. Knauft , Jet J.C.S. Veldhuijzen van Zanten , Sarah E. Williams
{"title":"The effects of acute aerobic exercise on stressor-evoked physiological and psychological responses","authors":"Annie T. Ginty , Gavin P. Trotman , Anna G. Hogue , Katherine M. Knauft , Jet J.C.S. Veldhuijzen van Zanten , Sarah E. Williams","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113309","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Psychological stress is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Previous research has suggested that acute exercise may reduce cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress. However, studies examining the effects of acute exercise on stressor-evoked cardiovascular and psychological responses to stress are somewhat limited. The aim of the present study was to examine whether a 10-min bout of aerobic exercise at 70 % VO<sub>2max</sub> attenuated stressor-evoked physiological and psychological responses. Forty participants (20 female, 20 male; age: Mean = 19.95; SD = 1.93 years) completed a randomized, counterbalanced crossover protocol involving two stress sessions: (1) stress only and (2) stress after exercise. Cardiovascular (SBP, DBP, HR) and metabolic (VO<sub>2</sub>) responses were assessed at rest and during a validated acute psychological stress task and psychological responses (cognitive and somatic anxiety intensity and interpretation; stress intensity) were assessed immediately after the stress task. There were significant session × time effects for blood pressure and heart rate. Stressor-evoked blood pressure and heart rate were significantly lower in the stress after exercise session compared to the stress only session. No session effects were observed for VO<sub>2</sub>. Participants reported experiencing significantly lower somatic anxiety and higher stress intensity in the stress after exercise session compared to the stress only session. Brief aerobic exercise may be beneficial in reducing stressor-evoked cardiovascular and somatic anxiety responses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 113309"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145764072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"International Organization of Psychophysiology","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S0167-8760(26)00006-1","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S0167-8760(26)00006-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 113324"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neuromodulation with transparent textured flicker preserves Alpha-band entrainment and improves visual comfort: A flanker paradigm","authors":"Clément Blanc, Frédéric Dehais, Sébastien Scannella","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rhythmic visual flicker entrains cortical oscillations and can modulate selective attention, yet its practical use is often hampered by discomfort. We compared alpha-band (10 Hz) with a high-frequency control (30 Hz) flickers under three contrast conditions: full-contrast, near-threshold low-contrast, and a textured low-contrast “ricker”. Twenty adults performed a modified Eriksen flanker task while recording occipital steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs). Across all intensities, 10 Hz flickers yielded SSVEPs approximately three times larger than 30 Hz, confirming its efficacy in alpha entrainment. At the behavioral level, alpha stimulation selectively reduced flanker interference – without evidence of a uniform suppression of flanker processing – compared to 30 Hz stimulation. Importantly, stimulus design had a marked impact on user comfort: the ricker flicker elicited reliable alpha-band entrainment while being rated as the most comfortable. These results demonstrate that visual entrainment in the alpha-band can enhance attentional control and that textured low-contrast flicker provides a promising pathway for comfortable and effective neuromodulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 113307"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145702817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alice Mado Proverbio , Pasquale Scognamiglio , Matteo Valtolina , Alberto Zani
{"title":"Embodied neural synchrony to rhythmic structure: An ERP and frequency-domain investigation of beat entrainment","authors":"Alice Mado Proverbio , Pasquale Scognamiglio , Matteo Valtolina , Alberto Zani","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Neural entrainment—the alignment of endogenous oscillations to the temporal structure of external stimuli—facilitates temporal prediction and enhances sensory processing. We investigated how audiovisual rhythmic stimuli at distinct frequencies modulate EEG dynamics and event-related potentials (ERPs) in 29 healthy adults. Participants observed 110 video-recorded finger-tapping sequences, categorized as low-frequency (~3.49 Hz) or high-frequency (~6.65 Hz), while 128-channel EEG was recorded. ERPs revealed larger late positive potentials for the latter than the former, with centroparietal maxima, and a right-hemisphere dominance for low-frequency rhythms. EEG spectral analyses performed within the 0.5–30 Hz range showed decreased delta power and increased alpha power during fast versus slow stimulation. Morlet wavelet analysis confirmed frequency-specific entrainment, with alpha-band increases over premotor and sensorimotor areas during high-frequency tapping. Neural entrainment analyses revealed a higher Weighted Entrainment Power Index (WEPI) for low- (3.95) compared to high-frequency stimuli (2.80), indicating stronger alignment of EEG power with slower rhythmic inputs. Consistently, the Entrainment Intensity Index (EII = 0.53 μV<sup>2</sup>/Hz) quantified a robust frequency-dependent modulation of spectral power across delta, theta, and alpha bands. Collectively, these results demonstrate selective neural entrainment to movement-sound coupling, reflected in both ERP amplitudes and EEG oscillatory power, and highlight the role of sensorimotor networks in processing temporal structure of actions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54945,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Psychophysiology","volume":"220 ","pages":"Article 113303"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145642701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}