Neural Correlates of Self-Referential Thinking and the Influence of Mindfulness Meditation and Positive Fantasizing

Yagublu, Aydan (2024) Neural Correlates of Self-Referential Thinking and the Influence of Mindfulness Meditation and Positive Fantasizing. Master's Thesis / Essay, Artificial Intelligence.

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Abstract

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is characterized by self-focused thoughts, often manifesting as rumination and self-blame, which can exacerbate depression and increase relapse risk in remitted MDD (rMDD) individuals. It remains uncertain whether the neural patterns of self-referential thinking in rMDD return to normal or stay altered. This thesis explores whether heartbeat-evoked potentials (HEPs) and brain oscillations can differentiate between self-focused and non-self-focused thoughts in rMDD and healthy controls (HCs). The results showed that HEPs did not significantly differentiate thought types, while brain oscillations in the theta, alpha, and beta bands showed distinct patterns, particularly in frontal and parietal regions. However, only theta oscillatory power in the parietal region showed strong evidence for differences between thought types. Mindfulness meditation and positive fantasizing interventions did not produce significant changes in HEPs or brain oscillations. Machine learning classifiers achieved moderate success in differentiating thought types, with a maximum cross-validation score of 65%, but high misclassification rates highlight the need for further refinement before clinical application.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay)
Supervisor name:	Vugt, M.K. van and Yang, H.
Degree programme:	Artificial Intelligence
Thesis type:	Master's Thesis / Essay
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	29 Aug 2024 08:14
Last Modified:	29 Aug 2024 08:14
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/34101

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