Mental wellbeing has been previously associated with sustained attention, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, motor coordination and working memory, and emotion processing using behavioural tasks. Additionally, major mental illnesses are usually associated with emotional and cognitive dysfunction, and neural networks involved in threat, reward, attention and cognitive control underscore some of the main processes of emotional and cognitive function. These networks are therefore likely to be central to mental wellbeing and resilience to stress. Although the link between wellbeing and health has been fairly well documented, knowledge of the neural mechanisms that underpin wellbeing and resilience are still lacking. Investigating the neuroscience of wellbeing is crucial to capture and promote mental and physical health in the general population.

This project will extend our understanding of wellbeing and its relationship with emotional processes and cognitive function. The results from this project will be valuable and robust as it will be based on a large sample of 270 twin participants from the TWIN‑E project scanned over time. 

This project is still ongoing.

Publications

Park HRP, Quide Y, Schofield PR, Williams LM, Gatt JM. (2022). Grey matter covariation and the role of emotion reappraisal in mental wellbeing and resilience after early life stress exposure. Translational Psychiatry, 12, 85. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​3​8​/​s​4​1​3​9​8-022 – 01849‑6

Montalto A, Park HRP, Williams LM, Korgaonkar MS, Chilver MR, Jamshidi J, Schofield PR, Gatt JM. (2022). Negative association between anterior insula activation and resilience during sustained attention: an fMRI twin study. Psychological Medicine. pp 1 – 13. http://​dx​.doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​1​7​/​s​0​0​3​3​2​9​1​7​2​1​0​05262

Park HRP, Chilver MR, Montalto A, Jamshidi J, Schofield PR, Williams LM, Gatt JM. (2021). Associations between mental wellbeing and fMRI neural bases underlying responses to positive emotion in a twin sample. Psychological Medicine, 1 – 9. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​1​7​/​S​0​0​3​3​2​9​1​7​2​1​0​02695