Peer-reviewedCC BYNature
Emotion regulation capacity lacks a shared neural signature
40 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany. [email protected]
- 2Partner Site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Mannheim, Germany. [email protected]
- 3Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- 4Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- 5Department of Psychology, Center for Mind-Body Science and Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- 6Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- 7Psychiatry and Neurosciences CCM, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- 8Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy in Adults, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- 9International Psychoanalytic University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- 10Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- 11Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
- 12DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- 13Department of Neuropsychology and Psychological Resilience Research, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany
- 14Division of Cancer Survivorship and Psychological Resilience, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- 15Partner Site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Mannheim, Germany
- 16Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience of Resilience, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- 17Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Women's Mental Health and Brain Function, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- 18Partner Site Tübingen, German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Tübingen, Germany
- 19Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
- 20University Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- 21Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- 22Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- 23Mind Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC-UGR), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- 24Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment, Mind Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC-UGR), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- 25The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- 26Center for Interdisciplinary Digital Sciences, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- 27Faculty of Psychology, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- 28Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- 29Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- 30Social Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
- 31Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- 32Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
- 33Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine and Health, TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- 34Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
- 35Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health, TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- 36TUM-Neuroimaging Center, School of Medicine and Health, TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- 37Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- 38Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
- 39Institute of Psychology, SWPS University, Warsaw, Poland
- 40Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Abstract
Cognitive reappraisal is a fundamental emotion regulation strategy for mental and physical well-being, but how its neural mechanisms relate to individual differences remains poorly understood. In a consortium effort analyzing 40 fMRI datasets ( N =2,175), we examined the relationship between neural activation during reappraisal tasks and three core individual difference indices of reappraisal capabilities: (1) trait questionnaires, (2) task-based affective ratings, and (3) amygdala down-regulation. Strikingly, there was no shared overlap across these three common indices. Only a very weak correlation emerged between amygdala down-regulation and task-based affective ratings. Whole-brain analyses revealed no reliable neural associations with trait questionnaires, and associations with task-based affective ratings fell outside canonical emotion regulation networks (e.g., prefrontal circuitry). Moreover, amygdala down-regulation, often interpreted as a stable individual marker, was confounded by person-specific whole-brain responses — a limitation extending to fMRI research beyond the emotion regulation domain. These findings challenge the assumption that an individual’s prefrontal activity is a valid indicator of their reappraisal capabilities and suggest that common trait, behavioral, and neural measures might capture distinct facets of emotion regulation. More broadly, our results highlight concrete methodological challenges for fMRI research on individual differences, with implications extending beyond emotion regulation to the neuroscience of personality, psychopathology, and general well-being.
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BibTeX
@article{sicorello2026emotion,
title = {{Emotion regulation capacity lacks a shared neural signature}},
author = {Maurizio Sicorello and Jenny Zähringer and Thomas E. Kraynak and Peter J. Gianaros and Stephan Nebe and Lena M. Paschke and Rosa Steimke and Christine Stelzel and Henrik Walter and Kevin S. LaBar and John L. Graner and Sang Hee Kim and Michèle Wessa and Magdalena Sandner and Franziska Weinmar and Birgit Derntl and Nathan T. M. Huneke and Guillén Fernández and Guillén Fernández and Linlin Yan and Agar Marín‐Morales and Juan Verdejo-Román and Trevor Steward and Ben J. Harrison and Christopher G. Davey and Denise Dörfel and Maital Neta and Jordan E. Pierce and David Sören Stolz and Johanna Maria Kissler and Anissa Benzait and Susanne Erk and Stella Berboth and Carien M. van Reekum and Emma Tupitsa and Satja Mulej Bratec and Christian Sorg and Laura Müller‐Pinzler and Andrzej Sokołowski and Wojciech Łukasz Dragan and Monika Folkierska-Żukowska and Valerie L. Jentsch and Christian Josef Merz and Christoph Scheffel and Kersten Diers and Kaoru Nashiro and Jungwon Min and Mara Mather and Steve Heinke and Anne Gärtner and Kateri Mcrae A and John Powers and Nick Doren and Silvia U. Maier and Isabel Dziobek and Simón Guendelman and Michael Gaebler and Judith Karina Daniels and Matthias Burghart and Stephanie Nicole Lyn Schmidt},
journal = {Nature},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41586-026-11203-1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11203-1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Emotion regulation capacity lacks a shared neural signature
AU - Maurizio Sicorello
AU - Jenny Zähringer
AU - Thomas E. Kraynak
AU - Peter J. Gianaros
AU - Stephan Nebe
AU - Lena M. Paschke
AU - Rosa Steimke
AU - Christine Stelzel
AU - Henrik Walter
AU - Kevin S. LaBar
AU - John L. Graner
AU - Sang Hee Kim
AU - Michèle Wessa
AU - Magdalena Sandner
AU - Franziska Weinmar
AU - Birgit Derntl
AU - Nathan T. M. Huneke
AU - Guillén Fernández
AU - Guillén Fernández
AU - Linlin Yan
AU - Agar Marín‐Morales
AU - Juan Verdejo-Román
AU - Trevor Steward
AU - Ben J. Harrison
AU - Christopher G. Davey
AU - Denise Dörfel
AU - Maital Neta
AU - Jordan E. Pierce
AU - David Sören Stolz
AU - Johanna Maria Kissler
AU - Anissa Benzait
AU - Susanne Erk
AU - Stella Berboth
AU - Carien M. van Reekum
AU - Emma Tupitsa
AU - Satja Mulej Bratec
AU - Christian Sorg
AU - Laura Müller‐Pinzler
AU - Andrzej Sokołowski
AU - Wojciech Łukasz Dragan
AU - Monika Folkierska-Żukowska
AU - Valerie L. Jentsch
AU - Christian Josef Merz
AU - Christoph Scheffel
AU - Kersten Diers
AU - Kaoru Nashiro
AU - Jungwon Min
AU - Mara Mather
AU - Steve Heinke
AU - Anne Gärtner
AU - Kateri Mcrae A
AU - John Powers
AU - Nick Doren
AU - Silvia U. Maier
AU - Isabel Dziobek
AU - Simón Guendelman
AU - Michael Gaebler
AU - Judith Karina Daniels
AU - Matthias Burghart
AU - Stephanie Nicole Lyn Schmidt
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Nature
DO - 10.1038/s41586-026-11203-1
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11203-1
AB - Cognitive reappraisal is a fundamental emotion regulation strategy for mental and physical well-being, but how its neural mechanisms relate to individual differences remains poorly understood. In a consortium effort analyzing 40 fMRI datasets ( N =2,175), we examined the relationship between neural activation during reappraisal tasks and three core individual difference indices of reappraisal capabilities: (1) trait questionnaires, (2) task-based affective ratings, and (3) amygdala down-regulation. Strikingly, there was no shared overlap across these three common indices. Only a very weak correlation emerged between amygdala down-regulation and task-based affective ratings. Whole-brain analyses revealed no reliable neural associations with trait questionnaires, and associations with task-based affective ratings fell outside canonical emotion regulation networks (e.g., prefrontal circuitry). Moreover, amygdala down-regulation, often interpreted as a stable individual marker, was confounded by person-specific whole-brain responses — a limitation extending to fMRI research beyond the emotion regulation domain. These findings challenge the assumption that an individual’s prefrontal activity is a valid indicator of their reappraisal capabilities and suggest that common trait, behavioral, and neural measures might capture distinct facets of emotion regulation. More broadly, our results highlight concrete methodological challenges for fMRI research on individual differences, with implications extending beyond emotion regulation to the neuroscience of personality, psychopathology, and general well-being.
SN - 0028-0836
SN - 1476-4687
ER -