Neurobiological underpinnings of cyberbullying: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Larisa McLoughlin; Zack Y Shan; Kathryn Broadhouse; Natalie Winks; Gabrielle Simcock; Jim Lagopoulos; Daniel F Hermens

doi:10.1002/hbm.24890

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Neurobiological underpinnings of cyberbullying: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Neurobiological underpinnings of cyberbullying: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Larisa McLoughlin, Zack Y Shan, Kathryn Broadhouse, Natalie Winks, Gabrielle Simcock, Jim Lagopoulos and Daniel F Hermens

Human Brain Mapping, Vol.41(6), pp.1495-1504

2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.24890

PMCID: PMC7268014

PMID: 31797458

Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection

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Abstract

brain

cyberbullying

cyberbullying picture series

cyberbystander

function magnetic resonance imaging

neurobiology

protocol

scenarios

Youth mental health

Neuroimaging

Thompson Institute Special Collection

UniSC Diversity Area - Life Stages

There is a dearth of research that has investigated the neural correlates of cyberbullying, using task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and, specifically, in a real-time context such as observing cyberbullying scenarios. This article presents pilot data from a novel protocol designed to undertake such research with the overall aim being to elucidate the neurobiological underpinnings of cyberbullying via task-based fMRI (tb-fMRI)) in passive cyberbystanders. Young adults (N = 32, 18 to 25 years old) viewed six negative (cyberbullying) and six neutral stimuli from the Cyberbullying Picture Series (CyPicS) while undergoing tb-fMRI. Our results revealed 12 clusters of significantly greater blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) responses (family wise error corrected p FWE < .05) in participants when viewing cyberbullying stimuli compared to neutral stimuli, across a distributed network of regions including left and right middle temporal gyrus, default mode network hubs, left and right posterior cerebellum/vermis, and putamen. Further analysis also revealed greater BOLD response in females compared to males, as well as in those with no prior experience of cyberbullying compared to those with prior experience (despite gender), when viewing the cyberbullying stimuli compared to the neutral stimuli. These results bring us closer to understanding the neurobiological underpinnings that may be associated with cybervictim/bully status and outcomes.

Details

Title: Neurobiological underpinnings of cyberbullying: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study
Authors: Larisa McLoughlin (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Zack Y Shan (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Kathryn Broadhouse (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Natalie Winks (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Gabrielle Simcock (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Jim Lagopoulos (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Daniel F Hermens (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Human Brain Mapping, Vol.41(6), pp.1495-1504
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Date published: 2020
DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24890
ISSN: 1065-9471
PMID: 31797458; PMC7268014
Copyright note: Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; School of Health - Nursing; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99451256502621
Output Type: Journal article

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