Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Western Cape, South Africa.
Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa.
J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2021 Sep;28(3):637-648. doi: 10.1007/s10880-020-09757-x. Epub 2021 Jan 3.
Romantic attachment rejection (RAR) is a highly prevalent phenomenon among young adults. Rejection by a romantic attachment figure can be a painful and incapacitating experience with lasting negative mental health sequelae, yet the underlying neurobiology of RAR is not well characterized. We systematically reviewed functional neuroimaging studies of adult RAR. Four functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that measured participants' responses to real or imagined RAR and met inclusion criteria were evaluated. These included studies were published between 2004 and 2018. Brain activity in adult participants with an RAR appears to be influenced by the stimulus used to elicit a reaction as well as by attachment styles. Brain regions that show a significant change in activation following a rejection stimulus include cortical regions (cingulate, insular, orbitofrontal, and prefrontal), and subcortical regions (angular gyrus, hippocampus, striatum, tegmental area, and temporal pole) and correspond to (i) pain, distress, and memory retrieval; (ii) reward, romantic love, and dopaminergic circuits; and (iii) emotion regulation and behavioural adaptation. Further neuroimaging studies of adult RAR, as moderated by stimulus and attachment style, are needed to better understand the underlying neurobiology of RAR.
浪漫依恋拒绝（RAR）是年轻人中非常普遍的现象。被浪漫依恋对象拒绝可能是一种痛苦和使人丧失能力的经历，会产生持久的负面心理健康后果，但 RAR 的潜在神经生物学尚未得到很好的描述。我们系统地回顾了成人 RAR 的功能神经影像学研究。评估了四项符合纳入标准的功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）研究，这些研究测量了参与者对真实或想象中的 RAR 的反应。这些研究发表于 2004 年至 2018 年之间。RAR 成人参与者的大脑活动似乎受到引发反应的刺激以及依恋风格的影响。在拒绝刺激后激活发生显著变化的大脑区域包括皮质区域（扣带、脑岛、眶额和前额叶）以及皮质下区域（角回、海马体、纹状体、被盖区和颞极），与（i）疼痛、痛苦和记忆检索；（ii）奖励、浪漫爱情和多巴胺能回路；和（iii）情绪调节和行为适应有关。需要进一步研究成人 RAR 的神经影像学，通过刺激和依恋风格进行调节，以更好地理解 RAR 的潜在神经生物学。
