Diminish & Decrease: New hope for intrusive thoughts & memories

In this virtual event, BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition™ 2021 finalist Zulkayda Mamat (Cambridge) shares her Mind Science-funded research conducted in the Anderson Lab at University of Cambridge, where Ms.Mamat's graduate program is based.

As described by Ms. Mamat, "Actively inhibiting imagery of recurring worries is a coping mechanism that can reduce negative emotions. Although repeatedly suppressing fearful imagery whenever reminders appear can reduce a fear’s intrusiveness, many people are unaware of suppression as a mechanism to control worries and alleviate anxiety. Our research shows that developing the ability to suppress imagery of recurring worries diminishes their vividness and intrusiveness and decreases anxiety towards them. Specifically, training people for 30 minutes per day for just three days not only decreased their anxiety towards those worries but also improved their mental wellbeing at the end of training. Hence, we aim to make available to the public via a mobile application a personalized suppression training regimen. The app will enable users to train themselves in imagery suppression at their own convenience and track their improvement in mental health. The first prototype of the app will be used in research to test for its use in the clinical population before optimizing it for its use in the general public. This project translates the newest research findings into a real-world application and may play a critical role in the pandemic era where online platforms have become key in meeting mental health needs."