Risk communication

Risk communication: How can neuroscientific methods contribute to the design of effective health campaigns?

Media campaigns are a core element of public health education. In a study, 10 highly effective and 10 less effective anti-alcohol videos were presented, while the brain activity of viewers was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Through ISC (inter-subject correlation) analysis, we were able to show that both categories of stimuli led to pronounced synchronization of brain responses in regions involved in the processing of visual and auditory stimuli. A significant difference between the two categories was observed in higher brain regions. Effective campaigns synchronized neural processing in regions such as the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, the insula, and the precuneus significantly more than less effective videos. Previous research has linked these brain regions with the processing of narratives, self-relevant information, and attention to salient stimuli.

In a follow-up study, we extended ISC analysis to another neuroscientific method for measuring brain activity, the electroencephalogram (EEG).

These findings provide first evidence that differences in the effectiveness of health campaigns are reflected in the degree of brain synchronization and that effective campaigns for health prevention achieve a higher "neural reach," especially in brain regions associated with self-referential and emotional processing.