Neural mechanisms of cognitive conflict: processing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The rapid spread of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised important questions about how individuals evaluate false information, particularly when it conflicts with strongly held prior attitudes. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of vaccine-related misinformation may clarify why such beliefs persist despite corrective information.

Methods

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined neural responses to COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and factual information in vaccine-receptive participants (N = 29). During scanning, participants were presented with a series of vaccine-related statements-both accurate and false-and indicated their level of agreement. Analyses focused on the influence of prior

SUBMITTER: McClellan MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12862833 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature