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Webler RD, Berg H, Fhong K, Tuominen L, Holt DJ, Morey RA, Lange I, Burton PC, Fullana MA, Radua J, Lissek S. The neurobiology of human fear generalization: meta-analysis and working neural model. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:421-436. [PMID: 34242718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fear generalization to stimuli resembling a conditioned danger-cue (CS+) is a fundamental dynamic of classical fear-conditioning. Despite the ubiquity of fear generalization in human experience and its known pathogenic contribution to clinical anxiety, neural investigations of human generalization have only recently begun. The present work provides the first meta-analysis of this growing literature to delineate brain substrates of conditioned fear-generalization and formulate a working neural model. Included studies (K = 6, N = 176) reported whole-brain fMRI results and applied generalization-gradient methodology to identify brain activations that gradually strengthen (positive generalization) or weaken (negative generalization) as presented stimuli increase in CS+ resemblance. Positive generalization was instantiated in cingulo-opercular, frontoparietal, striatal-thalamic, and midbrain regions (locus coeruleus, periaqueductal grey, ventral tegmental area), while negative generalization was implemented in default-mode network nodes (ventromedial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, middle temporal gyrus, angular gyrus) and amygdala. Findings are integrated within an updated neural account of generalization centering on the hippocampus, its modulation by locus coeruleus and basolateral amygdala, and the excitation of threat- or safety-related loci by the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D Webler
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Hannah Berg
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Kimberly Fhong
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Lauri Tuominen
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Daphne J Holt
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Rajendra A Morey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, 508 Fulton Street, Durham VAMC, Durham, VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA; Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, 40 Duke Medicine Circle, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Iris Lange
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Duboisdomein 30, 6229 GT, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Philip C Burton
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Miquel Angel Fullana
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), CIBERSAM, Campus Casanova, Casanova, 143, 08036, Barcelona, Spain; Adult Psychiatry and Psychology Department, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic, Casanovas 143, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joaquim Radua
- Adult Psychiatry and Psychology Department, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic, Casanovas 143, 08036, Barcelona, Spain; Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-detection (EPIC) Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatric Research and Education, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shmuel Lissek
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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Neurocircuitry of Contingency Awareness in Pavlovian Fear Conditioning. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:1039-1053. [PMID: 33990933 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00909-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
In Pavlovian fear conditioning, contingency awareness provides an indicator of explicit fear learning. A less studied aspect of fear-based psychopathologies and their treatment, awareness of learned fear is a common cause of distress in persons with such conditions and is a focus of their treatment. The present work is a substudy of a broader fear-conditioning fMRI study. Following fear conditioning, we identified a subset of individuals who did not exhibit explicit awareness of the CS-US contingency. This prompted an exploratory analysis of differences in "aware" versus "unaware" individuals after fear conditioning. Self-reported expectancies of the CS-US contingency obtained immediately following fear conditioning were used to differentiate the two groups. Results corrected for multiple comparisons indicated significantly greater BOLD signal in the bilateral dlPFC, right vmPFC, bilateral vlPFC, left insula, left hippocampus, and bilateral amygdala for the CS+>CS- contrast in the aware group compared with the unaware group (all p values ≤ 0.004). PPI analysis with a left hippocampal seed indicated stronger coupling with the dlPFC and vmPFC in the aware group compared with the unaware group (all p values ≤ 0.002). Our findings add to our current knowledge of the networks involved in explicit learning and awareness of conditioned fear, with important clinical implications.
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53
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Neural correlates of conditioned pain responses in fibromyalgia subjects indicate preferential formation of new pain associations rather than extinction of irrelevant ones. Pain 2021; 161:2079-2088. [PMID: 32379218 PMCID: PMC7431138 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Functional magnetic resonance imaging pain conditioning data suggest that fibromyalgia prioritizes updating their cerebral representation to forming new potential pain-related associations while simultaneously maintaining no longer relevant ones. Behavioral studies have demonstrated aberrant safety processing in fibromyalgia subjects (FMSs) and suggested that patients accumulate new potential pain-related threats more effectively than extinguishing no longer relevant ones. The aim of the current study was to investigate the neural correlates of conditioned pain responses and their relationship with emotional distress in FMS (n = 67) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 34). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we traced conditioned pain responses to an identical moderately painful pressure (P30) depending on whether it was following a green (P30green) or a red (P30red) cue. The cues were previously associated with individually calibrated painful pressure stimuli of low and high intensity, corresponding to visual analogue scale 10 and 50 mm, respectively. Fibromyalgia subjects displayed increased P30green ratings over time, while P30red ratings remained elevated. Healthy controls adapted all pain ratings to resemble moderate pain. Fibromyalgia subjects exhibited increased activation for [P30green>P30red] in M1/anterior insula, whereas HC showed increased S2/mid-insula response to [P30red>P30green]. High pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) ratings in fibromyalgia (FM) covaried with heightened brain activation for [P30green] × PCS in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex/orbitofrontal cortex; and [P30green>P30red] × PCS in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex/mid-cingulate cortex; superior temporal pole, extending to anterior insula; bilateral thalamus; and posterior insula. Psychophysiological interaction analysis for FM [P30green>P30red] × PCS revealed a dissociation in functional connectivity between thalamus and bilateral inferior parietal lobe. In alignment with behavioral data, FMS displayed a cerebral response suggesting preferential formation of new pain-related associations while simultaneously maintaining no longer relevant ones. The opposite was observed in HC. Increased responses to pain-related threats in FM may contribute to dysfunctional pain-protective behaviors and disability.
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Illescas-Huerta E, Ramirez-Lugo L, Sierra RO, Quillfeldt JA, Sotres-Bayon F. Conflict Test Battery for Studying the Act of Facing Threats in Pursuit of Rewards. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:645769. [PMID: 34017234 PMCID: PMC8129192 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.645769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival depends on the ability of animals to avoid threats and approach rewards. Traditionally, these two opposing motivational systems have been studied separately. In nature, however, they regularly compete for the control of behavior. When threat- and reward-eliciting stimuli (learned or unlearned) occur simultaneously, a motivational conflict emerges that challenges individuals to weigh available options and execute a single behavioral response (avoid or approach). Most previous animal models using approach/avoidance conflicts have often focused on the ability to avoid threats by forgoing or delaying the opportunity to obtain rewards. In contrast, behavioral tasks designed to capitalize on the ability to actively choose to execute approach behaviors despite threats are scarce. Thus, we developed a behavioral test battery composed of three conflict tasks to directly study rats confronting threats to obtain rewards guided by innate and conditioned cues. One conflict task involves crossing a potentially electrified grid to obtain food on the opposite end of a straight alley, the second task is based on the step-down threat avoidance paradigm, and the third one is a modified version of the open field test. We used diazepam to pharmacologically validate conflict behaviors in our tasks. We found that, regardless of whether competing stimuli were conditioned or innate, a low diazepam dose decreased risk assessment and facilitated taking action to obtain rewards in the face of threats during conflict, without affecting choice behavior when there was no conflict involved. Using this pharmacologically validated test battery of ethologically designed innate/learned conflict tasks could help understand the fundamental brain mechanisms underlying the ability to confront threats to achieve goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Illescas-Huerta
- Cell Physiology Institute-Neuroscience, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Leticia Ramirez-Lugo
- Cell Physiology Institute-Neuroscience, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Jorge A Quillfeldt
- Department of Biophysics, Biosciences Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Francisco Sotres-Bayon
- Cell Physiology Institute-Neuroscience, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
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55
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Hagedorn B, Wolf OT, Merz CJ. Stimulus-Based Extinction Generalization: Neural Correlates and Modulation by Cortisol. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 24:354-365. [PMID: 33196833 PMCID: PMC8059492 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyaa085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While healthy individuals and patients with anxiety disorders easily generalize fear responses, extinction learning is more stimulus specific. Treatments aiming to generalize extinction learning are urgently needed, since they comprise the potential to overcome stimulus specificity and reduce relapses, particularly in the face of stressful events. METHODS In the current 3-day functional magnetic resonance imaging fear conditioning paradigm, we aimed to create a generalized extinction memory trace in 60 healthy men and women by presenting multiple sizes of 1 conditioned stimulus during extinction training (CS+G; generalized), whereas the other conditioned stimulus was solely presented in its original size (CS+N; nongeneralized). Recall was tested on the third day after pharmacological administration of either the stress hormone cortisol or placebo. RESULTS After successful fear acquisition, prolonged activation of the amygdala and insula and deactivation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex for CS+G compared with CS+N during extinction learning indicated sustained fear to the generalization stimuli. In line with our hypotheses, reduced amygdala activation was observed after extinction generalization on the third day in the contrast CS+G minus CS+N, possibly reflecting an attenuated return of fear. Cortisol administration before recall, however, blocked this effect. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the findings show that extinction generalization was associated with decreased activation of the fear network during recall after prolonged activation of the fear network during extinction learning. However, the generalization of the extinction memory did not counteract the detrimental effects of stress hormones on recall. Thus, stimulus-based extinction generalization may not be sufficient to reduce relapses after stressful experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Hagedorn
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christian J Merz
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
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56
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Finnegan SL, Harrison OK, Harmer CJ, Herigstad M, Rahman NM, Reinecke A, Pattinson KTS. Breathlessness in COPD: linking symptom clusters with brain activity. Eur Respir J 2021; 58:13993003.04099-2020. [PMID: 33875493 PMCID: PMC8607925 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.04099-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Background Current models of breathlessness often fail to explain disparities between patients' experiences of breathlessness and objective measures of lung function. While a mechanistic understanding of this discordance has thus far remained elusive, factors such as mood, attention and expectation have all been implicated as important modulators of breathlessness. Therefore, we have developed a model to better understand the relationships between these factors using unsupervised machine learning techniques. Subsequently we examined how expectation-related brain activity differed between these symptom-defined clusters of participants. Methods A cohort of 91 participants with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) underwent functional brain imaging, self-report questionnaires and clinical measures of respiratory function. Unsupervised machine learning techniques of exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical cluster modelling were used to model brain–behaviour–breathlessness links. Results We successfully stratified participants across four key factors corresponding to mood, symptom burden and two capability measures. Two key groups resulted from this stratification, corresponding to high and low symptom burden. Compared with the high symptom burden group, the low symptom burden group demonstrated significantly greater brain activity within the anterior insula, a key region thought to be involved in monitoring internal bodily sensations (interoception). Conclusions This is the largest functional neuroimaging study of COPD to date, and is the first to provide a clear model linking brain, behaviour and breathlessness expectation. Furthermore, it was possible to stratify participants into groups, which then revealed differences in brain activity patterns. Together, these findings highlight the value of multimodal models of breathlessness in identifying behavioural phenotypes and for advancing understanding of differences in breathlessness burden. Towards individualised treatments for chronic breathlessness with functional neuroimaging: revealing the factors underlying the breathlessness experience in COPDhttps://bit.ly/3a8fXPt
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Finnegan
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging and Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Olivia K Harrison
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging and Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Catherine J Harmer
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Health NHS foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Mari Herigstad
- Department of Biosciences and Chemistry, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
| | - Najib M Rahman
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea Reinecke
- School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Department of Psychiatry, Medical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Health NHS foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Kyle T S Pattinson
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging and Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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57
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Treanor M, Rosenberg BM, Craske MG. Pavlovian Learning Processes in Pediatric Anxiety Disorders: A Critical Review. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:690-696. [PMID: 33220917 PMCID: PMC9027721 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in associative and Pavlovian learning are thought to lie at the center of anxiety-related disorders. However, the majority of studies have been carried out in adult populations. The aim of this review was to critically examine the behavioral and neuroimaging literature on Pavlovian learning in pediatric anxiety disorders. We conclude that although there is evidence for deficits in Pavlovian processes (e.g., heightened reactivity to safety cues in anxious samples), the extant literature suffers from key methodological and theoretical issues. We conclude with theoretical and methodological recommendations for future research in order to further elucidate the role of Pavlovian learning in the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Treanor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Benjamin M Rosenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
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58
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Fear extinction learning and anandamide: an fMRI study in healthy humans. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:161. [PMID: 33723207 PMCID: PMC7961038 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01177-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety- and trauma-related disorders are severe illnesses with high prevalence. Current treatment options leave room for improvement and the endocannabinoid system (ECS) has become a key target in psychopharmacological research. Rodent models suggest an anxiolytic effect of endocannabinoids and demonstrated that the ECS is involved in the modulation of fear learning and aversive memory consolidation. So far, one prominent target was inhibition of fatty acid amino hydrolase (FAAH), the degrading enzyme of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA). Research in humans remains scarce, but genetic studies have found that the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) FAAH C385A (rs324420) is associated with lower catabolic performance of FAAH and increased levels of AEA. Translational research on the ECS in fear learning processes is rare, yet crucial to understand the mechanisms involved. To address this lack of research, we designed a fear conditioning, extinction learning paradigm with 51 healthy, male humans who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before analysing baseline and task-related changes of AEA, as well as the FAAH polymorphism (rs324420). The results indicate higher AEA levels in AC-heterozygotes than in CC-individuals (SNP rs324420), but no difference between the groups during extinction learning. However, neural activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insular cortex during extinction learning correlated positively with AEA baseline levels, and task-related changes in AEA were found particularly during fear extinction, with a modulatory effect on neural activation related to extinction learning. Results indicate a putative role for AEA in fear extinction learning. Pre-treatment with AEA-enhancing drugs could promote extinction learning during psychotherapeutic interventions.
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59
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tDCS-Augmented in vivo exposure therapy for specific fears: A randomized clinical trial. J Anxiety Disord 2021; 78:102344. [PMID: 33418483 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Exposure therapy is highly effective for anxiety-related disorders, but there is a need for enhancement. Recent trials of adjunctive neuromodulation have shown promise, warranting evaluation of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as an augmentation. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, contamination- and animal-phobic participants (N = 49) were randomized to active tDCS (1.7 mA, 20 min; n = 27), or sham tDCS (1.7 mA, 30 s; n = 22), followed by 30 min of in-vivo exposure. Active tDCS targeted excitation of the left mPFC and inhibition of the right dlPFC; polarity was counterbalanced for controls. We predicted tDCS would result in accelerated and better maintained gains, contingent on the subsequent in-session response, and baseline negative prognostic indicators. Consistent with predictions, tDCS promoted engagement and reductions in threat appraisals during exposure, and greater reductions in distress and threat appraisals through 1-month, although effects did not uniformly generalize. tDCS was most beneficial given high phobic severity, anxiety sensitivity, and a suboptimal early response. tDCS may promote engagement and response among individuals who are resistant or refractory to standard treatment. tDCS should be applied to more severe anxiety-related disorders, with parameters yoked to individual differences to improve outcomes in exposure-based interventions.
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60
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Chavanne AV, Robinson OJ. The Overlapping Neurobiology of Induced and Pathological Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Neural Activation. Am J Psychiatry 2021; 178:156-164. [PMID: 33054384 PMCID: PMC7116679 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19111153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although anxiety can be an adaptive response to unpredictable threats, pathological anxiety disorders occur when symptoms adversely affect daily life. Whether or not adaptive and pathological anxiety share mechanisms remains unknown, but if they do, induced (adaptive) anxiety could be used as an intermediate translational model of pathological anxiety to improve drug development pipelines. The authors therefore compared meta-analyses of functional neuroimaging studies of induced and pathological anxiety. METHODS A systematic search of the PubMed database was conducted in June 2019 for whole-brain functional MRI articles. Eligible articles contrasted either anxious patients to control subjects or an unpredictable-threat condition to a safe condition in healthy participants. Five anxiety disorders were included: posttraumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobia. A total of 3,433 records were identified, 181 articles met selection criteria, and the largest subset of task type was emotional (N=138). Seed-based d-mapping software was used for all analyses. RESULTS Induced anxiety (N=693 participants) and pathological anxiety (N=2,554 patients and 2,348 control subjects) both showed increased activation in the left and right insula (coordinates, 44, 14, -14 and -38, 20, -8; k=2,102 and k=1,305, respectively) and cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex (-12, -8, 68; k=2,217). When the analyses were split by disorder, specific phobia appeared the most, and generalized anxiety disorder the least, similar to induced anxiety. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis indicates a consistent pattern of activation across induced and pathological anxiety, supporting the proposition that some neurobiological mechanisms overlap and that the former may be used as a model for the latter. Induced anxiety might nevertheless be a better model for some anxiety disorders than others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice V. Chavanne
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London
- École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay
| | - Oliver J. Robinson
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London
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Thomaidou MA, Veldhuijzen DS, Meulders A, Evers AWM. An experimental investigation into the mediating role of pain-related fear in boosting nocebo hyperalgesia. Pain 2021; 162:287-299. [PMID: 32910630 PMCID: PMC7737877 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Nocebo hyperalgesia refers to increases in perceived pain that putatively result from negative expectations regarding a nocebo stimulus (eg, an inert treatment, compared with no treatment). The precise cognitive-emotional factors contributing to the origins of nocebo effects are poorly understood. We aimed to test the effects of experimentally induced pain-related fear on the acquisition and extinction of nocebo hyperalgesia in healthy participants (N = 72). Acquisition and extinction of nocebo hyperalgesia were compared between a group receiving standard nocebo conditioning (Control group) and 2 groups receiving distinct fear inductions: high intensity of pain stimulations (High-pain group) or a threat manipulation (High-threat group). During nocebo acquisition, the Control and High-threat groups were administered thermal pain stimulations of moderate intensity paired with sham electrical stimulation (nocebo trials), whereas high pain intensity was administered to the High-pain group. During extinction, equivalent pain intensities were administered across all trials. Pain-related fear was measured by eyeblink startle electromyography and self-report. Nocebo hyperalgesia occurred in all groups. Nocebo effects were significantly larger in the High-pain group than those in the Control group. This effect was mediated by self-reported fear, but not by fear-potentiated startle. Groups did not differ in the extinction rate. However, only the High-pain group maintained significant nocebo responses at the end of extinction. Anticipatory pain-related fear induced through a threat manipulation did not amplify nocebo hyperalgesia. These findings suggest that fear of high pain may be a key contributor to the amplification of nocebo hyperalgesia, only when high pain is experienced and not when it is merely anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia Athina Thomaidou
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain & Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Dieuwke Swaantje Veldhuijzen
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain & Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Ann Meulders
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Andrea Walburga Maria Evers
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain & Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Hoppe JM, Holmes EA, Agren T. Exploring the neural basis of fear produced by mental imagery: imaginal exposure in individuals fearful of spiders. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 376:20190690. [PMID: 33308073 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Imaginal exposure, i.e. reducing fear using exposure to mental imagery, is a widely used psychological treatment technique for dysfunctional fears. Yet, little is known about its underlying neural mechanisms. The present study examines the neural basis of imaginal exposure using a novel experimental procedure consisting of repeated exposure to flashpoint mental imagery of phobic (spiders) and neutral (gloves) stimuli. Whether the 10 min long imaginal exposure procedure could reduce fear responses was examined one week later. Thirty participants fearful of spiders underwent the experimental procedure. Neural activity was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (session 1). Subjective fear and skin conductance responses were measured throughout the study (sessions 1 and 2). Imaginal exposure evoked intense fear and heightened skin conductance responses, and indicated robust activation in several brain regions, including amygdala, midcingulate cortex and insula. Findings demonstrate that neural activity in fear-processing brain areas can be elicited solely by generating a mental image of a phobic stimulus, that is, in the absence of the percept. Relevant for treatment development, results reveal that a single 10 min session of brief exposures to flashpoint mental imagery can lead to lasting reductions in phobic fear at both the subjective and physiological levels. This article is part of the theme issue 'Offline perception: voluntary and spontaneous perceptual experiences without matching external stimulation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M Hoppe
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, 75142 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Emily A Holmes
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, 75142 Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius väg 8, 17165 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Thomas Agren
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, 75142 Uppsala, Sweden
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63
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Dugré JR, Radua J, Carignan-Allard M, Dumais A, Rubia K, Potvin S. Neurofunctional abnormalities in antisocial spectrum: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies on Five distinct neurocognitive research domains. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:168-183. [PMID: 32956690 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Past functional magnetic resonance imaging on antisocial subjects have shown important inconsistencies and methodological problems (e.g. heterogeneity in fMRI tasks domain, small sample sizes, analyses on regions-of-interest). We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of whole-brain fMRI studies on antisocial individuals based on distinct neurocognitive domains. A voxel-based meta-analysis via permutation of subject images (SDM-PSI) was performed on studies using fMRI tasks in the domains of acute threat response, cognitive control, social cognition, punishment and reward processing. Overall, 83 studies were retrieved. Using a liberal statistical threshold, several key regions were identified in the meta-analysis, principally during acute threat response, social cognition and cognitive control tasks. Additionally, we observed that the right amygdala was negatively associated with both callous-unemotional traits and severity of antisocial behaviors, in meta-analyses on region-of-interest and on dimensional studies, respectively. The findings show that the most prominent functional brain deficits arise during acute threat response, social cognitions and cognitive control neurocognitive domains. These results provide substantial insights for our understanding of aberrant neural processing across specific contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jules R Dugré
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Joaquim Radua
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, England; Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Alexandre Dumais
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada; Institut National De Psychiatrie Légal Philippe-Pinel, Montreal, Canada
| | - Katya Rubia
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stéphane Potvin
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
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Biggs EE, Timmers I, Meulders A, Vlaeyen JW, Goebel R, Kaas AL. The neural correlates of pain-related fear: A meta-analysis comparing fear conditioning studies using painful and non-painful stimuli. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:52-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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65
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Silvers JA, Callaghan BL, VanTieghem M, Choy T, O'Sullivan K, Tottenham N. An exploration of amygdala-prefrontal mechanisms in the intergenerational transmission of learned fear. Dev Sci 2020; 24:e13056. [PMID: 33103280 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Humans learn about their environments by observing others, including what to fear and what to trust. Observational fear learning may be especially important early in life when children turn to their parents to gather information about their world. Yet, the vast majority of empirical research on fear learning in youth has thus far focused on firsthand classical conditioning, which may fail to capture one of the primary means by which fears are acquired during development. To address this gap in the literature, the present study examined observational fear learning in youth (n = 33; age range: 6-17 years) as they watched videos of their parent and an "unfamiliar parent" (i.e., another participant's parent) undergo fear conditioning. Youth demonstrated stronger fear learning when observing their parent compared to an unfamiliar parent, as indicated by changes in their self-reported liking of the stimuli to which their parents were conditioned (CS+, a geometric shape paired with an aversive noise; CS-, a geometric shape never paired with an aversive noise) and amygdala responses. Parent trait anxiety was associated with youth learning better (i.e., reporting a stronger preference for the CS- relative to CS+), and exhibiting stronger medial prefrontal-amygdala connectivity. Neuroimaging data were additionally acquired from a subset of parents during firsthand conditioning, and parental amygdala and mPFC activation were associated with youth's neural recruitment. Together, these results suggest that youth preferentially learn fears via observation of their parents, and this learning is associated with emotional traits and neural recruitment in parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Silvers
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bridget L Callaghan
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Tricia Choy
- Graduate School of Education, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | | | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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66
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Sambuco N, Costa VD, Lang PJ, Bradley MM. Assessing the role of the amygdala in fear of pain: Neural activation under threat of shock. J Affect Disord 2020; 276:1142-1148. [PMID: 32791350 PMCID: PMC7490761 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The DSM-5 explicitly states that the neural system model of specific phobia is centered on the amygdala. However, this hypothesis is predominantly supported by human studies on animal phobia, whereas visual cuing of other specific phobias, such as dental fear, do not consistently show amygdala activation. Considering that fear of anticipated pain is one of the best predictors of dental phobia, the current study investigated neural and autonomic activity of pain anticipation in individuals varying in the degree of fear of dental pain. METHOD Functional brain activity (fMRI) was measured in women (n = 31) selected to vary in the degree of self-reported fear of dental pain when under the threat of shock, in which one color signaled the possibility of receiving a painful electric shock and another color signaled safety. RESULTS Enhanced functional activity during threat, compared to safety, was found in regions including anterior insula and anterior/mid cingulate cortex. Importantly, threat reactivity in the anterior insula increased as reported fear of pain increased and further predicted skin conductance changes during pain anticipation. LIMITATIONS The sample was comprised of women. CONCLUSIONS Individual differences in fear of pain vary with activation in the anterior insula, rather than with the amygdala, indicating that fear is not uniquely associated with amygdala activation. Whereas coping techniques such as emotion regulation have been found to vary with activation in a frontal-amygdala circuit when confronted with visual cues, precision psychiatry may need to target specific brain circuits to diagnose and treat different types of specific phobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Sambuco
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
| | - Vincent D Costa
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University
| | - Peter J Lang
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Margaret M Bradley
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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67
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Watch out, he's dangerous! Electrocortical indicators of selective visual attention to allegedly threatening persons. Cortex 2020; 131:164-178. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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68
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Hennings AC, McClay M, Lewis-Peacock JA, Dunsmoor JE. Contextual reinstatement promotes extinction generalization in healthy adults but not PTSD. Neuropsychologia 2020; 147:107573. [PMID: 32735802 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
For episodic memories, reinstating the mental context of a past experience improves retrieval of memories formed during that experience. Does context reinstatement serve a similar role for implicit, associative memories such as fear and extinction? Here, we used a fear extinction paradigm to investigate whether the retrieval of extinction (safety) memories is associated with reactivation of the mental context from extinction memory formation. In a two-day Pavlovian conditioning, extinction, and renewal protocol, we collected functional MRI data while healthy adults and adults with PTSD symptoms learned that conditioned stimuli (CSs) signaled threat through association with an electrical shock. Following acquisition, conceptually related exemplars from the CS category no longer signaled threat (i.e., extinction). Critically, during extinction only, task-irrelevant stimuli were presented between each CS trial to serve as "context tags" for subsequent identification of the possible reinstatement of this extinction context during a test of fear renewal the next day. We found that healthy adults exhibited extinction context reinstatement, as measured via multivariate pattern analysis of fMRI data, in the medial temporal lobe that related to behavioral performance, such that greater reinstatement predicted CSs being rated as safe instead of threatening. Moreover, context reinstatement positively correlated with univariate activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, regions which are thought to be important for extinction learning. These relationships were not observed in the PTSD symptom group. These findings provide new evidence of a contextual reinstatement mechanism that helps resolve competition between the retrieval of opposing associative memories of threat and safety in the healthy adult brain that is dysregulated in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augustin C Hennings
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, United States; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | - Mason McClay
- Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | - Jarrod A Lewis-Peacock
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, United States; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, United States; Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, United States.
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69
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Meyer B, Yuen KSL, Saase V, Kalisch R. The Functional Role of Large-scale Brain Network Coordination in Placebo-induced Anxiolysis. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:3201-3210. [PMID: 30124792 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety reduction through mere expectation of anxiolytic treatment effects (placebo anxiolysis) has enormous clinical importance. Recent behavioral and electrophysiological data suggest that placebo anxiolysis involves reduced vigilance and enhanced internalization of attention; however, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are not yet clear. Given the fundamental function of intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) in basic cognitive processes, we investigated ICN activity patterns associated with externally and internally directed mental states under the influence of an anxiolytic placebo medication. Based on recent findings, we specifically analyzed the functional role of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) in coordinating placebo-dependent cue-related (phasic) and cue-unrelated (sustained) network activity. Under placebo, we observed a down-regulation of the entire salience network (SN), particularly in response to threatening cues. The rACC exhibited enhanced cue-unrelated functional connectivity (FC) with the SN, which correlated with reductions in tonic arousal and anxiety. Hence, apart from the frequently reported modulation of aversive cue responses, the rACC appears to be crucially involved in exerting a tonically dampening control over salience-responsive structures. In line with a more internally directed mental state, we also found enhanced FC within the default mode network (DMN), again predicting reductions in anxiety under placebo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Meyer
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.,Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
| | - Kenneth S L Yuen
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.,Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
| | - Victor Saase
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.,Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
| | - Raffael Kalisch
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.,Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
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Merz CJ, Lonsdorf TB. Methodische Anmerkungen und Anwendungsbereiche der Furchtkonditionierung in verschiedenen psychologischen Disziplinen. PSYCHOLOGISCHE RUNDSCHAU 2020. [DOI: 10.1026/0033-3042/a000427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Zusammenfassung. Die Furchtkonditionierung stellt ein bedeutsames Paradigma zur Untersuchung von emotionalen Lern- und Gedächtnisprozessen dar. Nach einer ungefähr hundertjährigen Geschichte wird deutlich, dass die Furchtkonditionierung nicht nur einen wichtigen Beitrag zur speziesübergreifenden Grundlagenforschung liefert, sondern auch unterschiedliche Anwendungsfelder zu neuen Erkenntnissen inspirieren kann. In diesem Übersichtartikel soll das grundlegende Paradigma mit verschiedenen methodischen Überlegungen zur experimentellen Durchführung vorgestellt werden. Im Anschluss werden ausgewählte Anwendungsbereiche der Furchtkonditionierung innerhalb der psychologischen Disziplinen dargestellt: die Allgemeine Psychologie wird bezüglich allgemeingültiger Gesetzmäßigkeiten von Lern- und Gedächtnisprozessen angesprochen, die Differentielle Psychologie wegen bedeutsamer interindividueller Unterschiede, die Biologische Psychologie und Neuropsychologie in Bezug auf physiologische und anatomische Grundlagen der Furchtkonditionierung, die Sozialpsychologie im Zuge der Einstellungsforschung, die Entwicklungspsychologie aufgrund altersspezifischer Aspekte sowie die Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie im Hinblick auf die Pathogenese von Angsterkrankungen und der Expositionstherapie. Insgesamt betrachtet hat die Furchtkonditionierung das Potenzial nicht nur unterschiedliche Disziplinen der Psychologie in synergistischer Weise zusammenzubringen, sondern auch die verschiedenen inhaltlichen Schwerpunkte zu unterstreichen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tina B. Lonsdorf
- Institut für systemische Neurowissenschaften, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
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71
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Suarez-Jimenez B, Albajes-Eizagirre A, Lazarov A, Zhu X, Harrison BJ, Radua J, Neria Y, Fullana MA. Neural signatures of conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction recall in posttraumatic stress disorder: a meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Psychol Med 2020; 50:1442-1451. [PMID: 31258096 PMCID: PMC9624122 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719001387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Establishing neurobiological markers of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is essential to aid in diagnosis and treatment development. Fear processing deficits are central to PTSD, and their neural signatures may be used as such markers. METHODS Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of seven Pavlovian fear conditioning fMRI studies comparing 156 patients with PTSD and 148 trauma-exposed healthy controls (TEHC) using seed-based d-mapping, to contrast neural correlates of experimental phases, namely conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction recall. RESULTS Patients with PTSD, as compared to TEHCs, exhibited increased activation in the anterior hippocampus (extending to the amygdala) and medial prefrontal cortex during conditioning; in the anterior hippocampus-amygdala regions during extinction learning; and in the anterior hippocampus-amygdala and medial prefrontal areas during extinction recall. Yet, patients with PTSD have shown an overall decreased activation in the thalamus during all phases in this meta-analysis. CONCLUSION Findings from this metanalysis suggest that PTSD is characterized by increased activation in areas related to salience and threat, and lower activation in the thalamus, a key relay hub between subcortical areas. If replicated, these fear network alterations may serve as objective diagnostic markers for PTSD, and potential targets for novel treatment development, including pharmacological and brain stimulation interventions. Future longitudinal studies are needed to examine whether these observed network alteration in PTSD are the cause or the consequence of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
| | | | - Amit Lazarov
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Xi Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
| | - Ben J. Harrison
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Victoria, Australia
| | - Joaquim Radua
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, UK
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Psychiatric Research and Education, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yuval Neria
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
| | - Miquel A. Fullana
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries, CIBERSAM, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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McKasy M. A discrete emotion with discrete effects: effects of anger on depth of information processing. Cogn Process 2020; 21:555-573. [PMID: 32564161 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-020-00982-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
There is relative paucity in the comprehensive study of anger and information processing. Emotions can impact the depth of information processing and anger is a powerful high-certainty emotion. Yet, the magnitude of the effects of anger on the depth of information processing has not been summarized. This scholarship performs a meta-analytic synthesis to report the effect of anger on the depth of information processing as compared to one of the four contrast groups: neutral control, sadness, happiness, and fear. A systematic search identified 26 articles with a total of 39 unique studies and 113 effect sizes. The evaluation revealed that anger did not have a significant effect on depth of information processing for any of the emotional comparison groups. Furthermore, the presence of publication bias was only found for one analysis. These complex results indicate that anger is an exceedingly nuanced emotion. The implications of the study and future scholarship are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan McKasy
- Department of Communication, Utah Valley University, 800 West University Parkway, Orem, UT, 84058, USA.
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73
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Wise T, Patrick F, Meyer N, Mazibuko N, Oates AE, van der Bijl AH, Danjou P, O’Connor SM, Doolin E, Wooldridge C, Rathjen D, Macare C, Williams SC, Perkins A, Young AH. Cholinergic Modulation of Disorder-Relevant Neural Circuits in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:908-915. [PMID: 32107005 PMCID: PMC7198974 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Generalized anxiety disorder is associated with hyperactivity in the amygdala-prefrontal networks, and normalization of this aberrant function is thought to be critical for successful treatment. Preclinical evidence implicates cholinergic neurotransmission in the function of these systems and suggests that cholinergic modulation may have anxiolytic effects. However, the effects of cholinergic modulators on the function of anxiety-related networks in humans have not been investigated. METHODS We administered a novel α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-negative allosteric modulator, BNC210, to 24 individuals (3 male subjects) with generalized anxiety disorder and assessed its effects on neural responses to fearful face stimuli. RESULTS BNC210 reduced amygdala reactivity to fearful faces relative to placebo and similarly to lorazepam and also reduced connectivity between the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex, a network involved in regulating anxious responses to aversive stimuli. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate for the first time that the function of disorder-relevant neural circuits in generalized anxiety disorder can be beneficially altered through modulation of cholinergic neurotransmission and suggest potential for this system as a novel target for anxiolytic pharmacotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Wise
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK; Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.
| | - Fiona Patrick
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Nicholas Meyer
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Ndaba Mazibuko
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Caroline Wooldridge
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | | | - Christine Macare
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Steven C.R. Williams
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, South London, London, UK
| | - Adam Perkins
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, South London, London, UK
| | - Allan H. Young
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, South London, London, UK
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Lantos D, Lau YH, Louis W, Molenberghs P. The neural mechanisms of threat and reconciliation efforts between Muslims and non-Muslims. Soc Neurosci 2020; 15:420-434. [PMID: 32275464 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2020.1754287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
To reduce the escalation of intergroup conflict, it is important that we understand the processes related to the detection of group-based threat and reconciliation. In the present study, we investigated the neural mechanisms of such processes using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Functional neuroimaging techniques may shed light on quick, automatic responses to stimuli that happen outside of conscious awareness and are thus increasingly difficult to quantify relying only on participants' self-reported experiences. They may further provide invaluable insight into physiological processes occurring in situations of sensitive nature, whereby participants-deliberately or not-may withhold their honest responses due to social desirability. Non-Muslim Western Caucasian participants watched short video clips of stereotypical Middle-Eastern Muslim males threatening their ingroup, offering reconciliation to the ingroup, or making a neutral statement. Threatening statements led to increased activation in the amygdala, insula, supramarginal gyrus, and temporal lobe. Reconciliation efforts led to increased activation in the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, and caudate. The results suggest that threat detection is a relatively automatic process while evaluating and responding to reconciliation offers requires more cognitive efforts. The implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorottya Lantos
- Psychology Department, Goldsmiths, University of London , London, UK
| | - Yong Hui Lau
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne , Australia
| | - Winnifred Louis
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland , Australia
| | - Pascal Molenberghs
- ISN Psychology, Institute for Social Neuroscience , Melbourne, Australia
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75
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Macdonald B, Wake S, Johnstone T. Selective extinction through cognitive evaluation: Linking emotion regulation and extinction. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:2873-2888. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Birthe Macdonald
- University of Reading Reading UK
- UFSP Dynamics of Healthy Aging University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | | | - Tom Johnstone
- University of Reading Reading UK
- Swinburne University of Technology Hawthorn Vic. Australia
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76
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Zhang Y, Chen S, Deng Z, Yang J, Yuan J. Benefits of Implicit Regulation of Instructed Fear: Evidence From Neuroimaging and Functional Connectivity. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:201. [PMID: 32231516 PMCID: PMC7082334 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Instructed fear, which denotes fearful emotions learned from others' verbal instructions, is an important form of fear acquisition in humans. Maladaptive instructed fear produces detrimental effects on health, but little is known about performing an efficient regulation of instructed fear and its underlying neural substrates. To address this question, 26 subjects performed an instructed fear task where emotional experiences and functional neuroimages were recorded during watching, explicit regulation (calmness imagination), and implicit regulation (calmness priming) conditions. Results indicated that implicit regulation decreased activity in the left amygdala and left insula for instructed fear; however, these effects were absent in explicit regulation. The implementation of implicit regulation did not increase activity in the frontoparietal control regions, while explicit regulation increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity. Furthermore, implicit regulation increased functional connectivity between the right amygdala and right fusiform gyrus, and decreased functional connectivity between the right medial temporal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus, which are key nodes of memory retrieval and cognitive control networks, respectively. These findings suggest a favourable effect of implicit regulation on instructed fear, which is subserved by less involvement of control-related brain mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yicheng Zhang
- The Laboratory for Affect Cognition and Regulation (ACRLab), Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shengdong Chen
- The Laboratory for Affect Cognition and Regulation (ACRLab), Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhongyan Deng
- The Laboratory for Affect Cognition and Regulation (ACRLab), Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiemin Yang
- The Laboratory for Affect Cognition and Regulation (ACRLab), Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiajin Yuan
- The Laboratory for Affect Cognition and Regulation (ACRLab), Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
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77
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Olsson A, Knapska E, Lindström B. The neural and computational systems of social learning. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:197-212. [PMID: 32221497 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-020-0276-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Learning the value of stimuli and actions from others - social learning - adaptively contributes to individual survival and plays a key role in cultural evolution. We review research across species targeting the neural and computational systems of social learning in both the aversive and appetitive domains. Social learning generally follows the same principles as self-experienced value-based learning, including computations of prediction errors and is implemented in brain circuits activated across task domains together with regions processing social information. We integrate neural and computational perspectives of social learning with an understanding of behaviour of varying complexity, from basic threat avoidance to complex social learning strategies and cultural phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions' Neurobiology, Centre of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders (BRAINCITY), Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Björn Lindström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.,Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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78
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Jenks SK, Zhang S, Li CSR, Hu S. Threat bias and resting state functional connectivity of the amygdala and bed nucleus stria terminalis. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 122:54-63. [PMID: 31927266 PMCID: PMC7010552 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has distinguished the activations of the amygdala and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) during threat-related contingencies. However, how intrinsic connectivities of the amygdala and BNST relate to threat bias remains unclear. Here, we investigated how resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the amygdala and BNST in healthy controls (HC) and patients with anxiety-related disorders (PAD) associate with threat bias in a dot-probe task. METHODS Imaging and behavioral data of 30 PAD and 83 HC were obtained from the Nathan Kline Institute - Rockland sample and processed according to published routines. All imaging results were evaluated at voxel p < 0.001 and cluster p < 0.05, FWE corrected in SPM. RESULTS PAD and HC did not show differences in whole brain rsFC with either the amygdala or BNST. In linear regressions threat bias was positively correlated with amygdala-thalamus/anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) rsFC in HC but not PAD, and with BNST-caudate rsFC in PAD but not HC. Slope tests confirmed group differences in the correlations between threat bias and amygdala-thalamus/ACC as well as BNST-caudate rsFC. LIMITATIONS As only half of the patients included were diagnosed with comorbid anxiety, the current findings need to be considered with the clinical heterogeneity and require replication in populations specifically with anxiety disorders. CONCLUSIONS Together, these results suggest amygdala and BNST connectivities as new neural markers of anxiety disorders. Whereas amygdala-thalamus/ACC rsFC support adaptive regulation of threat response in the HC, BNST-caudate rsFC may reflect maladaptive neural processes that are dominated by anticipatory anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K. Jenks
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Chiang-shan R. Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Sien Hu
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, 13126, USA.
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79
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Calderon-Delgado L, Barrera-Valencia M, Noriega I, Al-Khalil K, Trejos-Castillo E, Mosi J, Chavez B, Galvan M, O'Boyle MW. Implicit processing of emotional words by children with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: An fMRI investigation. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2020; 20:46-53. [PMID: 32021618 PMCID: PMC6994751 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE In the last decade, socio-political violence in Colombia (South America) has created an environment of extreme/chronic stress. In this study, brain imaging technology (fMRI) and behavioral task performance were used to measure potential deficits in executive functioning for emotional processing in Colombian children. METHOD Participants (22 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD and 22 neurotypical, NT) were asked to perform a word task with implicit emotional salience, which required them to report the color of the ink in which a positive, negative or neutral word was printed. RESULTS Mixed design analysis of variance showed no group differences in accuracy for determining ink color when presented as a positive or neutral word. However, PTSD children were significantly less accurate (negative words) and notably slower (both positive and negative words) at determining ink color when presented in the context of an emotional word. PTSD processing of positive and negative words was associated with hypoactivation in the superior and middle frontal gyri of the right hemisphere in comparison to NT children. CONCLUSIONS These results may reflect a deficit in executive functioning for emotionally laden stimuli, perhaps induced as a by-product of their traumatic experiences.
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80
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Haaker J, Maren S, Andreatta M, Merz CJ, Richter J, Richter SH, Meir Drexler S, Lange MD, Jüngling K, Nees F, Seidenbecher T, Fullana MA, Wotjak CT, Lonsdorf TB. Making translation work: Harmonizing cross-species methodology in the behavioural neuroscience of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:329-345. [PMID: 31521698 PMCID: PMC7822629 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Translational neuroscience bridges insights from specific mechanisms in rodents to complex functions in humans and is key to advance our general understanding of central nervous function. A prime example of translational research is the study of cross-species mechanisms that underlie responding to learned threats, by employing Pavlovian fear conditioning protocols in rodents and humans. Hitherto, evidence for (and critique of) these cross-species comparisons in fear conditioning research was based on theoretical viewpoints. Here, we provide a perspective to substantiate these theoretical concepts with empirical considerations of cross-species methodology. This meta-research perspective is expected to foster cross-species comparability and reproducibility to ultimately facilitate successful transfer of results from basic science into clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Haaker
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christian J Merz
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Germany
| | - Jan Richter
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Shira Meir Drexler
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Germany
| | - Maren D Lange
- Institute of Physiology I, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Kay Jüngling
- Institute of Physiology I, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Frauke Nees
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Miquel A Fullana
- Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clinic, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carsten T Wotjak
- Neuronal Plasticity Research Group, Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Tina B Lonsdorf
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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81
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The role of hippocampal spatial representations in contextualization and generalization of fear. Neuroimage 2019; 206:116308. [PMID: 31669410 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Using contextual information to predict aversive events is a critical ability that protects from generalizing fear responses to safe contexts. Animal models have demonstrated the importance of spatial context representations within the hippocampal formation in contextualization of fear learning. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is known to play an important role in safety learning, possibly also through the incorporation of context information. However, if contextual representations are related to context-dependent expression of fear memory in humans remains unclear. Twenty-one healthy participants underwent functional MRI combined with a cue-context conditioning paradigm within a self-navigated virtual reality environment. The environment included two buildings (Threat and Safe context), which had distinct features outside but were identical inside. Within each context, participants saw two cues (CS+, CS-). The CS+ was consistently (100% reinforcement rate) paired with an electric shock in the Threat context, but never in the Safe context. The CS- was never paired with a shock. We found robust differential skin conductance responses (SCRs; CS+ > CS-) in the Threat context, but also within the Safe context, indicating fear generalization. Within the Safe context, vmPFC responses to the CS+ were larger than those in the Threat context. We furthermore found environment-specific representations for the two contexts in the training paradigm (i.e., before conditioning took place) in the hippocampus to be related to fear expression and generalization. Namely, participants with a weak context representation (z-score < 1.65) showed stronger fear generalization compared to participants with a strong context representation (z-score > 1.65). Thus, a weak neural representation strength of spatial context may explain overgeneralization of memory to safe contexts. In addition, our findings demonstrate that context-dependent regulation of fear expression engages ventromedial prefrontal pathways suggesting this involves a similar mechanism that is known to be involved in retrieval of extinction memory.
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82
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Harman JL, Zhang D, Greening SG. Basic Processes in Dynamic Decision Making: How Experimental Findings About Risk, Uncertainty, and Emotion Can Contribute to Police Decision Making. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2140. [PMID: 31620062 PMCID: PMC6763579 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we review basic findings from experimental studies in judgment and decision making that could contribute to designing policies and trainings to enhance police decision making. Traditional judgment and decision-making research has focused on simple choices between hypothetical gambles, which has been criticized for its lack of generalizability to real world contexts. Over the past 15 years, researchers have focused on understanding the dynamic processes in decision making. This recent focus has allowed for the possibility of more generalizable applications of basic decision science to social issues. We review recent work in three dynamic decision-making topics: dynamic accumulation of evidence in the decision to shoot or not shoot, how previous decisions influence current choices, and how the cognitive and neurological processing of fear influences decisions and decision errors. We conclude this review with a summary of how basic experimental research can apply in policing and training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason L. Harman
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
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83
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Bublatzky F, Riemer M, Guerra P. Reversing Threat to Safety: Incongruence of Facial Emotions and Instructed Threat Modulates Conscious Perception but Not Physiological Responding. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2091. [PMID: 31572272 PMCID: PMC6753879 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Facial expressions inform about other peoples’ emotion and motivation and thus are central for social communication. However, the meaning of facial expressions may change depending on what we have learned about the related consequences. For instance, a smile might easily become threatening when displayed by a person who is known to be dangerous. The present study examined the malleability of emotional facial valence by means of social learning. To this end, facial expressions served as cues for verbally instructed threat-of-shock or safety (e.g., “happy faces cue shocks”). Moreover, reversal instructions tested the flexibility of threat/safety associations (e.g., “now happy faces cue safety”). Throughout the experiment, happy, neutral, and angry facial expressions were presented and auditory startle probes elicited defensive reflex activity. Results show that self-reported ratings and physiological reactions to threat/safety cues dissociate. Regarding threat and valence ratings, happy facial expressions tended to be more resistant becoming a threat cue, and angry faces remain threatening even when instructed as safety cue. For physiological response systems, however, we observed threat-potentiated startle reflex and enhanced skin conductance responses for threat compared to safety cues regardless of whether threat was cued by happy or angry faces. Thus, the incongruity of visual and verbal threat/safety information modulates conscious perception, but not the activation of physiological response systems. These results show that verbal instructions can readily overwrite the intrinsic meaning of facial emotions, with clear benefits for social communication as learning and anticipation of threat and safety readjusted to accurately track environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Bublatzky
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.,Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Martin Riemer
- Aging & Cognition Research Group, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany.,Faculty for Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Pedro Guerra
- Department of Personality, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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84
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Bravo F, Cross I, Hopkins C, Gonzalez N, Docampo J, Bruno C, Stamatakis EA. Anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex response to systematically controlled tonal dissonance during passive music listening. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 41:46-66. [PMID: 31512332 PMCID: PMC7268082 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have attempted to investigate how the brain codes emotional value when processing music of contrasting levels of dissonance; however, the lack of control over specific musical structural characteristics (i.e., dynamics, rhythm, melodic contour or instrumental timbre), which are known to affect perceived dissonance, rendered results difficult to interpret. To account for this, we used functional imaging with an optimized control of the musical structure to obtain a finer characterization of brain activity in response to tonal dissonance. Behavioral findings supported previous evidence for an association between increased dissonance and negative emotion. Results further demonstrated that the manipulation of tonal dissonance through systematically controlled changes in interval content elicited contrasting valence ratings but no significant effects on either arousal or potency. Neuroscientific findings showed an engagement of the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the left rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) while participants listened to dissonant compared to consonant music, converging with studies that have proposed a core role of these regions during conflict monitoring (detection and resolution), and in the appraisal of negative emotion and fear‐related information. Both the left and right primary auditory cortices showed stronger functional connectivity with the ACC during the dissonant portion of the task, implying a demand for greater information integration when processing negatively valenced musical stimuli. This study demonstrated that the systematic control of musical dissonance could be applied to isolate valence from the arousal dimension, facilitating a novel access to the neural representation of negative emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Bravo
- Centre for Music and Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,TU Dresden, Institut für Kunst- und Musikwissenschaft, Dresden, Germany.,Cognition and Consciousness Imaging Group, Division of Anaesthesia, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ian Cross
- Centre for Music and Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Nadia Gonzalez
- Department of Neuroimaging, Fundación Científica del Sur Imaging Centre, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jorge Docampo
- Department of Neuroimaging, Fundación Científica del Sur Imaging Centre, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Claudio Bruno
- Department of Neuroimaging, Fundación Científica del Sur Imaging Centre, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Emmanuel A Stamatakis
- Cognition and Consciousness Imaging Group, Division of Anaesthesia, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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85
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From Anticipation to the Experience of Pain: The Importance of Visceral Versus Somatic Pain Modality in Neural and Behavioral Responses to Pain-Predictive Cues. Psychosom Med 2019; 80:826-835. [PMID: 29870435 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000000612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare behavioral and neural anticipatory responses to cues predicting either somatic or visceral pain in an associative learning paradigm. METHODS Healthy women (N = 22) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. During an acquisition phase, two different visual cues repeatedly signalled either experimental visceral or somatic pain. In a subsequent extinction phase, identical cues were presented without pain. Before and after each phase, cue valence and contingency awareness were assessed on visual analog scales. RESULTS Visceral compared to somatic pain-predictive cues were rated as more unpleasant after acquisition (visceral, 32.18 ± 13.03 mm; somatic, -18.36 ± 10.36 mm; p = .021) with similarly accurate cue-pain contingencies. After extinction, cue valence returned to baseline for both modalities (visceral, 1.55 ± 9.81 mm; somatic, -18.45 ± 7.12; p = .41). During acquisition, analyses of cue-induced neural responses revealed joint neural activation engaging areas associated with attention processing and cognitive control. Enhanced deactivation of posterior insula to visceral cues was observed, which correlated with enhanced responses within the salience network (anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula) during visceral compared to somatic pain stimulation. During extinction, both pain modalities induced anticipatory neural activation in the extinction and salience network (all pFWE values < .05). CONCLUSIONS Conditioned emotional responses to pain-predictive cues are modality specific and enhanced for the visceral modality, suggesting that pain anticipation is shaped by the salience of painful stimuli. Common but also modality-specific neural mechanisms are involved during cue-pain learning, whereas extinction of cued responses seems unaffected by modality. Future research should examine potential implications for the pathophysiology of chronic pain conditions, especially chronic visceral pain.
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86
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Valenza G, Sclocco R, Duggento A, Passamonti L, Napadow V, Barbieri R, Toschi N. The central autonomic network at rest: Uncovering functional MRI correlates of time-varying autonomic outflow. Neuroimage 2019; 197:383-390. [PMID: 31055043 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Peripheral measures of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity at rest have been extensively employed as putative biomarkers of autonomic cardiac control. However, a comprehensive characterization of the brain-based central autonomic network (CAN) sustaining cardiovascular oscillations at rest is missing, limiting the interpretability of these ANS measures as biomarkers of cardiac control. We evaluated combined cardiac and fMRI data from 34 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project to detect brain areas functionally linked to cardiovagal modulation at rest. Specifically, we combined voxel-wise fMRI analysis with instantaneous heartbeat and spectral estimates obtained from inhomogeneous linear point-process models. We found exclusively negative associations between cardiac parasympathetic activity at rest and a widespread network including bilateral anterior insulae, right dorsal middle and left posterior insula, right parietal operculum, bilateral medial dorsal and ventrolateral posterior thalamic nuclei, anterior and posterior mid-cingulate cortex, medial frontal gyrus/pre-supplementary motor area. Conversely, we found only positive associations between instantaneous heart rate and brain activity in areas including frontopolar cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, anterior, middle and posterior cingulate cortices, superior frontal gyrus, and precuneus. Taken together, our data suggests a much wider involvement of diverse brain areas in the CAN at rest than previously thought, which could reflect a differential (both spatially and directionally) CAN activation according to the underlying task. Our insight into CAN activity at rest also allows the investigation of its impairment in clinical populations in which task-based fMRI is difficult to obtain (e.g., comatose patients or infants).
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Affiliation(s)
- G Valenza
- Bioengineering and Robotics Research Centre "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Dept. of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - R Sclocco
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Logan University, Chesterfield MOU, USA
| | - A Duggento
- Dept. of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - L Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - V Napadow
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - R Barbieri
- Dept. of Electronics, Informatics and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - N Toschi
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Dept. of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
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87
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Carpenter JK, Pinaire M, Hofmann SG. From Extinction Learning to Anxiety Treatment: Mind the Gap. Brain Sci 2019; 9:brainsci9070164. [PMID: 31336700 PMCID: PMC6680899 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9070164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory models of extinction learning in animals and humans have the potential to illuminate methods for improving clinical treatment of fear-based clinical disorders. However, such translational research often neglects important differences between threat responses in animals and fear learning in humans, particularly as it relates to the treatment of clinical disorders. Specifically, the conscious experience of fear and anxiety, along with the capacity to deliberately engage top-down cognitive processes to modulate that experience, involves distinct brain circuitry and is measured and manipulated using different methods than typically used in laboratory research. This paper will identify how translational research that investigates methods of enhancing extinction learning can more effectively model such elements of human fear learning, and how doing so will enhance the relevance of this research to the treatment of fear-based psychological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph K Carpenter
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 900 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Megan Pinaire
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 900 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Stefan G Hofmann
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 900 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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88
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Chirumamilla VC, Gonzalez-Escamilla G, Koirala N, Bonertz T, von Grotthus S, Muthuraman M, Groppa S. Cortical Excitability Dynamics During Fear Processing. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:568. [PMID: 31275095 PMCID: PMC6593288 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Little is known about the modulation of cortical excitability in the prefrontal cortex during fear processing in humans. Here, we aimed to transiently modulate and test the cortical excitability during fear processing using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and brain oscillations in theta and alpha frequency bands with electroencephalography (EEG). Methods: We conducted two separate experiments (no-TMS and TMS). In the no-TMS experiment, EEG recordings were performed during the instructed fear paradigm in which a visual cue (CS+) was paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (electric shock), while the other visual cue was unpaired (CS-). In the TMS experiment, in addition the TMS was applied on the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). The participants also underwent structural MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanning and were assigned pseudo-randomly to both experiments, such that age and gender were matched. The cortical excitability was evaluated by time-frequency analysis and functional connectivity with weighted phase lag index (WPLI). We further linked the excitability patterns with markers of stress coping capability. Results: After visual cue onset, we found increased theta power in the frontal lobe and decreased alpha power in the occipital lobe during CS+ relative to CS- trials. TMS of dmPFC increased theta power in the frontal lobe and reduced alpha power in the occipital lobe during CS+. The TMS pulse increased the information flow from the sensorimotor region to the prefrontal and occipital regions in the theta and alpha bands, respectively during CS+ compared to CS-. Pre-stimulation frontal theta power (0.75–1 s) predicted the magnitude of frontal theta power changes after stimulation (1–1.25 s). Finally, the increased frontal theta power during CS+ compared to CS- was positively correlated with stress coping behavior. Conclusion: Our results show that TMS over dmPFC transiently modulated the regional cortical excitability and the fronto-occipital information flows during fear processing, while the pre-stimulation frontal theta power determined the strength of achieved effects. The frontal theta power may serve as a biomarker for fear processing and stress-coping responses in individuals and could be clinically tested in mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkata C Chirumamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nabin Koirala
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tamara Bonertz
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sarah von Grotthus
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Muthuraman Muthuraman
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sergiu Groppa
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Fanti KA, Konikou K, Cohn M, Popma A, Brazil IA. Amygdala functioning during threat acquisition and extinction differentiates antisocial subtypes. J Neuropsychol 2019; 14:226-241. [PMID: 31058425 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Extensive work implicates abnormal amygdala response during threatening stimuli in youth with antisocial behaviour. However, no research has examined whether youth identified in Primary and Secondary psychopathy subtypes would show differences in amygdala activity in response to threat acquisition and extinction. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify distinct antisocial groups based on participants' scores on callous-unemotional (CU) traits, anxiety, and familial abuse in a sample of 136 high-risk adolescents (mean age = 17.7, SD = 1.6; 86% male). Functional MRI was then used to assess amygdala activation patterns during a classical differential delay threat-conditioning task. In addition to the Primary and Secondary subtypes, we identified groups mainly high on anxiety and others who were mainly high on abuse. Participants in the Primary group showed lower right amygdala activity in response to neutral male faces compared to the low, Anxious, and Secondary groups, whereas participants in the group with history of abuse exhibited higher right amygdala activity during threat acquisition compared to the rest of the groups. During threat extinction, the Primary group showed lower right amygdala activity compared to the Secondary and abuse groups. This is the first study to reveal amygdala activation in identified psychopathy-related variants during threat conditioning. We found that stratifying the sample based on the identified variants revealed amygdala functioning patterns that furthered our understanding of emotion-based deficits among high-risk adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Moran Cohn
- VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Arne Popma
- VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Inti A Brazil
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Division Diagnostics, Research & Education, Forensic Psychiatric Centre Pompestichting, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Antwerp, Belgium.,Centre for Advances in Behavioural Science, Coventry University, UK
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90
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Schlumpf YR, Nijenhuis ERS, Klein C, Jäncke L, Bachmann S. Functional reorganization of neural networks involved in emotion regulation following trauma therapy for complex trauma disorders. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 23:101807. [PMID: 30986752 PMCID: PMC6505069 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We investigated whether patients with complex interpersonal trauma engage neural networks that are commonly activated during cognitive reappraisal and responding naturally to affect-laden images. In this naturalistic study, we examined whether trauma treatment not only reduces symptoms but also changes neural networks involved in emotional control. METHODS Before and after eight weeks of phase-oriented inpatient trauma treatment, patients (n = 28) with complex posttraumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) and complex dissociative disorders (CDD) performed a cognitive reappraisal task while electroencephalography (EEG) was registered. Patients were measured as a prototypical dissociative part that aims to fulfill daily life goals while avoiding traumatic memories and associated dissociative parts. Matched healthy controls (n = 38) were measured twice as well. We examined task-related functional connectivity and assessed self-reports of clinical symptoms and emotion regulation skills. RESULTS Prior to treatment and compared to controls, patients showed hypoconnectivity within neural networks involved in emotional downregulation while reappraising affect-eliciting pictures as well as viewing neutral and affect-eliciting pictures. Following treatment, connectivity became normalized in these networks comprising regions associated with cognitive control and memory. Additionally, patients showed a treatment-related reduction of negative but not of positive dissociative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study demonstrating that trauma-focused treatment was associated with favorable changes in neural networks involved in emotional control. Emotional overregulation manifesting as negative dissociative symptoms was reduced but not emotional underregulation, manifesting as positive dissociative symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda R Schlumpf
- Division of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Clienia Littenheid AG, Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Littenheid, Switzerland.
| | - Ellert R S Nijenhuis
- Clienia Littenheid AG, Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Littenheid, Switzerland
| | - Carina Klein
- Division of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Research Unit for Plasticity and Learning of the Healthy Aging Brain, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silke Bachmann
- Clienia Littenheid AG, Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Littenheid, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University Hospitals and University of Halle (Saale), Halle, Germany
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91
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How instructions shape aversive learning: higher order knowledge, reversal learning, and the role of the amygdala. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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92
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Roles of the Amygdala and Basal Forebrain in Defense: a Reply to Luyck Et al. and Implications for Defensive Action. Neuropsychol Rev 2019; 29:186-189. [PMID: 30888605 PMCID: PMC6560019 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-019-09401-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The commentary by Luyck and colleagues on our paper provides many stimulating viewpoints and interpretations of our original study on dissociable responses in the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in threat processing. Here, we reply to some of the points raised and while agreeing with most of the comments also provide some alternative viewpoints. We end by putting forward a research agenda for how to further investigate the roles of these regions in threat processing, with an emphasis on studying their roles in defensive action.
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93
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van Hoof MJ, Riem MME, Garrett AS, van der Wee NJA, van IJzendoorn MH, Vermeiren RRJM. Unresolved-disorganized attachment adjusted for a general psychopathology factor associated with atypical amygdala resting-state functional connectivity. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2019; 10:1583525. [PMID: 30891161 PMCID: PMC6419678 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2019.1583525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment (Ud) is another transdiagnostic risk factor that may be relevant to explain differences in patient characteristics within diagnostic classifications. Objective: In the current study, we examined unique relations of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) with Ud and GPF. Method: RSFC data were collected from a mixed group of adolescents (N = 74) with and without psychiatric disorder, as part of the Emotional Pathways' Imaging Study in Clinical Adolescents (EPISCA) study. Ud was measured using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Associations between Ud, GPF, and RSFC of the amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and with amygdala-medial frontal connectivity were examined. Results: Ud was positively associated with greater functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left lateral occipital cortex, precuneus, and superior parietal lobule. Furthermore, Ud was negatively associated with left amygdala-medial frontal cortex connectivity. GPF was not significantly associated with dACC or amygdala connectivity. Conclusions: Atypical amygdala connectivity may reflect a vulnerability factor rather than a biomarker of psychopathology. The unique association of Ud and amygdala RSFC, adjusted for a GPF, across participants with and without various classifications of psychopathology illustrates that dimensional approaches based on the AAI may complement psychiatric classifications in clinical research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-José van Hoof
- Curium-LUMC, Department of Child and Adolescent, Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), The Netherlands
| | - Madelon M. E. Riem
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Amy S. Garrett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Nic J. A. van der Wee
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marinus H. van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Primary Care Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robert R. J. M Vermeiren
- Curium-LUMC, Department of Child and Adolescent, Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), The Netherlands
- Lucertis-de Jutters, Parnassia Group, The Hague, The Netherlands
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94
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Hashemi MM, Gladwin TE, de Valk NM, Zhang W, Kaldewaij R, van Ast V, Koch SBJ, Klumpers F, Roelofs K. Neural Dynamics of Shooting Decisions and the Switch from Freeze to Fight. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4240. [PMID: 30862811 PMCID: PMC6414631 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40917-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Real-life shooting decisions typically occur under acute threat and require fast switching between vigilant situational assessment and immediate fight-or-flight actions. Recent studies suggested that freezing facilitates action preparation and decision-making but the neurocognitive mechanisms remain unclear. We applied functional magnetic resonance imaging, posturographic and autonomic measurements while participants performed a shooting task under threat of shock. Two independent studies, in unselected civilians (N = 22) and police recruits (N = 54), revealed that preparation for shooting decisions under threat is associated with postural freezing, bradycardia, midbrain activity (including the periaqueductal gray-PAG) and PAG-amygdala connectivity. Crucially, stronger activity in the midbrain/PAG during this preparatory stage of freezing predicted faster subsequent accurate shooting. Finally, the switch from preparation to active shooting was associated with tachycardia, perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) activity and pgACC-amygdala connectivity. These findings suggest that threat-anticipatory midbrain activity centred around the PAG supports decision-making by facilitating action preparation and highlight the role of the pgACC when switching from preparation to action. These results translate animal models of the neural switch from freeze-to-action. In addition, they reveal a core neural circuit for shooting performance under threat and provide empirical evidence for the role of defensive reactions such as freezing in subsequent action decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahur M Hashemi
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands.
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6526HR, Netherlands.
| | - Thomas E Gladwin
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands
- Department of Psychology and Counselling, University of Chichester, Chichester, West Sussex, P019 6PE, United Kingdom
| | - Naomi M de Valk
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands
| | - Wei Zhang
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6526HR, Netherlands
| | - Reinoud Kaldewaij
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6526HR, Netherlands
| | - Vanessa van Ast
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1018WT, Netherlands
| | - Saskia B J Koch
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6526HR, Netherlands
| | - Floris Klumpers
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6526HR, Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525EN, Netherlands.
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6526HR, Netherlands.
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95
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Role of Human Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Learning and Recall of Enhanced Extinction. J Neurosci 2019; 39:3264-3276. [PMID: 30782974 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2713-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Standard fear extinction relies on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) to form a new memory given the omission of threat. Using fMRI in humans, we investigated whether replacing threat with novel neutral outcomes (instead of just omitting threat) facilitates extinction by engaging the vmPFC more effectively than standard extinction. Computational modeling of associability (indexing surprise strength and dynamically modulating learning rates) characterized skin conductance responses and vmPFC activity during novelty-facilitated but not standard extinction. Subjects who showed faster within-session updating of associability during novelty-facilitated extinction also expressed better extinction retention the next day, as expressed through skin conductance responses. Finally, separable patterns of connectivity between the amygdala and ventral versus dorsal mPFC characterized retrieval of novelty-facilitated versus standard extinction memories, respectively. These results indicate that replacing threat with novel outcomes stimulates vmPFC involvement on extinction trials, leading to a more durable long-term extinction memory.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Psychiatric disorders characterized be excessive fear are a major public health concern. Popular clinical treatments, such as exposure therapy, are informed by principles of Pavlovian extinction. Thus, there is motivation to optimize extinction strategies in the laboratory so as to ultimately develop more effective clinical treatments. Here, we used functional neuroimaging in humans and found that replacing (rather than just omitting) expected aversive events with novel and neutral outcomes engages the ventromedial prefrontal cortex during extinction learning. Enhanced extinction also diminished activity in threat-related networks (e.g., the insula, thalamus) during immediate extinction and a 24 h extinction retention test. This is new evidence for how behavioral protocols designed to enhance extinction affects neurocircuitry underlying the learning and retention of extinction memories.
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96
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Fox AS, Shackman AJ. The central extended amygdala in fear and anxiety: Closing the gap between mechanistic and neuroimaging research. Neurosci Lett 2019; 693:58-67. [PMID: 29195911 PMCID: PMC5976525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders impose a staggering burden on public health, underscoring the need to develop a deeper understanding of the distributed neural circuits underlying extreme fear and anxiety. Recent work highlights the importance of the central extended amygdala, including the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and neighboring bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). Anatomical data indicate that the Ce and BST form a tightly interconnected unit, where different kinds of threat-relevant information can be integrated to assemble states of fear and anxiety. Neuroimaging studies show that the Ce and BST are engaged by a broad spectrum of potentially threat-relevant cues. Mechanistic work demonstrates that the Ce and BST are critically involved in organizing defensive responses to a wide range of threats. Studies in rodents have begun to reveal the specific molecules, cells, and microcircuits within the central extended amygdala that underlie signs of fear and anxiety, but the relevance of these tantalizing discoveries to human experience and disease remains unclear. Using a combination of focal perturbations and whole-brain imaging, a new generation of nonhuman primate studies is beginning to close this gap. This work opens the door to discovering the mechanisms underlying neuroimaging measures linked to pathological fear and anxiety, to understanding how the Ce and BST interact with one another and with distal brain regions to govern defensive responses to threat, and to developing improved intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology and University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland,College Park, MD 20742, United States.
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97
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Silvers JA, Guassi Moreira JF. Capacity and tendency: A neuroscientific framework for the study of emotion regulation. Neurosci Lett 2019; 693:35-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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98
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Thompson K, King K, Nahmias E, Fani N, Kvaran T, Tone EB, Turner JA. Social Feedback Modulates Neural Response Associated With Cognitive Bias in Individuals Expressing Anxious Symptoms. CHRONIC STRESS (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) 2019; 3:2470547019848648. [PMID: 31328176 PMCID: PMC6641571 DOI: 10.1177/2470547019848648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social anxiety is characterized by a tendency to overestimate the likelihood of negative outcomes and consequences before, during, and after interpersonal interactions with social partners. Recent evidence suggests that a network of brain regions critical for perspective-taking, threat appraisal, and uncertainty resolution may function atypically in those prone to social anxiety. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine neural activity in specific regions of interest in a sample of young adults who endorsed high or low levels of social anxiety. METHODS We recruited 31 college student volunteers (age: 18-28 years), categorized as having high or low anxiety based on their Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self Report scores. These participants were each scanned while playing the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game with three computerized confederates, two of whom they were deceived to believe were human co-players. This study focuses on data collected during play with the presumed humans. Regions of interest were defined for the temporoparietal junction, anterior midcingulate, and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Average weighted mean blood-oxygen-level-dependent signals for each subject were extracted and analyzed using mixed design analyses of variance to detect group differences in activation during decision-making, anticipation, and appraisal of round outcomes during the game. RESULTS Behavior analysis revealed that the high-anxiety group was more likely to defect than the low-anxiety group. Neuroimaging analysis showed that the high-anxiety group exhibited elevated blood-oxygen-level-dependent activity relative to the low-anxiety group in all three regions during the social feedback appraisal phase but not during decision-making or the anticipation of interaction outcomes. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide evidence that some behaviors linked to cognitive biases associated with social anxiety may be mediated by a network of regions involved in recognizing and processing directed social information. Future investigation of the neural basis of cognition and bias in social anxiety using the prisoner's dilemma and other economic-exchange tasks is warranted. These tasks appear to be highly effective, functional magnetic resonance imaging-compatible methods of probing altered cognition and behavior associated with anxiety and related conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalil Thompson
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State
University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kendrick King
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State
University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eddy Nahmias
- Department of Philosophy, Georgia State
University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Trevor Kvaran
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State
University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Erin B. Tone
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State
University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jessica A. Turner
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State
University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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99
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Michalska KJ, Feldman JS, Ivie EJ, Shechner T, Sequeira S, Averbeck B, Degnan KA, Chronis-Tuscano A, Leibenluft E, Fox NA, Pine DS. Early-childhood social reticence predicts SCR-BOLD coupling during fear extinction recall in preadolescent youth. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 36:100605. [PMID: 30921634 PMCID: PMC6969221 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Threat circuit function may develop differently in children with different temperamental profiles, such as high vs. low social reticence. We relate individual differences in longitudinally assessed, observed socially reticent behavior to brain-physiology interactions during extinction recall. Childhood social reticence predicts a distinct pattern of hemodynamic-autonomic covariation when recalling extinguished threat and safety cues. Covariation patterns indicated that socially reticent youth had difficulty tracking safety as a function of stimulus resemblance to the safe stimulus.
Social Reticence (SR) is a temperament construct identified in early childhood that is expressed as shy, anxiously avoidant behavior and, particularly when stable, robustly associated with risk for anxiety disorders. Threat circuit function may develop differently for children high on SR than low on SR. We compared brain function and behavior during extinction recall in a sample of 11-to-15-year-old children characterized in early childhood on a continuum of SR. Three weeks after undergoing fear conditioning and extinction, participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging extinction recall task assessing memory and threat differentiation for conditioned stimuli. Whereas self-report and psychophysiological measures of differential conditioning, extinction, and extinction recall were largely similar across participants, SR-related differences in brain function emerged during extinction recall. Specifically, childhood SR was associated with a distinct pattern of hemodynamic-autonomic covariation in the brain when recalling extinguished threat and safety cues. SR and attention focus impacted associations between trial-by-trial variation in autonomic responding and in brain activation. These interactions occurred in three main brain areas: the anterior insular cortex (AIC), the anterior subdivision of the medial cingulate cortex (aMCC), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). This pattern of SCR-BOLD coupling may reflect selective difficulty tracking safety in a temperamentally at-risk population.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J Michalska
- University of California Riverside, Department of Psychology, Riverside, CA, USA.
| | - J S Feldman
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - E J Ivie
- University of Oregon, Department of Psychology, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - T Shechner
- University of Haifa, Department of Psychology, Haifa, Israel
| | - S Sequeira
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - B Averbeck
- The National Institute of Mental Health, Emotion and Development Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - K A Degnan
- The Catholic University of America, Department of Psychology, Washington D.C., USA
| | - A Chronis-Tuscano
- University of Maryland College Park, Department of Psychology, College Park, MD, USA
| | - E Leibenluft
- The National Institute of Mental Health, Emotion and Development Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - N A Fox
- University of Maryland College Park, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, College Park, MD, USA
| | - D S Pine
- The National Institute of Mental Health, Emotion and Development Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
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100
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Contingency awareness as a prerequisite for differential contextual fear conditioning. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 19:811-828. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-00666-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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