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Cécillon FX, Mermillod M, Leys C, Lachaux JP, Le Vigouroux S, Shankland R. Trait Anxiety, Emotion Regulation, and Metacognitive Beliefs: An Observational Study Incorporating Separate Network and Correlation Analyses to Examine Associations with Executive Functions and Academic Achievement. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:123. [PMID: 38255435 PMCID: PMC10814468 DOI: 10.3390/children11010123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Trait anxiety, emotion regulation strategies, and metacognitive beliefs influence executive functions (EFs) and academic achievement. This study examines their interplay and impact on academic success. In total, 275 adolescents (10-17 years) and parents completed an online questionnaire assessing trait anxiety, emotion regulation strategies, metacognition, parent-reported behaviors related to executive functioning, and overall school average. Preliminary analyses confirmed consistency with the existing literature for each variable and their interaction. Furthermore, we conducted a network analysis among the main variables. This analysis supports the need to pay more attention to reflective variables-maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and metacognitive beliefs about worry-when studying trait anxiety. These variables were linked to problematic executive functioning in adolescents, and the latter was negatively linked to academic achievement. This study offers innovative insights by investigating relationships less explored in the scientific literature. It reveals high and significant correlations between metacognitive beliefs, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, and trait anxiety (r > 0.500, p < 0.001) but also between these variables and both executive functioning and academic achievement. These findings offer new perspectives for research and underscore the importance of holistically examining the psychological factors related to academic success.
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Affiliation(s)
- François-Xavier Cécillon
- Laboratoire Développement Individu Processus Handicap Education, Université Lumière Lyon 2, 5, Avenue Pierre Mendès-France, 69676 Bron, Cedex, France;
| | - Martial Mermillod
- Laboratoire Psychologie et NeuroCognition, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000 Grenoble, France;
| | - Christophe Leys
- Faculté de Psychologie, Sciences de l’Education et Logopédie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 50—CP191, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium;
| | - Jean-Philippe Lachaux
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Bâtiment 452—95 Bd Pinel, 69500 Bron, France;
| | | | - Rebecca Shankland
- Laboratoire Développement Individu Processus Handicap Education, Université Lumière Lyon 2, 5, Avenue Pierre Mendès-France, 69676 Bron, Cedex, France;
- Institut Universitaire de France, 1 Rue Descartes, 75231 Paris, Cedex 05, France
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Poplin T, Ironside M, Kuplicki R, Aupperle RL, Guinjoan SM, Khalsa SS, Stewart JL, Victor TA, Paulus MP, Kirlic N. The unique face of anxious depression: Increased sustained threat circuitry response during fear acquisition. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.17.562565. [PMID: 37905149 PMCID: PMC10614928 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.17.562565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Background Sensitivity to threat with dysregulation of fear learning is thought to contribute to the development of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders (AD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, fewer studies have examined fear learning in MDD than in AD. Nearly half of individuals with MDD have an AD and the comorbid diagnosis has worse outcomes. The current study used propensity matching to examine the hypothesis that AD+MDD shows greater neural correlates of fear learning than MDD, suggesting that the co-occurrence of AD+MDD is exemplified by exaggerated defense related processes. Methods 195 individuals with MDD (N = 65) or AD+MDD (N=130) were recruited from the community and completed multi-level assessments, including a Pavlovian fear learning task during functional imaging. Results MDD and AD+MDD showed significantly different patterns of activation for [CSplus-CSminus] in the medial amygdala (ηp2=0.009), anterior insula (ηp2=0.01), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (ηp2=0.002), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ηp2=0.01), mid-cingulate cortex (ηp2=0.01) and posterior cingulate cortex (ηp2=0.02). These differences were driven by greater activation to the CS+ in late conditioning phases in ADD+MDD relative to MDD. Conclusions AD+MDD showed a pattern of increased sustained activation in regions identified with fear learning. Effects were consistently driven by the threat condition, further suggesting fear signaling as the emergent target process. Differences emerged in regions associated with salience processing, attentional orienting/conflict, and self-relevant processing.These findings help to elucidate the fear signaling mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of comorbid anxiety and depression, thereby highlighting promising treatment targets for this prevalent treatment group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tate Poplin
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Maria Ironside
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Rayus Kuplicki
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Robin L. Aupperle
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Salvador M. Guinjoan
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Sahib S. Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Stewart
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Teresa A. Victor
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Martin P. Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
- University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
| | - Namik Kirlic
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 South Yale Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
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Smith DD, Meca A, Bottenhorn KL, Bartley JE, Riedel MC, Salo T, Peraza JA, Laird RW, Pruden SM, Sutherland MT, Brewe E, Laird AR. Task-based attentional and default mode connectivity associated with science and math anxiety profiles among university physics students. Trends Neurosci Educ 2023; 32:100204. [PMID: 37689430 PMCID: PMC10501206 DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2023.100204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Attentional control theory (ACT) posits that elevated anxiety increases the probability of re-allocating cognitive resources needed to complete a task to processing anxiety-related stimuli. This process impairs processing efficiency and can lead to reduced performance effectiveness. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students frequently experience anxiety about their coursework, which can interfere with learning and performance and negatively impact student retention and graduation rates. The objective of this study was to extend the ACT framework to investigate the neurobiological associations between science and math anxiety and cognitive performance among 123 physics undergraduate students. PROCEDURES Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four profiles of science and math anxiety among STEM students, including two profiles that represented the majority of the sample (Low Science and Math Anxiety; 59.3% and High Math Anxiety; 21.9%) and two additional profiles that were not well represented (High Science and Math Anxiety; 6.5% and High Science Anxiety; 4.1%). Students underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session in which they performed two tasks involving physics cognition: the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) task and the Physics Knowledge (PK) task. FINDINGS No significant differences were observed in FCI or PK task performance between High Math Anxiety and Low Science and Math Anxiety students. During the three phases of the FCI task, we found no significant brain connectivity differences during scenario and question presentation, yet we observed significant differences during answer selection within and between the dorsal attention network (DAN), ventral attention network (VAN), and default mode network (DMN). Further, we found significant group differences during the PK task were limited to the DAN, including DAN-VAN and within-DAN connectivity. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight the different cognitive processes required for physics conceptual reasoning compared to physics knowledge retrieval, provide new insight into the underlying brain dynamics associated with anxiety and physics cognition, and confirm the relevance of ACT theory for science and math anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donisha D Smith
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America.
| | - Alan Meca
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, United States of America
| | - Katherine L Bottenhorn
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Jessica E Bartley
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Michael C Riedel
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Taylor Salo
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Julio A Peraza
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Robert W Laird
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Shannon M Pruden
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Matthew T Sutherland
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Eric Brewe
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Angela R Laird
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
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Chen J, Yu T, Liu C, Yang Y, Lan Y, Li W. The effect of trait anxiety on the time course of self-relevant processing: Evidence from the perceptual matching task. Biol Psychol 2023; 178:108529. [PMID: 36868295 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
Studies have widely reported that trait anxiety is associated with a range of cognitive biases toward external negative emotional stimuli. However, few studies have examined whether trait anxiety modulates intrinsic self-relevant processing. This study investigated the electrophysiological mechanism underlying trait anxiety's modulating effect on self-relevant processing. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants performed a perceptual matching task that assigned an arbitrary geometric shape to an association with a "self" or "non-self" label. Results showed larger N1 amplitudes under self-association than under friend-association conditions, and smaller P2 amplitudes for self- than for stranger-association conditions in individuals with high trait anxiety. However, these self-biases in the N1 and P2 stages were not observed in those with low trait anxiety until the later N2 stage, in which the self-association condition provoked smaller N2 amplitudes than the stranger-association condition. In addition, both high and low trait anxiety individuals showed larger P3 amplitudes for the self-association condition than for the friend- and stranger-association conditions. These findings suggest that, although both high and low trait anxiety individuals showed self-bias, high trait anxiety individuals distinguished between self-relevant and non-self-relevant stimuli at an earlier stage, which may reflect hypervigilance to self-relevant stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Chen
- School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
| | - Tingwei Yu
- School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
| | - Cuihong Liu
- School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
| | - Yuchen Yang
- School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
| | - Yadi Lan
- School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
| | - Wenjie Li
- School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China; Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China.
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Weber-Goericke F, Muehlhan M. High and low worriers do not differ in unstimulated resting-state brain connectivity. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3052. [PMID: 36810628 PMCID: PMC9944913 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28333-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic, excessive and uncontrollable worry presents an anxiety rising and distressing mental activity relevant in a range of psychological disorders. Task based studies investigating its underlying neural mechanisms reveal fairly heterogenous results. The current study aimed to investigate pathological worry related effects on the functional neural network architecture in the resting unstimulated brain. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) we compared functional connectivity (FC) patterns between 21 high worriers and 21 low worriers. We, on the one hand, conducted a seed-to-voxel analysis based on recent meta-analytic findings and, on the other hand, implemented a data-driven multi voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) approach to yield brain clusters showing connectivity differences between the two groups. Additionally, the seed regions and MVPA were used to investigate whether whole brain connectivity is associated with momentary state worry across groups. The data did not reveal differences in resting-state FC related to pathological worry, neither by the seed-to-voxel or MVPA approach testing for differences linked to trait worry nor by using the MVPA to test for state worry related aberrations. We discuss whether the null findings in our analyses are related to spontaneous fluctuations in momentary worry and the associated presence of multiple fluctuating brain states that could cause mutually cancelling effects. For future studies investigating the neural correlates of excessive worry, we propose a direct worry induction for better control of the situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Weber-Goericke
- Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Chemnitzer Strasse 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Markus Muehlhan
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Science, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
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6
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Huang Q, Hou L, Zhang W, Zhou R. The dysregulation of top-down control in individuals with high test anxiety: A resting state fMRI study. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 151:649-656. [PMID: 35661522 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with high test anxiety (HTA) have deficits in attentional control and in stress responses when faced with tests. However, little is known about the underlying neural mechanism. Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in both attention and emotion networks, therefore this study examined the neural functional dysregulation in test anxiety from the perspective of functional connectivity (FC) using bilateral ACC as the regions of interest. METHODS Fifty-one participants were divided into HTA (n = 23) and low test anxiety (LTA, n = 28) group according to their Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) scores. Brain imaging data in resting, preparing, and recovering phases of a modified social evaluative threat task were collected, and emotional changes were assessed. RESULTS Compared with the LTA group, the HTA group exhibited significantly lower FCs between the ACC and superior frontal gyrus (SFG) in all 3 phases, significantly lower FCs between the ACC and inferior parietal gyrus (IPG), and significantly higher FCs between the ACC superior temporal gyrus (STG) in the preparing phase. Moreover, in the HTA group, the resting state IPG-ACC FC was associated with their TAS score, the preparing state STG-ACC FC was associated with the increased anxiety. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with HTA have general prefrontal control deficits. When facing a test, they tend to recruit more resources to deal with high emotional interference. The dysregulated control of the ACC by the frontal-parietal network may underlie the pathophysiology of test anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Huang
- Department of Brain and Learning Science, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China; Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Lulu Hou
- Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Department of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 220234, China
| | - Wenpei Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; School of Business, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, 243032, China
| | - Renlai Zhou
- Department of Brain and Learning Science, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China; Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China; Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China; State Key Laboratory of Media Convergence Production Technology and Systems, Beijing, 100803, China.
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Preckel K, Trautmann S, Kanske P. Medication-Enhanced Psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Recent Findings on Oxytocin's Involvement in the Neurobiology and Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN EUROPE 2021; 3:e3645. [PMID: 36398286 PMCID: PMC9667220 DOI: 10.32872/cpe.3645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Traumatic experiences may result in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is characterized as an exaggerated fear response that cannot be extinguished over time or in safe environments. What are beneficial psychotherapeutic treatment options for PTSD patients? Can oxytocin (OXT), which is involved in the stress response, and safety learning, ameliorate PTSD symptomatology and enhance psychotherapeutic effects? Here, we will review recent studies regarding OXT's potential to enhance psychotherapeutic therapies for PTSD treatment. Method We conducted a literature review on the neurobiological underpinnings of PTSD especially focusing on OXT's involvement in the biology and memory formation of PTSD. Furthermore, we researched successful psychotherapeutic treatments for PTSD patients and discuss how OXT may facilitate observed psychotherapeutic effects. Results For a relevant proportion of PTSD patients, existing psychotherapies are not beneficial. OXT may be a promising candidate to enhance psychotherapeutic effects, because it dampens responses to stressful events and allows for a faster recovery after stress. On a neural basis, OXT modulates processes that are involved in stress, arousal and memory. OXT effectively counteracts memory impairments caused by stress and facilitates social support seeking which is a key resilience factor for PTSD and which is beneficial in psychotherapeutic settings. Conclusion OXT has many characteristics that are promising to positively influence psychotherapy for PTSD patients. It potentially reduces intrusions, but preserves memory of the event itself. Introducing OXT into psychotherapeutic settings may result in better treatment outcomes for PTSD patients. Future research should directly investigate OXT's effects on PTSD, especially in psychotherapeutic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Preckel
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sebastian Trautmann
- Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Functional brain abnormalities associated with comorbid anxiety in autism spectrum disorder. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 32:1273-1286. [PMID: 33161905 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420000772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and associated with social-communication impairment and repetitive behavior symptoms. The neurobiology of anxiety in ASD is unknown, but amygdala dysfunction has been implicated in both ASD and anxiety disorders. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we compared amygdala-prefrontal and amygdala-striatal connections across three demographically matched groups studied in the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE): ASD with a comorbid anxiety disorder (N = 25; ASD + Anxiety), ASD without a comorbid disorder (N = 68; ASD-NoAnx), and typically developing controls (N = 139; TD). Relative to ASD-NoAnx and TD controls, ASD + Anxiety individuals had decreased connectivity between the amygdala and dorsal/rostral anterior cingulate cortex (dACC/rACC). The functional connectivity of these connections was not affected in ASD-NoAnx, and amygdala connectivity with ventral ACC/medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) circuits was not different in ASD + Anxiety or ASD-NoAnx relative to TD. Decreased amygdala-dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC)/rACC connectivity was associated with more severe social impairment in ASD + Anxiety; amygdala-striatal connectivity was associated with restricted, repetitive behavior (RRB) symptom severity in ASD-NoAnx individuals. These findings suggest comorbid anxiety in ASD is associated with disrupted emotion-monitoring processes supported by amygdala-dACC/mPFC pathways, whereas emotion regulation systems involving amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are relatively spared. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for comorbid anxiety for parsing ASD neurobiological heterogeneity.
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Yu N, Cai J, Xu X, Yang Y, Sun J. Masking effects on subjective annoyance to aircraft flyover noise: An fMRI study. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:3284-3294. [PMID: 32379391 PMCID: PMC7375093 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25016] [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: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound masking, a new noise control technology, has been applied to improve subjective perception of noise in recent years. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this technology are still unclear. In this study, 18 healthy subjects were recurited to take subjective annoyance assessments and fMRI scanning with the aircraft noise and the masked aircraft noise. The results showed that the noise annoyance was associated with deficient functional connectivity between anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and prefrontal cortex and exceeded brain activation in ACC, which might be explained as compensation. The sound masking led to significantly strong activation in the left medial frontal cortex and right medial orbital frontal cortex, which were associated with happy emotion induced by sound masking. This study offered new insights on the underlying neural mechanisms of sound masking effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishuai Yu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Cai
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuanyue Xu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yining Yang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junfeng Sun
- Shanghai Med-X Engineering Research Center, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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10
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Roy B, Ehlert L, Mullur R, Freeby MJ, Woo MA, Kumar R, Choi S. Regional Brain Gray Matter Changes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9925. [PMID: 32555374 PMCID: PMC7303156 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67022-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) show cognitive and mood impairment, indicating potential for brain injury in regions that control these functions. However, brain tissue integrity in cognition, anxiety, and depression regulatory sites, and their associations with these functional deficits in T2DM subjects remain unclear. We examined gray matter (GM) changes in 34 T2DM and 88 control subjects using high-resolution T1-weighted images, collected from a 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner, and assessed anxiety [Beck Anxiety Inventory], depressive symptoms [Beck Depression Inventory-II], and cognition [Montreal Cognitive Assessment]. We also investigated relationships between GM status of cognitive and mood control sites and these scores in T2DM. Significantly increased anxiety (p = 0.003) and depression (p = 0.001), and reduced cognition (p = 0.002) appeared in T2DM over controls. Decreased GM volumes appeared in several regions in T2DM patients, including the prefrontal, hippocampus, amygdala, insular, cingulate, cerebellum, caudate, basal-forebrain, and thalamus areas (p < 0.01). GM volumes were significantly associated with anxiety (r = -0.456,p = 0.009), depression (r = -0.465,p = 0.01), and cognition (r = 0.455,p = 0.009) scores in regions associated with those regulations (prefrontal cortices, hippocampus, para hippocampus, amygdala, insula, cingulate, caudate, thalamus, and cerebellum) in T2DM patients. Patients with T2DM show brain damage in regions that are involved in cognition, anxiety, and depression control, and these tissue alterations are associated with functional deficits. The findings indicate that mood and cognitive deficits in T2DM patients has brain structural basis in the condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhaswati Roy
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Luke Ehlert
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Rashmi Mullur
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Matthew J Freeby
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Mary A Woo
- UCLA School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. .,Department of Radiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. .,Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. .,Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Sarah Choi
- UCLA School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
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11
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Makovac E, Fagioli S, Rae CL, Critchley HD, Ottaviani C. Can't get it off my brain: Meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on perseverative cognition. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2020; 295:111020. [PMID: 31790922 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.111020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Perseverative cognition (i.e. rumination and worry) describes intrusive, uncontrollable, repetitive thoughts. These negative affective experiences are accompanied by physiological arousal, as if the individual were facing an external stressor. Perseverative cognition is a transdiagnostic symptom, yet studies of neural mechanisms are largely restricted to specific clinical populations (e.g. patients with major depression). The present study applied activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses to 43 functional neuroimaging studies of perseverative cognition to elucidate the neurobiological substrates across individuals with and without psychopathological conditions. Task-related and resting state functional connectivity studies were examined in separate meta-analyses. Across task-based studies, perseverative cognition engaged medial frontal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, insula, and posterior cingulate cortex. Resting state functional connectivity studies similarly implicated posterior cingulate cortex together with thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), yet the involvement of ACC distinguished between perseverative cognition in healthy controls (HC) and clinical groups. Perseverative cognition is accompanied by the engagement of prefrontal, insula and cingulate regions, whose interaction may support the characteristic conjunction of self-referential and affective processing with (aberrant) cognitive control and embodied (autonomic) arousal. Within this context, ACC engagement appears critical for the pathological expression of rumination and worry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Makovac
- Centre for Neuroimaging Science, Kings College London, London, UK.
| | - Sabrina Fagioli
- Department of Education, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy; Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Charlotte L Rae
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK; Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
| | - Hugo D Critchley
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK; Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
| | - Cristina Ottaviani
- Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy; Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Morgenroth E, Saviola F, Gilleen J, Allen B, Lührs M, W Eysenck M, Allen P. Using connectivity-based real-time fMRI neurofeedback to modulate attentional and resting state networks in people with high trait anxiety. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 25:102191. [PMID: 32044712 PMCID: PMC7013190 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Controlled experiment on functional connectivity-based real-time fMRI neurofeedback. Reduced anxiety levels in the experimental group after neurofeedback training. Altered activity and connectivity in neurofeedback ROIs in the experimental group. Increased resting state functional connectivity in the PCC in the experimental group.
High levels of trait anxiety are associated with impaired attentional control, changes in brain activity during attentional control tasks and altered network resting state functional connectivity (RSFC). Specifically, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to anterior cingulate cortex (DLPFC – ACC) functional connectivity, thought to be crucial for effective and efficient attentional control, is reduced in high trait anxious individuals. The current study examined the potential of connectivity-based real-time functional magnetic imaging neurofeedback (rt-fMRI-nf) for enhancing DLPFC – ACC functional connectivity in trait anxious individuals. We specifically tested if changes in DLPFC - ACC connectivity were associated with reduced anxiety levels and improved attentional control. Thirty-two high trait anxious participants were assigned to either an experimental group (EG), undergoing veridical rt-fMRI-nf, or a control group (CG) that received sham (yoked) feedback. RSFC (using resting state fMRI), anxiety levels and Stroop task performance were assessed pre- and post-rt-fMRI-nf training. Post-rt-fMRI-nf training, relative to the CG, the EG showed reduced anxiety levels and increased DLPFC-ACC functional connectivity as well as increased RSFC in the posterior default mode network. Moreover, in the EG, changes in DLPFC – ACC functional connectivity during rt-fMRI-nf training were associated with reduced anxiety levels. However, there were no group differences in Stroop task performance. We conclude that rt-fMRI-nf targeting DLPFC – ACC functional connectivity can alter network connectivity and interactions and is a feasible method for reducing trait anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elenor Morgenroth
- Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, Whitelands College, Hollybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK.
| | - Francesca Saviola
- CIMeC, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto (Trento), Italy
| | - James Gilleen
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, Whitelands College, Hollybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - Beth Allen
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, London, UK
| | - Michael Lührs
- Research Department, Brain Innovation B.V., Maastricht, Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Michael W Eysenck
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, Whitelands College, Hollybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK; Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, London, UK
| | - Paul Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, Whitelands College, Hollybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Combined Universities Brain Imaging Centre, London, UK; Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA
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Extrinsic and default mode networks in psychiatric conditions: Relationship to excitatory-inhibitory transmitter balance and early trauma. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 99:90-100. [PMID: 30769024 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Over the last three decades there has been an accumulation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies reporting that aberrant functional networks may underlie cognitive deficits and other symptoms across a range of psychiatric diagnoses. The use of pharmacological MRI and 1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) has allowed researchers to investigate how changes in network dynamics are related to perturbed excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in individuals with psychiatric conditions. More recently, changes in functional network dynamics and excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) neurotransmission have been linked to early childhood trauma, a major antecedents for psychiatric illness in adulthood. Here we review studies investigating whether perturbed network dynamics seen across psychiatric conditions are related to changes in E/I neurotransmission, and whether such changes could be linked to childhood trauma. Whilst there is currently a paucity of studies relating early traumatic experiences to altered E/I balance and network function, the research discussed here lead towards a plausible mechanistic hypothesis, linking early traumatic experiences to cognitive dysfunction and symptoms mediated by E/I neurotransmitter imbalances.
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Barker H, Munro J, Orlov N, Morgenroth E, Moser J, Eysenck MW, Allen P. Worry is associated with inefficient functional activity and connectivity in prefrontal and cingulate cortices during emotional interference. Brain Behav 2018; 8:e01137. [PMID: 30378289 PMCID: PMC6305912 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Anxiety is known to impair attentional control particularly when Task demands are high. Neuroimaging studies generally support these behavioral findings, reporting that anxiety is associated with increased (inefficient) activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during attentional control Tasks. However, less is known about the relationship between worry (part of the cognitive dimension of trait anxiety) and DLPFC/ACC function and connectivity during attentional control. In the present study, we sought to clarify this relationship. METHODS Forty-one participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a composite Faces and Scenes Task with high and low emotional interference conditions. Individual worry levels were assessed using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. RESULTS During high but not low emotional interference, worry was associated with increased activity in ACC, DLPFC, insula, and inferior parietal cortex. During high emotional interference, worry was also associated with reduced functional connectivity between ACC and DLPFC. Trait anxiety was not associated with changes in DLPFC/ACC activity or connectivity during either Task condition. CONCLUSIONS The results are consistent with cognitive models that propose worry competes for limited processing resources resulting in inefficient DLPFC and ACC activity when Tasks demands are high. Limitations of the present study and directions for future work are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Barker
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - James Munro
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Natasza Orlov
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Jason Moser
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Michael W Eysenck
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, London, UK
| | - Paul Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Combined Universities Brain Imaging Centre, London, UK
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