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Borst B, Jovanovic T, House SL, Bruce SE, Harnett NG, Roeckner AR, Ely TD, Lebois LAM, Young D, Beaudoin FL, An X, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Datner EM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Harte SE, Koenen KC, Kessler RC, McLean SA, Ressler KJ, Stevens JS, van Rooij SJH. Sex Differences in Response Inhibition-Related Neural Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Civilians With Recent Trauma. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024; 9:668-680. [PMID: 38522649 PMCID: PMC11227397 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Females are more likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than males. Impaired inhibition has been identified as a mechanism for PTSD development, but studies on potential sex differences in this neurobiological mechanism and how it relates to PTSD severity and progression are relatively rare. Here, we examined sex differences in neural activation during response inhibition and PTSD following recent trauma. METHODS Participants (n = 205, 138 female sex assigned at birth) were recruited from emergency departments within 72 hours of a traumatic event. PTSD symptoms were assessed 2 weeks and 6 months posttrauma. A Go/NoGo task was performed 2 weeks posttrauma in a 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanner to measure neural activity during response inhibition in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, right inferior frontal gyrus, and bilateral hippocampus. General linear models were used to examine the interaction effect of sex on the relationship between our regions of interest and the whole brain, PTSD symptoms at 6 months, and symptom progression between 2 weeks and 6 months. RESULTS Lower response inhibition-related ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation 2 weeks posttrauma predicted more PTSD symptoms at 6 months in females but not in males, while greater response inhibition-related right inferior frontal gyrus activation predicted lower PTSD symptom progression in males but not females. Whole-brain interaction effects were observed in the medial temporal gyrus and left precentral gyrus. CONCLUSIONS There are sex differences in the relationship between inhibition-related brain activation and PTSD symptom severity and progression. These findings suggest that sex differences should be assessed in future PTSD studies and reveal potential targets for sex-specific interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bibian Borst
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Stacey L House
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Steven E Bruce
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alyssa R Roeckner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dmitri Young
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Francesca L Beaudoin
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Rehabilitation International, Providence, Rhode Island; Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Xinming An
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Thomas C Neylan
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Gari D Clifford
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sarah D Linnstaedt
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Laura T Germine
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Many Brains Project, Belmont, Massachusetts
| | - Kenneth A Bollen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience & Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Scott L Rauch
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
| | - John P Haran
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Alan B Storrow
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | - Paul I Musey
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Phyllis L Hendry
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Sophia Sheikh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Christopher W Jones
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey
| | - Brittany E Punches
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio; Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Lauren A Hudak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jose L Pascual
- Department of Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Mark J Seamon
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Surgery, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth M Datner
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Jefferson Einstein Hospital, Jefferson Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Claire Pearson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Ascension St. John Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - David A Peak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert M Domeier
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Trinity Health, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Michigan
| | - Niels K Rathlev
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, Massachusetts
| | - Brian J O'Neil
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit Receiving Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Paulina Sergot
- Department of Emergency Medicine, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, Texas
| | - Leon D Sanchez
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Steven E Harte
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Internal Medicine-Rheumatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ronald C Kessler
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Samuel A McLean
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
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Klausing AD, Fukuwatari T, DeAngeli N, Bucci DJ, Schwarcz R. Adrenalectomy exacerbates stress-induced impairment in fear discrimination: A causal role for kynurenic acid? Biochem Pharmacol 2024:116350. [PMID: 38852644 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Impaired activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and reduced blood levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) are signature features of stress-related maladies. Recent evidence suggests a possible role of the tryptophan metabolite kynurenic acid (KYNA) in this context. Here we investigated possible causal relationships in adult male rats, using stress-induced fear discrimination as a translationally relevant behavioral outcome measure. One week following adrenalectomy (ADX) or sham surgery, animals were for 2 h either physically restrained or exposed to a predator odor, which caused a much milder stress response. Extracellular KYNA levels were determined before, during and after stress by in vivo microdialysis in the prefrontal cortex. Separate cohorts underwent a fear discrimination procedure starting immediately after stress termination. Different auditory conditioned stimuli (CS) were either paired with a foot shock (CS+) or non-reinforced (CS-). One week later, fear was assessed by re-exposing the animals to each CS. Separate groups of rats were treated with the KYNA synthesis inhibitor BFF-816 prior to stress initiation to test a causal role of KYNA in fear discrimination. Restraint stress raised extracellular KYNA levels by ∼85 % in ADX rats for several hours, and these animals were unable to discriminate between CS+ and CS-. Both effects were prevented by BFF-816 and were not observed after exposure to predator odor or in sham-operated rats. These findings suggest that a causal connection exists between adrenal function, stress-induced KYNA increases, and behavioral deficits. Pharmacological inhibition of KYNA synthesis may therefore be an attractive, novel option for the treatment of stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex D Klausing
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tsutomu Fukuwatari
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nicole DeAngeli
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - David J Bucci
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Robert Schwarcz
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Turkson S, van Rooij SJ, Powers A, Ofotokun I, Norrholm SD, N. Neigh G, Jovanovic T, Michopoulos V. HIV Interacts with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder to Impact Fear Psychophysiology in Trauma-Exposed Black Women. WOMEN'S HEALTH REPORTS (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.) 2024; 5:231-241. [PMID: 38523844 PMCID: PMC10960165 DOI: 10.1089/whr.2023.0133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Background The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among people living with HIV (PLWH) is higher than in the general population and can impact health behaviors. The influence of HIV on PTSD psychophysiology requires further investigation due to implications for the treatment of PTSD in PLWH. Objective Utilizing fear-potentiated startle (FPS), we aimed to interrogate the influence of PTSD and HIV on fear responses. Materials and Methods Women (18-65 years of age) recruited from the Women's Interagency HIV Study in Atlanta, GA (n = 70, 26 without HIV and 44 with HIV), provided informed consent and completed a semistructured interview to assess trauma exposure and PTSD symptom severity. Participants also underwent an FPS paradigm to assess fear acquisition and extinction: Psychophysiological indices that measure how individuals learn new fear and then subsequently attempt to suppress this fear. Results Women with PTSD, who did not have HIV, exhibited a greater startle response compared to women without PTSD or HIV during late acquisition to both the danger cue, reinforced conditioned stimulus (CS+, p = 0.013)), and the safety cue, non-reinforced conditioned stimulus (CS-, p = 0.046)), whereas women living with HIV (WLH) and PTSD demonstrated blunted fear responses compared to women with PTSD only. During extinction, WLH comorbid with PTSD exhibited an increased fear response during the extinction period in comparison to all other groups (p = 0.023). Women without PTSD demonstrated a reduction in the fear response during extinction regardless of HIV status. Conclusion Our findings indicate that HIV further modifies fear psychophysiology in WLH with comorbid PTSD, highlighting the importance of considering HIV status in conjunction with PTSD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susie Turkson
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Sanne J.H. van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Ighovwerha Ofotokun
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Grady Health System, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Seth D. Norrholm
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Gretchen N. Neigh
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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4
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Peyrot C, Provencher J, Duplessis Marcotte F, Cernik R, Marin MF. Using unconditioned responses to predict fear acquisition, fear extinction learning, and extinction retention patterns: Sex hormone status matters. Behav Brain Res 2024; 459:114802. [PMID: 38081517 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114802] [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: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Following a traumatic event, fear dysregulation can increase the likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This psychopathology is twice as prevalent in women than in men. High physiological reactivity following trauma may be an early risk indicator for the development of PTSD. Elevated physiological reactivity and low estradiol levels have individually been associated with higher fear acquisition and/or lower extinction retention. Thus, sex hormone status may also modulate fear regulation abilities. However, it is unknown whether these two vulnerability factors interact to modulate fear learning and regulation. Using a fear conditioning and extinction protocol, we examined whether physiological reactivity to the aversive stimulus during fear acquisition training predicted fear responses during fear learning, extinction learning, and extinction retention. We verified whether these associations differed according to sex hormone status. Seventy-seven non-clinical participants were recruited including oral contraceptive users (n = 18), early follicular women (n = 20, [low estradiol]), mid-cycle women (n = 20, [high estradiol]), and men (n = 19). Participants underwent a three-day fear conditioning and extinction protocol (day 1: fear acquisition training; day 2: extinction training; day 3: retention test). Skin conductance responses were recorded. In early follicular women, physiological reactivity predicted conditioned and extinguished stimulus fear responses during all phases. For the remaining women, this effect was only present during fear learning and extinction learning. These findings highlight the importance of considering physiological reactivity and sex hormone status following a traumatic event. This knowledge could aid in the early identification of those at higher risk of developing PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémence Peyrot
- Research Centre, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, H1N 3J4 Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Université de Montréal, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit boulevard, Montréal, Québec H3T 1J4, Canada.
| | - Jessie Provencher
- Research Centre, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, H1N 3J4 Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke Street W, Montréal, Québec H2X 2P3, Canada.
| | - Félix Duplessis Marcotte
- Research Centre, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, H1N 3J4 Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke Street W, Montréal, Québec H2X 2P3, Canada.
| | - Rebecca Cernik
- Research Centre, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, H1N 3J4 Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke Street W, Montréal, Québec H2X 2P3, Canada.
| | - Marie-France Marin
- Research Centre, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, H1N 3J4 Montréal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Université de Montréal, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit boulevard, Montréal, Québec H3T 1J4, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke Street W, Montréal, Québec H2X 2P3, Canada.
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5
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Rosencrans PL, Zoellner LA, Feeny NC. A network approach to posttraumatic stress disorder: Comparing interview and self-report networks. PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA : THEORY, RESEARCH, PRACTICE AND POLICY 2024; 16:340-346. [PMID: 34672659 PMCID: PMC10225153 DOI: 10.1037/tra0001151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Trauma-related fear (e.g., reexperiencing), impaired reward (e.g., anhedonia), and interpersonal (e.g., detachment) processes may be functionally intertwined, giving rise to chronic psychopathology after a trauma. Network analyses can help pinpoint symptom drivers and treatment targets, but studies examining posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment-seeking individuals are lacking. METHOD Treatment-seeking adults with primary PTSD (N = 350) completed interview and self-report measures of PTSD severity (PSS-I; PSS-SR). Self-report and interview-based networks were estimated and compared. RESULTS Both networks suggested distinct but interconnected communities of reexperiencing and dysphoric symptoms (e.g., interpersonal detachment, numbing). Centrality profiles were strongly associated across networks (rs = .71), with cued reexperiencing and interpersonal detachment showing strong centrality. Self-reported symptoms were more interconnected, suggesting lower specificity. CONCLUSIONS For those seeking treatment, interrelated fear and interpersonal processes may drive functional impairment in PTSD, and interview-based networks may help better delineate influential symptoms. Therapeutically, targeting cued reexperiencing and interpersonal detachment may facilitate broader symptom decreases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Norah C Feeny
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University
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6
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Shen XY, Zhang J, Huang HZ, Li SD, Zhou L, Wu SP, Tang C, Huang X, Liu ZQ, Guo ZY, Li X, Man HY, Lu YM, Zhu LQ, Liu D. The interaction of Synapsin 2a and Synaptogyrin-3 regulates fear extinction in mice. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e172802. [PMID: 38175724 PMCID: PMC10866652 DOI: 10.1172/jci172802] [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: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms behind a lack of efficient fear extinction in some individuals are unclear. Here, by employing a principal components analysis-based approach, we differentiated the mice into extinction-resistant and susceptible groups. We determined that elevated synapsin 2a (Syn2a) in the infralimbic cortex (IL) to basolateral amygdala (BLA) circuit disrupted presynaptic orchestration, leading to an excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in the BLA region and causing extinction resistance. Overexpression or silencing of Syn2a levels in IL neurons replicated or alleviated behavioral, electrophysiological, and biochemical phenotypes in resistant mice. We further identified that the proline-rich domain H in the C-terminus of Syn2a was indispensable for the interaction with synaptogyrin-3 (Syngr3) and demonstrated that disrupting this interaction restored extinction impairments. Molecular docking revealed that ritonavir, an FDA-approved HIV drug, could disrupt Syn2a-Syngr3 binding and rescue fear extinction behavior in Syn2a-elevated mice. In summary, the aberrant elevation of Syn2a expression and its interaction with Syngr3 at the presynaptic site were crucial in fear extinction resistance, suggesting a potential therapeutic avenue for related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Ya Shen
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - He-Zhou Huang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shao-Dan Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ling Zhou
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shi-Ping Wu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Cheng Tang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xian Huang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Liu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zi-Yuan Guo
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Xiang Li
- Department of Neurosurgery and
- Brain Research Center, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Heng-Ye Man
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - You-Ming Lu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ling-Qiang Zhu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dan Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Mufford MS, van der Meer D, Kaufmann T, Frei O, Ramesar R, Thompson PM, Jahanshad N, Morey RA, Andreassen OA, Stein DJ, Dalvie S. The Genetic Architecture of Amygdala Nuclei. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 95:72-84. [PMID: 37391117 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whereas genetic variants influencing total amygdala volume have been identified, the genetic architecture of its distinct nuclei has yet to be explored. We aimed to investigate whether increased phenotypic specificity through nuclei segmentation aids genetic discoverability and elucidates the extent of shared genetic architecture and biological pathways with related disorders. METHODS T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging scans (N = 36,352, 52% female) from the UK Biobank were segmented into 9 amygdala nuclei with FreeSurfer (version 6.1). Genome-wide association analyses were performed on the entire sample, a European-only subset (n = 31,690), and a generalization (transancestry) subset (n = 4662). We estimated single nucleotide polymorphism-based heritability; derived polygenicity, discoverability, and power estimates; and investigated genetic correlations and shared loci with psychiatric disorders. RESULTS The heritability of the nuclei ranged from 0.17 to 0.33. Across the whole amygdala and the nuclei volumes, we identified 28 novel genome-wide significant (padj < 5 × 10-9) loci in the European analysis, with significant en masse replication for the whole amygdala and central nucleus volumes in the generalization analysis, and we identified 10 additional candidate loci in the combined analysis. The central nucleus had the highest statistical power for discovery. The significantly associated genes and pathways showed unique and shared effects across the nuclei, including immune-related pathways. Shared variants were identified between specific nuclei and autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS Through investigation of amygdala nuclei volumes, we have identified novel candidate loci in the neurobiology of amygdala volume. These nuclei volumes have unique associations with biological pathways and genetic overlap with psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary S Mufford
- South African Medical Research Council Genomic and Precision Medicine Research Unit, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Global Initiative for Neuropsychiatric Genetics Education in Research program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Boston, Massachusetts; South African Medical Research Council Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Dennis van der Meer
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Tobias Kaufmann
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Oleksandr Frei
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Center for Bioinformatics, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Raj Ramesar
- South African Medical Research Council Genomic and Precision Medicine Research Unit, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California
| | - Neda Jahanshad
- Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California
| | - Rajendra A Morey
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research Centre, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Centre, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dan J Stein
- South African Medical Research Council Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Shareefa Dalvie
- South African Medical Research Council Genomic and Precision Medicine Research Unit, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Zillig AL, Pauli P, Wieser M, Reicherts P. Better safe than sorry?-On the influence of learned safety on pain perception. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289047. [PMID: 37934741 PMCID: PMC10629634 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The experience of threat was found to result-mostly-in increased pain, however it is still unclear whether the exact opposite, namely the feeling of safety may lead to a reduction of pain. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two between-subject experiments (N = 94; N = 87), investigating whether learned safety relative to a neutral control condition can reduce pain, while threat should lead to increased pain compared to a neutral condition. Therefore, participants first underwent either threat or safety conditioning, before entering an identical test phase, where the previously conditioned threat or safety cue and a newly introduced visual cue were presented simultaneously with heat pain stimuli. Methodological changes were performed in experiment 2 to prevent safety extinction and to facilitate conditioning in the first place: We included additional verbal instructions, increased the maximum length of the ISI and raised CS-US contingency in the threat group from 50% to 75%. In addition to pain ratings and ratings of the visual cues (threat, safety, arousal, valence, and contingency), in both experiments, we collected heart rate and skin conductance. Analysis of the cue ratings during acquisition indicate successful threat and safety induction, however results of the test phase, when also heat pain was administered, demonstrate rapid safety extinction in both experiments. Results suggest rather small modulation of subjective and physiological pain responses following threat or safety cues relative to the neutral condition. However, exploratory analysis revealed reduced pain ratings in later trials of the experiment in the safety group compared to the threat group in both studies, suggesting different temporal dynamics for threat and safety learning and extinction, respectively. Perspective: The present results demonstrate the challenge to maintain safety in the presence of acute pain and suggest more research on the interaction of affective learning mechanism and pain processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lena Zillig
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Wieser
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Philipp Reicherts
- Department of Medical Psychology and Sociology, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
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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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10
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Olivera-Pasilio V, Dabrowska J. Fear-Conditioning to Unpredictable Threats Reveals Sex and Strain Differences in Rat Fear-Potentiated Startle (FPS). Neuroscience 2023; 530:108-132. [PMID: 37640137 PMCID: PMC10726736 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.08.030] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Fear-potentiated startle (FPS) has been widely used to study fear processing in humans and rodents. Human studies showed higher startle amplitudes and exaggerated fear reactivity to unpredictable vs. predictable threats in individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although human FPS studies use both sexes, a surprisingly limited number of rodent FPS studies use females. Here we investigate the effects of signal-threat contingency, signal-threat order and threat predictability on FPS in both sexes. We use a classic fear-conditioning protocol (100% contingency of cue and shock pairings, with forward conditioning such that the cue co-terminates with the shock) and compare it to modified fear-conditioning protocols (70% contingency; backward conditioning; or cue and shock un-paired). Although there are no sex differences in the startle amplitudes when corrected for body weight, females consistently demonstrate higher shock reactivity during fear-conditioning. Both sexes and strains demonstrate comparable levels of cued, non-cued, and contextual fear in the classic FPS and FPS following fear-conditioning with 70% contingency or backward order (cue co-starts with shock). However, in the classic FPS, Sprague-Dawley females show reduced proportion between cued fear and cue-elicited vigilant state than males. Lastly, a prominent sex difference is uncovered following unpredictable fear-conditioning (cue and shock un-paired), with Wistar, but not Sprague-Dawley, females showing significantly higher startle overall during the FPS recall, regardless of trial type, and higher contextual fear than males. This striking sex difference in processing unpredictable threats in rodent FPS might help to understand the mechanisms underlying higher incidence of PTSD in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Olivera-Pasilio
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, USA.
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11
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Portugal LCL, Ramos TC, Fernandes O, Bastos AF, Campos B, Mendlowicz MV, da Luz M, Portella C, Berger W, Volchan E, David IA, Erthal F, Pereira MG, de Oliveira L. Machine learning applied to fMRI patterns of brain activation in response to mutilation pictures predicts PTSD symptoms. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:719. [PMID: 37798693 PMCID: PMC10552290 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05220-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study aimed to apply multivariate pattern recognition methods to predict posttraumatic stress symptoms from whole-brain activation patterns during two contexts where the aversiveness of unpleasant pictures was manipulated by the presence or absence of safety cues. METHODS Trauma-exposed participants were presented with neutral and mutilation pictures during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) collection. Before the presentation of pictures, a text informed the subjects that the pictures were fictitious ("safe context") or real-life scenes ("real context"). We trained machine learning regression models (Gaussian process regression (GPR)) to predict PTSD symptoms in real and safe contexts. RESULTS The GPR model could predict PTSD symptoms from brain responses to mutilation pictures in the real context but not in the safe context. The brain regions with the highest contribution to the model were the occipito-parietal regions, including the superior parietal gyrus, inferior parietal gyrus, and supramarginal gyrus. Additional analysis showed that GPR regression models accurately predicted clusters of PTSD symptoms, nominal intrusion, avoidance, and alterations in cognition. As expected, we obtained very similar results as those obtained in a model predicting PTSD total symptoms. CONCLUSION This study is the first to show that machine learning applied to fMRI data collected in an aversive context can predict not only PTSD total symptoms but also clusters of PTSD symptoms in a more aversive context. Furthermore, this approach was able to identify potential biomarkers for PTSD, especially in occipitoparietal regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Catarina Lima Portugal
- Neurophysiology Laboratory, Department of Physiological Sciences, Roberto Alcantara Gomes Biology Institute, Biomedical Center, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Boulevard 28 de Setembro, 87 - Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20551-030, Brazil
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Universidade Federal Fluminense, R. Prof. Hernani Pires de Mello, 101, São Domingos, Niterói, RJ, 24210-130, Brazil
| | - Taiane Coelho Ramos
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Universidade Federal Fluminense, R. Prof. Hernani Pires de Mello, 101, São Domingos, Niterói, RJ, 24210-130, Brazil
- Mídiacom Lab, Institute of Computing, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Av. Gal. Milton Tavares de Souza, s/n, São Domingos, Niterói, RJ, 24210-310, Brazil
| | - Orlando Fernandes
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Universidade Federal Fluminense, R. Prof. Hernani Pires de Mello, 101, São Domingos, Niterói, RJ, 24210-130, Brazil
| | - Aline Furtado Bastos
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 373 - Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Bruna Campos
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 373 - Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Mauro Vitor Mendlowicz
- Linpes, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Venceslau Brás, 71 - Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-140, Brazil
| | - Mariana da Luz
- Linpes, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Venceslau Brás, 71 - Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-140, Brazil
| | - Carla Portella
- Linpes, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Venceslau Brás, 71 - Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-140, Brazil
| | - William Berger
- Linpes, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Venceslau Brás, 71 - Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-140, Brazil
| | - Eliane Volchan
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 373 - Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brazil
- Linpes, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Venceslau Brás, 71 - Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-140, Brazil
| | - Isabel Antunes David
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Universidade Federal Fluminense, R. Prof. Hernani Pires de Mello, 101, São Domingos, Niterói, RJ, 24210-130, Brazil
| | - Fátima Erthal
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 373 - Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brazil
- Linpes, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Venceslau Brás, 71 - Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22290-140, Brazil
| | - Mirtes Garcia Pereira
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Universidade Federal Fluminense, R. Prof. Hernani Pires de Mello, 101, São Domingos, Niterói, RJ, 24210-130, Brazil
| | - Leticia de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Behavior, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Universidade Federal Fluminense, R. Prof. Hernani Pires de Mello, 101, São Domingos, Niterói, RJ, 24210-130, Brazil.
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12
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Fitzgerald JM, Webb EK, Sangha S. Psychological and physiological correlates of stimulus discrimination in adults. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14327. [PMID: 37170664 PMCID: PMC10527767 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14327] [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: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The discrimination of cues in the environment that signal danger ("fear cue") is important for survival but depends critically on the discernment of such cues from ones that pose no threat ("safety cues"). In rodents, we previously demonstrated the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that support fear versus safety discrimination and documented that these mechanisms extend to the discrimination of reward as well. While learning about reward is equally important for survival, it remains an under-studied area of research, particularly in human studies of conditional discrimination. In the present study, we translated our rodent task of fear reward and neutral discrimination (fear, reward, and neutral discrimination [FRND]) for use in humans. Undergraduate students (N = 53) completed the FRND while electrodermal activity was recorded. Skin conductance response (SCR) amplitude, a marker of arousal response, was derived for fear, reward, and neutral cues that signaled no outcome; critical trials assessed conditional discrimination using combined fear + neutral and reward + neutral cues. Participants provided likeability ratings for each cue type. Results demonstrated that participants rated reward cues the best, fear cues the worst, and neutral cues in between, while SCR amplitude was largest for fear and reward cues and lowest for neutral cues. SCR amplitudes were reduced for fear + neutral (compared to fear) and reward + neutral cues (compared to reward). Results demonstrate that the FRND is a useful paradigm for the assessment of psychological and physiological discrimination of fear and reward. Implications and directions for future work are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - E. Kate Webb
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan Sangha
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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13
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Kutlu MG, Tat J, Christensen BA, Zachry JE, Calipari ES. Dopamine release at the time of a predicted aversive outcome causally controls the trajectory and expression of conditioned behavior. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112948. [PMID: 37543945 PMCID: PMC10528296 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is causally linked to adaptive aversive learning, and its dysregulation is a core phenotype in anxiety and stress disorders. Here, we record NAc core dopamine during a task where mice learn to discriminate between cues signaling two types of outcomes: (1) footshock presentation and (2) footshock omission. We show that dopamine release is evoked by footshock omission. This dopamine response is largest when the omission is unexpected and decreases over learning, and artificially increasing this signal disrupts discrimination learning. Conversely, optogenetic inhibition of dopamine responses to the footshock itself impairs learning. Finally, theory-driven computational modeling suggests that these effects can be explained by dopamine signaling the perceived saliency of predicted aversive events. Together, we elucidate the role of NAc dopamine in aversive learning and offer potential avenues for understanding the neural mechanisms involved in anxiety and stress disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munir Gunes Kutlu
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jennifer Tat
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | | | - Jennifer E Zachry
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Erin S Calipari
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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14
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Harnett NG, Fani N, Carter S, Sanchez LD, Rowland GE, Davie WM, Guzman C, Lebois LAM, Ely TD, van Rooij SJH, Seligowski AV, Winters S, Grasser LR, Musey PI, Seamon MJ, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Zeng D, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Swor RA, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Harris E, Chang AM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, Bruce SE, Miller MW, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, McLean SA, Jovanovic T, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ. Structural inequities contribute to racial/ethnic differences in neurophysiological tone, but not threat reactivity, after trauma exposure. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2975-2984. [PMID: 36725899 PMCID: PMC10615735 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01971-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Considerable racial/ethnic disparities persist in exposure to life stressors and socioeconomic resources that can directly affect threat neurocircuitry, particularly the amygdala, that partially mediates susceptibility to adverse posttraumatic outcomes. Limited work to date, however, has investigated potential racial/ethnic variability in amygdala reactivity or connectivity that may in turn be related to outcomes such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants from the AURORA study (n = 283), a multisite longitudinal study of trauma outcomes, completed functional magnetic resonance imaging and psychophysiology within approximately two-weeks of trauma exposure. Seed-based amygdala connectivity and amygdala reactivity during passive viewing of fearful and neutral faces were assessed during fMRI. Physiological activity was assessed during Pavlovian threat conditioning. Participants also reported the severity of posttraumatic symptoms 3 and 6 months after trauma. Black individuals showed lower baseline skin conductance levels and startle compared to White individuals, but no differences were observed in physiological reactions to threat. Further, Hispanic and Black participants showed greater amygdala connectivity to regions including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and cerebellum compared to White participants. No differences were observed in amygdala reactivity to threat. Amygdala connectivity was associated with 3-month PTSD symptoms, but the associations differed by racial/ethnic group and were partly driven by group differences in structural inequities. The present findings suggest variability in tonic neurophysiological arousal in the early aftermath of trauma between racial/ethnic groups, driven by structural inequality, impacts neural processes that mediate susceptibility to later PTSD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sierra Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Leon D Sanchez
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Grace E Rowland
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - William M Davie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Camilo Guzman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Antonia V Seligowski
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sterling Winters
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Lana R Grasser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Paul I Musey
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Mark J Seamon
- Department of Surgery, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stacey L House
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Francesca L Beaudoin
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Xinming An
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Donglin Zeng
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas C Neylan
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gari D Clifford
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sarah D Linnstaedt
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Laura T Germine
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- The Many Brains Project, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth A Bollen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience & Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Scott L Rauch
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - John P Haran
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Alan B Storrow
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Phyllis L Hendry
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine -Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Sophia Sheikh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine -Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Christopher W Jones
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA
| | - Brittany E Punches
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
- Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Robert A Swor
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI, USA
| | - Lauren A Hudak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jose L Pascual
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Anna M Chang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Claire Pearson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Ascension St. John Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - David A Peak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roland C Merchant
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert M Domeier
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
| | - Niels K Rathlev
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, MA, USA
| | - Steven E Bruce
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri - St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Mark W Miller
- National Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- National Center for PTSD, Clinical Neurosciences Division, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jutta Joormann
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven E Harte
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine-Rheumatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - James M Elliott
- Kolling Institute, University of Sydney, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
- Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ronald C Kessler
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samuel A McLean
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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15
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Dabrowska J. From recent advances in underlying neurocircuitry of fear and anxiety to promising pharmacotherapies for PTSD: The saga of heart, sex and the developing brain. Neuropharmacology 2023; 232:109529. [PMID: 37004751 PMCID: PMC11017858 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Available pharmacotherapies for anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress-disorder (PTSD) have limited efficacy, but no new anxiolytic drug has been approved for treatment since the 1980s. In this issue of Neuropharmacology on "Fear, anxiety and PTSD: from cellular mechanisms to translational approaches", we review the currently recommended pharmacotherapy for PTSD and discuss promising pharmacotherapies being revisited or newly developed. Novel strategies for pharmaceuticals in PTSD treatment include the use of serotonergic psychedelics as low-dose adjunct therapies combined with psychotherapy. We also discuss the use of glucocorticoids targeting the temporal window shortly following trauma exposure to interfere with fear memory consolidation. Although many factors have impeded progress in pharmacotherapy development for anxiety disorders and PTSD, we highlight three: (1) the sparsity of preclinical studies investigating the neurobiology of fear processing in female animal models despite the higher prevalence of anxiety disorders in women, (2) the poor implementation of the knowledge of how stress affects fear circuitry development across the lifetime into clinical practice, and (3) our paucity of knowledge of canonical fear circuitry in adaptive vs. maladaptive fear processing. Finally, we emphasize the functional link between interoceptive signals and emotion regulation and discuss how these interoceptive signals may be an inroad into PTSD treatment, which is often accompanied by cardiovascular dysregulation. A better understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of adaptive and maladaptive fear processing is critical for identifying risk factors that will spur the development of sex- and developmental trauma-specific interventions, ushering in a new era of precision medicine for anxiety disorders and PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, USA.
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16
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Ng KH, Sangha S. Encoding of conditioned inhibitors of fear in the infralimbic cortex. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:5658-5670. [PMID: 36411540 PMCID: PMC10152082 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac450] [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: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cues in the environment signaling the absence of threat, i.e. safety, can influence both fear and reward-seeking behaviors. Heightened and maladaptive fear is associated with reduced activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. We have previously shown in male rats that the infralimbic (IL) prefrontal cortex is necessary for suppressing fear during a safety cue. The objective of the present study was to determine if there was safety cue-specific neural activity within the IL using a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm, where a fear cue was paired with shock, a safety cue was paired with no shock, and a reward cue was paired with sucrose. To investigate how safety cues can suppress fear, the fear and safety cues were presented together as a compound fear + safety cue. Single-unit activity showed a large proportion of neurons with excitatory responses to the fear + safety cue specifically, a separate group of neurons with excitatory responses to both the reward and fear + safety cues, and bidirectional neurons with excitation to the fear + safety cue and inhibition to the fear cue. Neural activity was also found to be negatively correlated with freezing during the fear + safety cue. Together, these data implicate the IL in encoding specific aspects of conditioned inhibitors when fear is being actively suppressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka H Ng
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States
| | - Susan Sangha
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
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17
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Cassaday HJ, Muir C, Stevenson CW, Bonardi C, Hock R, Waite L. From safety to frustration: The neural substrates of inhibitory learning in aversive and appetitive conditioning procedures. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 202:107757. [PMID: 37044368 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitory associative learning counters the effects of excitatory learning, whether appetitively or aversively motivated. Moreover, the affective responses accompanying the inhibitory associations are of opponent valence to the excitatory conditioned responses. Inhibitors for negative aversive outcomes (e.g. shock) signal safety, while inhibitors for appetitive outcomes (e.g. food reward) elicit frustration and/or disappointment. This raises the question as to whether studies using appetitive and aversive conditioning procedures should demonstrate the same neural substrates for inhibitory learning. We review the neural substrates of appetitive and aversive inhibitory learning as measured in different procedural variants and in the context of the underpinning excitatory conditioning on which it depends. The mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathways, retrosplenial cortex and hippocampus are consistently implicated in inhibitory learning. Further neural substrates identified in some procedural variants may be related to the specific motivation of the learning task and modalities of the learning cues. Finally, we consider the translational implications of our understanding of the neural substrates of inhibitory learning, for obesity and addictions as well as for anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - C Muir
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham; School of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, University of Bristol
| | | | - C Bonardi
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham
| | - R Hock
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham
| | - L Waite
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham
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18
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Shanazz K, Nalloor R, Lucas R, Vazdarjanova A. Neuroinflammation is a susceptibility factor in developing a PTSD-like phenotype. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1112837. [PMID: 37064304 PMCID: PMC10090279 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1112837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder that occurs after a traumatic event in a subset of exposed individuals. This implies the existence of susceptibility factors that foster the development of PTSD. Susceptibility factors are present before trauma and can contribute to the development and maintenance of PTSD after trauma. Manipulation of susceptibility factors may decrease the probability of developing PTSD. A putative susceptibility factor is inflammation. Patients with PTSD have been documented to have a higher pro-inflammatory profile compared to non-PTSD subjects. In addition, they are more likely to develop and die from cardiovascular disease which has a strong inflammation component. It is not known, however, whether inflammation plays a role in developing PTSD or whether reducing inflammation can prevent PTSD.MethodsWe used the Revealing Individual Susceptibility to a PTSD-like phenotype (RISP) model to behaviorally classify male rats as resilient or susceptible before trauma and tested their serum and prefrontal cortical (mPFC) levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, IL-10, IFN IFNγ, and KC/GRO to determine whether inflammation represents a putative susceptibility factor for PTSD.ResultsWe found elevated IL-6 levels in the mPFC, but not serum, of susceptible rats compared to resilient animals before trauma. Serum and mPFC levels were not correlated in any of the cytokines/chemokines. Rats with high anxiety-like behavior had elevated IL-6 and IL-10 mPFC levels. Acoustic startle responses were not associated with cytokine/chemokine levels.DiscussionNeuroinflammation, rather than systemic inflammation exists in susceptible male rats before trauma and is thus a putative susceptibility factor for PTSD. Thus, susceptibility appears neurogenic in its pathogenesis. The lack of differences between susceptible and resilient rats in serum cytokine/chemokine levels infers that peripheral markers will not be useful in determining susceptibility. Chronic neuroinflammation appears more broadly associated with anxiety rather than startle responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khadijah Shanazz
- VA Research Service, Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Rebecca Nalloor
- VA Research Service, Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Rudolf Lucas
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Almira Vazdarjanova
- VA Research Service, Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- *Correspondence: Almira Vazdarjanova,
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19
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Olivera-Pasilio V, Dabrowska J. Fear-conditioning to unpredictable threats reveals sex differences in rat fear-potentiated startle (FPS). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.06.531430. [PMID: 36945466 PMCID: PMC10028867 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.06.531430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Fear-potentiated startle (FPS) has been widely used to study fear processing in humans and rodents. Human studies have shown higher startle amplitudes and exaggerated fear reactivity to unpredictable vs. predictable threats in individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although human FPS studies often use both sexes, a surprisingly limited number of rodent FPS studies use females. Here we investigate the effects of signal-threat contingency, signal-threat order and threat predictability on FPS in both sexes. We use a classic fear-conditioning protocol (100% contingency of cue and shock pairings, with forward conditioning such that the cue co-terminates with the shock) and compare it to modified fear-conditioning protocols (70% contingency; backward conditioning; or cue and shock unpaired). Although there are no sex differences in the startle amplitudes when corrected for body weight, females demonstrate higher shock reactivity during fear-conditioning. Both sexes demonstrate comparable levels of cued, non-cued, and contextual fear in the classic FPS but females show reduced fear discrimination vs. males. Fear-conditioning with 70% contingency or backward order (cue co-starts with shock) induces similar levels of cued, non-cued, and contextual fear in both sexes but they differ in contextual fear extinction. Lastly, a prominent sex difference is uncovered following unpredictable fear-conditioning protocol (cue and shock un-paired), with females showing significantly higher startle overall during the FPS recall, regardless of trial type, and higher contextual fear than males. This striking sex difference in processing unpredictable threats in rodent FPS might help to understand the mechanisms underlying higher incidence of PTSD in women. Highlights Male and female rats have comparable startle amplitudes when corrected for body weightFemale rats show higher foot-shock reactivity than males during fear-conditioningFemale rats show reduced fear discrimination vs. males in the classic FPSReversed signal-threat order increases contextual fear in both sexesExposure to unpredictable threats increases startle in general and contextual fear only in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Olivera-Pasilio
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, Illinois, USA
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20
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Koppold A, Kastrinogiannis A, Kuhn M, Lonsdorf TB. Watching with Argus eyes: Characterization of emotional and physiological responding in adults exposed to childhood maltreatment and/or recent adversity. Psychophysiology 2023:e14253. [PMID: 36727722 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to adverse experiences is a well-established major risk factor for affective psychopathology. The vulnerability of deleterious sequelae is assumed in maladaptive processes of the defensive system, particularly in emotional processing. More specifically, childhood maltreatment has been suggested to be associated with the recruitment of specific and distinct defensive response profiles. To date, it remains unclear whether these are specific or generalizable to recent adversity in adulthood. This pre-registered study aimed to investigate the impact of exposure to childhood and recent adversity on emotional processing in 685 healthy adults with the "Affective Startle Modulation" Paradigm (ASM). First, we replicated higher trait anxiety and depression levels in individuals exposed to both types of adversity. Second, we observed increased general skin conductance reactivity in individuals exposed to recent adversity. Third, individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment showed reduced, while individuals exposed to recent adversity showed increased discrimination between pictures of negative and neutral valence, compared with non-exposed individuals in SCR. No association between exposure to adversity and fear potentiated startle was observed. Furthermore, explorative analyses revealed moderate dimensional and categorical agreement between two childhood maltreatment questionnaires and provide insight into potential adversity-type specific effects. Our results support experience-dependent plasticity in sympathetic nervous system reactivity and suggest distinct response profiles in affective modulation in individuals exposed to early versus recent adversity. We emphasize the need to further explore distinct adversity profiles to further our understanding on specific psychophysiological profiles and their potential implication for prevention and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Koppold
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Manuel Kuhn
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tina B Lonsdorf
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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21
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Sullivan ADW, Brier ZMF, Legrand AC, van Stolk-Cooke K, Jovanovic T, Norrholm SD, Garavan H, Forehand R, Price M. The Enduring Importance of Parenting: Caregiving Quality and Fear-Potentiated Startle in Emerging Adults With a Child Maltreatment History. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2023; 28:97-106. [PMID: 34886701 PMCID: PMC9316457 DOI: 10.1177/10775595211060050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Background: The transition to adulthood is a period of increased risk for emergent psychopathology; emerging adults with a childhood maltreatment history are at risk for poor outcomes. Method: Using a multi-measure, transdisciplinary, cross-sectional design, this study tested whether participant-reported positive parenting, a potential resilience-promoting factor, moderated the association between clinician-rated PTSD symptom severity and a transdiagnostic maladjustment biomarker, fear-potentiated startle (FPS), in a sample of 66 emerging adults (Myears = 18.83, SD = 0.89) with a maltreatment history. We hypothesized that characteristics of effective parenting would moderate the relation between PTSD symptoms and FPS. Results: Results indicated that elevated PTSD, as measured by the CAPS, was associated with a more severe startle reaction. The magnitude of the increase in startle reactivity was moderated by parenting such that those with more positive parenting (Accepting [relative to rejecting]: b = -0.42, p < .001; Psychologically-controlling [relative to autonomy-promoting]: b = 2.96, p = .004) had significantly less reactivity across the task at higher levels of PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Emerging adults with childhood maltreatment histories, high levels of PTSD symptoms, and who perceive present-day high-quality caregiver support may cope better with novel stressors relative to youth lacking that support, potentially translating to better psychological outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zoe M. F. Brier
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Alison C. Legrand
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | | | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Seth D. Norrholm
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Hugh Garavan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Rex Forehand
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Matthew Price
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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22
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Sumner JA, Cleveland S, Chen T, Gradus JL. Psychological and biological mechanisms linking trauma with cardiovascular disease risk. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:25. [PMID: 36707505 PMCID: PMC9883529 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02330-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, and experiences of psychological trauma have been associated with subsequent CVD onset. Identifying key pathways connecting trauma with CVD has the potential to inform more targeted screening and intervention efforts to offset elevated cardiovascular risk. In this narrative review, we summarize the evidence for key psychological and biological mechanisms linking experiences of trauma with CVD risk. Additionally, we describe various methodologies for measuring these mechanisms in an effort to inform future research related to potential pathways. With regard to mechanisms involving posttraumatic psychopathology, the vast majority of research on psychological distress after trauma and CVD has focused on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even though posttraumatic psychopathology can manifest in other ways as well. Substantial evidence suggests that PTSD predicts the onset of a range of cardiovascular outcomes in trauma-exposed men and women, yet more research is needed to better understand posttraumatic psychopathology more comprehensively and how it may relate to CVD. Further, dysregulation of numerous biological systems may occur after trauma and in the presence of posttraumatic psychopathology; these processes of immune system dysregulation and elevated inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, renin-angiotensin system dysregulation, and accelerated biological aging may all contribute to subsequent cardiovascular risk, although more research on these pathways in the context of traumatic stress is needed. Given that many of these mechanisms are closely intertwined, future research using a systems biology approach may prove fruitful for elucidating how processes unfold to contribute to CVD after trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Sumner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Shiloh Cleveland
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tiffany Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jaimie L Gradus
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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23
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Bryant RA. Is Fear Extinction Impairment Central to Psychopathology? Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:195-212. [PMID: 37668874 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_439] [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] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
As discussed in this chapter, there have been enormous advances in our understanding of how anxiety disorders develop, are maintained, and can be treated. Many of these advances have been the result of translational studies using fear conditioning and extinction models. Despite these successes, we recognize, as a field, that there are important limitations in the extent to which extinction can explain how anxiety disorders and behaviors remit. Clinically speaking, the outstanding challenge for treatment of anxiety disorders is to improve the current suboptimal success rates. Over the past 30 years, we have not improved our treatment success rates despite employing many pharmacological and pharmacological strategies. While extinction and related fear circuitry mechanisms most certainly appear to play a role in treatment of anxiety disorders, they are also apparently insufficient to fully accommodate the varied responses individuals exhibit with this treatment approach. Increasingly diverse and innovative approaches are needed that accommodate the multitude of change mechanisms involved in treating anxiety. However, this is not to suggest ignoring the key role that extinction and memory updating processes play in overcoming anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Bryant
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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24
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Cain CK. Beyond Fear, Extinction, and Freezing: Strategies for Improving the Translational Value of Animal Conditioning Research. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:19-57. [PMID: 37532965 PMCID: PMC10840073 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Translational neuroscience for anxiety has had limited success despite great progress in understanding the neurobiology of Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction. This chapter explores the idea that conditioning paradigms have had a modest impact on translation because studies in animals and humans are misaligned in important ways. For instance, animal conditioning studies typically use imminent threats to assess short-duration fear states with single behavioral measures (e.g., freezing), whereas human studies typically assess weaker or more prolonged anxiety states with physiological (e.g., skin conductance) and self-report measures. A path forward may be more animal research on conditioned anxiety phenomena measuring dynamic behavioral and physiological responses in more complex environments. Exploring transitions between defensive brain states during extinction, looming threats, and post-threat recovery may be particularly informative. If care is taken to align paradigms, threat levels, and measures, this strategy may reveal stable patterns of non-conscious defense in animals and humans that correlate better with conscious anxiety. This shift in focus is also warranted because anxiety is a bigger problem than fear, even in disorders defined by dysfunctional fear or panic reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher K Cain
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
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25
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Velasco ER, Florido A, Perez-Caballero L, Marin I, Andero R. The Impacts of Sex Differences and Sex Hormones on Fear Extinction. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:105-132. [PMID: 37528309 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_426] [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] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Fear extinction memories are strongly modulated by sex and hormonal status, but the exact mechanisms are still being discovered. In humans, there are some basal and task-related features in which male and female individuals differ in fear conditioning paradigms. However, analyses considering the effects of sex hormones demonstrate a role for estradiol in fear extinction memory consolidation. Translational studies are taking advantage of the convergent findings between species to understand the brain structures implicated. Nevertheless, the human brain is complex and the transfer of these findings into the clinics remains a challenge. The promising advances in the field together with the standardization of fear extinction methodologies in humans will benefit the design of new personalized therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Raul Velasco
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Florido
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Perez-Caballero
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Marin
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raul Andero
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
- Unitat de Neurociència Traslacional, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT), Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain.
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26
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Li Y, Li N, Zhang L, Liu Y, Zhang T, Li D, Bai D, Liu X, Li L. Predicting PTSD symptoms in firefighters using a fear-potentiated startle paradigm and machine learning. J Affect Disord 2022; 319:294-299. [PMID: 36162659 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
This study develops a fear-potentiated startle paradigm (FPS) and a machine learning approach to accurately predict PTSD symptoms using electrogram data. A three-phase fear-potentiated startle paradigm was designed to assess the conditioning, generalization, and extinction of fear. Electrooculogram and electrocardiogram signals were collected during the FPS. A total of 1107 Chinese firefighters participated in the study. The Chinese version PCL-C was administered to all subjects. A cutoff of 38 or higher is used to indicate PTSD symptoms. Electrogram features were extracted and selected to build a machine learning model to classify individuals. The machine learning model was 5-fold cross validated. The importance of the selected features was calculated. Classification performance metrics were evaluated for the machine learning model. The machine learning model can identify firefighters with a PCL-C score of 38 or above with sensitivity and specificity both above 0.85 when 5-fold cross validated on a 1107-person sample. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model is 0.93. Features related to fear generalization are found to be the most important. The proposed fear-potentiated startle paradigm and machine learning approach can accurately predict PTSD symptoms in Chinese firefighters, which can improve the screening and diagnosis of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanhui Li
- Adai Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Nan Li
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Liqun Zhang
- Adai Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Yanru Liu
- Adai Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | | | - Dai Li
- Adai Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | | | - Xiang Liu
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
| | - Lingjiang Li
- Mental Health Institute, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
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27
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Javanbakht A, Grasser LR. Biological Psychiatry in Displaced Populations: What We Know, and What We Need to Begin to Learn. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1242-1250. [PMID: 35580738 PMCID: PMC9678009 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Conflict and climate change continue to displace millions of people, who experience unique trauma and stressors as they resettle in host countries. Both children and adults who are forcibly displaced, or choose to migrate, experience posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions at higher rates than the general population. This may be attributed to severe, cumulative stress and trauma (largely interpersonal traumas); discrimination and harassment in host countries; and structural barriers to accessing and addressing mental health concerns, including clinician availability, language barriers, cultural differences, geographic accessibility, health care access, and stigma. Despite high exposure to and clinical impact of such experiences, and despite representing 1% of the world population, forcibly displaced people are underrepresented in neuroscientific research. The availability of such literature and research findings is significant in understanding the unique genetic and cultural aspects of trauma- and stress-related mental health, advocacy, reducing stigma, informing prevention, and treatment. The present work aimed to explore how the field of neuroscience can address mental health equity for individuals who have been uprooted in relation to land, with a focus on refugee populations. We offer practical suggestions on how to improve research in this area and narrow the gap in knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Javanbakht
- Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
| | - Lana Ruvolo Grasser
- Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
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Beyond fear: Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder fail to engage in safety cues. JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Pace-Schott EF, Seo J, Bottary R. The influence of sleep on fear extinction in trauma-related disorders. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 22:100500. [PMID: 36545012 PMCID: PMC9761387 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), fear and anxiety become dysregulated following psychologically traumatic events. Regulation of fear and anxiety involves both high-level cognitive processes such as cognitive reattribution and low-level, partially automatic memory processes such as fear extinction, safety learning and habituation. These latter processes are believed to be deficient in PTSD. While insomnia and nightmares are characteristic symptoms of existing PTSD, abundant recent evidence suggests that sleep disruption prior to and acute sleep disturbance following traumatic events both can predispose an individual to develop PTSD. Sleep promotes consolidation in multiple memory systems and is believed to also do so for low-level emotion-regulatory memory processes. Consequently sleep disruption may contribute to the etiology of PTSD by interfering with consolidation in low-level emotion-regulatory memory systems. During the first weeks following a traumatic event, when in the course of everyday life resilient individuals begin to acquire and consolidate these low-level emotion-regulatory memories, those who will develop PTSD symptoms may fail to do so. This deficit may, in part, result from alterations of sleep that interfere with their consolidation, such as REM fragmentation, that have also been found to presage later PTSD symptoms. Here, sleep disruption in PTSD as well as fear extinction, safety learning and habituation and their known alterations in PTSD are first briefly reviewed. Then neural processes that occur during the early post-trauma period that might impede low-level emotion regulatory processes through alterations of sleep quality and physiology will be considered. Lastly, recent neuroimaging evidence from a fear conditioning and extinction paradigm in patient groups and their controls will be considered along with one possible neural process that may contribute to a vulnerability to PTSD following trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward F. Pace-Schott
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Corresponding author. Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital - East, CNY 149 13th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
| | - Jeehye Seo
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Korea University, Department of Brain & Cognitive Engineering, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ryan Bottary
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
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Kribakaran S, Odriozola P, Cohodes EM, McCauley S, Zacharek SJ, Hodges H, Haberman JT, Pierre JC, Gee DG. Neural circuitry involved in conditioned inhibition via safety signal learning is sensitive to trauma exposure. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 21:100497. [PMID: 36532365 PMCID: PMC9755062 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to trauma throughout the lifespan is prevalent and increases the likelihood for the development of mental health conditions such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Safety signal learning (SSL)--a form of conditioned inhibition that involves reducing fear via conditioned safety--has been shown to effectively attenuate fear responses among individuals with trauma exposure, but the association between trauma exposure and the neural mechanisms of SSL remains unknown. Adults with varied prior exposure to trauma completed a conditioned inhibition task during functional MRI scanning and collection of skin conductance response (SCR). Conditioned safety signals reduced psychophysiological reactivity (i.e., SCR) in the overall sample. Although exposure to a higher number of traumatic events was associated with elevated SCR across all task conditions, SCR did not differ between threat in the presence of conditioned safety (i.e., SSL) relative to threat alone in a trauma-related manner. At the neural level, however, higher levels of trauma exposure were associated with lower hippocampal, amygdala, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortical activation during SSL. These findings suggest that while conditioned safety signals can reduce fear in the presence of threat even among individuals exposed to higher degrees of trauma, the neural circuitry involved in SSL is in fact sensitive to trauma exposure. Future research investigating neural processes during SSL among individuals with PTSD or anxiety can further elucidate the ways in which SSL and its neural correlates may reduce fear and link trauma exposure with later mental health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahana Kribakaran
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Paola Odriozola
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Sarah McCauley
- Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sadie J. Zacharek
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - H.R. Hodges
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | | | | | - Dylan G. Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Corresponding author. 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
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Huang PC, Hung CH, Chen GW, Cashin C, Griffiths MD, Yang WC, Wang HW, Lin CY, Ko NY. COVID-19-Related Self-Stigma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Insomnia, and Smartphone Addiction Among Frontline Government Workers with COVID-19 Pandemic Control Duties. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2022; 15:3069-3080. [PMID: 36281271 PMCID: PMC9587721 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s383842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The duties related to COVID-19 control and prevention may have caused psychological stress for the individuals in charge (eg, frontline government workers) and have reportedly led to mental health issues, such as insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the prevalence of these COVID-19-related disorders and their associated factors remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence rates of insomnia, PTSD, COVID-19-related self-stigma, and smartphone addiction, along with the identification of risk factors and protective factors for Taiwan frontline government workers with COVID-19 pandemic control duties. Methods The survey was carried out with 151 participants between September and October 2021. All participants completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (assessing fear of COVID-19), Self-Stigma Scale (assessing self-stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (assessing the risk of smartphone addiction), Insomnia Severity Index (assessing insomnia), Impacts of Event Scale-6 (assessing PTSD), and a self-designed set of questions assessing trait resilience. Results The results showed that the prevalence rate was 31.1% for insomnia and 33.8% for PTSD. Furthermore, service duration (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.86, 0.999) and trait resilience (AOR = 0.19; 95% CI = 0.08, 0.46) were protective factors and fear of COVID-19 (AOR = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.02, 3.57) was a risk factor for insomnia. Fear of COVID-19 (AOR = 2.63; 95% CI = 1.35, 5.14), self-stigma (AOR = 3.62; 95% CI = 1.19, 11.02), and smartphone addiction (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.001, 1.19) were risk factors, and trait resilience was a protective factor (AOR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.29, 1.17) for PTSD. Conclusion The findings demonstrated a high prevalence of insomnia and PTSD. Risk-reducing strategies and protective factor promotion strategies are recommended to help reduce the symptoms of insomnia and PTSD among Taiwan frontline government workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Ching Huang
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Hsia Hung
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Guan-Wei Chen
- Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ciaran Cashin
- Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Mark D Griffiths
- International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Wen-Chi Yang
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-DA Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan,Faculty of School of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Wen Wang
- Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Ying Lin
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan,Biostatistics Consulting Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan,Department of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan,Correspondence: Chung-Ying Lin, Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Rd, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, Tel +886 6-2353535 ext. 5106, Fax +886 6-2367981, Email
| | - Nai-Ying Ko
- Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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32
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Duesman SJ, Shetty S, Patel S, Ogale N, Mohamed F, Sparman N, Rajbhandari P, Rajbhandari AK. Sexually dimorphic role of the locus coeruleus PAC1 receptors in regulating acute stress-associated energy metabolism. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:995573. [PMID: 36275856 PMCID: PMC9580361 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.995573] [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: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe stress leads to alterations in energy metabolism with sexually dimorphic onset or severity. The locus coeruleus (LC) in the brainstem that mediates fight-or-flight-or-freeze response to stress is sexually dimorphic in morphology, plays a key role in interactions between diet and severe stressors, and has neuronal input to the brown adipose tissue (BAT)-a thermogenic organ important for energy balance. Yet, little is known on how LC coordinates stress-related metabolic adaptations. LC expresses receptors for the neuropeptide PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide) and PACAP signaling through PAC1 (PACAP receptor) are critical regulators of various types of stressors and energy metabolism. We hypothesized that LC-PAC1 axis is a sex-specific central "gatekeeper" of severe acute stress-driven behavior and energy metabolism. Selective ablation of PAC1 receptors from the LC did not alter stress response in mice of either sex, but enhanced food intake in females and was associated with increased energy expenditure and BAT thermogenesis in male mice. These results show a sexually dimorphic role of the LC-PAC1 in regulating acute stress-related energy metabolism. Thus, by disrupting LC-PAC1 signaling, our studies show a unique and previously unexplored role of LC in adaptive energy metabolism in a sex-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J. Duesman
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Sanutha Shetty
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Sanil Patel
- Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Neha Ogale
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Farzanna Mohamed
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Njeri Sparman
- Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Prashant Rajbhandari
- Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Abha Karki Rajbhandari
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States,*Correspondence: Abha Karki Rajbhandari,
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33
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McCullough KM, Katrinli S, Hartmann J, Lori A, Klengel C, Missig G, Klengel T, Langford NA, Newman EL, Anderson KJ, Smith AK, Carroll FI, Ressler KJ, Carlezon WA. Blood levels of T-Cell Receptor Excision Circles (TRECs) provide an index of exposure to traumatic stress in mice and humans. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:423. [PMID: 36192377 PMCID: PMC9530209 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02159-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to stress triggers biological changes throughout the body. Accumulating evidence indicates that alterations in immune system function are associated with the development of stress-associated illnesses such as major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, increasing interest in identifying immune markers that provide insight into mental health. Recombination events during T-cell receptor rearrangement and T-cell maturation in the thymus produce circular DNA fragments called T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) that can be utilized as indicators of thymic function and numbers of newly emigrating T-cells. Given data suggesting that stress affects thymus function, we examined whether blood levels of TRECs might serve as a quantitative peripheral index of cumulative stress exposure and its physiological correlates. We hypothesized that chronic stress exposure would compromise thymus function and produce corresponding decreases in levels of TRECs. In male mice, exposure to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) produced thymic involution, adrenal hypertrophy, and decreased levels of TRECs in blood. Extending these studies to humans revealed robust inverse correlations between levels of circulating TRECs and childhood emotional and physical abuse. Cell-type specific analyses also revealed associations between TREC levels and blood cell composition, as well as cell-type specific methylation changes in CD4T + and CD8T + cells. Additionally, TREC levels correlated with epigenetic age acceleration, a common biomarker of stress exposure. Our findings demonstrate alignment between findings in mice and humans and suggest that blood-borne TRECs are a translationally-relevant biomarker that correlates with, and provides insight into, the cumulative physiological and immune-related impacts of stress exposure in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth M McCullough
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Seyma Katrinli
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jakob Hartmann
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Claudia Klengel
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Galen Missig
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Torsten Klengel
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Nicole A Langford
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Emily L Newman
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kasey J Anderson
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - F Ivy Carroll
- Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - William A Carlezon
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
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Lee SY, Park CL, Cilhoroz BT, Pescatello LS. PTSD symptom clusters and cardiovascular responses to stress: Reactivity and recovery. J Psychosom Res 2022; 161:110996. [PMID: 35933739 PMCID: PMC9588198 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with high blood pressure (BP) and decreased heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and in response to acute stress. Unique contributions of PTSD symptom clusters to cardiovascular responses to stress are rarely investigated. This study tested whether PTSD-related arousal/reactivity drives relationships of higher PTSD symptoms with higher BP and lower HRV during rest, reactivity (stressor-induced change from baseline), and recovery. METHODS Using a cross-sectional observational design, we enrolled 84 trauma-exposed community adults (83% female; 68% White; Mage = 35) who endorsed at least one core PTSD symptom. Participants completed a physical exam, self-reports of trauma history and PTSD symptoms, and BP and HRV frequency domain measurements during rest, stressor (mental arithmetic task), and recovery. RESULTS Arousal/reactivity was not associated with BP or HRV reactivity but associated with a higher low (LF) to high (HF) frequency (HF) ratio (LF/HF) during recovery reflecting sympathetic predominance. During the stressor, more avoidance and intrusion were associated with increased diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from baseline; more avoidance was associated with parasympathetic predominance (lower LF/HF); and more negative cognitions/mood was associated with decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP), DBP, and LF from baseline. During recovery, more intrusion and negative cognitions/mood were associated with increased SBP from baseline; less negative cognitions/mood was associated with sympathetic predominance (higher LF/HF). CONCLUSIONS PTSD symptom clusters demonstrated differential relationships with SBP, DBP, and HRV during reactivity and recovery. Findings may inform targeted PTSD symptom reduction interventions for disrupting links between PTSD and CVD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Y Lee
- Brown University, Warren Alpert Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, USA.
| | - Crystal L Park
- University of Connecticut, Department of Psychological Sciences, USA.
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Laing PAF, Felmingham KL, Davey CG, Harrison BJ. The neurobiology of Pavlovian safety learning: Towards an acquisition-expression framework. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104882. [PMID: 36150453 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Safety learning creates associations between conditional stimuli and the absence of threat. Studies of human fear conditioning have accumulated evidence for the neural signatures of safety over various paradigms, aligning on several common brain systems. While these systems are often interpreted as underlying safety learning in a generic sense, they may instead reflect the expression of learned safety, pertaining to processes of fear inhibition, positive affect, and memory. Animal models strongly suggest these can be separable from neural circuits implicated in the conditioning process itself (or safety acquisition). While acquisition-expression distinctions are ubiquitous in behavioural science, this lens has not been applied to safety learning, which remains a novel area in the field. In this mini-review, we overview findings from prevalent safety paradigms in humans, and synthesise these with insights from animal models to propose that the neurobiology of safety learning be conceptualised along an acquisition-expression model, with the aim of stimulating richer brain-based characterisations of this important process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A F Laing
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Kim L Felmingham
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Christopher G Davey
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ben J Harrison
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
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36
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Tanriverdi B, Gregory DF, Olino TM, Ely TD, Harnett NG, van Rooij SJH, Lebois LAM, Seligowski AV, Jovanovic T, Ressler KJ, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Kurz MC, McGrath ME, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Datner EM, Pearson C, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sanchez LD, Bruce SE, Miller MW, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Sheridan JF, Smoller JW, Harte SE, Elliott JM, McLean SA, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, Stevens JS, Murty VP. Hippocampal Threat Reactivity Interacts with Physiological Arousal to Predict PTSD Symptoms. J Neurosci 2022; 42:6593-6604. [PMID: 35879096 PMCID: PMC9410748 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0911-21.2022] [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: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hippo campal impairments are reliably associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, little research has characterized how increased threat sensitivity may interact with arousal responses to alter hippocampal reactivity, and further how these interactions relate to the sequelae of trauma-related symptoms. In a sample of individuals recently exposed to trauma (N = 116, 76 female), we found that PTSD symptoms at 2 weeks were associated with decreased hippocampal responses to threat as assessed with fMRI. Further, the relationship between hippocampal threat sensitivity and PTSD symptomology only emerged in individuals who showed transient, high threat-related arousal, as assayed by an independently collected measure of fear potentiated startle. Collectively, our finding suggests that development of PTSD is associated with threat-related decreases in hippocampal function because of increases in fear-potentiated arousal.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Alterations in hippocampal function linked to threat-related arousal are reliably associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, how these alterations relate to the sequelae of trauma-related symptoms is unknown. Prior models based on nontrauma samples suggest that arousal may impact hippocampal neurophysiology leading to maladaptive behavior. Here we show that decreased hippocampal threat sensitivity interacts with fear-potentiated startle to predict PTSD symptoms. Specifically, individuals with high fear-potentiated startle and low, transient hippocampal threat sensitivity showed the greatest PTSD symptomology. These findings bridge literatures of threat-related arousal and hippocampal function to better understand PTSD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Büşra Tanriverdi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19121
| | - David F Gregory
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19121
| | - Thomas M Olino
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19121
| | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Antonia V Seligowski
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Stacey L House
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Francesca L Beaudoin
- Department of Emergency Medicine & Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital, and Miriam Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island 02930
| | - Xinming An
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27559
| | - Thomas C Neylan
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143
| | - Gari D Clifford
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Sarah D Linnstaedt
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27559
| | - Laura T Germine
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
| | - Kenneth A Bollen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience & Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27559
| | - Scott L Rauch
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry/Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
| | - John P Haran
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655
| | - Alan B Storrow
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232
| | | | - Paul I Musey
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
| | - Phyllis L Hendry
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida 32209
| | - Sophia Sheikh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida 32209
| | - Christopher W Jones
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey 08103
| | - Brittany E Punches
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267
- College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221
| | - Michael C Kurz
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama 35294
- Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgery, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama 35294
- Center for Injury Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294
| | - Meghan E McGrath
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Lauren A Hudak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Jose L Pascual
- Department of Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Mark J Seamon
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
- Department of Surgery, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Elizabeth M Datner
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19141
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
| | - Claire Pearson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202
| | - Robert M Domeier
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
| | - Niels K Rathlev
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, Massachusetts 01107
| | - Brian J O'Neil
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202
| | - Leon D Sanchez
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Steven E Bruce
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63121
| | - Mark W Miller
- National Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts 02130
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- National Center for PTSD, Clinical Neurosciences Division, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, Connecticut 06510
| | - Jutta Joormann
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut 06520
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - John F Sheridan
- Department of Biosciences, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio 43210
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio 43211
| | - Jordan W Smoller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
| | - Steven E Harte
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
- Department of Internal Medicine-Rheumatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - James M Elliott
- Kolling Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, St Leonards, New South Wales 2065, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60208
| | - Samuel A McLean
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27559
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27559
| | - Ronald C Kessler
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Vishnu P Murty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19121
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Yarrington JS, Vinograd M, Williams AL, Wolitzky-Taylor KB, Zinbarg RE, Mineka S, Waters AM, Craske MG. Fear-potentiated startle predicts longitudinal change in transdiagnostic symptom dimensions of anxiety and depression. J Affect Disord 2022; 311:399-406. [PMID: 35597470 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elevated defensive responding, through startle reflex (SR) and skin conductance response (SCR), may contribute to onset and maintenance of depression and anxiety. Most work examining SR and SCR has predicted psychiatric diagnoses. There is a paucity of research examining links between SR or SCR and dimensional measures of psychopathology. METHODS We used latent growth curve modeling to predict longitudinal change in three symptom factors (i.e., General Distress, Fears, Anhedonia-Apprehension) from SR and SCR measured during a fear-potentiated startle paradigm among adolescents oversampled for neuroticism (N = 129). RESULTS Elevated SCR in danger phases before and after an unpleasant muscle contraction predicted increasing Fears over time. Elevated SR in safe phases post-contraction also predicted increasing Fears over time. Attenuated SR in safe phases post-contraction predicted elevated General Distress longitudinally. Attenuated SCR pre-contraction in danger phases predicted elevated Anhedonia-Apprehension over time. LIMITATIONS Our non-clinical sample may limit generalizability of results. Additionally, we did not assess change in SR and SCR over time. CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates that SR and SCR during a fear-potentiated startle paradigm predict longitudinal change in dimensional anxiety and depression symptom factors and relatedly, that SR and SCR may represent risk factors for the exacerbation of symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia S Yarrington
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Meghan Vinograd
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Kate B Wolitzky-Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Richard E Zinbarg
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Susan Mineka
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Allison M Waters
- School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Naudé AR, Machlin L, Furlong S, Sheridan MA. Threat Responsivity Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Hyperarousal Symptoms in Children after Hurricane Florence. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:690-702. [PMID: 35296986 PMCID: PMC8926419 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-00984-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Following a traumatic event, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are common. Considerable research has identified a relationship between physiological responses during fear learning and PTSD. Adults with PTSD display atypical physiological responses, such as increased skin conductance responses (SCR) to threatening cues during fear learning (Orr et al., 2000). However, little research has examined these responses in childhood when fear learning first emerges. We hypothesized that greater threat responsivity in early acquisition during fear conditioning before Hurricane Florence would predict PTSD symptoms in a sample of young children following the hurricane. The final sample included 58 children in North Carolina who completed fear learning before Hurricane Florence-a potentially traumatic event. After the hurricane, we assessed severity of hurricane impact and PTSD symptoms. We found that threat responsivity as measured by differential SCR during fear learning before the hurricane predicted PTSD hyperarousal symptoms and that hurricane impact predicted PTSD symptoms following the disaster. This exploratory work suggests that prospective associations between threat responsivity and PTSD symptoms observed in adulthood may be replicated in early childhood. Results are discussed in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison R Naudé
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Laura Machlin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Sarah Furlong
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Margaret A Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Velasco ER, Florido A, Flores Á, Senabre E, Gomez-Gomez A, Torres A, Roca A, Norrholm S, Newman EL, Das P, Ross RA, Lori A, Pozo OJ, Ressler KJ, Garcia-Esteve LL, Jovanovic T, Andero R. PACAP-PAC1R modulates fear extinction via the ventromedial hypothalamus. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4374. [PMID: 35902577 PMCID: PMC9334354 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31442-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to traumatic stress can lead to fear dysregulation, which has been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous work showed that a polymorphism in the PACAP-PAC1R (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide) system is associated with PTSD risk in women, and PACAP (ADCYAP1)-PAC1R (ADCYAP1R1) are highly expressed in the hypothalamus. Here, we show that female mice subjected to acute stress immobilization (IMO) have fear extinction impairments related to Adcyap1 and Adcyap1r1 mRNA upregulation in the hypothalamus, PACAP-c-Fos downregulation in the Medial Amygdala (MeA), and PACAP-FosB/ΔFosB upregulation in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus dorsomedial part (VMHdm). DREADD-mediated inhibition of MeA neurons projecting to the VMHdm during IMO rescues both PACAP upregulation in VMHdm and the fear extinction impairment. We also found that women with the risk genotype of ADCYAP1R1 rs2267735 polymorphism have impaired fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- E R Velasco
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Florido
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Á Flores
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Senabre
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-NeuroPhar, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Gomez-Gomez
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Research Group, Neurosciences Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Torres
- Perinatal Mental health Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
- Programme for the Prevention and Treatment of Psychic Effects in Sexually Assaulted Women. Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Roca
- Perinatal Mental health Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Norrholm
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - E L Newman
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - P Das
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Psychiatry Research Institute of Montefiore and Einstein, New York, NY, USA
| | - R A Ross
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Psychiatry Research Institute of Montefiore and Einstein, New York, NY, USA
| | - A Lori
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- American Cancer Society, Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - O J Pozo
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Research Group, Neurosciences Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - K J Ressler
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - L L Garcia-Esteve
- Perinatal Mental health Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
- Programme for the Prevention and Treatment of Psychic Effects in Sexually Assaulted Women. Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - T Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - R Andero
- Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
- Unitat de Neurociència Traslacional, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT), Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain.
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Putica A, Felmingham KL, Garrido MI, O'Donnell ML, Van Dam NT. A predictive coding account of value-based learning in PTSD: Implications for precision treatments. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 138:104704. [PMID: 35609683 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
While there are a number of recommended first-line interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), treatment efficacy has been less than ideal. Generally, PTSD treatment models explain symptom manifestation via associative learning, treating the individual as a passive organism - acted upon - rather than self as agent. At their core, predictive coding (PC) models introduce the fundamental role of self-conceptualisation and hierarchical processing of one's sensory context in safety learning. This theoretical article outlines how predictive coding models of emotion offer a parsimonious framework to explain PTSD treatment response within a value-based decision-making framework. Our model integrates the predictive coding elements of the perceived: self, world and self-in the world and how they impact upon one or more discrete stages of value-based decision-making: (1) mental representation; (2) emotional valuation; (3) action selection and (4) outcome valuation. We discuss treatment and research implications stemming from our hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Putica
- Phoenix Australia Centre for Post-traumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
| | - Kim L Felmingham
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Marta I Garrido
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Meaghan L O'Donnell
- Phoenix Australia Centre for Post-traumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicholas T Van Dam
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Wang J, Sun X, Becker B, Lei Y. Common and separable behavioral and neural mechanisms underlie the generalization of fear and disgust. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 116:110519. [PMID: 35101603 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Generalization represents the transfer of a conditioned responses to stimuli that resemble the conditioned stimulus (CS). Previous studies on generalization of defensive avoidance responses have primarily focused on fear and have neglected disgust generalization, which represents a key pathological mechanism in some anxiety disorders. In the present study we examined common and distinct mechanisms of fear and disgust generalization by means of a fear or disgust multi-CS conditioning and generalization paradigm with concomitant event-related potential (ERPs) acquisition in n = 62 subjects. We demonstrate that compared to fear, disgust-relevant generalized stimuli (GS) elicited larger expectancy ratings and longer reaction times (RTs) reflecting stronger ratings of 'risk'. On the electrophysiological level, increased P2 amplitudes were found in response to conditioned CS+ versus CS- across both domains, possibly reflecting higher motivational and attentional salience of aversive conditioned stimuli per se. Contingent negative variation (CNV) amplitude was significantly larger for disgust-CS+ than disgust-CS-, reflecting a stronger preparation of the disgust US. Additionally, we found that the contingent negative variation (CNV) fear generalization gradient, and CNV amplitude were increased with similarity to CS+. In contrast the CNV to disgust-GS did not differ and did not reflect disgust generalization. Together this may indicate that the CNV represents a highly fear-specific index for generalization learning. This study provides the first neurobiological evidence for common and distinct generalization learning in fear versus disgust suggesting that dysregulations in separable defensive avoidance mechanisms may underly different anxiety disorder subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxia Wang
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Xiaoying Sun
- Ningxia College of Construction, Ningxia 750021, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
| | - Yi Lei
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China.
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Formation of False Context Fear Memory Is Regulated by Hypothalamic Corticotropin-Releasing Factor in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23116286. [PMID: 35682965 PMCID: PMC9181353 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116286] [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: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic events frequently produce false fear memories. We investigated the effect of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) knockdown (Hy-Crf-KD) or overexpression (Hy-CRF-OE) on contextual fear memory, as fear stress-released CRF and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation affects the memory system. Mice were placed in a chamber with an electric footshock as a conditioning stimulus (CS) in Context A, then exposed to a novel chamber without CS, as Context B, at 3 h (B-3h) or 24 h (B-24h). The freezing response in B-3h was intensified in the experimental mice, compared to control mice not exposed to CS, indicating that a false fear memory was formed at 3 h. The within-group freezing level at B-24h was higher than that at B-3h, indicating that false context fear memory was enhanced at B-24h. The difference in freezing levels between B-3h and B-24h in Hy-Crf-KD mice was larger than that of controls. In Hy-CRF-OE mice, the freezing level at B-3h was higher than that of control and Hy-Crf-KD mice, while the freezing level in B-24h was similar to that in B-3h. Locomotor activity before CS and freezing level during CS were similar among the groups. Therefore, we hypothesized that Hy-Crf-KD potentiates the induction of false context fear memory, while Hy-CRF-OE enhances the onset of false fear memory formation.
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Dunsmoor JE, Cisler JM, Fonzo GA, Creech SK, Nemeroff CB. Laboratory models of post-traumatic stress disorder: The elusive bridge to translation. Neuron 2022; 110:1754-1776. [PMID: 35325617 PMCID: PMC9167267 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental illness composed of a heterogeneous collection of symptom clusters. The unique nature of PTSD as arising from a precipitating traumatic event helps simplify cross-species translational research modeling the neurobehavioral effects of stress and fear. However, the neurobiological progress on these complex neural circuits informed by animal models has yet to produce novel, evidence-based clinical treatment for PTSD. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of popular laboratory models of PTSD and provide concrete ideas for improving the validity and clinical translational value of basic research efforts in humans. We detail modifications to simplified animal paradigms to account for myriad cognitive factors affected in PTSD, which may contribute to abnormalities in regulating fear. We further describe new avenues for integrating different areas of psychological research underserved by animal models of PTSD. This includes incorporating emerging trends in the cognitive neuroscience of episodic memory, emotion regulation, social-emotional processes, and PTSD subtyping to provide a more comprehensive recapitulation of the human experience to trauma in laboratory research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Josh M Cisler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Gregory A Fonzo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Suzannah K Creech
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Charles B Nemeroff
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA.
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Behavioral and neural responses during fear conditioning and extinction in a large transdiagnostic sample. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 35:103060. [PMID: 35679785 PMCID: PMC9189200 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral and neural responses during Pavlovian fear learning were examined in a large sample of healthy and individuals with anxiety and depression. Latent profile models to threat were derived from behavioral and neural data. Demographic, cognitive, and psychological variables did not robustly characterize latent profiles. Neuroimaging data did not evidence functional role of amygdala in fear learning. Human fear learning recruited a distributed network of regions involved in interoceptive, cognitive, motivational, and psychomotor processes.
Background Dysregulation of fear learning has been associated with psychiatric disorders that have altered positive and negative valence domain function. While amygdala-insula-prefrontal circuitry is considered important for fear learning, there have been inconsistencies in neural findings in healthy and clinical human samples. This study aimed to delineate the neural substrates and behavioral responses during fear learning in a large, transdiagnostic sample with predominantly depressive and/or anxious dysfunction. Methods Two-hundred and eighty-two individuals (52 healthy participants; 230 participants with depression and/or anxiety-related problems) from the Tulsa 1000 study, an ongoing, naturalistic longitudinal study based on a dimensional psychopathological framework, completed a Pavlovian fear learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Linear mixed-effects analyses examined condition-by-time effects on brain activation (CS+, CS- across familiarization, conditioning, and extinction trials). A data-driven latent profile analysis (LPA) examined distinct patterns of behavioral and neural responses to threat across fear conditioning and extinction, while logistic regression analyses evaluated cognitive-affective predictors of latent profiles. Results Whole-brain analyses revealed a condition-by-time interaction in the anterior insula, postcentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and cerebellum but not amygdala. The LPA identified distinct latent profiles across subjective and neural levels of measurement. Anterior insula profiles were characterized by marginal differences in age and state anxiety. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that human fear learning recruits a distributed network of regions involved in interoceptive, cognitive, motivational, and psychomotor processes. Data-driven analyses identified distinct profiles of subjective and neural responses during fear learning that transcended clinical diagnoses, but no robust relationships to demographic or cognitive-affective variable were identified.
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Pöhlchen D, Fietz J, Czisch M, Sämann PG, Spoormaker VI, Binder E, Brückl T, Erhardt A, Grandi N, Lucae S, von Muecke-Heim I, Ziebula J. Startle Latency as a Potential Marker for Amygdala-Mediated Hyperarousal. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 8:406-416. [PMID: 35577304 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fear-related disorders are characterized by hyperexcitability in reflexive circuits and maladaptive associative learning mechanisms. The startle reflex is suited to investigate both processes, either by probing it under baseline conditions or by deriving it in fear conditioning studies. In anxiety research, the amplitude of the fear-potentiated startle has been shown to be influenced by amygdalar circuits and has typically been the readout of interest. In schizophrenia research, prolonged startle peak latency under neutral conditions is an established readout, thought to reflect impaired processing speed. We therefore explored whether startle latency is an informative readout for human anxiety research. METHODS We investigated potential similarities and differences of startle peak latency and amplitude derived from a classical fear conditioning task in a sample of 206 participants with varying severity levels of anxiety disorders and healthy control subjects. We first reduced startle response to stable components and regressed individual amygdala gray matter volumes onto the resulting startle measures. We then probed time, stimulus, and group effects of startle latency. RESULTS We showed that startle latency and startle amplitude were 2 largely uncorrelated measures; startle latency, but not amplitude, showed a sex-specific association with gray matter volume of the amygdala; startle latencies showed a fear-dependent task modulation; and patients with fear-related disorders displayed shorter startle latencies throughout the fear learning task. CONCLUSIONS These data provide support for the notion that probing startle latencies under threat may engage amygdala-modulated threat processing, making them a complementary marker for human anxiety research.
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The effect of partial and continuous reinforcement on the generalization of conditioned fear in humans. LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2022.101812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Hug F, Degen T, Meurs P, Fischmann T. Psychoanalytical Considerations of Emotion Regulation Disorders in Multiple Complex-Traumatized Children—A Study Protocol of the Prospective Study MuKi. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:809616. [PMID: 35558734 PMCID: PMC9086829 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.809616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies in adults with mental disorders suggest that the experience of early and chronic trauma is associated with changes in reward expectancy and processing. In addition, severe childhood trauma has been shown to contribute to the development of mental disorders in general. Data on effects of early childhood trauma on reward expectancy and processing in middle childhood currently appear insufficient. The present study aims to fill this research gap by examining the effects of developmental trauma disorder (DTD) on reward expectancy and processing in children aged 8–12 years, testing the hypothesis that children with multiple complex traumas exhibit altered reward processing as a result of prior disappointing reward experiences. One main feature of developmental trauma disorder is early experiences of multiple separation from important and close relationships alongside other experiences of emotional or physical harm. In the sequel children often show affect regulation disorders. To investigate this, we have developed an adapted version of the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) Task, which examines children’s expectation of reward or frustration. In this first study, behavioral data will be collected from N = 40 children (n = 20 experimental group and n = 20 healthy controls) using this adapted version of the MID Task. Children in the experimental group will be recruited from youth welfare centers in Frankfurt a.M., Germany. Healthy control subjects will be recruited from after-school-care facilities. A brief trauma screening will be conducted for both groups, experimental and control. If children show signs of trauma, the presence of a developmental trauma disorder will be further delineated by a German translation of the Developmental Trauma Disorder Structured Interview for Children (DTDSI-C) which was translated the first time in German by our research group. We hypothesize that children in the experimental group will be less accurate in performing the Monetary Incentive Delay Task because of their impaired emotion regulation skills due to emotional avoidance following developmental trauma. If the results of our initial behavioral study are promising, the MID task will be used in a future study to elucidate the relationship between trauma developmental disorder, reward expectancy and processing, and neurobiological processes in middle childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tom Degen
- Sigmund-Freud-Insitut, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Patrick Meurs
- Sigmund-Freud-Insitut, Frankfurt, Germany
- Clinical Psychology, Faculteit Psychologie en Pedagogische Wetenschappen, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tamara Fischmann
- Sigmund-Freud-Insitut, Frankfurt, Germany
- Neuropsychoanalyse, Klinische Psychologie, Psychotherapie und Psychoanalyse, Internationale Psychoanalytische Universität, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Tamara Fischmann,
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48
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Thurston MD, Cassaday HJ. Safety Learning in Anxiety, Pavlovian Conditioned Inhibition and COVID Concerns. Front Psychol 2022; 13:866771. [PMID: 35444592 PMCID: PMC9014209 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.866771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental studies of fear conditioning have identified the effectiveness of safety signals in inhibiting fear and maintaining fear-motivated behaviors. In fear conditioning procedures, the presence of safety signals means that the otherwise expected feared outcome will not now occur. Differences in the inhibitory learning processes needed to learn safety are being identified in various psychological and psychiatric conditions. However, despite early theoretical interest, the role of conditioned inhibitors as safety signals in anxiety has been under-investigated to date, in part because of the stringent test procedures required to confirm the demonstration of conditioned inhibition as such. Nonetheless, the theoretical implications of an inhibitory learning perspective continue to influence clinical practice. Moreover, our understanding of safety signals is of additional importance in the context of the increased health anxiety and safety behaviors generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan D Thurston
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Department of Clinical Psychology, The Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Helen J Cassaday
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Wiltshire CN, Wanna CP, Stenson AF, Minton ST, Reda MH, Davie WM, Hinrichs R, Winters S, France JM, Jovanovic T. Associations between children's trauma-related sequelae and skin conductance captured through mobile technology. Behav Res Ther 2022; 150:104036. [PMID: 35078028 PMCID: PMC8887191 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Although many children experience trauma, few receive diagnoses and subsequent care despite experiencing trauma-related sequelae. At age nine (M = 9.11), children (N = 62; female = 46.4%) who predominantly identified as Black (78.7%) were enrolled in this first study examining how skin conductance as captured by mobile technology, eSense, related to children's traumatic experiences and trauma-related symptoms. Skin conductance measures were associated with degree of trauma exposure and PTSD hyperarousal symptoms. These findings suggest that physiological responses in addition to self-report measures may be easily used to assess children's trauma exposure and symptoms. Given eSense's ease-of-use, this technology could assist clinics and research institutions assess children's trauma-related needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charis N Wiltshire
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Cassandra P Wanna
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
| | - Anaïs F Stenson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Sean T Minton
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mariam H Reda
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - William M Davie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Rebecca Hinrichs
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sterling Winters
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - John M France
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
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50
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Zhang J, Meiser-Stedman R, Jones B, Smith P, Dalgleish T, Boyle A, Edwards A, Subramanyam D, Dixon C, Sinclaire-Harding L, Schweizer S, Newby J, McKinnon A. Trajectory of post-traumatic stress and depression among children and adolescents following single-incident trauma. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2022; 13:2037906. [PMID: 35251531 PMCID: PMC8890561 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2022.2037906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression have high comorbidity. Understanding their relationship is of clinical and theoretical importance. A comprehensive way to understand post-trauma psychopathology is through symptom trajectories. This study aims to look at the developmental courses of PTSD and depression symptoms and their interrelationship in the initial months post-trauma in children and adolescents. METHODS Two-hundred-and-seventeen children and adolescents aged between eight and 17 exposed to single-event trauma were included in the study. Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression symptoms were measured at 2 weeks, 2 months and 9 months, with further psychological variables measured at the 2-week assessment. Group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) was applied to estimate the latent developmental clusters of the two outcomes. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors associated with high symptom groups. RESULTS The GBTM yielded a three-group model for PTSS and a three-group model for depression. PTSS trajectories showed symptoms reduced to a non-clinical level by 9 months for all participants (if they were not already in the non-clinical range): participants were observed to be resilient (42.4%) or recovered within 2 months (35.6%), while 21.9% experienced high level PTSS but recovered by 9 months post-trauma. The depression symptom trajectories predicted a chronic non-recovery group (20.1%) and two mild symptom groups (45.9%, 34.0%). Further analysis showed high synchronicity between PTSS and depression groups. Peri-event panic, negative appraisals, rumination and thought suppression at 2 weeks predicted slow recovery from PTSS. Pre-trauma wellbeing, post-trauma anxiety and negative appraisals predicted chronic depression. CONCLUSIONS Post-trauma depression was more persistent than PTSS at 9 months in the sampled population. Cognitive appraisal was the shared risk factor to high symptom groups of both PTSS and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce Zhang
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Bobby Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Patrick Smith
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London, UK
| | - Tim Dalgleish
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Adrian Boyle
- Emergency Department, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrea Edwards
- Emergency Department, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Clare Dixon
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Worthing, UK
| | | | - Susanne Schweizer
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jill Newby
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anna McKinnon
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, UK
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