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Newsome P, Ruiz SG, Gold AL, Pine DS, Abend R. Fear-potentiated startle reveals diminished threat extinction in pathological anxiety. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 183:81-91. [PMID: 36442665 PMCID: PMC9812922 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.11.011] [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] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major theories propose that perturbed threat learning is central to pathological anxiety, but empirical support is inconsistent. Failures to detect associations with anxiety may reflect limitations in quantifying conditioned responses to anticipated threat, and hinder translation of theory into empirical work. In prior work, we could not detect threat-specific anxiety effects on states of conditioned threat using psychophysiology in a large sample of patients and healthy comparisons. Here, we examine the utility of an alternative fear potentiated startle (FPS) scoring in revealing associations between anxiety and threat conditioning and extinction in this dataset. Secondary analyses further explored associations among conditioned threat responses, subcortical morphometry, and treatment outcomes. METHODS Youths and adults with anxiety disorders and healthy comparisons (n = 306; 178 female participants; 8-50 years) previously completed a well-validated differential threat learning paradigm. FPS and skin conductance response (SCR) quantified psychophysiological responses during threat conditioning and extinction. In this report, we examined normalizing raw FPS scores to intertrial intervals (ITI) to address challenges in more common approaches to FPS scoring which could mask group effects. Secondary analyses examined associations between FPS and subcortical morphometry and with response to exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy in a subsample of patients. RESULTS Patients and comparisons showed comparable differential threat conditioning using FPS and SCR. While SCR suggested comparable extinction between groups, FPS revealed stronger retention of threat contingency during extinction in individuals with anxiety disorders. Extinction indexed with FPS was not associated with age, morphometry, or anxiety treatment outcome. CONCLUSION ITI-normalized FPS may have utility in detecting difficulties in extinguishing conditioned threat responses in anxiety. These findings provide support for extinction theories of anxiety and encourage continued research on aberrant extinction in pathological anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Newsome
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sonia G Ruiz
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Andrea L Gold
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rany Abend
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Israel.
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2
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Mumper EE, Ferry RA, Klein DN, Nelson BD. Effects of early childhood behavioral inhibition and parental anxiety disorder on adolescents' startle response to predictable and unpredictable threat. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2022; 50:1327-1338. [PMID: 35689731 PMCID: PMC9613508 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-00942-0] [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] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Numerous studies in children, adolescents and adults have reported that anxiety disorders and symptoms are associated with greater threat-potentiated startle responses. This suggests that it may also be related to risk factors that have been implicated in the genesis of anxiety disorders. Therefore, we examined the roles of early childhood temperamental behavioral inhibition (BI) and parental history of anxiety disorders in predicting threat-potentiated startle response in a community sample of 346 adolescents. Parental history of anxiety disorders moderated the effects of BI on subsequent startle responses. For both total startle response and unpredictable threat startle potentiation, higher levels of BI at age 3 predicted larger startle responses at age 15, but only among offspring of parents with a history of anxiety disorders. Among offspring of parents with no lifetime history of anxiety disorder, BI was unrelated to startle magnitude. These findings were evident even after adjusting for youth's biological sex, concurrent anxiety symptoms, and lifetime history of anxiety disorders. In contrast, neither BI nor parental anxiety significantly predicted startle potentiation to predictable threat. These findings have implications for tracing pathways to the development of anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E Mumper
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, 11794-2500, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Rachel A Ferry
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, 11794-2500, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Daniel N Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, 11794-2500, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
| | - Brady D Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, 11794-2500, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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3
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Filippi CA, Valadez EA, Fox NA, Pine DS. Temperamental risk for anxiety: emerging work on the infant brain and later neurocognitive development. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022; 44:101105. [PMID: 35342779 PMCID: PMC8955382 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral inhibition (BI), an infant temperament characterized by distress to novelty, is amongst the strongest early risk markers for future anxiety. In this review, we highlight three ways that recent research elucidates key details about the pathophysiology of anxiety in individuals with BI. First, atypical amygdala connectivity during infancy may be related to BI. Second, developmental shifts in cognitive control may portend risk for anxiety for children with BI. Lastly, distinct cognitive control processes moderate the BI-anxiety relation in different ways. Studying the intersection of these three streams of work may inform prevention or intervention work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney A Filippi
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, United States
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States
- Indicates shared first authorship
- Present address: Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
| | - Emilio A Valadez
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States
- Indicates shared first authorship
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, United States
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4
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Tolksdorf NF, Viertel FE, Rohlfing KJ. Do Shy Preschoolers Interact Differently When Learning Language With a Social Robot? An Analysis of Interactional Behavior and Word Learning. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:676123. [PMID: 34136535 PMCID: PMC8201989 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.676123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Temperamental traits can decisively influence how children enter into social interaction with their environment. Yet, in the field of child–robot interaction, little is known about how individual differences such as shyness impact on how children interact with social robots in educational settings. The present study systematically assessed the temperament of 28 preschool children aged 4–5 years in order to investigate the role of shyness within a dyadic child–robot interaction. Over the course of four consecutive sessions, we observed how shy compared to nonshy children interacted with a social robot during a word-learning educational setting and how shyness influenced children’s learning outcomes. Overall, results suggested that shy children not only interacted differently with a robot compared to nonshy children, but also changed their behavior over the course of the sessions. Critically, shy children interacted less expressively with the robot in general. With regard to children’s language learning outcomes, shy children scored lower on an initial posttest, but were able to close this gap on a later test, resulting in all children retrieving the learned words on a similar level. When intertest learning gain was considered, regression analyses even confirmed a positive predictive role of shyness on language learning gains. Findings are discussed with regard to the role of shyness in educational settings with social robots and the implications for future interaction design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils F Tolksdorf
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Psycholinguistics, Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Franziska E Viertel
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Psycholinguistics, Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Katharina J Rohlfing
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Psycholinguistics, Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany
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5
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Premo JE, Mannella KA, Duval ER, Liu Y, Morrison CL, Moser JS, Muzik M, Rosenblum KL, Fitzgerald KD. Startle to neutral, not negative stimuli: A neurophysiological correlate of behavioral inhibition in young children. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1322-1329. [PMID: 33782955 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A putative biomarker of anxiety risk, the startle response is typically enhanced by negative compared to neutral emotion modulation in adults, but remains understudied in children. To determine the extent to which neutral, negative, and positively valenced emotional conditions modulate startle response in early life, a child-friendly film paradigm was used to vary emotion across these conditions during startle induction in sixty-four 4- to 7-year-old children. Association of emotion-modulated startle with parent-reported anxiety symptom severity and child behavioral inhibition, a risk factor for anxiety problems, were assessed. Analyses revealed no difference in startle magnitude during negative compared to neutral film clips. By contrast, startle during both negative and neutral conditions was greater than startle during the positive condition. Larger startle magnitude during the neutral condition associated with higher levels of child behavioral inhibition (BI). These results are consistent with possible immaturity of startle response in young children, and suggest that startle amplitude in more emotionally ambiguous, neutral conditions could serve as an early biomarker for anxiety risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Premo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth R Duval
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yanni Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Claire L Morrison
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Jason S Moser
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Maria Muzik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Kate D Fitzgerald
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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6
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Clauss J. Extending the neurocircuitry of behavioural inhibition: a role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in risk for anxiety disorders. Gen Psychiatr 2019; 32:e100137. [PMID: 31922088 PMCID: PMC6937153 DOI: 10.1136/gpsych-2019-100137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioural inhibition is a biologically based risk factor for anxiety disorders. Children with behavioural inhibition are shy, cautious and avoidant of new situations. Much research on behavioural inhibition has focused on the amygdala as an underlying neural substrate and has identified differences in amygdala function and volume; however, amygdala findings have yet to lead to meaningful interventions for prevention or treatment of anxiety disorders. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a prime candidate to be a neural substrate of behavioural inhibition, given current evidence of BNST function and development in human research and animal models. Children with behavioural inhibition have an increased startle response to safety cues and an increased cortisol response to social evaluative situations, both of which are mediated by the BNST. In rodents, activation of the BNST underlies contextual fear responses and responses to uncertain and sustained threat. Non-human primates with anxious temperament (the macaque equivalent of behavioural inhibition) have increased BNST activity to ambiguous social situations, and activity of the BNST in anxious temperament is significantly heritable. Importantly, the BNST is sexually dimorphic and continues to develop into adulthood, paralleling the development of anxiety disorders in humans. Together, these findings suggest that further investigation of the BNST in behavioural inhibition is necessary and may lead to new avenues for the prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Clauss
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
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7
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Aging effects of motor prediction on protective balance and startle responses to sudden drop perturbations. J Biomech 2019; 91:23-31. [PMID: 31128842 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This pilot study investigated the effect of age on the ability of motor prediction during self-triggered drop perturbations (SLF) to modulate startle-like first trial response (FTR) magnitude during externally-triggered (EXT) drop perturbations. Ten healthy older (71.4 ± 1.44 years) and younger adults (26.2 ± 1.63 years) stood atop a moveable platform and received blocks of twelve consecutive EXT and SLF drop perturbations. Following the last SLF trial, participants received an additional EXT trial spaced 20 min apart to assess retention (EXT RTN) of any modulation effects. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded bilaterally over the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), vastus lateralis (VL), biceps femoris (BF), medial gastrocnemius (MG), and tibialis anterior (TA). Whole-body kinematics and kinetic data were recorded. Stability in the antero-posterior direction was quantified using the margin of stability (MoS). Compared with EXT trials, both groups reduced SCM peak amplitude responses during SLF and EXT RTN trials. VL/BF and TA/MG coactivation were reduced during SLF FTR compared to EXT FTR (p < 0.05) with reduced peak vertical ground reaction forces (vGRF) in both younger and older adults (p < 0.05). Older adults increased their MoS during SLF FTR compared to EXT FTR (p < 0.05). Both groups performed more eccentric work during SLF trials compared to EXT (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that abnormal startle effects with aging may interfere with balance recovery and increase risk of injury with external balance perturbations. Motor prediction may be used to acutely mitigate abnormal startle/postural responses with aging.
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8
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Feola B, Armstrong K, Woodward ND, Heckers S, Blackford JU. Childhood temperament is associated with distress, anxiety and reduced quality of life in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Psychiatry Res 2019; 275:196-203. [PMID: 30925307 PMCID: PMC6872191 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is conceptualized as a neurodevelopmental disorder and pre-morbid differences in social function and cognition have been well-established. Less is known about pre-morbid temperament and personality. Inhibited temperament-the predisposition to respond to novelty with wariness, fear, or caution-is a premorbid risk factor for anxiety, depression, and substance use but is understudied in schizophrenia. Participants were patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (n = 166) and healthy controls (n = 180). Patients completed measures of childhood inhibited temperament, clinical symptoms (anxiety, depression, PANSS factors), and quality of life. Patients had significantly higher levels of inhibited temperament relative to healthy controls. In patients with schizophrenia, higher inhibited temperament was significantly associated with co-morbid anxiety disorders, greater anxiety and depression symptoms, higher PANSS Distress scores, lower PANSS Excitement scores, and lower quality of life. The current findings replicate and extend previous research with a larger sample and are consistent with vulnerability in an affective path to psychosis. In schizophrenia, higher inhibited temperament was associated with a cluster of mood and anxiety symptoms. Inhibited temperament was not associated with psychosis symptoms. Patients with high inhibited temperament may especially benefit from treatments that specifically target anxiety and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States
| | - Kristan Armstrong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States
| | - Neil D Woodward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Ave S Nashville, TN 37212, United States; Research Service, Tennessee Valley HealthCare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, United States.
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9
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Barker TV, Buzzell GA, Fox NA. Approach, avoidance, and the detection of conflict in the development of behavioral inhibition. NEW IDEAS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 53:2-12. [PMID: 31105378 PMCID: PMC6518416 DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Motivation has played an integral role in understanding personality development. Two motivational systems, one associated with seeking reward (approach motivation) and one associated with avoidance of threat (avoidance motivation), have been theorized to represent individual differences in behavioral responses to the environment. However, contextual factors, particularly those with a high degree of novelty, ambiguity, and unpredictability, may simultaneously activate both systems, thereby causing approach-avoidance conflict. The resulting behavior, commonly called inhibition, is characterized by an inability to engage in motivated, goal-directed behavior and is theorized to reflect a core component of anxiety. A form of inhibition observed in childhood, behavioral inhibition (BI), is a relatively stable temperamental profile characterized by negative affect in response to unfamiliar and unpredictable contexts and is a risk factor for anxiety. Our review draws from findings in clinical and cognitive neuroscience to argue that BI reflects an increased sensitivity of both approach and avoidance motivational systems, thereby increasing the likelihood of approach-avoidance conflict within the context of unfamiliar or unpredictable stimuli and environments. Such motivational conflict activates neural systems associated with conflict monitoring, which leads to increases in arousal (e.g., sympathetic nervous system activity) and onlooking behavior, two commonly observed characteristics of childhood BI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyson V. Barker
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene,
OR 97403
| | - George A. Buzzell
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative
Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Nathan A. Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative
Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
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10
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Anxiety and Depression Symptom Dimensions Demonstrate Unique Relationships with the Startle Reflex in Anticipation of Unpredictable Threat in 8 to 14 Year-Old Girls. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 45:397-410. [PMID: 27224989 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-016-0169-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that heightened sensitivity to unpredictability is a core mechanism of anxiety disorders. In adults, multiple anxiety disorders have been associated with a heightened startle reflex in anticipation of unpredictable threat. Child and adolescent anxiety has been linked to an increased startle reflex across baseline, safety, and threat conditions. However, it is unclear whether anxiety in youth is related to the startle reflex as a function of threat predictability. In a sample of 90 8 to 14 year-old girls, the present study examined the association between anxiety symptom dimensions and startle potentiation during a no, predictable, and unpredictable threat task. Depression symptom dimensions were also examined given their high comorbidity with anxiety and mixed relationship with the startle reflex and sensitivity to unpredictability. To assess current symptoms, participants completed the self-report Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders and Children's Depression Inventory. Results indicated that social phobia symptoms were associated with heightened startle potentiation in anticipation of unpredictable threat and attenuated startle potentiation in anticipation of predictable threat. Negative mood and negative self-esteem symptoms were associated with attenuated and heightened startle potentiation in anticipation of unpredictable threat, respectively. All results remained significant after controlling for the other symptom dimensions. The present study provides initial evidence that anxiety and depression symptom dimensions demonstrate unique associations with the startle reflex in anticipation of unpredictable threat in children and adolescents.
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11
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Functional Heterogeneity in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis. J Neurosci 2017; 36:8038-49. [PMID: 27488624 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0856-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Early work stressed the differing involvement of the central amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the genesis of fear versus anxiety, respectively. In 2009, Walker, Miles, and Davis proposed a model of amygdala-BNST interactions to explain these functional differences. This model became extremely influential and now guides a new wave of studies on the role of BNST in humans. Here, we consider evidence for and against this model, in the process highlighting central principles of BNST organization. This analysis leads us to conclude that BNST's influence is not limited to the generation of anxiety-like responses to diffuse threats, but that it also shapes the impact of discrete threatening stimuli. It is likely that BNST-CeA interactions are involved in modulating responses to such threats. In addition, whereas current views emphasize the contributions of the anterolateral BNST region in anxiety, accumulating data indicate that the anteromedial and anteroventral regions also play a critical role. The presence of multiple functional subregions within the small volume of BNST raises significant technical obstacles for functional imaging studies in humans.
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12
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Henderson HA, Wilson MJ. Attention Processes Underlying Risk and Resilience in Behaviorally Inhibited Children. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40473-017-0111-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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13
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Heightened extended amygdala metabolism following threat characterizes the early phenotypic risk to develop anxiety-related psychopathology. Mol Psychiatry 2017; 22:724-732. [PMID: 27573879 PMCID: PMC5332536 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2016.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Revised: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Children with an anxious temperament are prone to heightened shyness and behavioral inhibition (BI). When chronic and extreme, this anxious, inhibited phenotype is an important early-life risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders, depression and co-morbid substance abuse. Individuals with extreme anxious temperament often show persistent distress in the absence of immediate threat and this contextually inappropriate anxiety predicts future symptom development. Despite its clear clinical relevance, the neural circuitry governing the maladaptive persistence of anxiety remains unclear. Here, we used a well-established nonhuman primate model of childhood temperament and high-resolution 18fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging to understand the neural systems governing persistent anxiety and to clarify their relevance to early-life phenotypic risk. We focused on BI, a core component of anxious temperament, because it affords the moment-by-moment temporal resolution needed to assess contextually appropriate and inappropriate anxiety. From a pool of 109 peri-adolescent rhesus monkeys, we formed groups characterized by high or low levels of BI, as indexed by freezing in response to an unfamiliar human intruder's profile. The high-BI group showed consistently elevated signs of anxiety and wariness across >2 years of assessments. At the time of brain imaging, 1.5 years after initial phenotyping, the high-BI group showed persistently elevated freezing during a 30-min 'recovery' period following an encounter with the intruder-more than an order of magnitude greater than the low-BI group-and this was associated with increased metabolism in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, a key component of the central extended amygdala. These observations provide a neurobiological framework for understanding the early phenotypic risk to develop anxiety-related psychopathology, for accelerating the development of improved interventions, and for understanding the origins of childhood temperament.
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14
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Swerdlow NR, Bhakta SG, Rana BK, Kei J, Chou HH, Talledo JA. Sensorimotor gating in healthy adults tested over a 15 year period. Biol Psychol 2017; 123:177-186. [PMID: 28027936 PMCID: PMC5297597 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle, an operational measure of sensorimotor gating, is used to study normal and pathological brain function. From 2001 to 2016, we screened healthy subjects (HS) to establish their suitability for tests of drug effects on PPI. Because of the size and systematic characterization of this sample across variables of relevance to PPI, we now report these screening results. METHODS Acoustic startle and PPI were assessed in HS to identify those eligible for studies of drug effects on PPI from 2001 to 2016, yielding 457 "eligible" subjects. RESULTS Data confirmed the consistency of PPI across this 15-year period, and supported the role of several variables previously reported to moderate either startle or PPI. CONCLUSIONS Startle and PPI are robust physiological measures that are predictably moderated by specific physiological variables in healthy adults. As such, these measures serve as robust markers of neurobiological processes in healthy and patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neal R Swerdlow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093-080, United States.
| | - Savita G Bhakta
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093-080, United States
| | - Brinda K Rana
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093-080, United States
| | - Justin Kei
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093-080, United States
| | - Hsun-Hua Chou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093-080, United States
| | - Jo A Talledo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093-080, United States
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15
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Shackman AJ, Tromp DPM, Stockbridge MD, Kaplan CM, Tillman RM, Fox AS. Dispositional negativity: An integrative psychological and neurobiological perspective. Psychol Bull 2016; 142:1275-1314. [PMID: 27732016 PMCID: PMC5118170 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Dispositional negativity-the propensity to experience and express more frequent, intense, or enduring negative affect-is a fundamental dimension of childhood temperament and adult personality. Elevated levels of dispositional negativity can have profound consequences for health, wealth, and happiness, drawing the attention of clinicians, researchers, and policymakers. Here, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of the psychological and neurobiological processes linking stable individual differences in dispositional negativity to momentary emotional states. Self-report data suggest that 3 key pathways-increased stressor reactivity, tonic increases in negative affect, and increased stressor exposure-explain most of the heightened negative affect that characterizes individuals with a more negative disposition. Of these 3 pathways, tonically elevated, indiscriminate negative affect appears to be most central to daily life and most relevant to the development of psychopathology. New behavioral and biological data provide insights into the neural systems underlying these 3 pathways and motivate the hypothesis that seemingly "tonic" increases in negative affect may actually reflect increased reactivity to stressors that are remote, uncertain, or diffuse. Research focused on humans, monkeys, and rodents suggests that this indiscriminate negative affect reflects trait-like variation in the activity and connectivity of several key brain regions, including the central extended amygdala and parts of the prefrontal cortex. Collectively, these observations provide an integrative psychobiological framework for understanding the dynamic cascade of processes that bind emotional traits to emotional states and, ultimately, to emotional disorders and other kinds of adverse outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J. Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
- Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Do P. M. Tromp
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Melissa D. Stockbridge
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Claire M. Kaplan
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Rachael M. Tillman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Andrew S. Fox
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA
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16
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Meyer A, Hajcak G, Glenn CR, Kujawa AJ, Klein DN. Error-related brain activity is related to aversive potentiation of the startle response in children, but only the ERN is associated with anxiety disorders. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 17:487-496. [PMID: 27819443 DOI: 10.1037/emo0000243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Identifying biomarkers that characterize developmental trajectories leading to anxiety disorders will likely improve early intervention strategies as well as increase our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of these disorders. The error-related negativity (ERN), an event-related potential that occurs during error commission, is increased in anxious adults and children-and has been shown to predict the onset of anxiety disorders across childhood. The ERN has therefore been suggested as a biomarker of anxiety. However, it remains unclear what specific processes a potentiated ERN may reflect. We have recently proposed that the ERN may reflect trait-like differences in threat sensitivity; however, very few studies have examined the ERN in relation to other indices of this construct. In the current study, the authors measured the ERN, as well as affective modulation of the startle reflex, in a large sample (N = 155) of children. Children characterized by a large ERN also exhibited greater potentiation of the startle response in the context of unpleasant images, but not in the context of neutral or pleasant images. In addition, the ERN, but not startle response, related to child anxiety disorder status. These results suggest a relationship between error-related brain activity and aversive potentiation of the startle reflex during picture viewing-consistent with the notion that both measures may reflect individual differences in threat sensitivity. However, results suggest the ERN may be a superior biomarker of anxiety in children. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University
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17
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Khemka S, Tzovara A, Gerster S, Quednow BB, Bach DR. Modeling startle eyeblink electromyogram to assess fear learning. Psychophysiology 2016; 54:204-214. [PMID: 27753123 PMCID: PMC5298047 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Pavlovian fear conditioning is widely used as a laboratory model of associative learning in human and nonhuman species. In this model, an organism is trained to predict an aversive unconditioned stimulus from initially neutral events (conditioned stimuli, CS). In humans, fear memory is typically measured via conditioned autonomic responses or fear‐potentiated startle. For the latter, various analysis approaches have been developed, but a systematic comparison of competing methodologies is lacking. Here, we investigate the suitability of a model‐based approach to startle eyeblink analysis for assessment of fear memory, and compare this to extant analysis strategies. First, we build a psychophysiological model (PsPM) on a generic startle response. Then, we optimize and validate this PsPM on three independent fear‐conditioning data sets. We demonstrate that our model can robustly distinguish aversive (CS+) from nonaversive stimuli (CS‐, i.e., has high predictive validity). Importantly, our model‐based approach captures fear‐potentiated startle during fear retention as well as fear acquisition. Our results establish a PsPM‐based approach to assessment of fear‐potentiated startle, and qualify previous peak‐scoring methods. Our proposed model represents a generic startle response and can potentially be used beyond fear conditioning, for example, to quantify affective startle modulation or prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurabh Khemka
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Athina Tzovara
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Samuel Gerster
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Boris B Quednow
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
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18
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Emergent patterns of risk for psychopathology: The influence of infant avoidance and maternal caregiving on trajectories of social reticence. Dev Psychopathol 2016; 27:1163-78. [PMID: 26439068 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579415000747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated the influential role of infant avoidance on links between maternal caregiving behavior and trajectories at risk for psychopathology. A sample of 153 children, selected for temperamental reactivity to novelty, was followed from infancy through early childhood. At 9 months, infant avoidance of fear-eliciting stimuli in the laboratory and maternal sensitivity at home were assessed. At 36 months, maternal gentle discipline was assessed at home. Children were repeatedly observed in the lab with an unfamiliar peer across early childhood. A latent class growth analysis yielded three longitudinal risk trajectories of social reticence behavior: a high-stable trajectory, a high-decreasing trajectory, and a low-increasing trajectory. For infants displaying greater avoidance, 9-month maternal sensitivity and 36-month maternal gentle discipline were both positively associated with membership in the high-stable social reticence trajectory, compared to the high-decreasing social reticence trajectory. For infants displaying lower avoidance, maternal sensitivity was positively associated with membership in the high-decreasing social reticence trajectory, compared to the low-increasing trajectory. Maternal sensitivity was positively associated with the high-stable social reticence trajectory when maternal gentle discipline was lower. These results illustrate the complex interplay of infant and maternal behavior in early childhood trajectories at risk for emerging psychopathology.
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19
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Abstract
Progress in treating and preventing mental disorders may follow from research that integrates development, genetics, and neuroscience. This review first delineates how longitudinal research has identified three particular groups of disorders shown to differ on the basis of symptom trajectories and risk-factor profiles. In the next section, the review describes how research on genetic contributions to psychopathology has elucidated the nature of risk for two groups of disorders, the neurodevelopmental and psychotic disorders. In the third section, the review describes how research on environmental contributions to psychopathology has targeted early temperament, its associated perturbations in information-processing functions, and its relations to a third group of disorders, the emotional disorders. For all three groups of disorders, such integrative research has generated ideas about novel interventions. The hope is that over the coming decade such ideas will lead to novel treatments that alter the trajectory of risk in developmental psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Pine
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892;
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20
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Barker TV, Reeb-Sutherland B, Degnan KA, Walker OL, Chronis-Tuscano A, Henderson HA, Pine DS, Fox NA. Contextual startle responses moderate the relation between behavioral inhibition and anxiety in middle childhood. Psychophysiology 2015; 52:1544-9. [PMID: 26332665 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral inhibition (BI), a temperament characterized in early childhood by wariness and avoidance of novelty, is a risk factor for anxiety disorders. An enhanced startle response has been observed in adolescents characterized with BI in childhood, particularly when they also manifest concurrent symptoms of anxiety. However, no prior study has examined relations among BI, startle responsivity, and anxiety in a prospective manner. Data for the present study were from a longitudinal study of infant temperament. Maternal reports and observations of BI were assessed at ages 2 and 3. At age 7, participants completed a startle procedure, while electromyography was collected, where participants viewed different colors on a screen that were associated with either the delivery of an aversive stimulus (i.e., puff of air to the larynx; threat cue) or the absence of the aversive stimulus (i.e., safety cue). Parental reports of child anxiety were collected when children were 7 and 9 years of age. Results revealed that startle responses at age 7 moderated the relation between early BI and 9-year anxiety. These findings provide insight into one potential mechanism that may place behaviorally inhibited children at risk for anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyson V Barker
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Kathryn A Degnan
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Olga L Walker
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel S Pine
- Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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21
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Kujawa A, Glenn CR, Hajcak G, Klein DN. Affective modulation of the startle response among children at high and low risk for anxiety disorders. Psychol Med 2015; 45:2647-2656. [PMID: 25913397 PMCID: PMC5022555 DOI: 10.1017/s003329171500063x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying early markers of risk for anxiety disorders in children may aid in understanding underlying mechanisms and informing prevention efforts. Affective modulation of the startle response indexes sensitivity to pleasant and unpleasant environmental contexts and has been shown to relate to anxiety, yet the extent to which abnormalities in affect-modulated startle reflect vulnerability for anxiety disorders in children has yet to be examined. The current study assessed the effects of parental psychopathology on affective modulation of startle in offspring. METHOD Nine-year-old children (n = 144) with no history of anxiety or depressive disorders completed a passive picture viewing task in which eye-blink startle responses were measured during the presentation of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant images. RESULTS Maternal anxiety was associated with distinct patterns of affective modulation of startle in offspring, such that children with maternal histories of anxiety showed potentiation of the startle response while viewing unpleasant images, but not attenuation during pleasant images, whereas children with no maternal history of anxiety exhibited attenuation of the startle response during pleasant images, but did not exhibit unpleasant potentiation - even when controlling for child symptoms of anxiety and depression. No effects of maternal depression or paternal psychopathology were observed. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that both enhanced startle responses in unpleasant conditions and failure to inhibit startle responses in pleasant conditions may reflect early emerging vulnerabilities that contribute to the later development of anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University
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22
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Henderson HA, Pine DS, Fox NA. Behavioral inhibition and developmental risk: a dual-processing perspective. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:207-24. [PMID: 25065499 PMCID: PMC4262899 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Revised: 06/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral inhibition (BI) is an early-appearing temperament characterized by strong reactions to novelty. BI shows a good deal of stability over childhood and significantly increases the risk for later diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Despite these general patterns, many children with high BI do not go on to develop clinical, or even subclinical, anxiety problems. Therefore, understanding the cognitive and neural bases of individual differences in developmental risk and resilience is of great importance. The present review is focused on the relation of BI to two types of information processing: automatic (novelty detection, attention biases to threat, and incentive processing) and controlled (attention shifting and inhibitory control). We propose three hypothetical models (Top-Down Model of Control; Risk Potentiation Model of Control; and Overgeneralized Control Model) linking these processes to variability in developmental outcomes for BI children. We argue that early BI is associated with an early bias to quickly and preferentially process information associated with motivationally salient cues. When this bias is strong and stable across development, the risk for SAD is increased. Later in development, children with a history of BI tend to display normative levels of performance on controlled attention tasks, but they demonstrate exaggerated neural responses in order to do so, which may further potentiate risk for anxiety-related problems. We conclude by discussing the reviewed studies with reference to the hypothetical models and make suggestions regarding future research and implications for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Intramural Research Program, The National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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23
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Chen KH, Aksan N, Anderson SW, Grafft A, Chapleau MW. Habituation of parasympathetic-mediated heart rate responses to recurring acoustic startle. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1288. [PMID: 25477830 PMCID: PMC4238409 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Startle habituation is a type of implicit and automatic emotion regulation. Diminished startle habituation is linked to several psychiatric or neurological disorders. Most previous studies quantified startle habituation by assessing skin conductance response (SCR; reflecting sympathetic-mediated sweating), eye-blink reflex, or motor response. The habituation of parasympathetic-mediated heart rate responses to recurrent startle stimuli is not well understood. A variety of methods and metrics have been used to quantify parasympathetic activity and its effects on the heart. We hypothesized that these different measures reflect unique psychological and physiological processes that may habituate differently during repeated startle stimuli. We measured cardiac inter-beat intervals (IBIs) to recurring acoustic startle probes in 75 eight year old children. Eight acoustic stimuli of 500 ms duration were introduced at intervals of 15-25 s. Indices of parasympathetic effect included: (1) the initial rapid decrease in IBI post-startle mediated by parasympathetic inhibition (PI); (2) the subsequent IBI recovery mediated by parasympathetic reactivation (PR); (3) rapid, beat-to-beat heart rate variability (HRV) measured from the first seven IBIs following each startle probe. SCR and motor responses to startle were also measured. Results showed that habituation of PR (IBI recovery and overshoot) and SCRs were rapid and robust. In addition, changes in PR and SCR were significantly correlated. In contrast, habituation of PI (the initial decrease in IBI) was slower and relatively modest. Measurement of rapid HRV provided an index reflecting the combination of PI and PR. We conclude that different measures of parasympathetic-mediated heart rate responses to repeated startle probes habituate in a differential manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-Hua Chen
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA ; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Nazan Aksan
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Steven W Anderson
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA ; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Amanda Grafft
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA ; University of Iowa Children's Hospital Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Mark W Chapleau
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA ; Department of Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA ; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa Iowa City, IA, USA ; Veterans Affairs Medical Center Iowa City, IA, USA
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24
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Hagenaars MA, Oitzl M, Roelofs K. Updating freeze: Aligning animal and human research. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 47:165-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Revised: 07/11/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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25
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Frontal midline theta reflects anxiety and cognitive control: meta-analytic evidence. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 109:3-15. [PMID: 24787485 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 341] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2014] [Revised: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Evidence from imaging and anatomical studies suggests that the midcingulate cortex (MCC) is a dynamic hub lying at the interface of affect and cognition. In particular, this neural system appears to integrate information about conflict and punishment in order to optimize behavior in the face of action-outcome uncertainty. In a series of meta-analyses, we show how recent human electrophysiological research provides compelling evidence that frontal-midline theta signals reflecting MCC activity are moderated by anxiety and predict adaptive behavioral adjustments. These findings underscore the importance of frontal theta activity to a broad spectrum of control operations. We argue that frontal-midline theta provides a neurophysiologically plausible mechanism for optimally adjusting behavior to uncertainty, a hallmark of situations that elicit anxiety and demand cognitive control. These observations compel a new perspective on the mechanisms guiding motivated learning and behavior and provide a framework for understanding the role of the MCC in temperament and psychopathology.
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26
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Schmitz A, Grillon C, Avenevoli S, Cui L, Merikangas KR. Developmental investigation of fear-potentiated startle across puberty. Biol Psychol 2013; 97:15-21. [PMID: 24334108 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Revised: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to examine the association between affective development, puberty, and gender using the startle reflex as a marker of defensive mechanisms. Thirty-one male and thirty-five female adolescents aged ten to thirteen participated in a prospective study with up to five assessments. Longitudinal analyses revealed a significant effect of sex, with girls showing stronger fear-potentiation at all pubertal stages. Post hoc tests revealed that fear-potentiation increased in girls but not boys over the course of puberty. Furthermore, baseline startle decreased over the course of puberty. Because age was included as a covariate in all analyses, the puberty effect cannot be accounted for by age. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence for a significant increase in fear-potentiated startle across the pubertal transition. Attribution of these changes to pubertal status rather than age has important implications for our understanding of the neurobiology of anxiety and affect regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Schmitz
- Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shelli Avenevoli
- Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lihong Cui
- Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kathleen R Merikangas
- Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, MD, USA.
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