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Jüllig AK, Hebib S, Metzker H, Gruber E, Gruber O. Task-induced deactivation dysfunction during reward processing is associated with low self-esteem in a possible subtype of major depression. Brain Behav 2024; 14:e3545. [PMID: 38873863 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3545] [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: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Low self-esteem is a frequent symptom in major depressive disorder (MDD). This functional magnetic resonance imaging study investigated whether MDD patients with low self-esteem show a distinct neural pathophysiology. Previous studies linked low self-esteem to reduced task-induced deactivation of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) as a part of the default mode network, and to reduced connectivity between pgACC and reward system. Goya-Maldonado et al. identified an MDD subtype with pgACC and ventral striatal overactivations during reward processing. We hypothesized that this subtype might be characterized by low self-esteem. METHODS Eighty-three MDD patients performed the desire-reason dilemma task and completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Brain activity during bottom-up reward processing was regressed upon the RSES scores, controlling for depression severity measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. To corroborate the findings, we compared self-esteem scores between patient subgroups with impaired task-induced deactivation (n = 31) and with preserved task-induced deactivation (n = 31) of the pgACC. RESULTS Consistent with our a priori hypothesis, activity in a bilateral fronto-striatal network including pgACC and ventral striatum correlated negatively with RSES scores, also when controlling for depression severity. In the additional analysis, patients with impaired task-induced pgACC deactivation showed lower self-esteem (t (52.82) = -2.27; p = .027, d = 0.58) compared to those with preserved task-induced pgACC deactivation. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that low self-esteem in MDD patients is linked to a task-induced deactivation dysfunction of the pgACC. Our findings suggest that a previously described possible subtype of MDD with pgACC and ventral striatal overactivations during reward processing is clinically characterized by low self-esteem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia K Jüllig
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sandi Hebib
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Helena Metzker
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eva Gruber
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Oliver Gruber
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Guo F, Zou J, Wang Y, Fang B, Zhou H, Wang D, He S, Zhang P. Human subcortical pathways automatically detect collision trajectory without attention and awareness. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002375. [PMID: 38236815 PMCID: PMC10795999 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Detecting imminent collisions is essential for survival. Here, we used high-resolution fMRI at 7 Tesla to investigate the role of attention and consciousness for detecting collision trajectory in human subcortical pathways. Healthy participants can precisely discriminate collision from near-miss trajectory of an approaching object, with pupil size change reflecting collision sensitivity. Subcortical pathways from the superior colliculus (SC) to the ventromedial pulvinar (vmPul) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) exhibited collision-sensitive responses even when participants were not paying attention to the looming stimuli. For hemianopic patients with unilateral lesions of the geniculostriate pathway, the ipsilesional SC and VTA showed significant activation to collision stimuli in their scotoma. Furthermore, stronger SC responses predicted better behavioral performance in collision detection even in the absence of awareness. Therefore, human tectofugal pathways could automatically detect collision trajectories without the observers' attention to and awareness of looming stimuli, supporting "blindsight" detection of impending visual threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanhua Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinyou Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Aier Institute of Optometry and Vision Science, Aier Eye Hospital Group, Changsha, China
| | - Ye Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Boyan Fang
- Neurological Rehabilitation Center, Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Huanfen Zhou
- Division of Ophthalmology, The Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Dajiang Wang
- Division of Ophthalmology, The Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Sheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China
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Roberts BF, Zylko AL, Waters CE, Crowder JD, Gibbons WJ, Sen AK, Jones JA, McMurray MS. Effect of psilocybin on decision-making and motivation in the healthy rat. Behav Brain Res 2023; 440:114262. [PMID: 36529299 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114262] [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: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin are hallucinogenic serotonergic agonists with high affinity for several serotonin receptors. In addition to underlying the hallucinogenic effects of these compounds, serotonin receptor activation also has important effects on decision-making and goal-directed behaviors. The impact of psilocybin and psilocin on these cognitive systems, however, remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of psilocybin treatment on decision-making and motivation in healthy male and female rats. We compared probability and delay discounting performance of psilocybin treated (1 mg/kg) to vehicle rats (n = 10/sex/group), and further assessed motivation in each group using a progressive ratio task. We also confirmed drug action by assessing head twitch responses after psilocybin treatment (1 mg/kg). Results from this study demonstrated that exposure to 1 mg/kg psilocybin did not affect decision-making in the probability and delay discounting tasks and did not reduce response rates in the progressive ratio task. However, psilocybin treatment did cause the expected increase in head twitch responses in both male and female rats, demonstrating that the drug was delivered at a pharmacologically relevant dosage. Combined, these results suggest that psilocybin may not impair or improve decision-making and motivation. Considering recent interest in psilocybin as a potential fast-acting therapeutic for a variety of mental health disorders, our findings also suggest the therapeutic effects of this drug may not be mediated by changes to the brain systems underlying reward and decision-making. Finally, these results may have important implications regarding the relative safety of this compound, suggesting that widespread cognitive impairments may not be seen in subjects, even after chronic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexia L Zylko
- Miami University, Department of Psychology, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | | | | | - William J Gibbons
- Miami University, Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Abhishek K Sen
- Miami University, Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - J Andrew Jones
- Miami University, Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, Oxford, OH 45056, USA; PsyBio Therapeutics, Inc., Oxford, OH 45056, USA
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Reward network connectivity "at rest" is associated with reward sensitivity in healthy adults: A resting-state fMRI study. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 19:726-736. [PMID: 30680664 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-019-00688-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The behavioral approach system (BAS), based on reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST), is a neurobehavioral system responsible for detecting and promoting motivated behaviors towards appetitive stimuli. Anatomically, the frontostriatal system has been proposed as the core of the BAS, mainly the ventral tegmental area and the ventral striatum and their dopaminergic connections with medial prefrontal structures. The RST also proposes the personality trait of reward sensitivity as a measurable construct of stable individual differences in BAS activity. However, the relationship between this trait and brain connectivity "at rest" has been poorly studied, mainly because previous investigations have focused on studying brain activity under reward-related contingency paradigms. Here, we analyzed the influence of reward sensitivity on the resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) between BAS-related areas by correlating the BOLD time series with the scores on the Sensitivity to Reward (SR) scale in a sample of 89 healthy young adults. Rs-FC between regions of interest were all significant. Results also revealed a positive association between SR scores and the rs-FC between the VTA and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and between the latter structure and the anterior cingulate cortex. These results suggest that reward sensitivity could be associated with different resting-state activity in the mesocortical pathway.
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Serra L, Scocchia M, Meola G, D'Amelio M, Bruschini M, Silvestri G, Petrucci A, Di Domenico C, Caltagirone C, Koch G, Cercignani M, Petrosini L, Bozzali M. Ventral tegmental area dysfunction affects decision-making in patients with myotonic dystrophy type-1. Cortex 2020; 128:192-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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Richter A, Reinhard F, Kraemer B, Gruber O. A high-resolution fMRI approach to characterize functionally distinct neural pathways within dopaminergic midbrain and nucleus accumbens during reward and salience processing. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 36:137-150. [PMID: 32546416 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Processing of reward and salience without reward association are known to critically rely on the dopamine system. A growing body of evidence from animal studies suggests that both functions may be subserved by distinct subregions in midbrain and ventral striatum, specifically nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Yet in vivo investigation of these brain structures in humans has been rare. Here we examined blood oxygen level dependent signals in response to frequently presented rewarding events and infrequently presented neutral events in 20 healthy subjects using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for imaging the human midbrain and NAcc. The present findings revealed distinct activation patterns in brain regions of interest, namely increased activation in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and dorsolateral NAcc in response to neutral events, while the VTA and both the ventromedial and dorsolateral NAcc were significantly activated due to rewarding events. Moreover, psychophysiological interaction analyses demonstrated regionally specialized processing pathways, such as a dorsolateral pathway when processing salience per se, i.e. increased functional interactions between SNc, dorsolateral NAcc and dorsolateral and medial prefrontal cortex (PFC); and a ventromedial pathway during reward processing, i.e. increased functional coupling between VTA and ventromedial NAcc. Thus, these findings may not only accelerate the integration of animal models of brain function with human neuroscience but may also improve diagnosis and treatment in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression in which dopaminergic dysfunction and aberrant attribution of salience have been implicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Richter
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Fabian Reinhard
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bernd Kraemer
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Oliver Gruber
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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Lupica CR, Hoffman AF. Cannabinoid disruption of learning mechanisms involved in reward processing. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:435-445. [PMID: 30115765 PMCID: PMC6097761 DOI: 10.1101/lm.046748.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The increasing use of cannabis, its derivatives, and synthetic cannabinoids for medicinal and recreational purposes has led to burgeoning interest in understanding the addictive potential of this class of molecules. It is estimated that ∼10% of marijuana users will eventually show signs of dependence on the drug, and the diagnosis of cannabis use disorder (CUD) is increasing in the United States. The molecule that sustains the use of cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), and our knowledge of its effects, and those of other cannabinoids on brain function has expanded rapidly in the past two decades. Additionally, the identification of endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) systems in brain and their roles in physiology and behavior, demonstrate extensive involvement of these lipid signaling molecules in regulating CNS function. Here, we examine roles for endogenous cannabinoids in shaping synaptic activity in cortical and subcortical brain circuits, and we discuss mechanisms in which exogenous cannabinoids, such as Δ9-THC, interact with endocannabinoid systems to disrupt neuronal network oscillations. We then explore how perturbation of the interaction of this activity within brain reward circuits may lead to impaired learning. Finally, we propose that disruption of cellular plasticity mechanisms by exogenous cannabinoids in cortical and subcortical circuits may explain the difficulty in establishing viable cannabinoid self-administration models in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl R Lupica
- Electrophysiology Research Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Alexander F Hoffman
- Electrophysiology Research Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
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Richter A, Gruber O. Influence of ventral tegmental area input on cortico-subcortical networks underlying action control and decision making. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 39:1004-1014. [PMID: 29165901 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
It is argued that the mesolimbic system has a more general function in processing all salient events, including and extending beyond rewards. Saliency was defined as an event that is unexpected due to its frequency of occurrence and elicits an attentional-behavioral switch. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), signals were measured in response to the modulation of salience of rewarding and nonrewarding events during a reward-based decision making task, the so called desire-reason dilemma paradigm (DRD). Replicating previous findings, both frequent and infrequent, and therefore salient, reward stimuli elicited reliable activation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and ventral striatum (vStr). When immediate reward desiring contradicted the superordinate task-goal, we found an increased activation of the VTA and vStr when the salient reward stimuli were presented compared to the nonsalient reward stimuli, indicating a boosting of activation in these brain regions. Furthermore, we found a significantly increased functional connectivity between the VTA and vStr, confirming the boosting of vStr activation via VTA input. Moreover, saliency per se without a reward association led to an increased activation of brain regions in the mesolimbic reward system as well as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Finally, findings uncovered multiple increased functional interactions between cortical saliency-processing brain areas and the VTA and vStr underlying detection and processing of salient events and adaptive decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Richter
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69115, Germany.,Center for Translational Research in Systems Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075, Germany
| | - Oliver Gruber
- Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69115, Germany.,Center for Translational Research in Systems Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075, Germany
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