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Feola B, Beermann A, Manzanarez Felix K, Coleman M, Bouix S, Holt DJ, Lewandowski KE, Öngür D, Breier A, Shenton ME, Heckers S, Brady RO, Blackford JU, Ward HB. Data-driven, connectome-wide analysis identifies psychosis-specific brain correlates of fear and anxiety. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:2601-2610. [PMID: 38503924 PMCID: PMC11411017 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02512-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Decades of psychosis research highlight the prevalence and the clinical significance of negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety. Translational evidence demonstrates the pivotal role of the amygdala in fear and anxiety. However, most of these approaches have used hypothesis-driven analyses with predefined regions of interest. A data-driven analysis may provide a complimentary, unbiased approach to identifying brain correlates of fear and anxiety. The aim of the current study was to identify the brain basis of fear and anxiety in early psychosis and controls using a data-driven approach. We analyzed data from the Human Connectome Project for Early Psychosis, a multi-site study of 125 people with psychosis and 58 controls with resting-state fMRI and clinical characterization. Multivariate pattern analysis of whole-connectome data was used to identify shared and psychosis-specific brain correlates of fear and anxiety using the NIH Toolbox Fear-Affect and Fear-Somatic Arousal scales. We then examined clinical correlations of Fear-Affect scores and connectivity patterns. Individuals with psychosis had higher levels of Fear-Affect scores than controls (p < 0.05). The data-driven analysis identified a cluster encompassing the amygdala and hippocampus where connectivity was correlated with Fear-Affect score (p < 0.005) in the entire sample. The strongest correlate of Fear-Affect was between this cluster and the anterior insula and stronger connectivity was associated with higher Fear-Affect scores (r = 0.31, p = 0.0003). The multivariate pattern analysis also identified a psychosis-specific correlate of Fear-Affect score between the amygdala/hippocampus cluster and a cluster in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Higher Fear-Affect scores were correlated with stronger amygdala/hippocampal-VMPFC connectivity in the early psychosis group (r = 0.33, p = 0.002), but not in controls (r = -0.15, p = 0.28). The current study provides evidence for the transdiagnostic role of the amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior insula in the neural basis of fear and anxiety and suggests a psychosis-specific relationship between fear and anxiety symptoms and amygdala/hippocampal-VMPFC connectivity. Our novel data-driven approach identifies novel, psychosis-specific treatment targets for fear and anxiety symptoms and provides complimentary evidence to decades of hypothesis-driven approaches examining the brain basis of threat processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Adam Beermann
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Michael Coleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sylvain Bouix
- Department of Software Engineering and Information Technology, École de technologie supérieure, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Daphne J Holt
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Dost Öngür
- McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alan Breier
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Martha E Shenton
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Roscoe O Brady
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Heather Burrell Ward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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Cornwell BR, Didier PR, Grogans SE, Anderson AS, Islam S, Kim HC, Kuhn M, Tillman RM, Hur J, Scott ZS, Fox AS, DeYoung KA, Smith JF, Shackman AJ. A shared threat-anticipation circuit is dynamically engaged at different moments by certain and uncertain threat. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.10.602972. [PMID: 39026814 PMCID: PMC11257510 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.10.602972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Temporal dynamics play a central role in models of emotion: "fear" is widely conceptualized as a phasic response to certain-and-imminent danger, whereas "anxiety" is a sustained response to uncertain-or-distal harm. Yet the underlying human neurobiology remains contentious. Leveraging an ethnoracially diverse sample, translationally relevant paradigm, and theory-driven modeling approach, we demonstrate that certain and uncertain threat recruit a shared threat-anticipation circuit. This cortico-subcortical circuit exhibits persistently elevated activation when anticipating uncertain-threat encounters and a transient burst of activation in the moments before certain encounters. For many scientists and clinicians, feelings are the defining feature of human fear and anxiety. Here we used an independently validated brain signature to covertly decode the momentary dynamics of anticipatory distress for the first time. Results mirrored the dynamics of neural activation. These observations provide fresh insights into the neurobiology of threat-elicited emotions and set the stage for more ambitious clinical and mechanistic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R. Cornwell
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20006 USA
| | - Paige R. Didier
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Shannon E. Grogans
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Allegra S. Anderson
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912 USA
| | - Samiha Islam
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Hyung Cho Kim
- 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
| | - Manuel Kuhn
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
| | | | - Juyoen Hur
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Zachary S. Scott
- 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
| | - Kathryn A. DeYoung
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Jason F. Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - 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
- Department of Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 USA
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3
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Grogans SE, Hur J, Barstead MG, Anderson AS, Islam S, Kim HC, Kuhn M, Tillman RM, Fox AS, Smith JF, DeYoung KA, Shackman AJ. Neuroticism/Negative Emotionality Is Associated with Increased Reactivity to Uncertain Threat in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis, Not the Amygdala. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1868232024. [PMID: 39009438 PMCID: PMC11308352 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1868-23.2024] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroticism/negative emotionality (N/NE)-the tendency to experience anxiety, fear, and other negative emotions-is a fundamental dimension of temperament with profound consequences for health, wealth, and well-being. Elevated N/NE is associated with a panoply of adverse outcomes, from reduced socioeconomic attainment to psychiatric illness. Animal research suggests that N/NE reflects heightened reactivity to uncertain threat in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce), but the relevance of these discoveries to humans has remained unclear. Here we used a novel combination of psychometric, psychophysiological, and neuroimaging approaches to test this hypothesis in an ethnoracially diverse, sex-balanced sample of 220 emerging adults selectively recruited to encompass a broad spectrum of N/NE. Cross-validated robust-regression analyses demonstrated that N/NE is preferentially associated with heightened BST activation during the uncertain anticipation of a genuinely distressing threat (aversive multimodal stimulation), whereas N/NE was unrelated to BST activation during certain-threat anticipation, Ce activation during either type of threat anticipation, or BST/Ce reactivity to threat-related faces. It is often assumed that different threat paradigms are interchangeable assays of individual differences in brain function, yet this has rarely been tested. Our results revealed negligible associations between BST/Ce reactivity to the anticipation of threat and the presentation of threat-related faces, indicating that the two tasks are nonfungible. These observations provide a framework for conceptualizing emotional traits and disorders; for guiding the design and interpretation of biobank and other neuroimaging studies of psychiatric risk, disease, and treatment; and for refining mechanistic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon E Grogans
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Juyoen Hur
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Allegra S Anderson
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240
| | - Samiha Islam
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Hyung Cho Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Manuel Kuhn
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
| | | | - Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California 95616
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616
| | - Jason F Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Kathryn A DeYoung
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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Hur J, Tillman RM, Kim HC, Didier P, Anderson AS, Islam S, Stockbridge MD, De Los Reyes A, DeYoung KA, Smith JF, Shackman AJ. Adolescent social anxiety is associated with diminished discrimination of anticipated threat and safety in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.30.564701. [PMID: 38853920 PMCID: PMC11160578 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.30.564701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Social anxiety-which typically emerges in adolescence-lies on a continuum and, when extreme, can be devastating. Socially anxious individuals are prone to heightened fear, anxiety, and the avoidance of contexts associated with potential social scrutiny. Yet most neuroimaging research has focused on acute social threat. Much less attention has been devoted to understanding the neural systems recruited during the uncertain anticipation of potential encounters with social threat. Here we used a novel fMRI paradigm to probe the neural circuitry engaged during the anticipation and acute presentation of threatening faces and voices in a racially diverse sample of 66 adolescents selectively recruited to encompass a range of social anxiety and enriched for clinically significant levels of distress and impairment. Results demonstrated that adolescents with more severe social anxiety symptoms experience heightened distress when anticipating encounters with social threat, and reduced discrimination of uncertain social threat and safety in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), a key division of the central extended amygdala (EAc). Although the EAc-including the BST and central nucleus of the amygdala-was robustly engaged by the acute presentation of threatening faces and voices, the degree of EAc engagement was unrelated to the severity of social anxiety. Together, these observations provide a neurobiologically grounded framework for conceptualizing adolescent social anxiety and set the stage for the kinds of prospective-longitudinal and mechanistic research that will be necessary to determine causation and, ultimately, to develop improved interventions for this often-debilitating illness.
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Nusslock R, Alloy LB, Brody GH, Miller GE. Annual Research Review: Neuroimmune network model of depression: a developmental perspective. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:538-567. [PMID: 38426610 PMCID: PMC11090270 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13961] [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] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Depression is a serious public health problem, and adolescence is an 'age of risk' for the onset of Major Depressive Disorder. Recently, we and others have proposed neuroimmune network models that highlight bidirectional communication between the brain and the immune system in both mental and physical health, including depression. These models draw on research indicating that the cellular actors (particularly monocytes) and signaling molecules (particularly cytokines) that orchestrate inflammation in the periphery can directly modulate the structure and function of the brain. In the brain, inflammatory activity heightens sensitivity to threats in the cortico-amygdala circuit, lowers sensitivity to rewards in the cortico-striatal circuit, and alters executive control and emotion regulation in the prefrontal cortex. When dysregulated, and particularly under conditions of chronic stress, inflammation can generate feelings of dysphoria, distress, and anhedonia. This is proposed to initiate unhealthy, self-medicating behaviors (e.g. substance use, poor diet) to manage the dysphoria, which further heighten inflammation. Over time, dysregulation in these brain circuits and the inflammatory response may compound each other to form a positive feedback loop, whereby dysregulation in one organ system exacerbates the other. We and others suggest that this neuroimmune dysregulation is a dynamic joint vulnerability for depression, particularly during adolescence. We have three goals for the present paper. First, we extend neuroimmune network models of mental and physical health to generate a developmental framework of risk for the onset of depression during adolescence. Second, we examine how a neuroimmune network perspective can help explain the high rates of comorbidity between depression and other psychiatric disorders across development, and multimorbidity between depression and stress-related medical illnesses. Finally, we consider how identifying neuroimmune pathways to depression can facilitate a 'next generation' of behavioral and biological interventions that target neuroimmune signaling to treat, and ideally prevent, depression in youth and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Nusslock
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
| | - Lauren B. Alloy
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. USA
| | - Gene H. Brody
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens GA, USA
| | - Gregory E. Miller
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
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6
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Drzewiecki CM, Fox AS. Understanding the heterogeneity of anxiety using a translational neuroscience approach. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:228-245. [PMID: 38356013 PMCID: PMC11039504 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01162-3] [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] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders affect millions of people worldwide and present a challenge in neuroscience research because of their substantial heterogeneity in clinical presentation. While a great deal of progress has been made in understanding the neurobiology of fear and anxiety, these insights have not led to effective treatments. Understanding the relationship between phenotypic heterogeneity and the underlying biology is a critical first step in solving this problem. We show translation, reverse translation, and computational modeling can contribute to a refined, cross-species understanding of fear and anxiety as well as anxiety disorders. More specifically, we outline how animal models can be leveraged to develop testable hypotheses in humans by using targeted, cross-species approaches and ethologically informed behavioral paradigms. We discuss reverse translational approaches that can guide and prioritize animal research in nontraditional research species. Finally, we advocate for the use of computational models to harmonize cross-species and cross-methodology research into anxiety. Together, this translational neuroscience approach will help to bridge the widening gap between how we currently conceptualize and diagnose anxiety disorders, as well as aid in the discovery of better treatments for these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly M Drzewiecki
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Andrew S Fox
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
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7
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Wen Z, Pace-Schott EF, Lazar SW, Rosén J, Åhs F, Phelps EA, LeDoux JE, Milad MR. Distributed neural representations of conditioned threat in the human brain. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2231. [PMID: 38472184 PMCID: PMC10933283 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46508-0] [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] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Detecting and responding to threat engages several neural nodes including the amygdala, hippocampus, insular cortex, and medial prefrontal cortices. Recent propositions call for the integration of more distributed neural nodes that process sensory and cognitive facets related to threat. Integrative, sensitive, and reproducible distributed neural decoders for the detection and response to threat and safety have yet to be established. We combine functional MRI data across varying threat conditioning and negative affect paradigms from 1465 participants with multivariate pattern analysis to investigate distributed neural representations of threat and safety. The trained decoders sensitively and specifically distinguish between threat and safety cues across multiple datasets. We further show that many neural nodes dynamically shift representations between threat and safety. Our results establish reproducible decoders that integrate neural circuits, merging the well-characterized 'threat circuit' with sensory and cognitive nodes, discriminating threat from safety regardless of experimental designs or data acquisition parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenfu Wen
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Edward F Pace-Schott
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Sara W Lazar
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Jörgen Rosén
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Åhs
- Department of Psychology and Social Work, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden
| | | | - Joseph E LeDoux
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science and Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- The Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
- The Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
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8
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Sladky R, Kargl D, Haubensak W, Lamm C. An active inference perspective for the amygdala complex. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:223-236. [PMID: 38103984 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is a heterogeneous network of subcortical nuclei with central importance in cognitive and clinical neuroscience. Various experimental designs in human psychology and animal model research have mapped multiple conceptual frameworks (e.g., valence/salience and decision making) to ever more refined amygdala circuitry. However, these predominantly bottom up-driven accounts often rely on interpretations tailored to a specific phenomenon, thus preventing comprehensive and integrative theories. We argue here that an active inference model of amygdala function could unify these fractionated approaches into an overarching framework for clearer empirical predictions and mechanistic interpretations. This framework embeds top-down predictive models, informed by prior knowledge and belief updating, within a dynamical system distributed across amygdala circuits in which self-regulation is implemented by continuously tracking environmental and homeostatic demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Sladky
- Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Dominic Kargl
- Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 4, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Wulf Haubensak
- Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 4, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus Vienna Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria
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Feola B, Moussa-Tooks AB, Sheffield JM, Heckers S, Woodward ND, Blackford JU. Threat Responses in Schizophrenia: A Negative Valence Systems Framework. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2024; 26:9-25. [PMID: 38183600 PMCID: PMC10962319 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-023-01479-9] [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] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Emotions are prominent in theories and accounts of schizophrenia but are largely understudied compared to cognition. Utilizing the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Negative Valence Systems framework, we review the current knowledge of emotions in schizophrenia. Given the pivotal role of threat responses in theories of schizophrenia and the substantial evidence of altered threat responses, we focus on three components of Negative Valence Systems tied to threat responses: responses to acute threat, responses to potential threat, and sustained threat. RECENT FINDINGS Individuals with schizophrenia show altered responses to neutral stimuli during acute threat, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis connectivity in response to potential threat, and threat responses associated with sustained threat. Our review concludes that Negative Valence Systems are altered in schizophrenia; however, the level and evidence of alterations vary across the types of threat responses. We suggest avenues for future research to further understand and intervene on threat responses in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
| | - Alexandra B Moussa-Tooks
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Julia M Sheffield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Neil D Woodward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Jennifer U Blackford
- Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
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10
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Kaplan GB, Thompson BL. Neuroplasticity of the extended amygdala in opioid withdrawal and prolonged opioid abstinence. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1253736. [PMID: 38044942 PMCID: PMC10690374 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1253736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid use disorder is characterized by excessive use of opioids, inability to control its use, a withdrawal syndrome upon discontinuation of opioids, and long-term likelihood of relapse. The behavioral stages of opioid addiction correspond with affective experiences that characterize the opponent process view of motivation. In this framework, active involvement is accompanied by positive affective experiences which gives rise to "reward craving," whereas the opponent process, abstinence, is associated with the negative affective experiences that produce "relief craving." Relief craving develops along with a hypersensitization to the negatively reinforcing aspects of withdrawal during abstinence from opioids. These negative affective experiences are hypothesized to stem from neuroadaptations to a network of affective processing called the "extended amygdala." This negative valence network includes the three core structures of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and the nucleus accumbens shell (NAc shell), in addition to major inputs from the basolateral amygdala (BLA). To better understand the major components of this system, we have reviewed their functions, inputs and outputs, along with the associated neural plasticity in animal models of opioid withdrawal. These models demonstrate the somatic, motivational, affective, and learning related models of opioid withdrawal and abstinence. Neuroadaptations in these stress and motivational systems are accompanied by negative affective and aversive experiences that commonly give rise to relapse. CeA neuroplasticity accounts for many of the aversive and fear-related effects of opioid withdrawal via glutamatergic plasticity and changes to corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF)-containing neurons. Neuroadaptations in BNST pre-and post-synaptic GABA-containing neurons, as well as their noradrenergic modulation, may be responsible for a variety of aversive affective experiences and maladaptive behaviors. Opioid withdrawal yields a hypodopaminergic and amotivational state and results in neuroadaptive increases in excitability of the NAc shell, both of which are associated with increased vulnerability to relapse. Finally, BLA transmission to hippocampal and cortical regions impacts the perception of conditioned aversive effects of opioid withdrawal by higher executive systems. The prevention or reversal of these varied neuroadaptations in the extended amygdala during opioid withdrawal could lead to promising new interventions for this life-threatening condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary B Kaplan
- Mental Health Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
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11
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Kirstein CF, Güntürkün O, Ocklenburg S. Ultra-high field imaging of the amygdala - A narrative review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105245. [PMID: 37230235 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105245] [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: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is an evolutionarily conserved core structure in emotion processing and one of the key regions of interest in affective neuroscience. Results of neuroimaging studies focusing on the amygdala are, however, often heterogeneous since it is composed of functionally and neuroanatomically distinct subnuclei. Fortunately, ultra-high-field imaging offers several advances for amygdala research, most importantly more accurate representation of functional and structural properties of subnuclei and their connectivity. Most clinical studies using ultra-high-field imaging focused on major depression, suggesting either overall rightward amygdala atrophy or distinct bilateral patterns of subnuclear atrophy and hypertrophy. Other pathologies are only sparsely covered. Connectivity analyses identified widespread networks for learning and memory, stimulus processing, cognition, and social processes. They provide evidence for distinct roles of the central, basal, and basolateral nucleus, and the extended amygdala in fear and emotion processing. Amid largely sparse and ambiguous evidence, we propose theoretical and methodological considerations that will guide ultra-high-field imaging in comprehensive investigations to help disentangle the ambiguity of the amygdala's function, structure, connectivity, and clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Fabian Kirstein
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Research Center One Health Ruhr, Research Alliance Ruhr, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Germany; Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Germany
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12
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Giacometti C, Amiez C, Hadj-Bouziane F. Multiple routes of communication within the amygdala-mPFC network: A comparative approach in humans and macaques. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 5:100103. [PMID: 37601951 PMCID: PMC10432920 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2023.100103] [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: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The network formed by the amygdala (AMG) and the medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC), at the interface between our internal and external environment, has been shown to support some important aspects of behavioral adaptation. Whether and how the anatomo-functional organization of this network evolved across primates remains unclear. Here, we compared AMG nuclei morphological characteristics and their functional connectivity with the mPFC in humans and macaques to identify potential homologies and differences between these species. Based on selected studies, we highlight two subsystems within the AMG-mPFC circuits, likely involved in distinct temporal dynamics of integration during behavioral adaptation. We also show that whereas the mPFC displays a large expansion but a preserved intrinsic anatomo-functional organization, the AMG displays a volume reduction and morphological changes related to specific nuclei. We discuss potential commonalities and differences in the dialogue between AMG nuclei and mPFC in humans and macaques based on available data.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Giacometti
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, 69500, Bron, France
| | - C. Amiez
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, 69500, Bron, France
| | - F. Hadj-Bouziane
- Integrative Multisensory Perception Action & Cognition Team (ImpAct), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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13
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Kim HC, Kaplan CM, Islam S, Anderson AS, Piper ME, Bradford DE, Curtin JJ, DeYoung KA, Smith JF, Fox AS, Shackman AJ. Acute nicotine abstinence amplifies subjective withdrawal symptoms and threat-evoked fear and anxiety, but not extended amygdala reactivity. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288544. [PMID: 37471317 PMCID: PMC10358993 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288544] [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: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Tobacco smoking imposes a staggering burden on public health, underscoring the urgency of developing a deeper understanding of the processes that maintain addiction. Clinical and experience-sampling data highlight the importance of anxious withdrawal symptoms, but the underlying neurobiology has remained elusive. Mechanistic work in animals implicates the central extended amygdala (EAc)-including the central nucleus of the amygdala and the neighboring bed nucleus of the stria terminalis-but the translational relevance of these discoveries remains unexplored. Here we leveraged a randomized trial design, well-established threat-anticipation paradigm, and multidimensional battery of assessments to understand the consequences of 24-hour nicotine abstinence. The threat-anticipation paradigm had the expected consequences, amplifying subjective distress and arousal, and recruiting the canonical threat-anticipation network. Abstinence increased smoking urges and withdrawal symptoms, and potentiated threat-evoked distress, but had negligible consequences for EAc threat reactivity, raising questions about the translational relevance of prominent animal and human models of addiction. These observations provide a framework for conceptualizing nicotine abstinence and withdrawal, with implications for basic, translational, and clinical science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyung Cho Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Claire M. Kaplan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Samiha Islam
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Allegra S. Anderson
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Megan E. Piper
- Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention and Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Daniel E. Bradford
- School of Psychological Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - John J. Curtin
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Kathryn A. DeYoung
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jason F. Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Andrew S. Fox
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Alexander J. Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
- Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
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14
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Flook EA, Feola B, Benningfield MM, Silveri MM, Winder DG, Blackford JU. Alterations in BNST Intrinsic Functional Connectivity in Early Abstinence from Alcohol Use Disorder. Alcohol Alcohol 2023; 58:298-307. [PMID: 36847484 PMCID: PMC10168710 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agad006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Maintaining abstinence from alcohol use disorder (AUD) is extremely challenging, partially due to increased symptoms of anxiety and stress that trigger relapse. Rodent models of AUD have identified that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) contributes to symptoms of anxiety-like behavior and drug-seeking during abstinence. In humans, however, the BNST's role in abstinence remains poorly understood. The aims of this study were to assess BNST network intrinsic functional connectivity in individuals during abstinence from AUD compared to healthy controls and examine associations between BNST intrinsic functional connectivity, anxiety and alcohol use severity during abstinence. METHODS The study included resting state fMRI scans from participants aged 21-40 years: 20 participants with AUD in abstinence and 20 healthy controls. Analyses were restricted to five pre-selected brain regions with known BNST structural connections. Linear mixed models were used to test for group differences, with sex as a fixed factor given previously shown sex differences. RESULTS BNST-hypothalamus intrinsic connectivity was lower in the abstinent group relative to the control group. There were also pronounced sex differences in both the group and individual analyses; many of the findings were specific to men. Within the abstinent group, anxiety was positively associated with BNST-amygdala and BNST-hypothalamus connectivity, and men, not women, showed a negative relationship between alcohol use severity and BNST-hypothalamus connectivity. CONCLUSIONS Understanding differences in connectivity during abstinence may help explain the clinically observed anxiety and depression symptoms during abstinence and may inform the development of individualized treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Flook
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1161 21st Ave S # D3300, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, 2215 Garland Ave, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Margaret M Benningfield
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1161 21st Ave S # D3300, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, 2215 Garland Ave, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Marisa M Silveri
- Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health, Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, 2215 Garland Ave, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, 2215 Garland Ave, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1601 23rd Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
- Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 6902 Pine Street, Omaha, NE 68106, USA
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15
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Feola B, Flook EA, Gardner H, Phan KL, Gwirtsman H, Olatunji B, Blackford JU. Altered bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala responses to threat in combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. J Trauma Stress 2023; 36:359-372. [PMID: 36938747 PMCID: PMC10548436 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) significantly impacts many veterans. Although PTSD has been linked to alterations in the fear brain network, the disorder likely involves alterations in both the fear and anxiety networks. Fear involves responses to imminent, predictable threat and is driven by the amygdala, whereas anxiety involves responses to potential, unpredictable threat and engages the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). The BNST has been implicated in PTSD, but the role of the BNST in combat veterans with PTSD has yet to be examined. Identifying alterations in BNST responses to unpredictable threat could provide important new targets for treatment. The current study examined whether veterans with PTSD have altered BNST or amygdala responses (function and connectivity) to unpredictable and predictable threat. The fMRI task involved viewing predictable threat cues followed by threat images, predictable neutral cues followed by neutral images, and unpredictable threat cues followed by either a threat or neutral image. Participants included 32 combat-exposed veterans with PTSD and 13 combat-exposed controls without PTSD. Across all conditions, veterans with PTSD had heightened BNST activation and displayed stronger BNST and amygdala connectivity with multiple fear and anxiety regions (hypothalamus, hippocampus, insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) relative to controls. In contrast, combat controls showed a pattern of stronger connectivity during neutral conditions (e.g., BNST-vmPFC), which may suggest a neural signature of resilience to developing PTSD, ηp 2 = .087-.527, ps < .001. These findings have implications for understanding fear and anxiety networks that may contribute to the development and maintenance of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Flook
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hannah Gardner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Harry Gwirtsman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Tennessee Valley HealthCare System, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Bunmi Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Tennessee Valley HealthCare System, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
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16
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Holley D, Fox AS. The central extended amygdala guides survival-relevant tradeoffs: Implications for understanding common psychiatric disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104879. [PMID: 36115597 PMCID: PMC11178236 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
To thrive in challenging environments, individuals must pursue rewards while avoiding threats. Extensive studies in animals and humans have identified the central extended amygdala (EAc)-which includes the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST)-as a conserved substrate for defensive behavior. These studies suggest the EAc influences defensive responding and assembles fearful and anxious states. This has led to the proliferation of a view that the EAc is fundamentally a defensive substrate. Yet mechanistic work in animals has implicated the EAc in numerous appetitive and consummatory processes, yielding fresh insights into the microcircuitry of survival- and emotion-relevant response selection. Coupled with the EAc's centrality in a conserved network of brain regions that encode multisensory environmental and interoceptive information, these findings suggest a broader role for the EAc as an arbiter of survival- and emotion-relevant tradeoffs for action selection. Determining how the EAc optimizes these tradeoffs promises to improve our understanding of common psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety, depression, alcohol- and substance-use disorders, and anhedonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Holley
- Department of Psychology and the California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology and the California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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17
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Kirk PA, Holmes AJ, Robinson OJ. Threat vigilance and intrinsic amygdala connectivity. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:3283-3292. [PMID: 35362645 PMCID: PMC9188965 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A well-documented amygdala-dorsomedial prefrontal circuit is theorized to promote attention to threat ("threat vigilance"). Prior research has implicated a relationship between individual differences in trait anxiety/vigilance, engagement of this circuitry, and anxiogenic features of the environment (e.g., through threat-of-shock and movie-watching). In the present study, we predicted that-for those scoring high in self-reported anxiety and a behavioral measure of threat vigilance-this circuitry is chronically engaged, even in the absence of anxiogenic stimuli. Our analyses of resting-state fMRI data (N = 639) did not, however, provide evidence for such a relationship. Nevertheless, in our planned exploratory analyses, we saw a relationship between threat vigilance behavior (but not self-reported anxiety) and intrinsic amygdala-periaqueductal gray connectivity. Here, we suggest this subcortical circuitry may be chronically engaged in hypervigilant individuals, but that amygdala-prefrontal circuitry may only be engaged in response to anxiogenic stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A. Kirk
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Experimental PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Departments of Psychology and PsychiatryYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Avram J. Holmes
- Departments of Psychology and PsychiatryYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Wu Tsai InstituteYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Oliver J. Robinson
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Clinical, Educational and Health PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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18
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Hur J, Kuhn M, Grogans SE, Anderson AS, Islam S, Kim HC, Tillman RM, Fox AS, Smith JF, DeYoung KA, Shackman AJ. Anxiety-Related Frontocortical Activity Is Associated With Dampened Stressor Reactivity in the Real World. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:906-924. [PMID: 35657777 PMCID: PMC9343891 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211056635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Negative affect is a fundamental dimension of human emotion. When extreme, it contributes to a variety of adverse outcomes, from physical and mental illness to divorce and premature death. Mechanistic work in animals and neuroimaging research in humans and monkeys have begun to reveal the broad contours of the neural circuits governing negative affect, but the relevance of these discoveries to everyday distress remains incompletely understood. Here, we used a combination of approaches-including neuroimaging assays of threat anticipation and emotional-face perception and more than 10,000 momentary assessments of emotional experience-to demonstrate that individuals who showed greater activation in a cingulo-opercular circuit during an anxiety-eliciting laboratory paradigm experienced lower levels of stressor-dependent distress in their daily lives (ns = 202-208 university students). Extended amygdala activation was not significantly related to momentary negative affect. These observations provide a framework for understanding the neurobiology of negative affect in the laboratory and in the real world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyoen Hur
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei
University
| | - Manuel Kuhn
- Center for Depression, Anxiety
and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard
University
| | | | | | - Samiha Islam
- Department of Psychology,
University of Pennsylvania
| | - Hyung Cho Kim
- Department of Psychology,
University of Maryland
- Neuroscience and Cognitive
Science Program, University of Maryland
| | | | - Andrew S. Fox
- Department of Psychology,
University of California, Davis
- California National Primate
Research Center, University of California, Davis
| | | | | | - Alexander J. Shackman
- Department of Psychology,
University of Maryland
- Neuroscience and Cognitive
Science Program, University of Maryland
- Maryland Neuroimaging Center,
University of Maryland, College Park
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19
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Berry SC, Lawrence AD, Lancaster TM, Casella C, Aggleton JP, Postans M. Subiculum-BNST structural connectivity in humans and macaques. Neuroimage 2022; 253:119096. [PMID: 35304264 PMCID: PMC9227740 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119096] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive tract-tracing studies in rodents implicate a direct connection between the subiculum and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) as a key component of neural pathways mediating hippocampal regulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. A clear characterisation of the connections linking the subiculum and BNST in humans and non-human primates is lacking. To address this, we first delineated the projections from the subiculum to the BNST using anterograde tracers injected into macaque monkeys, revealing evidence for a monosynaptic subiculum-BNST projection involving the fornix. Second, we used in vivo diffusion MRI tractography in macaques and humans to demonstrate substantial subiculum complex connectivity to the BNST in both species. This connection was primarily carried by the fornix, with additional connectivity via the amygdala, consistent with rodent anatomy. Third, utilising the twin-based nature of our human sample, we found that microstructural properties of these tracts were moderately heritable (h2 ∼ 0.5). In a final analysis, we found no evidence of any significant association between subiculum complex-BNST tract microstructure and indices of perceived stress/dispositional negativity and alcohol use, derived from principal component analysis decomposition of self-report data. Our findings address a key translational gap in our knowledge of the neurocircuitry regulating stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C Berry
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
| | - Andrew D Lawrence
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Chiara Casella
- Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - John P Aggleton
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Mark Postans
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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20
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Cortico-subcortical interactions in overlapping communities of edge functional connectivity. Neuroimage 2022; 250:118971. [PMID: 35131435 PMCID: PMC9903436 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.118971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Both cortical and subcortical regions can be functionally organized into networks. Regions of the basal ganglia are extensively interconnected with the cortex via reciprocal connections that relay and modulate cortical function. Here we employ an edge-centric approach, which computes co-fluctuations among region pairs in a network to investigate the role and interaction of subcortical regions with cortical systems. By clustering edges into communities, we show that cortical systems and subcortical regions couple via multiple edge communities, with hippocampus and amygdala having a distinct pattern from striatum and thalamus. We show that the edge community structure of cortical networks is highly similar to one obtained from cortical nodes when the subcortex is present in the network. Additionally, we show that the edge community profile of both cortical and subcortical nodes can be estimates solely from cortico-subcortical interactions. Finally, we used a motif analysis focusing on edge community triads where a subcortical region coupled to two cortical regions and found that two community triads where one community couples the subcortex to the cortex were overrepresented. In summary, our results show organized coupling of the subcortex to the cortex that may play a role in cortical organization of primary sensorimotor/attention and heteromodal systems and puts forth the motif analysis of edge community triads as a promising method for investigation of communication patterns in networks.
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21
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Baidoo N, Leri F. Extended amygdala, conditioned withdrawal and memory consolidation. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 113:110435. [PMID: 34509531 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Opioid withdrawal can be associated to environmental cues through classical conditioning. Exposure to these cues can precipitate a state of conditioned withdrawal in abstinent subjects, and there are suggestions that conditioned withdrawal can perpetuate the addiction cycle in part by promoting the storage of memories. This review discusses evidence supporting the hypothesis that conditioned withdrawal facilitates memory consolidation by activating a neurocircuitry that involves the extended amygdala. Specifically, the central amygdala, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and the nucleus accumbens shell interact functionally during withdrawal, mediate expression of conditioned responses, and are implicated in memory consolidation. From this perspective, the extended amygdala could be a neural pathway by which drug-seeking behaviour performed during a state of conditioned withdrawal is more likely to become habitual and persistent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Baidoo
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Francesco Leri
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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22
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Banihashemi L, Peng CW, Rangarajan A, Karim HT, Wallace ML, Sibbach BM, Singh J, Stinley MM, Germain A, Aizenstein HJ. Childhood Threat Is Associated With Lower Resting-State Connectivity Within a Central Visceral Network. Front Psychol 2022; 13:805049. [PMID: 35310241 PMCID: PMC8927539 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.805049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood adversity is associated with altered or dysregulated stress reactivity; these altered patterns of physiological functioning persist into adulthood. Evidence from both preclinical animal models and human neuroimaging studies indicates that early life experience differentially influences stressor-evoked activity within central visceral neural circuits proximally involved in the control of stress responses, including the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC), paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and amygdala. However, the relationship between childhood adversity and the resting-state connectivity of this central visceral network remains unclear. To this end, we examined relationships between childhood threat and childhood socioeconomic deprivation, the resting-state connectivity between our regions of interest (ROIs), and affective symptom severity and diagnoses. We recruited a transdiagnostic sample of young adult males and females (n = 100; mean age = 27.28, SD = 3.99; 59 females) with a full distribution of maltreatment history and symptom severity across multiple affective disorders. Resting-state data were acquired using a 7.2-min functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sequence; noted ROIs were applied as masks to determine ROI-to-ROI connectivity. Threat was determined by measures of childhood traumatic events and abuse. Socioeconomic deprivation (SED) was determined by a measure of childhood socioeconomic status (parental education level). Covarying for age, race and sex, greater childhood threat was significantly associated with lower BNST-PVN, amygdala-sgACC and PVN-sgACC connectivity. No significant relationships were found between SED and resting-state connectivity. BNST-PVN connectivity was associated with the number of lifetime affective diagnoses. Exposure to threat during early development may entrain altered patterns of resting-state connectivity between these stress-related ROIs in ways that contribute to dysregulated neural and physiological responses to stress and subsequent affective psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Banihashemi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Layla Banihashemi,
| | - Christine W. Peng
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Anusha Rangarajan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Helmet T. Karim
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Meredith L. Wallace
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Statistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Brandon M. Sibbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Jaspreet Singh
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Mark M. Stinley
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Anne Germain
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Howard J. Aizenstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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23
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Olivé I, Makris N, Densmore M, McKinnon MC, Lanius RA. Altered basal forebrain BOLD signal variability at rest in posttraumatic stress disorder: A potential candidate vulnerability mechanism for neurodegeneration in PTSD. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:3561-3575. [PMID: 33960558 PMCID: PMC8249881 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at increased risk for the development of various forms of dementia. Nevertheless, the neuropathological link between PTSD and neurodegeneration remains unclear. Degeneration of the human basal forebrain constitutes a pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In this seed-based resting-state (rs-)fMRI study identifying as outcome measure the temporal BOLD signal fluctuation magnitude, a seed-to-voxel analyses assessed temporal correlations between the average BOLD signal within a bilateral whole basal forebrain region-of-interest and each whole-brain voxel among individuals with PTSD (n = 65), its dissociative subtype (PTSD+DS) (n = 38) and healthy controls (n = 46). We found that compared both with the PTSD and healthy controls groups, the PTSD+DS group exhibited increased BOLD signal variability within two nuclei of the seed region, specifically in its extended amygdaloid region: the nucleus accumbens and the sublenticular extended amygdala. This finding is provocative, because it mimics staging models of neurodegenerative diseases reporting allocation of neuropathology in early disease stages circumscribed to the basal forebrain. Here, underlying candidate etiopathogenetic mechanisms are neurovascular uncoupling, decreased connectivity in local- and large-scale neural networks, or disrupted mesolimbic dopaminergic circuitry, acting indirectly upon the basal forebrain cholinergic pathways. These abnormalities may underpin reward-related deficits representing a putative link between persistent traumatic memory in PTSD and anterograde memory deficits in neurodegeneration. Observed alterations of the basal forebrain in the dissociative subtype of PTSD point towards the urgent need for further exploration of this region as a potential candidate vulnerability mechanism for neurodegeneration in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isadora Olivé
- Faculty of Brain Sciences, Division of PsychiatryUniversity College of LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Nikos Makris
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology Services, Center for Neural Systems InvestigationCenter for Morphometric Analysis, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Psychiatry Neuroimaging LaboratoryBrigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Department of Anatomy & NeurobiologyBoston University School of MedicineBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Maria Densmore
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of Western OntarioLondonOntarioCanada
- Imaging DivisionLawson Health Research InstituteLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Margaret C. McKinnon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural NeurosciencesMcMaster UniversityHamiltonOntarioCanada
- Homewood Research InstituteGuelphOntarioCanada
- Mood Disorders ProgramSt Joseph's HealthcareHamiltonOntarioCanada
| | - Ruth A. Lanius
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of Western OntarioLondonOntarioCanada
- Imaging DivisionLawson Health Research InstituteLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of NeurosciencesUniversity of Western OntarioLondonOntarioCanada
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24
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Geng F, Xu W, Riggins T. Interactions between the hippocampus and fronto-parietal regions during memory encoding in early childhood. Hippocampus 2021; 32:108-120. [PMID: 34329507 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23380] [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: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The neural mechanisms underlying memory encoding have received much attention in the literature. Research in adults and school-age children suggest that the hippocampus and cortical regions in both frontal and parietal areas are involved in successful formation of memories. Overall, the hippocampus has been shown to interact with fronto-parietal regions to collaboratively support successful memory encoding for both individual items as well as item details (such as the source or color in which the item was originally encountered). To date, only one study has investigated neural regions engaged during memory encoding in children younger than 8 years of age, which is unfortunate since early childhood is a period of dramatic improvement in memory. This previous study indicated that both the hippocampus and cortical regions are involved during the encoding of subsequently remembered item details (i.e., sources). However, this study reported few interactions between these regions, and it did not explore item memory at a more general level. To fill these gaps, this article reanalyzed data from the previous report, aiming to examine the neural correlates of item memory during encoding in early childhood (4-8 years) and interactions between the hippocampus and fronto-parietal regions during encoding. Consistent with research in older individuals, both the hippocampus and fronto-parietal regions were found to participate in item memory encoding. Additionally, functional connectivity between hippocampus and fronto-parietal regions was significantly related to both subsequent item memory and subsequent source memory. Taken together, these findings suggest that not only the activation of individual brain regions (hippocampus and fronto-parietal regions) but also the functional connections between these regions are important for memory encoding. These data add to the growing literature providing insight into how the hippocampus and cortical regions interact to support memory during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengji Geng
- Department of Curriculum and Learning Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.,Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenwen Xu
- Department of Curriculum and Learning Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Tracy Riggins
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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25
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Ashby DM, Dias C, Aleksandrova LR, Lapish CC, Wang YT, Phillips AG. Disruption of Long-Term Depression Potentiates Latent Inhibition: Key Role for Central Nucleus of the Amygdala. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 24:580-591. [PMID: 33693669 PMCID: PMC8299826 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyab011] [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: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Latent inhibition (LI) reflects an adaptive form of learning impaired in certain forms of mental illness. Glutamate receptor activity is linked to LI, but the potential role of synaptic plasticity remains unspecified. METHODS Accordingly, the present study examined the possible role of long-term depression (LTD) in LI induced by prior exposure of rats to an auditory stimulus used subsequently as a conditional stimulus to signal a pending footshock. We employed 2 mechanistically distinct LTD inhibitors, the Tat-GluA23Y peptide that blocks endocytosis of the GluA2-containing glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor, or the selective glutamate n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 2B antagonist, Ro25-6981, administered prior to the acquisition of 2-way conditioned avoidance with or without tone pre-exposure. RESULTS Systemic LTD blockade with the Tat-GluA23Y peptide strengthened the LI effect by further impairing acquisition of conditioned avoidance in conditional stimulus-preexposed rats compared with normal conditioning in non-preexposed controls. Systemic Ro25-6981 had no significant effects. Brain region-specific microinjections of the Tat-GluA23Y peptide into the nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, or central or basolateral amygdala demonstrated that disruption of glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor endocytosis in the central amygdala also potentiated the LI effect. CONCLUSIONS These data revealed a previously unknown role for central amygdala LTD in LI as a key mediator of cognitive flexibility required to respond to previously irrelevant stimuli that acquire significance through reinforcement. The findings may have relevance both for our mechanistic understanding of LI and its alteration in disease states such as schizophrenia, while further elucidating the role of LTD in learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donovan M Ashby
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Carine Dias
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Lily R Aleksandrova
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Yu Tian Wang
- Department of Medicine, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Anthony G Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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26
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Secretagogin marks amygdaloid PKCδ interneurons and modulates NMDA receptor availability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:1921123118. [PMID: 33558223 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921123118] [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] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of and response to danger is critical for an individual's survival and is encoded by subcortical neurocircuits. The amygdaloid complex is the primary neuronal site that initiates bodily reactions upon external threat with local-circuit interneurons scaling output to effector pathways. Here, we categorize central amygdala neurons that express secretagogin (Scgn), a Ca2+-sensor protein, as a subset of protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ)+ interneurons, likely "off cells." Chemogenetic inactivation of Scgn+/PKCδ+ cells augmented conditioned response to perceived danger in vivo. While Ca2+-sensor proteins are typically implicated in shaping neurotransmitter release presynaptically, Scgn instead localized to postsynaptic compartments. Characterizing its role in the postsynapse, we found that Scgn regulates the cell-surface availability of NMDA receptor 2B subunits (GluN2B) with its genetic deletion leading to reduced cell membrane delivery of GluN2B, at least in vitro. Conclusively, we describe a select cell population, which gates danger avoidance behavior with secretagogin being both a selective marker and regulatory protein in their excitatory postsynaptic machinery.
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27
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Feola B, McHugo M, Armstrong K, Noall MP, Flook EA, Woodward ND, Heckers S, Blackford JU. BNST and amygdala connectivity are altered during threat anticipation in schizophrenia. Behav Brain Res 2021; 412:113428. [PMID: 34182009 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In schizophrenia, impairments in affect are prominent and anxiety disorders are prevalent. Neuroimaging studies of fear and anxiety in schizophrenia have focused on the amygdala and show alterations in connectivity. Emerging evidence suggests that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) also plays a critical role in anxiety, especially during anticipation of an unpredictable threat; however, previous studies have not examined the BNST in schizophrenia. In the present study, we examined BNST function and connectivity in people with schizophrenia (n = 31; n = 15 with comorbid anxiety) and controls (n = 15) during anticipation of unpredictable and predictable threat. A secondary analysis tested for differences in activation and connectivity of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), which has also been implicated in threat anticipation. Analyses tested for group differences in both activation and connectivity during anticipation of unpredictable threat and predictable threat (p < .05). Relative to controls, individuals with schizophrenia showed stronger BNST-middle temporal gyrus (MTG) connectivity during unpredictable threat anticipation and stronger BNST-MTG and BNST-dorsolateral prefrontal connectivity during predictable threat anticipation. Comparing subgroups of individuals with schizophrenia and a comorbid anxiety disorder (SZ+ANX) to those without an anxiety disorder (SZ-ANX) revealed broader patterns of altered connectivity. During unpredictable threat anticipation, the SZ+ANX group had stronger BNST connectivity with regions of the salience network (insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex). During predictable threat anticipation, the SZ+ANX group had stronger BNST connectivity with regions associated with fear processing (insula, extended amygdala, prefrontal cortex). A secondary CeA analysis revealed a different pattern; the SZ+ANX group had weaker CeA connectivity across multiple brain regions during threat anticipation compared to the SZ-ANX group. These findings provide novel evidence for altered functional connectivity during threat anticipation in schizophrenia, especially in individuals with comorbid anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States; Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Maureen McHugo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Kristan Armstrong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Madison P Noall
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Flook
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Neil D Woodward
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States; Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States.
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28
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Neural substrates of human fear generalization: A 7T-fMRI investigation. Neuroimage 2021; 239:118308. [PMID: 34175426 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear generalization - the tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli as threatening due to perceptual similarity to a learned threat - is an adaptive process. Overgeneralization, however, is maladaptive and has been implicated in a number of anxiety disorders. Neuroimaging research has indicated several regions sensitive to effects of generalization, including regions involved in fear excitation (e.g., amygdala, insula) and inhibition (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex). Research has suggested several other small brain regions may play an important role in this process (e.g., hippocampal subfields, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis [BNST], habenula), but, to date, these regions have not been examined during fear generalization due to limited spatial resolution of standard human neuroimaging. To this end, we utilized the high spatial resolution of 7T fMRI to characterize the neural circuits involved in threat discrimination and generalization. Additionally, we examined potential modulating effects of trait anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty on neural activation during threat generalization. In a sample of 31 healthy undergraduate students, significant positive generalization effects (i.e., greater activation for stimuli with increasing perceptual similarity to a learned threat cue) were observed in the visual cortex, thalamus, habenula and BNST, while negative generalization effects were observed in the dentate gyrus, CA1, and CA3. Associations with individual differences were underpowered, though preliminary findings suggested greater generalization in the insula and primary somatosensory cortex may be correlated with self-reported anxiety. Overall, findings largely support previous neuroimaging work on fear generalization and provide additional insight into the contributions of several previously unexplored brain regions.
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29
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Berry SC, Wise RG, Lawrence AD, Lancaster TM. Extended-amygdala intrinsic functional connectivity networks: A population study. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:1594-1616. [PMID: 33314443 PMCID: PMC7978137 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Pre-clinical and human neuroimaging research implicates the extended-amygdala (ExtA) (including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis [BST] and central nucleus of the amygdala [CeA]) in networks mediating negative emotional states associated with stress and substance-use behaviours. The extent to which individual ExtA structures form a functionally integrated unit is controversial. We utilised a large sample (n > 1,000 healthy young adult humans) to compare the intrinsic functional connectivity networks (ICNs) of the BST and CeA using task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from the Human Connectome Project. We assessed whether inter-individual differences within these ICNs were related to two principal components representing negative disposition and alcohol use. Building on recent primate evidence, we tested whether within BST-CeA intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) was heritable and further examined co-heritability with our principal components. We demonstrate the BST and CeA to have discrete, but largely overlapping ICNs similar to previous findings. We found no evidence that within BST-CeA iFC was heritable; however, post hoc analyses found significant BST iFC heritability with the broader superficial and centromedial amygdala regions. There were no significant correlations or co-heritability associations with our principal components either across the ICNs or for specific BST-Amygdala iFC. Possible differences in phenotype associations across task-free, task-based, and clinical fMRI are discussed, along with suggestions for more causal investigative paradigms that make use of the now well-established ExtA ICNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C. Berry
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Richard G. Wise
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences"G. D'Annunzio University" of Chieti‐PescaraChietiItaly
| | - Andrew D. Lawrence
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
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30
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Flook EA, Feola B, Benningfield MM, Silveri MM, Winder DG, Blackford JU. Alterations in connectivity of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during early abstinence in individuals with alcohol use disorder. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2021; 45:1028-1038. [PMID: 33830508 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND For individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), long-term recovery is difficult in part due to symptoms of anxiety that occur during early abstinence and can trigger relapse. Research in rodent models of AUD has identified the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a small, sexually dimorphic, subcortical region, as critical for regulating anxiety-like behaviors during abstinence, particularly in female mice. Furthermore, prolonged alcohol use and subsequent abstinence alter BNST afferent and efferent connections to other brain regions. To our knowledge, however, no studies of early abstinence have investigated BNST structural connectivity in humans during abstinence; this study addresses that gap. METHODS Nineteen participants with AUD currently in early abstinence and 20 healthy controls completed a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scan. BNST structural connectivity was evaluated using probabilistic tractography. A linear mixed model was used to test between-groups differences in BNST network connectivity. Exploratory analyses were conducted to test for correlations between BNST connectivity and alcohol use severity and anxiety within the abstinence group. Sex was included as a factor for all analyses. RESULTS The BNST showed stronger structural connectivity with the BNST network in early abstinence women than in control women, which was not seen in men. Women also showed region-specific differences, with stronger BNST-hypothalamus structural connectivity but weaker vmPFC-BNST structural connectivity than men. Exploratory analyses also demonstrated a relationship between alcohol use severity and vmPFC-BNST structural connectivity that was moderated by sex. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to demonstrate BNST structural connectivity differences in early abstinence and revealed key sex differences. The sex-specific differences in BNST structural connectivity during early abstinence could underlie known sex differences in abstinence symptoms and relapse risk and help to inform potential sex-specific treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Flook
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Margaret M Benningfield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Marisa M Silveri
- Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health, Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA.,Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA.,Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
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31
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Flook EA, Luchsinger JR, Silveri MM, Winder DG, Benningfield MM, Blackford JU. Anxiety during abstinence from alcohol: A systematic review of rodent and human evidence for the anterior insula's role in the abstinence network. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12861. [PMID: 31991531 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing disease that impacts almost a third of Americans. Despite effective treatments for attaining sobriety, the majority of patients relapse within a year, making relapse a substantial barrier to long-term treatment success. A major factor contributing to relapse is heightened negative affect that results from the combination of abstinence-related increases in stress-reactivity and decreases in reward sensitivity. Substantial research has contributed to the understanding of reward-related changes in AUD. However, less is known about anxiety during abstinence, a critical component of understanding addiction as anxiety during abstinence can trigger relapse. Most of what we know about abstinence-related negative affect comes from rodent studies which have identified key brain regions responsible for abstinence-related behaviors. This abstinence network is composed of brain regions that make up the extended amygdala: the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). More recently, emerging evidence from rodent and human studies suggests a fourth brain region, the anterior insula, might be part of the abstinence network. Here, we review current rodent and human literature on the extended amygdala's role in alcohol abstinence and anxiety, present evidence for the anterior insula's role in the abstinence network, and provide future directions for research to further elucidate the neural underpinnings of abstinence in humans. A better understanding of the abstinence network is critical toward understanding and possibly preventing relapse in AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Flook
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN USA
| | - Joseph R. Luchsinger
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
| | - Marisa M. Silveri
- Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health, Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital Belmont MA USA
- Department of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
| | - Margaret M. Benningfield
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville TN USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville TN USA
- Research Health Scientist, Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Nashville TN USA
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32
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Maita I, Bazer A, Blackford JU, Samuels BA. Functional anatomy of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis-hypothalamus neural circuitry: Implications for valence surveillance, addiction, feeding, and social behaviors. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 179:403-418. [PMID: 34225978 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819975-6.00026-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a medial basal forebrain structure that modulates the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The heterogeneous subnuclei of the BNST integrate inputs from mood and reward-related areas and send direct inhibitory projections to the hypothalamus. The connections between the BNST and hypothalamus are conserved across species, promote activation of the HPA axis, and can increase avoidance of aversive environments, which is historically associated with anxiety behaviors. However, BNST-hypothalamus circuitry is also implicated in motivated behaviors, drug seeking, feeding, and sexual behavior. These complex and diverse roles, as well its sexual dimorphism, indicate that the BNST-hypothalamus circuitry is an essential component of the neural circuitry that may underlie various psychiatric diseases, ranging from anorexia to anxiety to addiction. The following review is a cross-species exploration of BNST-hypothalamus circuitry. First, we describe the BNST subnuclei, microcircuitry and complex reciprocal connections with the hypothalamus. We will then discuss the behavioral functions of BNST-hypothalamus circuitry, including valence surveillance, addiction, feeding, and social behavior. Finally, we will address sex differences in morphology and function of the BNST and hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Maita
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Allyson Bazer
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States; Research Health Scientist, Tennessee Valley HealthCare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, United States
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33
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Glover LR, McFadden KM, Bjorni M, Smith SR, Rovero NG, Oreizi-Esfahani S, Yoshida T, Postle AF, Nonaka M, Halladay LR, Holmes A. A prefrontal-bed nucleus of the stria terminalis circuit limits fear to uncertain threat. eLife 2020; 9:60812. [PMID: 33319747 PMCID: PMC7899651 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In many cases of trauma, the same environmental stimuli that become associated with aversive events are experienced on other occasions without adverse consequence. We examined neural circuits underlying partially reinforced fear (PRF), whereby mice received tone-shock pairings on half of conditioning trials. Tone-elicited freezing was lower after PRF conditioning than fully reinforced fear (FRF) conditioning, despite an equivalent number of tone-shock pairings. PRF preferentially activated medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Chemogenetic inhibition of BNST-projecting mPFC neurons increased PRF, not FRF, freezing. Multiplexing chemogenetics with in vivo neuronal recordings showed elevated infralimbic cortex (IL) neuronal activity during CS onset and freezing cessation; these neural correlates were abolished by chemogenetic mPFC→BNST inhibition. These data suggest that mPFC→BNST neurons limit fear to threats with a history of partial association with an aversive stimulus, with potential implications for understanding the neural basis of trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas R Glover
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Kerry M McFadden
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Max Bjorni
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, United States
| | - Sawyer R Smith
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Natalie G Rovero
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, United States
| | - Sarvar Oreizi-Esfahani
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Takayuki Yoshida
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Abagail F Postle
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Mio Nonaka
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Lindsay R Halladay
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, United States
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
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Hofmann D, Straube T. Effective connectivity between bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala: Reproducibility and relation to anxiety. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 42:824-836. [PMID: 33155747 PMCID: PMC7814768 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In a previous study, we investigated the resting‐state fMRI effective connectivity (EC) between the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the laterobasal (LB), centromedial (CM), and superficial (SF) amygdala. We found strong negative EC from all amygdala nuclei to the BNST, while the BNST showed positive EC to the amygdala. However, the validity of these findings remains unclear, since a reproduction in different samples has not been done. Moreover, the association of EC with measures of anxiety offers deeper insight, due to the known role of the BNST and amygdala in fear and anxiety. Here, we aimed to reproduce our previous results in three additional samples. We used spectral Dynamic Causal Modeling to estimate the EC between the BNST, the LB, CM, and SF, and its association with two measures of self‐reported anxiety. Our results revealed consistency over samples with regard to the negative EC from the amygdala nuclei to the BNST, while the positive EC from BNST to the amygdala was also found, but weaker and more heterogenic. Moreover, we found the BNST‐BNST EC showing a positive and the CM‐BNST EC, showing a negative association with anxiety. Our study suggests a reproducible pattern of negative EC from the amygdala to the BNST along with weaker positive EC from the BNST to the amygdala. Moreover, less BNST self‐inhibition and more inhibitory influence from the CM to the BNST seems to be a pattern of EC that is related to higher anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hofmann
- University Hospital Muenster, Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, Muenster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- University Hospital Muenster, Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, Muenster, Germany
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Hur J, Smith JF, DeYoung KA, Anderson AS, Kuang J, Kim HC, Tillman RM, Kuhn M, Fox AS, Shackman AJ. Anxiety and the Neurobiology of Temporally Uncertain Threat Anticipation. J Neurosci 2020; 40:7949-7964. [PMID: 32958570 PMCID: PMC7548695 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0704-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
When extreme, anxiety-a state of distress and arousal prototypically evoked by uncertain danger-can be debilitating. Uncertain anticipation is a shared feature of situations that elicit signs and symptoms of anxiety across psychiatric disorders, species, and assays. Despite the profound significance of anxiety for human health and wellbeing, the neurobiology of uncertain-threat anticipation remains unsettled. Leveraging a paradigm adapted from animal research and optimized for fMRI signal decomposition, we examined the neural circuits engaged during the anticipation of temporally uncertain and certain threat in 99 men and women. Results revealed that the neural systems recruited by uncertain and certain threat anticipation are anatomically colocalized in frontocortical regions, extended amygdala, and periaqueductal gray. Comparison of the threat conditions demonstrated that this circuitry can be fractionated, with frontocortical regions showing relatively stronger engagement during the anticipation of uncertain threat, and the extended amygdala showing the reverse pattern. Although there is widespread agreement that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and dorsal amygdala-the two major subdivisions of the extended amygdala-play a critical role in orchestrating adaptive responses to potential danger, their precise contributions to human anxiety have remained contentious. Follow-up analyses demonstrated that these regions show statistically indistinguishable responses to temporally uncertain and certain threat anticipation. These observations provide a framework for conceptualizing anxiety and fear, for understanding the functional neuroanatomy of threat anticipation in humans, and for accelerating the development of more effective intervention strategies for pathological anxiety.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Anxiety-an emotion prototypically associated with the anticipation of uncertain harm-has profound significance for public health, yet the underlying neurobiology remains unclear. Leveraging a novel neuroimaging paradigm in a relatively large sample, we identify a core circuit responsive to both uncertain and certain threat anticipation, and show that this circuitry can be fractionated into subdivisions with a bias for one kind of threat or the other. The extended amygdala occupies center stage in neuropsychiatric models of anxiety, but its functional architecture has remained contentious. Here we demonstrate that its major subdivisions show statistically indistinguishable responses to temporally uncertain and certain threat. Collectively, these observations indicate the need to revise how we think about the neurobiology of anxiety and fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyoen Hur
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | | | | | - Allegra S Anderson
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240
| | - Jinyi Kuang
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Hyung Cho Kim
- Departments of Psychology
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program
| | | | - Manuel Kuhn
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
| | - Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Departments of Psychology
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program
- Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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36
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Fenske SJ, Bierer D, Chelimsky G, Conant L, Ustine C, Yan K, Chelimsky T, Kutch JJ. Sensitivity of functional connectivity to periaqueductal gray localization, with implications for identifying disease-related changes in chronic visceral pain: A MAPP Research Network neuroimaging study. Neuroimage Clin 2020; 28:102443. [PMID: 33027702 PMCID: PMC7548991 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies examining the resting-state functional connectivity of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in chronic visceral pain have localized PAG coordinates derived from BOLD responses to provoked acute pain. These coordinates appear to be several millimeters anterior of the anatomical location of the PAG. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether measures of PAG functional connectivity are sensitive to the localization technique, and if the localization approach has an impact on detecting disease-related differences in chronic visceral pain patients. We examined structural and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) images from 209 participants in the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network study. We applied three different localization techniques to define a region-of-interest (ROI) for the PAG: 1) a ROI previously-published as a Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) coordinate surrounded by a 3 mm radius sphere (MNI-sphere), 2) a ROI that was hand-traced over the PAG in a MNI template brain (MNI-trace), and 3) a ROI that was hand-drawn over the PAG in structural images from 30 individual participants (participant-trace). We compared the correlation among the rs-fMRI signals from these PAG ROIs, as well as the functional connectivity of these ROIs with the whole brain. First, we found important non-uniformities in brainstem rs-fMRI signals, as rs-fMRI signals from the MNI-trace ROI were significantly more similar to the participant-trace ROI than to the MNI-sphere ROI. We then found that choice of ROI also impacts whole-brain functional connectivity, as measures of PAG functional connectivity throughout the brain were more similar between MNI-trace and participant-trace compared to MNI-sphere and participant-trace. Finally, we found that ROI choice impacts detection of disease-related differences, as functional connectivity differences between pelvic pain patients and healthy controls were much more apparent using the MNI-trace ROI compared to the MNI-sphere ROI. These results indicate that the ROI used to localize the PAG is critical, especially when examining brain functional connectivity changes in chronic visceral pain patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja J Fenske
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Douglas Bierer
- Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Gisela Chelimsky
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Center for Pediatric Neurogastroenterology, Motility, and Autonomic Disorders, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Lisa Conant
- Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Candida Ustine
- Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Ke Yan
- Division of Quantitative Health Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Thomas Chelimsky
- Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Jason J Kutch
- Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Hamilton KR, Smith JF, Gonçalves SF, Nketia JA, Tasheuras ON, Yoon M, Rubia K, Chirles TJ, Lejuez CW, Shackman AJ. Striatal bases of temporal discounting in early adolescents. Neuropsychologia 2020; 144:107492. [PMID: 32437762 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Steeper rates of temporal discounting-the degree to which smaller-sooner (SS) rewards are preferred over larger-later (LL) ones-have been associated with impulsive and ill-advised behaviors in adolescence. Yet, the underlying neural systems remain poorly understood. Here we used a well-established temporal discounting paradigm and functional MRI (fMRI) to examine engagement of the striatum-including the caudate, putamen, and ventral striatum (VS)-in early adolescence (13-15 years; N = 27). Analyses provided evidence of enhanced activity in the caudate and VS during impulsive choice. Exploratory analyses revealed that trait impulsivity was associated with heightened putamen activity during impulsive choices. A more nuanced pattern was evident in the cortex, with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex mirroring the putamen and posterior parietal cortex showing the reverse association. Taken together, these observations provide an important first glimpse at the distributed neural systems underlying economic choice and trait-like individual differences in impulsivity in the early years of adolescence, setting the stage for prospective-longitudinal and intervention research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Mark Yoon
- University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Carl W Lejuez
- Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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Bas-Hoogendam JM, Westenberg PM. Imaging the socially-anxious brain: recent advances and future prospects. F1000Res 2020; 9:F1000 Faculty Rev-230. [PMID: 32269760 PMCID: PMC7122428 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.21214.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is serious psychiatric condition with a genetic background. Insight into the neurobiological alterations underlying the disorder is essential to develop effective interventions that could relieve SAD-related suffering. In this expert review, we consider recent neuroimaging work on SAD. First, we focus on new results from magnetic resonance imaging studies dedicated to outlining biomarkers of SAD, including encouraging findings with respect to structural and functional brain alterations associated with the disorder. Furthermore, we highlight innovative studies in the field of neuroprediction and studies that established the effects of treatment on brain characteristics. Next, we describe novel work aimed to delineate endophenotypes of SAD, providing insight into the genetic susceptibility to develop the disorder. Finally, we outline outstanding questions and point out directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam
- Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, c/o LUMC, postzone C2-S, P.O.Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - P. Michiel Westenberg
- Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, c/o LUMC, postzone C2-S, P.O.Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
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Bramson B, Folloni D, Verhagen L, Hartogsveld B, Mars RB, Toni I, Roelofs K. Human Lateral Frontal Pole Contributes to Control over Emotional Approach-Avoidance Actions. J Neurosci 2020; 40:2925-2934. [PMID: 32034069 PMCID: PMC7117901 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2048-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation of emotional behavior is essential for human social interactions. Recent work has exposed its cognitive complexity, as well as its unexpected reliance on portions of the anterior PFC (aPFC) also involved in exploration, relational reasoning, and counterfactual choice, rather than on dorsolateral and medial prefrontal areas involved in several forms of cognitive control. This study anatomically qualifies the contribution of aPFC territories to the regulation of prepotent approach-avoidance action tendencies elicited by emotional faces, and explores a possible structural pathway through which this emotional action regulation might be implemented. We provide converging evidence from task-based fMRI, diffusion-weighted imaging, and functional connectivity fingerprints for a novel neural element in emotional regulation. Task-based fMRI in human male participants (N = 40) performing an emotional approach-avoidance task identified aPFC territories involved in the regulation of action tendencies elicited by emotional faces. Connectivity fingerprints, based on diffusion-weighted imaging and resting-state connectivity, localized those task-defined frontal regions to the lateral frontal pole (FPl), an anatomically defined portion of the aPFC that lacks a homologous counterpart in macaque brains. Probabilistic tractography indicated that 10%-20% of interindividual variation in emotional regulation abilities is accounted for by the strength of structural connectivity between FPl and amygdala. Evidence from an independent replication sample (N = 50; 10 females) further substantiated this result. These findings provide novel neuroanatomical evidence for incorporating FPl in models of control over human action tendencies elicited by emotional faces.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Successful regulation of emotional behaviors is a prerequisite for successful participation in human society, as is evidenced by the social isolation and loss of occupational opportunities often encountered by people suffering from emotion regulation disorders, such as social-anxiety disorder and psychopathy. Knowledge about the precise cortical regions and connections supporting this control is crucial for understanding both the nature of computations needed to successfully traverse the space of possible actions in social situations, and the potential interventions that might result in efficient treatment of social-emotional disorders. This study provides evidence for a precise cortical region (lateral frontal pole) and a structural pathway (the ventral amygdalofugal bundle) through which a cognitively complex form of emotional action regulation might be implemented in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Bramson
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands,
| | - Davide Folloni
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Lennart Verhagen
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Bart Hartogsveld
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Ivan Toni
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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40
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Jenks SK, Zhang S, Li CSR, Hu S. Threat bias and resting state functional connectivity of the amygdala and bed nucleus stria terminalis. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 122:54-63. [PMID: 31927266 PMCID: PMC7010552 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has distinguished the activations of the amygdala and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) during threat-related contingencies. However, how intrinsic connectivities of the amygdala and BNST relate to threat bias remains unclear. Here, we investigated how resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the amygdala and BNST in healthy controls (HC) and patients with anxiety-related disorders (PAD) associate with threat bias in a dot-probe task. METHODS Imaging and behavioral data of 30 PAD and 83 HC were obtained from the Nathan Kline Institute - Rockland sample and processed according to published routines. All imaging results were evaluated at voxel p < 0.001 and cluster p < 0.05, FWE corrected in SPM. RESULTS PAD and HC did not show differences in whole brain rsFC with either the amygdala or BNST. In linear regressions threat bias was positively correlated with amygdala-thalamus/anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) rsFC in HC but not PAD, and with BNST-caudate rsFC in PAD but not HC. Slope tests confirmed group differences in the correlations between threat bias and amygdala-thalamus/ACC as well as BNST-caudate rsFC. LIMITATIONS As only half of the patients included were diagnosed with comorbid anxiety, the current findings need to be considered with the clinical heterogeneity and require replication in populations specifically with anxiety disorders. CONCLUSIONS Together, these results suggest amygdala and BNST connectivities as new neural markers of anxiety disorders. Whereas amygdala-thalamus/ACC rsFC support adaptive regulation of threat response in the HC, BNST-caudate rsFC may reflect maladaptive neural processes that are dominated by anticipatory anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K. Jenks
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Chiang-shan R. Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Sien Hu
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, 13126, USA.
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41
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Fox AS, Souaiaia T, Oler JA, Kovner R, Kim JMH, Nguyen J, French DA, Riedel MK, Fekete EM, Rabska MR, Olsen ME, Brodsky EK, Alexander AL, Block WF, Roseboom PH, Knowles JA, Kalin NH. Dorsal Amygdala Neurotrophin-3 Decreases Anxious Temperament in Primates. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 86:881-889. [PMID: 31422797 PMCID: PMC6999854 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An early-life anxious temperament (AT) is a risk factor for the development of anxiety, depression, and comorbid substance abuse. We validated a nonhuman primate model of early-life AT and identified the dorsal amygdala as a core component of AT's neural circuit. Here, we combine RNA sequencing, viral-vector gene manipulation, functional brain imaging, and behavioral phenotyping to uncover AT's molecular substrates. METHODS In response to potential threat, AT and brain metabolism were assessed in 46 young rhesus monkeys. We identified AT-related transcripts using RNA-sequencing data from dorsal amygdala tissue (including central nucleus of the amygdala [Ce] and dorsal regions of the basal nucleus). Based on the results, we overexpressed the neurotrophin-3 gene, NTF3, in the dorsal amygdala using intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging-guided surgery (n = 5 per group). RESULTS This discovery-based approach identified AT-related alterations in the expression of well-established and novel genes, including an inverse association between NTRK3 expression and AT. NTRK3 is an interesting target because it is a relatively unexplored neurotrophic factor that modulates intracellular neuroplasticity pathways. Overexpression of the transcript for NTRK3's endogenous ligand, NTF3, in the dorsal amygdala resulted in reduced AT and altered function in AT's neural circuit. CONCLUSIONS Together, these data implicate neurotrophin-3/NTRK3 signaling in the dorsal amygdala in mediating primate anxiety. More generally, this approach provides an important step toward understanding the molecular underpinnings of early-life AT and will be useful in guiding the development of treatments to prevent the development of stress-related psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology and the California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.
| | - Tade Souaiaia
- Department of Cell Biology, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Jonathan A Oler
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Rothem Kovner
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Jae Mun Hugo Kim
- Department of Cell Biology, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Joseph Nguyen
- Department of Cell Biology, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Delores A French
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Marissa K Riedel
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Eva M Fekete
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Matthew R Rabska
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Miles E Olsen
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Ethan K Brodsky
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Andrew L Alexander
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Walter F Block
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Patrick H Roseboom
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - James A Knowles
- Department of Cell Biology, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Ned H Kalin
- Department of Psychiatry and the HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
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Pinna A, Costa G, Contu L, Morelli M. Fos expression induced by olanzapine and risperidone in the central extended amygdala. Eur J Pharmacol 2019; 865:172764. [PMID: 31678081 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.172764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The extended amygdala has been proposed to play an essential role in cognitive and affective processes and in neuropsychiatric disorders. In the present study, we examined the induction of Fos-like nuclei in the central amygdaloid nucleus (CeA), sublenticular extended amygdala (SLEA), interstitial nucleus of the posterior limb of the anterior commissure (IPAC), and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTL) of rodents to improve the knowledge regarding the pharmacological profile, therapeutic efficacy, and side-effects of olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic drug and risperidone, a mixed atypical/typical antipsychotic drug in the rat brain. In addition, we evaluated the induction of Fos-like-nuclei in areas connected with these structures such as prefrontal cortex (PFCx), and nucleus accumbens shell, and in other important areas including the lateral septum and caudate-putamen that are involved in the therapeutic efficacy or side-effects of antipsychotic drugs. Fos-like-immunoreactivity induced by olanzapine and risperidone was compared with that by the atypical antipsychotic clozapine and typical antipsychotic haloperidol. Regarding the extended amygdala, and similarly to clozapine, olanzapine (5-10 mg/kg) and, with a lower efficacy, risperidone (1-3 mg/kg), induced Fos-like-nuclei in CeA, IPAC, SLEA, and BSTL. Both these drugs increased the induction of Fos-like-nuclei in PFCx, nucleus accumbens shell, lateral septum, and caudate-putamen. On the contrary, the increase of Fos-like-nuclei in the extended amygdala by haloperidol was restricted to IPAC only. These findings, consistent with the important role of extended amygdala in neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by affective disturbances, showed that olanzapine and risperidone, contrary to haloperidol, preferentially activated Fos-expression in these brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Pinna
- National Research Council of Italy, Neuroscience Institute - Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, Blocco A, SP 8, Km 0.700, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy.
| | - Giulia Costa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, Blocco A, SP 8, Km 0.700, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy.
| | - Liliana Contu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, Blocco A, SP 8, Km 0.700, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy.
| | - Micaela Morelli
- National Research Council of Italy, Neuroscience Institute - Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, Blocco A, SP 8, Km 0.700, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, Blocco A, SP 8, Km 0.700, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy.
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A New Theory of Gender Dysphoria Incorporating the Distress, Social Behavioral, and Body-Ownership Networks. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0183-19.2019. [PMID: 31792116 PMCID: PMC6911960 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0183-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
When postmortem studies related to transgender individuals were first published, little was known about the function of the various identified nuclei. Now, over 2 decades later, significant progress has been made associating function with specific brain regions, as well as in identifying networks associated with groups of behaviors. However, much of this progress has not been integrated into the general conceptualization of gender dysphoria in humans. When postmortem studies related to transgender individuals were first published, little was known about the function of the various identified nuclei. Now, over 2 decades later, significant progress has been made associating function with specific brain regions, as well as in identifying networks associated with groups of behaviors. However, much of this progress has not been integrated into the general conceptualization of gender dysphoria in humans. I hypothesize that in individuals with gender dysphoria, the aspects of chronic distress, gender atypical behavior, and incongruence between perception of gender identity and external primary sex characteristics are all directly related to functional differences in associated brain networks. I evaluated previously published neuroscience data related to these aspects and the associated functional networks, along with other relevant information. I find that the brain networks that give individuals their ownership of body parts, that influence gender typical behavior, and that are involved in chronic distress are different in individuals with and without gender dysphoria, leading to a new theory—that gender dysphoria is a sensory perception condition, an alteration in the sense of gender influenced by the reflexive behavioral responses associated with each of these networks. This theory builds upon previous work that supports the relevance of the body-ownership network and that questions the relevance of cerebral sexual dimorphism in regard to gender dysphoria. However, my theory uses a hierarchical executive function model to incorporate multiple reflexive factors (body ownership, gender typical/atypical behavior, and chronic distress) with the cognitive, reflective process of gender identity.
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Weis CN, Huggins AA, Bennett KP, Parisi EA, Larson CL. High-Resolution Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Extended Amygdala. Brain Connect 2019; 9:627-637. [DOI: 10.1089/brain.2019.0688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carissa N. Weis
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Ashley A. Huggins
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Kenneth P. Bennett
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Elizabeth A. Parisi
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Christine L. Larson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Fish AM, Nadig A, Seidlitz J, Reardon PK, Mankiw C, McDermott CL, Blumenthal JD, Clasen LS, Lalonde F, Lerch JP, Chakravarty MM, Shinohara RT, Raznahan A. Sex-biased trajectories of amygdalo-hippocampal morphology change over human development. Neuroimage 2019; 204:116122. [PMID: 31470127 PMCID: PMC7485527 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala and hippocampus are two adjacent allocortical structures implicated in sex-biased and developmentally-emergent psychopathology. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of amygdalo-hippocampal development remain poorly understood in healthy humans. The current study defined trajectories of volume and shape change for the amygdala and hippocampus by applying a multi-atlas segmentation pipeline (MAGeT-Brain) and semi-parametric mixed-effects spline modeling to 1,529 longitudinally-acquired structural MRI brain scans from a large, single-center cohort of 792 youth (403 males, 389 females) between the ages of 5 and 25 years old. We found that amygdala and hippocampus volumes both follow curvilinear and sexually dimorphic growth trajectories. These sex-biases were particularly striking in the amygdala: males showed a significantly later and slower adolescent deceleration in volume expansion (at age 20 years) than females (age 13 years). Shape analysis localized significant hot-spots of sex-biased anatomical development in sub-regional territories overlying rostral and caudal extremes of the CA1/2 in the hippocampus, and the centromedial nuclear group of the amygdala. In both sexes, principal components analysis revealed close integration of amygdala and hippocampus shape change along two main topographically-organized axes – low vs. high areal expansion, and early vs. late growth deceleration. These results (i) bring greater resolution to our spatiotemporal understanding of amygdalo-hippocampal development in healthy males and females, and (ii) uncover focal sex-differences in the structural maturation of the brain components that may contribute to differences in behavior and psychopathology that emerge during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ari M Fish
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Ajay Nadig
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jakob Seidlitz
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Paul K Reardon
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Catherine Mankiw
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Cassidy L McDermott
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jonathan D Blumenthal
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Liv S Clasen
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Francois Lalonde
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5T 3H7, Canada
| | - M Mallar Chakravarty
- Cerebral Imaging Centre, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A OG4; Departments of Psychiatry and Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A OG4, Canada
| | - Russell T Shinohara
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Armin Raznahan
- Developmental Neurogenomics Unit, Human Genetics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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Clauss JA, Avery SN, Benningfield MM, Blackford JU. Social anxiety is associated with BNST response to unpredictability. Depress Anxiety 2019; 36:666-675. [PMID: 30953446 PMCID: PMC6679811 DOI: 10.1002/da.22891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and cause substantial suffering and impairment. Whereas the amygdala has well-established contributions to anxiety, evidence from rodent and nonhuman primate models suggests that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) may play a critical, and possibly distinct, role in human anxiety disorders. The BNST mediates hypervigilance and anticipatory anxiety in response to an unpredictable or ambiguous threat, core symptoms of social anxiety, yet little is known about the BNST's role in social anxiety. METHODS Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure neural responses during a cued anticipation task with an unpredictable, predictable threat, and predictable neutral cues followed by threat or neutral images. Social anxiety was examined using a dimensional approach (N = 44 adults). RESULTS For unpredictable cues, higher social anxiety was associated with lower BNST-amygdala connectivity. For unpredictable images, higher social anxiety was associated with greater connectivity between the BNST and both the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex and lower connectivity between the BNST and postcentral gyrus. Social anxiety moderated the BNST-amygdala dissociation for unpredictable images; higher social anxiety was associated with BNST > amygdala response to unpredictable threat relative to unpredictable neutral images. CONCLUSIONS Social anxiety was associated with alterations in BNST responses to unpredictability, particularly in the BNST's interactions with other brain regions, including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first evidence for the BNST's role in social anxiety, which may be a potential new target for prevention and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A Clauss
- Massachusetts General and McLean Hospitals, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Suzanne N Avery
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Margaret M Benningfield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN,Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN,Research Service, Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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Velasco ER, Florido A, Milad MR, Andero R. Sex differences in fear extinction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 103:81-108. [PMID: 31129235 PMCID: PMC6692252 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the exponential increase in fear research during the last years, few studies have included female subjects in their design. The need to include females arises from the knowledge gap of mechanistic processes underlying the behavioral and neural differences observed in fear extinction. Moreover, the exact contribution of sex and hormones in relation to learning and behavior is still largely unknown. Insights from this field could be beneficial as fear-related disorders are twice as prevalent in women compared to men. Here, we review an up-to-date summary of animal and human studies in adulthood that report sex differences in fear extinction from a structural and functional approach. Furthermore, we describe how these factors could contribute to the observed sex differences in fear extinction during normal and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E R Velasco
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Florido
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - M R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
| | - R Andero
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain; CIBERSAM, Corporació Sanitaria Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain; Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
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Canada KL, Ngo CT, Newcombe NS, Geng F, Riggins T. It's All in the Details: Relations Between Young Children's Developing Pattern Separation Abilities and Hippocampal Subfield Volumes. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:3427-3433. [PMID: 30192932 PMCID: PMC6644865 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to keep similar experiences separate in memory is critical for forming unique and lasting memories, as many events share overlapping features (e.g., birthday parties, holidays). Research on memory in young children suggests their memories often lack high-resolution details, i.e., show impoverished pattern separation (PS). Recently developed assessments of PS suitable for children allow us to relate the formation of distinct, detailed memories for the development of the hippocampus, a neural structure critical for this ability in adults. The hippocampus displays a protracted developmental profile and underlies the ability to form detailed memories. This study examined age-related differences in hippocampal subfield volumes in 4- to 8-year-old children and relations with performance on a mnemonic similarity task (MST) designed to index memory specificity. Results revealed age-moderated associations between MST performance and cornu ammonis 2-4/dentate gyrus subfields. Specifically, age-related differences in the ability to form detailed memories tracked with normative patterns of volume increases followed by reductions over this age range. That is, greater volume correlated with better performance in younger children, whereas smaller volume correlated with better performance in older children. These findings support the hypothesis that developmental differences in hippocampal circuitry contribute to age-related improvements in detailed memory formation during this period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey L Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Chi T Ngo
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nora S Newcombe
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fengji Geng
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Tracy Riggins
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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Hur J, Stockbridge MD, Fox AS, Shackman AJ. Dispositional negativity, cognition, and anxiety disorders: An integrative translational neuroscience framework. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 247:375-436. [PMID: 31196442 PMCID: PMC6578598 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
When extreme, anxiety can become debilitating. Anxiety disorders, which often first emerge early in development, are common and challenging to treat, yet the underlying mechanisms have only recently begun to come into focus. Here, we review new insights into the nature and biological bases of dispositional negativity, a fundamental dimension of childhood temperament and adult personality and a prominent risk factor for the development of pediatric and adult anxiety disorders. Converging lines of epidemiological, neurobiological, and mechanistic evidence suggest that dispositional negativity increases the likelihood of psychopathology via specific neurocognitive mechanisms, including attentional biases to threat and deficits in executive control. Collectively, these observations provide an integrative translational framework for understanding the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in adults and youth and set the stage for developing improved intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyoen Hur
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States.
| | | | - Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States.
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Bauer PJ, Dugan JA, Varga NL, Riggins T. Relations between neural structures and children's self-derivation of new knowledge through memory integration. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 36:100611. [PMID: 30630776 PMCID: PMC6969255 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of semantic or factual knowledge is a major task during development. Knowledge builds through direct experience and explicit instruction as well as through productive processes that permit derivation of new understandings. In the present research, we tested the neural bases of the specific productive process of self-derivation of new factual knowledge through integration of separate yet related episodes of new learning. The process serves as an ecologically valid model of semantic knowledge accumulation. We tested structure/behavior relations in 5- to 8-year-old children, a period characterized by both age-related differences and individual variability in self-derivation, as well as in the neural regions implicated in memory integration, namely the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. After controlling for the variance in task performance explained by age, sex, verbal IQ, and gray-matter volume (medial prefrontal cortex, mPFC, only), we observed relations between right mPFC thickness and memory for information explicitly taught to the children as well as the new information they self-derived; relations with the volume of the right hippocampus approached significance. This research provides the first evidence of the neural substrate that subserves children's accumulation of knowledge via self-derivation through memory integration, an empirically demonstrated, functionally significant learning mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nicole L Varga
- Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, USA
| | - Tracy Riggins
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, USA
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