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Zhou X, Meng Y, Li J, Shen X. Childhood adversity and mind wandering: the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and habitual tendencies. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2024; 15:2301844. [PMID: 38197454 PMCID: PMC10783837 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2301844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground: Initial evidence proposes that exposure to childhood adversity may induce avoidance or withdrawal behaviour. However, it remains unclear whether childhood adversity results in avoidance from externally directed thinking to both deliberate and spontaneous mind wandering, i.e. intentionally or unintentionally diverting attention from ongoing task to task-independent thoughts.Objective: To assess the associations between childhood adversity, and mind wandering, and to evaluate the mediating roles of cognitive flexibility, and habit tendencies.Methods: A total of 601 Chinese subjects (378 females, Mage = 19.37) participated in the current study. The participants completed a series of questionnaires including demographics, childhood maltreatment, cognitive flexibility, habitual tendencies, and mind wandering.Results: Hierarchical regression analyses showed childhood adversity, the control facet of cognitive flexibility, and the automaticity facet of habitual tendencies had significant contributions to deliberate mind wandering (β = 0.10, β = -0.40, and β = 0.06) and spontaneous mind wandering (β = 0.09, β = -0.28, and β = 0.07). Serial mediation analyses revealed that the control and automaticity partially mediated associations between childhood adversity and mind wandering (deliberate mind wandering: 95% CIs = [0.037 0.078], and spontaneous mind wandering: 95% CIs = [0.023, 0.062]).Conclusions: The findings underscore the pivotal role of mediators in delineating the relationship between childhood adversity and mind wandering in everyday life. Interventions geared toward augmenting the control component of cognitive flexibility and regulating the automatic component of habitual tendencies show the potential to ameliorate the propensity of individuals affected by childhood adversity to disengage cognitively from the present moment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinqi Zhou
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yayun Meng
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiarui Li
- Sichuan Southwest Vocational College of Civil Aviation, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xi Shen
- Center for Mental Health Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
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Stevenson DS. Modelling the structure and evolution of cultural information as quasispecies. Biosystems 2024; 235:105104. [PMID: 38128874 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.105104] [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: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
We present a novel mode of cultural evolution whereby some forms of transmission may be modelled as quasispecies. The model incorporates the effect of high rates of error in certain forms of communication; while also building on the structural similarities between biological molecules and written language. Firstly, both written language and key biological molecules, such as RNA and proteins, are modular. Within these molecules, structural domains may be recombined, while retaining their function. Likewise, sentences are structured as combinations of clauses, in which each clause contains a domain of information. The clausal structure permits the recombination of information to adopt different meanings, while allowing each unit to retain its identity. Secondly, by virtue of intrinsically-high error rates, we show that some, but not all, aspects of communicated culture information exists as rapidly evolving clouds within the population. These clouds of cultural information behave as quasispecies, which we model with varying mutation rates and suitable selection coefficients. We then integrate these ideas with the application of Shannon Diversity Index to produce a more holistic view of culture that is centred on the evolution of its information. Re-imagining culture, as evolving clouds of information, unifies the mode in which information is stored culturally and biologically, and opens up new avenues of comparative analysis.
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Yamamori Y, Robinson OJ. Computational perspectives on human fear and anxiety. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104959. [PMID: 36375584 PMCID: PMC10564627 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Fear and anxiety are adaptive emotions that serve important defensive functions, yet in excess, they can be debilitating and lead to poor mental health. Computational modelling of behaviour provides a mechanistic framework for understanding the cognitive and neurobiological bases of fear and anxiety, and has seen increasing interest in the field. In this brief review, we discuss recent developments in the computational modelling of human fear and anxiety. Firstly, we describe various reinforcement learning strategies that humans employ when learning to predict or avoid threat, and how these relate to symptoms of fear and anxiety. Secondly, we discuss initial efforts to explore, through a computational lens, approach-avoidance conflict paradigms that are popular in animal research to measure fear- and anxiety-relevant behaviours. Finally, we discuss negative biases in decision-making in the face of uncertainty in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumeya Yamamori
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK.
| | - Oliver J Robinson
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK; Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, UK
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Garbusow M, Ebrahimi C, Riemerschmid C, Daldrup L, Rothkirch M, Chen K, Chen H, Belanger MJ, Hentschel A, Smolka MN, Heinz A, Pilhatsch M, Rapp MA. Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer across Mental Disorders: A Review. Neuropsychobiology 2022; 81:418-437. [PMID: 35843212 DOI: 10.1159/000525579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A mechanism known as Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) describes a phenomenon by which the values of environmental cues acquired through Pavlovian conditioning can motivate instrumental behavior. PIT may be one basic mechanism of action control that can characterize mental disorders on a dimensional level beyond current classification systems. Therefore, we review human PIT studies investigating subclinical and clinical mental syndromes. The literature prevails an inhomogeneous picture concerning PIT. While enhanced PIT effects seem to be present in non-substance-related disorders, overweight people, and most studies with AUD patients, no altered PIT effects were reported in tobacco use disorder and obesity. Regarding AUD and relapsing alcohol-dependent patients, there is mixed evidence of enhanced or no PIT effects. Additionally, there is evidence for aberrant corticostriatal activation and genetic risk, e.g., in association with high-risk alcohol consumption and relapse after alcohol detoxification. In patients with anorexia nervosa, stronger PIT effects elicited by low caloric stimuli were associated with increased disease severity. In patients with depression, enhanced aversive PIT effects and a loss of action-specificity associated with poorer treatment outcomes were reported. Schizophrenic patients showed disrupted specific but intact general PIT effects. Patients with chronic back pain showed reduced PIT effects. We provide possible reasons to understand heterogeneity in PIT effects within and across mental disorders. Further, we strengthen the importance of reliable experimental tasks and provide test-retest data of a PIT task showing moderate to good reliability. Finally, we point toward stress as a possible underlying factor that may explain stronger PIT effects in mental disorders, as there is some evidence that stress per se interacts with the impact of environmental cues on behavior by selectively increasing cue-triggered wanting. To conclude, we discuss the results of the literature review in the light of Research Domain Criteria, suggesting future studies that comprehensively assess PIT across psychopathological dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Garbusow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia Ebrahimi
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carlotta Riemerschmid
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Luisa Daldrup
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus Rothkirch
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ke Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Matthew J Belanger
- Department of Psychiatry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Angela Hentschel
- Department of Psychiatry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael N Smolka
- Department of Psychiatry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maximilan Pilhatsch
- Department of Psychiatry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Elblandklinikum, Radebeul, Germany
| | - Michael A Rapp
- Area of Excellence Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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Tashjian SM, Wise T, Mobbs D. Model-based prioritization for acquiring protection. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010805. [PMID: 36534704 PMCID: PMC9810162 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Protection often involves the capacity to prospectively plan the actions needed to mitigate harm. The computational architecture of decisions involving protection remains unclear, as well as whether these decisions differ from other beneficial prospective actions such as reward acquisition. Here we compare protection acquisition to reward acquisition and punishment avoidance to examine overlapping and distinct features across the three action types. Protection acquisition is positively valenced similar to reward. For both protection and reward, the more the actor gains, the more benefit. However, reward and protection occur in different contexts, with protection existing in aversive contexts. Punishment avoidance also occurs in aversive contexts, but differs from protection because punishment is negatively valenced and motivates avoidance. Across three independent studies (Total N = 600) we applied computational modeling to examine model-based reinforcement learning for protection, reward, and punishment in humans. Decisions motivated by acquiring protection evoked a higher degree of model-based control than acquiring reward or avoiding punishment, with no significant differences in learning rate. The context-valence asymmetry characteristic of protection increased deployment of flexible decision strategies, suggesting model-based control depends on the context in which outcomes are encountered as well as the valence of the outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Tashjian
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Toby Wise
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
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Sebold M, Chen H, Önal A, Kuitunen-Paul S, Mojtahedzadeh N, Garbusow M, Nebe S, Wittchen HU, Huys QJM, Schlagenhauf F, Rapp MA, Smolka MN, Heinz A. Stronger Prejudices Are Associated With Decreased Model-Based Control. Front Psychol 2022; 12:767022. [PMID: 35069341 PMCID: PMC8767058 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.767022] [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: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Prejudices against minorities can be understood as habitually negative evaluations that are kept in spite of evidence to the contrary. Therefore, individuals with strong prejudices might be dominated by habitual or "automatic" reactions at the expense of more controlled reactions. Computational theories suggest individual differences in the balance between habitual/model-free and deliberative/model-based decision-making. Methods: 127 subjects performed the two Step task and completed the blatant and subtle prejudice scale. Results: By using analyses of choices and reaction times in combination with computational modeling, subjects with stronger blatant prejudices showed a shift away from model-based control. There was no association between these decision-making processes and subtle prejudices. Conclusion: These results support the idea that blatant prejudices toward minorities are related to a relative dominance of habitual decision-making. This finding has important implications for developing interventions that target to change prejudices across societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Sebold
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Department for Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Aleyna Önal
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sören Kuitunen-Paul
- Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Negin Mojtahedzadeh
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maria Garbusow
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Nebe
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hans-Ulrich Wittchen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Quentin J M Huys
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Florian Schlagenhauf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael A Rapp
- Department for Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Michael N Smolka
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
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7
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Elman I, Upadhyay J, Lowen S, Karunakaran K, Albanese M, Borsook D. Mechanisms Underlying Unconscious Processing and Their Alterations in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Neuroimaging of Zero Monetary Outcomes Contextually Framed as "No Losses" vs. "No Gains". Front Neurosci 2020; 14:604867. [PMID: 33390889 PMCID: PMC7772193 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.604867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although unconscious processing is a key element of mental operation, its neural correlates have not been established. Also, clinical observations suggest that unconscious processing may be involved in the pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying such impairments remain unknown. The purpose of the present study was to examine putative mechanisms underlying unconscious processing by healthy participants and to determine whether these mechanisms may be altered in PTSD patients. Twenty patients with PTSD and 27 healthy individuals were administered a validated wheel of fortune-type gambling task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Unconscious processing was elicited using unconscious contextual framing of the zero monetary outcomes as "no loss," "no gain" or as "neutral." Brief passive visual processing of the "no loss" vs. "no gain" contrast by healthy participants yielded bilateral frontal-, temporal- and insular cortices and striatal activations. Between-group comparison revealed smaller activity in the left anterior prefrontal-, left dorsolateral prefrontal-, right temporal- and right insular cortices and in bilateral striatum in PTSD patients with the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity been more pronounced in those with greater PTSD severity. These observations implicate frontal-, temporal-, and insular cortices along with the striatum in the putative mechanisms underlying unconscious processing of the monetary outcomes. Additionally, our results support the hypothesis that PTSD is associated with primary cortical and subcortical alterations involved in the above processes and that these alterations may be related to some aspects of PTSD symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Elman
- Center for Pain and the Brain, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jaymin Upadhyay
- Center for Pain and the Brain, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | | | - Keerthana Karunakaran
- Center for Pain and the Brain, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mark Albanese
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - David Borsook
- Center for Pain and the Brain, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
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Friedel E, Walter H, Veer IM, Zimmermann US, Heinz A, Frieling H, Zindler T. Impact of Long‐Term Alcohol Consumption and Relapse on Genome‐Wide DNA Methylation Changes in Alcohol‐Dependent Subjects: A Longitudinal Study. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:1356-1365. [DOI: 10.1111/acer.14354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Friedel
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of HealthCharité Campus Mitte (CCM) Berlin Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) Berlin Germany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of HealthCharité Campus Mitte (CCM) Berlin Germany
| | - Ilya M. Veer
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of HealthCharité Campus Mitte (CCM) Berlin Germany
| | - Ulrich S. Zimmermann
- Department of Addiction Medicine and Psychotherapykbo Isar‐Amper‐Klinikum Munich Germany
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of HealthCharité Campus Mitte (CCM) Berlin Germany
| | - Helge Frieling
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical School Hannover Germany
| | - Tristan Zindler
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical School Hannover Germany
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Flagel SB, Gordon JA, Paulus MP. Editorial: bridging the gap with computational and translational psychopharmacology. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:2291-2294. [PMID: 31289883 PMCID: PMC7491194 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05320-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shelly B. Flagel
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0720, USA
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