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Lörsch F, Kollei I, Steins-Loeber S. The effects of a retrieval cue on renewal of conditioned responses in human appetitive conditioning. Behav Res Ther 2024; 176:104501. [PMID: 38520963 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104501] [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: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Contextual renewal of reward anticipation may be one potential mechanism underlying relapse in eating and substance use disorders. We therefore tested retrieval cues, a method derived from an inhibitory retrieval-based model of extinction learning to attenuate contextual renewal using an appetitive conditioning paradigm. A pilot study was carried out in Experiment 1 to validate a differential chocolate conditioning paradigm, in which a specific tray was set up as a conditioned stimulus (CS) for eating chocolate (unconditioned stimulus, US). Using an ABA renewal design in Experiment 2, half of the participants were presented with a retrieval cue in the acquisition phase (group AC) and the other half in the extinction phase (group EC). Presentation of the retrieval cue in the EC was associated with reduced renewal of US-expectancy, while there was a clear renewal effect for US-expectancy in the AC. One limitation was the difference in cue presentations between both groups due to the number of trials in acquisition and extinction. Experiment 3 therefore aimed at replicating the results of Experiment 2, but with fewer cue presentations for the EC to match the AC. No significant group differences were observed indicating no effect of the retrieval cue. Theoretical and clinical implications in light of the differing results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Lörsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany.
| | - Ines Kollei
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Sabine Steins-Loeber
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany
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2
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Zhao X, Hu A, Wang Y, Zhao T, Xiang X. Paraventricular thalamus to nucleus accumbens circuit activation decreases long-term relapse of alcohol-seeking behaviour in male mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 237:173726. [PMID: 38360104 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173726] [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: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some studies have highlighted the crucial role of aversion in addiction treatment. The pathway from the anterior paraventricular thalamus (PVT) to the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been reported as an essential regulatory pathway for processing aversion and is also closely associated with substance addiction. However, its impact on alcohol addiction has been relatively underexplored. Therefore, this study focused on the role of the PVT-NAc pathway in the formation and relapse of alcohol addiction-like behaviour, offering a new perspective on the mechanisms of alcohol addiction. RESULTS The chemogenetic inhibition of the PVT-NAc pathway in male mice resulted in a notable decrease in the establishment of ethanol-induced conditioned place aversion (CPA), and NAc-projecting PVT neurons were recruited due to aversive effects. Conversely, activation of the PVT-NAc pathway considerably impeded the formation of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Furthermore, during the memory reconsolidation phase, activation of this pathway effectively disrupted the animals' preference for alcohol-associated contexts. Whether it was administered urgently 24 h later or after a long-term withdrawal of 10 days, a low dose of alcohol could still not induce the reinstatement of ethanol-induced CPP. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrated PVT-NAc circuit processing aversion, which may be one of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying aversive counterconditioning, and highlighted potential targets for inhibiting the development of alcohol addiction-like behaviour and relapse after long-term withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxi Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Aqian Hu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Yanyan Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Tianshu Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaojun Xiang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China.
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3
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van den Akker K, Schyns G, Jansen A. Individual differences in extinction learning predict weight loss after treatment: A pilot study. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2020; 28:782-788. [PMID: 33463853 PMCID: PMC7689699 DOI: 10.1002/erv.2778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Learning theorists suggest extinction learning to be a central mechanism in weight loss success; however, empirical studies are scarce. In this pilot study, it was examined whether individual differences in extinction learning predict outcome after weight loss treatment. Overweight and obese individuals first completed a laboratory conditioning task in which individual differences in extinction learning were assessed. Next, they were randomised to one of two weight loss interventions: cue exposure therapy (CET), which is considered the clinical analogue of laboratory extinction, or a control lifestyle intervention. In line with expectations, better extinction learning in the laboratory task was associated with more weight loss at both post-treatment (CET only) and follow-up (both interventions) measurements. In contrast, two other indices of treatment success (reduction in overeating expectancies and ad libitum food intake during a laboratory taste test) showed no associations with pre-treatment extinction learning. It is suggested that extinction learning may be a core mechanism underlying weight loss success, and hence, an important target for new obesity interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolien van den Akker
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Psychological ScienceMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Ghislaine Schyns
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Psychological ScienceMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Anita Jansen
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Psychological ScienceMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands
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4
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Hughes S, Mattavelli S, Hussey I, De Houwer J. The influence of extinction and counterconditioning procedures on operant evaluative conditioning and intersecting regularity effects. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:192085. [PMID: 33204439 PMCID: PMC7657930 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
One of the most effective methods of influencing what people like and dislike is to expose them to systematic patterns (or 'regularities') in the environment, such as the repeated presentation of a single stimulus (mere exposure), two or more stimuli (evaluative conditioning (EC)) or to relationships between stimuli and behaviour (approach/avoidance). Hughes et al. (2016) J. Exp. Psychol. Gen. 145, 731-754. (doi:10.1037/xge0000100) found that evaluations also emerge when regularities in the environment intersect with one another. In this paper, we examined if evaluations established via operant EC and intersecting regularities can be undermined via extinction or revised via counterconditioning. Across seven pre-registered studies (n = 1071), participants first completed a learning phase designed to establish novel evaluations followed by one of multiple forms of extinction or counterconditioning procedures designed to undo them. Results indicate that evaluations were-in general-resistant to extinction and counterconditioning. Theoretical and practical implications along with future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Hughes
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Simone Mattavelli
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Ian Hussey
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan De Houwer
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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5
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Jeffs S, Duka T. Single-response appetitive Pavlovian to instrumental transfer is suppressed by aversive counter-conditioning. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2019; 72:2820-2832. [DOI: 10.1177/1747021819862996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Environmental stimuli, when paired with reward, can influence behaviour in maladaptive ways, for example, by encouraging overeating or addiction. Such behaviour can be sensitive to reward value manipulations, under circumscribed conditions, but whether reward-seeking is also sensitive to stimulus value manipulations remains unclear. Thus, the current experiment investigated whether reducing the hedonic value of a reward-paired stimulus would reduce reward-seeking behaviour. In total, 36 participants successfully completed a single-response Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) task with a counter-conditioning procedure. The Pavlovian phase associated three conditioned stimuli (CSs) with money at 100%, 50%, or 0% contingency. Counter-conditioning then followed for the experimental group, who saw the 100% CS paired with unpleasant pictures, while the control group saw only neutral images. Instrumental training required participants to learn a button-pressing response to win money. The transfer phase contrasted instrumental responding during baseline and CS presentation. Both experimental and control groups liked the 100% CS more than the other CSs after Pavlovian training, but counter-conditioning reduced this 100% CS liking. In transfer, the experimental group showed an abolition of appetitive PIT, while the control group showed maintenance of appetitive PIT. However, this group difference was only evident in response vigour, not response initiation. In summary, CS hedonic value influences cue-potentiated instrumental responding. More specifically, hedonic value of a reward-paired cue influences the vigour of instrumental responses, but not the decision to initiate a response. These data may have relevance to smoking cessation policies, where the introduction of health warnings may be viewed as a real-world example of counter conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Jeffs
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Theodora Duka
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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6
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Counterconditioning following memory retrieval diminishes the reinstatement of appetitive memories in humans. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9213. [PMID: 31239475 PMCID: PMC6592881 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45492-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Appetitive memories play a crucial role in learning and behavior, but under certain circumstances, such memories become maladaptive and play a vital role in addiction and other psychopathologies. Recent scientific research has demonstrated that memories can be modified following their reactivation through memory retrieval in a process termed memory reconsolidation. Several nonpharmacological behavioral manipulations yielded mixed results in their capacity to alter maladaptive memories in humans. Here, we aimed to translate the promising findings observed in rodents to humans. We constructed a novel three-day procedure using aversive counterconditioning to alter appetitive memories after short memory retrieval. On the first day, we used appetitive conditioning to form appetitive memories. On the second day, we retrieved these appetitive memories in one group (Retrieval group) but not in a second group. Subsequently, all participants underwent counterconditioning. On the third day, we attempted to reinstate the appetitive memories from day one. We observed a significant reduction in the reinstatement of the original appetitive memory when counterconditioning was induced following memory retrieval. Here, we provide a novel human paradigm that models several memory processes and demonstrate memory attenuation when counterconditioned after its retrieval. This paradigm can be used to study complex appetitive memory dynamics, e.g., memory reconsolidation and its underlying brain mechanisms.
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7
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van Dis EAM, Hagenaars MA, Bockting CLH, Engelhard IM. Reducing negative stimulus valence does not attenuate the return of fear: Two counterconditioning experiments. Behav Res Ther 2019; 120:103416. [PMID: 31254717 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Exposure-based treatment for anxiety disorders is effective for many patients, but relapse is not uncommon. One predictor of the return of fear is the negative valence of fear-relevant stimuli. The aim of the current experiments was to examine whether counterconditioning with positive film clips reduces this negative stimulus valence as well as the return of fear, compared to standard extinction training and to an extinction training with non-contingent exposure to the positive film clips. Participants were 87 students in Experiment 1 (three-day paradigm), and 90 students in Experiment 2 (one-day paradigm). They first underwent a differential acquisition phase, in which one of three pictures was paired with an electric shock. They were then randomly allocated to one of the three intervention groups. Afterwards, they underwent a test phase in which pictures were presented without shock (to measure spontaneous recovery of fear), which was followed by unsignaled shocks to induce reinstatement of extinguished fear. Outcome variables were self-reported stimulus valence, shock expectancy, skin conductance, and fear-potentiated startle. In both experiments, counterconditioning decreased negative stimulus valence, relative to the other interventions, but it did not reduce spontaneous fear recovery or fear reinstatement. Overall, our findings do not support the notion that counterconditioning reduces return of fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva A M van Dis
- Utrecht University, Department of Clinical Psychology, the Netherlands.
| | | | | | - Iris M Engelhard
- Utrecht University, Department of Clinical Psychology, the Netherlands
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8
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Steins-Loeber S, Madjarova R, Lörsch F, Herpertz SC, Flor H, Duka T. An experimental study on spontaneous recovery of conditioned reward expectancies and instrumental responding in humans. Behav Res Ther 2019; 118:54-64. [PMID: 30991266 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate spontaneous recovery of reward-expectancies and a reward-associated response in humans and to assess individual factors affecting spontaneous recovery. We therefore implemented an experimental procedure comprising three separate test-sessions. In the first test-session, participants underwent instrumental discrimination training to acquire a conditioned reward-associated response, in the second test-session, memory of this response was tested followed by extinction training. In the third test-session, extinction memory was assessed. Our results demonstrate spontaneous recovery of extinguished conditioned reward-associated expectancies and indicate that differential expectancies after training and extinction and impulsivity significantly predicted the magnitude of spontaneous recovery. In contrast, limited evidence for spontaneous recovery of instrumental responding was found. Given that reward-expectancies might trigger instrumental responding these findings underline the importance of developing extinction procedures that lead to more complete and less fragile long-term extinction of reward-associated responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Steins-Loeber
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany.
| | - Radka Madjarova
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Frank Lörsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Voßstraße 2, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Herta Flor
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Theodora Duka
- Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, UK
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9
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Wardle MC, Lopez-Gamundi P, Flagel SB. Measuring appetitive conditioned responses in humans. Physiol Behav 2018; 188:140-150. [PMID: 29408238 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Clinical and preclinical findings suggest that individuals with abnormal responses to reward cues (stimuli associated with reward) may be at risk for maladaptive behaviors including obesity, addiction and depression. Our objective was to develop a new paradigm for producing appetitive conditioning using primary (food) rewards in humans, and investigate the equivalency of several outcomes previously used to measure appetitive responses to conditioned cues. We used an individualized food reward, and multimodal subjective, psychophysiological and behavioral measures of appetitive responses to a conditioned stimulus (CS) that predicted delivery of that food. We tested convergence among these measures of appetitive response, and relationships between these measures and action impulsivity, a putative correlate of appetitive conditioning. 90 healthy young adults participated. Although the paradigm produced robust appetitive conditioning in some measures, particularly psychophysiological ones, there were not strong correlations among measures of appetitive responses to the CS, as would be expected if they indexed a single underlying process. In addition, there was only one measure that related to impulsivity. These results provide important information for translational researchers interested in appetitive conditioning, suggesting that various measures of appetitive conditioning cannot be treated interchangeably.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret C Wardle
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Rd., BBSB 1st Floor CNRA, Houston, TX 77054, USA.
| | - Paula Lopez-Gamundi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Rd., BBSB 1st Floor CNRA, Houston, TX 77054, USA
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, USA; Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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10
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The therapeutic contribution of music in music-assisted systematic desensitization for substance addiction treatment: A pilot study. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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11
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Luck CC, Lipp OV. Verbal instructions targeting valence alter negative conditional stimulus evaluations (but do not affect reinstatement rates). Cogn Emot 2017; 32:61-80. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1280449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Camilla C. Luck
- School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
- ARC-SRI: Science of Learning Research Centre, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ottmar V. Lipp
- School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
- ARC-SRI: Science of Learning Research Centre, Brisbane, Australia
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12
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Bezzina L, Lee JC, Lovibond PF, Colagiuri B. Extinction and renewal of cue-elicited reward-seeking. Behav Res Ther 2016; 87:162-169. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2016.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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13
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Friends and social contexts as unshared environments: a discordant sibling analysis of obesity- and health-related behaviors in young adolescents. Int J Obes (Lond) 2016; 41:569-575. [PMID: 27881859 DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2016.213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Revised: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examines the contribution of best friends' weight and the peer social context (time spent alone versus with friends) as sources of unshared environment associated with variability in weight and health behaviors among weight-discordant siblings. METHODS Pairs of same-sex biologic siblings (N=40 pairs; ages 13-17) were originally recruited as part of a study evaluating putative factors contributing to differences in adiposity among weight-discordant siblings. Siblings were asked to bring their best friends to the laboratory and siblings and friends' height and weight were objectively measured. Siblings also completed multi-pass dietary recalls to assess energy intake and sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. Siblings' physical activity was measured using accelerometry. Experience sampling methodology was used to assess sedentary behaviors/screen time and the number of occasions siblings spent alone and in the presence of friends. Multilevel models were used to estimate the relationships between predictors (best friends' zBMI, time spent alone or with friends) and outcomes (siblings' zBMI and obesity-related health behaviors). RESULTS Best friends' zBMI was the best predictor of participants' zBMI, even when controlling for child's birth weight. Best friends' weight (zBMI) further predicted participants' SSB intake and time engaged in sedentary behaviors. Being active with friends was positively associated with participants' overall physical activity, whereas spending time alone was negatively associated with accelerometer counts regardless of siblings' adiposity. CONCLUSIONS A friends' weight and the social context are unshared environmental factors associated with variability in adiposity among biologically-related weight-discordant siblings.
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14
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Music-assisted systematic desensitization for the reduction of craving in response to drug-conditioned cues: A pilot study. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2016.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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15
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Murray SB, Treanor M, Liao B, Loeb KL, Griffiths S, Le Grange D. Extinction theory & anorexia nervosa: Deepening therapeutic mechanisms. Behav Res Ther 2016; 87:1-10. [PMID: 27580026 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2016.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2016] [Revised: 08/16/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
By virtue of adopting the core symptomatic fear (i.e., a fear of weight gain) as a primary treatment target, the treatment of AN centrally involves exposure-driven processes. However, exposure trials targeting the fear of weight gain in AN have been sparse, yielding mixed results to date. In translating extinction theory to the treatment of AN, it is likely that the absence of a clear distinction between what constitutes the core feared cue and the core feared outcome has stymied the application of exposure treatments in AN. This review considers several configurations of the core fear association in AN, noting distinct therapeutic strategies which may allow for more precise efforts in violating fear-based expectancies. Specific guidance is offered in the clinical decision making process as to which strategies might best promote inhibitory learning, and a clinical case is discussed, in which treatment was adjusted to specifically violate the core underlying fear association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart B Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Michael Treanor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Betty Liao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Katharine L Loeb
- School of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ, USA
| | - Scott Griffiths
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Daniel Le Grange
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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16
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Kaag AM, Schluter RS, Karel P, Homberg J, van den Brink W, Reneman L, van Wingen GA. Aversive Counterconditioning Attenuates Reward Signaling in the Ventral Striatum. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:418. [PMID: 27594829 PMCID: PMC4990538 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Appetitive conditioning refers to the process of learning cue-reward associations and is mediated by the mesocorticolimbic system. Appetitive conditioned responses are difficult to extinguish, especially for highly salient reward such as food and drugs. We investigate whether aversive counterconditioning can alter reward reinstatement in the ventral striatum in healthy volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the initial conditioning phase, two different stimuli were reinforced with a monetary reward. In the subsequent counterconditioning phase, one of these stimuli was paired with an aversive shock to the wrist. In the following extinction phase, none of the stimuli were reinforced. In the final reinstatement phase, reward was reinstated by informing the participants that the monetary gain could be doubled. Our fMRI data revealed that reward signaling in the ventral striatum and ventral tegmental area following reinstatement was smaller for the stimulus that was counterconditioned with an electrical shock, compared to the non-counterconditioned stimulus. A functional connectivity analysis showed that aversive counterconditioning strengthened striatal connectivity with the hippocampus and insula. These results suggest that reward signaling in the ventral striatum can be attenuated through aversive counterconditioning, possibly by concurrent retrieval of the aversive association through enhanced connectivity with hippocampus and insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Marije Kaag
- Department of Radiology, Academic Medical CenterAmsterdam, Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical CenterAmsterdam, Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Renée S Schluter
- Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Peter Karel
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Medical Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Judith Homberg
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Medical Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Wim van den Brink
- Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth Reneman
- Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Guido A van Wingen
- Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical CenterAmsterdam, Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands; Spinoza Center for Neuroimaging, Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdam, Netherlands
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17
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Jansen A, Schyns G, Bongers P, van den Akker K. From lab to clinic: Extinction of cued cravings to reduce overeating. Physiol Behav 2016; 162:174-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Revised: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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18
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Holmes NM, Leung HT, Westbrook RF. Counterconditioned fear responses exhibit greater renewal than extinguished fear responses. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 23:141-50. [PMID: 26980781 PMCID: PMC4793199 DOI: 10.1101/lm.040659.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This series of experiments used rats to compare counterconditioning and extinction of conditioned fear responses (freezing) with respect to the effects of a context shift. In each experiment, a stimulus was paired with shock in context A, extinguished or counterconditioned through pairings with sucrose in context B, and then tested for renewal outside of context B. Counterconditioned fear responses exhibited greater ABA renewal than extinguished fear responses. This result was observed using a between-subjects design (Experiment 1) and a within-subject design in which counterconditioned and extinguished stimuli were equated in all respects other than their signaling of sucrose (Experiment 2). Counterconditioned fear responses also exhibited greater ABC renewal than extinguished fear responses (Experiment 3). This result was observed using a within-subject design in which context C was identical to context B in terms of its associative history, and when counterconditioned and extinguished CSs were tested in compounds matched for their association with both shock and sucrose (Experiment 4). These results are consistent with models which hold that context regulates expression of associations formed in counterconditioning and extinction, and allow the level of regulation to be greater following counterconditioning than extinction, as noted in previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan M Holmes
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
| | - Hiu T Leung
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
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Blechert J, Testa G, Georgii C, Klimesch W, Wilhelm FH. The Pavlovian craver: Neural and experiential correlates of single trial naturalistic food conditioning in humans. Physiol Behav 2016; 158:18-25. [PMID: 26905451 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Revised: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 02/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Present-day environments are replete with tempting foods and the current obesity pandemic speaks to humans' inability to adjust to this. Pavlovian processes may be fundamental to such hedonic overeating. However, a lack of naturalistic Pavlovian paradigms in humans makes translational research difficult and important parameters such as implicitness and acquisition speed are unknown. Here we present a novel naturalistic conditioning task: an image of a neutral object was conditioned to marzipan taste in a single trial procedure by asking the participant to eat the 'object' (made from marzipan). Relative to control objects, results demonstrate robust pre- to post-conditioning changes of both subjective ratings and early as well as late event related brain potentials, suggesting contributions of implicit (attentional) and explicit (motivational) processes. Naturalistic single-trial taste-appetitive conditioning is potent in humans and shapes attentional and motivational neural processes that might challenge self-regulation during exposure to tempting foods. Thus, appetitive conditioning processes might contribute to overweight and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Blechert
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - G Testa
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
| | - C Georgii
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - W Klimesch
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - F H Wilhelm
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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Bongers P, Jansen A. Emotional eating and Pavlovian learning: evidence for conditioned appetitive responding to negative emotional states. Cogn Emot 2015; 31:284-297. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2015.1108903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Peggy Bongers
- Eating Disorders and Obesity, Department of Clinical Psychological Science (CPS), Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Anita Jansen
- Eating Disorders and Obesity, Department of Clinical Psychological Science (CPS), Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Bernal-Gamboa R, Nieto J, Rosas JM. Context specificity of taste aversion is boosted by pre-exposure and conditioning with a different taste. Behav Processes 2015; 120:111-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2015] [Revised: 09/13/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Rewriting the valuation and salience of alcohol-related stimuli via memory reconsolidation. Transl Psychiatry 2015; 5:e645. [PMID: 26393491 PMCID: PMC5068809 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Revised: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The transient period of memory instability that can be triggered when memories are retrieved under certain conditions offers an opportunity to modify the maladaptive memories at the heart of substance use disorders (SUDs). However, very well-learned memories (such as those in excessive drinking and alcohol use disorders) are resistant to destabilisation when retrieved or may not destabilise at all. Memory retrieval and intervention procedures that reliably destabilise and update maladaptive motivational memories may help to improve the long-term treatment of SUDs. In 59 hazardous drinkers, we tested a novel retrieval procedure for destabilising well-learned cue-drinking memory networks that maximises prediction error (PE) via guided expectancy violation during retrieval of these memories. This was compared with a retrieval procedure without PE and no-retrieval controls. We subsequently counterconditioned alcohol cues with disgusting tastes and images in all groups and assessed responding to alcohol stimuli 1 week later. Counterconditioning following PE retrieval produced generalised reductions in oculomotor attentional bias, explicit valuation and outcome expectancies in response to alcohol cues 1 week after intervention, evidence of updating of distributed motivational drinking memory networks. These findings demonstrate that well-learned cue-drinking memories can be destabilised and that learning history need not constrain memory destabilisation if PE is maximised at retrieval. Broad rewriting of diverse aspects of maladaptive memory by counterconditioning is achievable following this procedure. The procedure described may provide a platform for the development of novel memory-modifying interventions for SUDs.
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Effects of occasional reinforced trials during extinction on the reacquisition of conditioned responses to food cues. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2015; 48:50-8. [PMID: 25710574 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Revised: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Successful long-term dieting appears to be difficult, and part of its difficulty might be explained by processes related to classical appetitive conditioning. Increasing the speed of extinction of appetitive responses to food cues and decreasing the magnitude of returns of these responses could help increase the long-term effectiveness of weight loss attempts. Two extinction techniques hypothesized to slow down rapid reacquisition of conditioned appetitive responses were investigated: the provision of 1) occasional reinforced extinction trials (OR) and 2) unpaired unconditioned stimuli (USs) during extinction (UNP). METHODS After acquisition, participants (N = 90) received one of three extinction trainings: OR, UNP, or normal extinction (control), followed by a reacquisition phase. Their desire to eat, US expectancy, and salivation were measured. Effects of impulsivity on different phases of appetitive conditioning were also assessed. RESULTS It was found that both extinction techniques were successful in reducing the rate of reacquisition of US expectancies. Participants in the OR condition also demonstrated a slower extinction of US expectancies and desires to eat. However, the reacquisition of conditioned desires was not affected by either extinction technique. Impulsivity did not moderate responses during acquisition or extinction, but appeared to slow down the reacquisition of conditioned desires. LIMITATIONS US expectancies and eating desires were not completely extinguished, and a few differences in baseline responses caused difficulty in interpreting some of the findings. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that the provision of occasional reinforced extinction trials and unpaired USs seem promising techniques to slow down reacquisition, but that additional studies are needed.
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Lovibond PF, Satkunarajah M, Colagiuri B. Extinction Can Reduce the Impact of Reward Cues on Reward-Seeking Behavior. Behav Ther 2015; 46:432-8. [PMID: 26163708 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2015.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Revised: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Reward-associated cues are thought to promote relapse after treatment of appetitive disorders such as drug-taking, binge eating, and gambling. This process has been modelled in the laboratory using a Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) design in which Pavlovian cues facilitate instrumental reward-directed action. Attempts to reduce facilitation by cue exposure (extinction) have produced mixed results. We tested the effect of extinction in a recently developed PIT procedure using a natural reward, chocolate, in human participants. Facilitation of instrumental responding was only observed in participants who were aware of the Pavlovian contingencies. Pavlovian extinction successfully reduced, but did not completely eliminate, expectancy of reward and facilitation of instrumental responding. The results indicate that exposure can reduce the ability of cues to promote reward-directed behavior in the laboratory. However, the residual potency of extinguished cues means that additional active strategies may be needed in clinical practice to train patients to resist the impact of these cues in their environment.
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Emotional eating and Pavlovian learning: does negative mood facilitate appetitive conditioning? Appetite 2015; 89:226-36. [PMID: 25698079 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Revised: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Emotional eating has been suggested to be a learned behaviour; more specifically, classical conditioning processes might be involved in its development. In the present study we investigated whether a negative mood facilitates appetitive conditioning and whether trait impulsivity influences this process. METHOD After undergoing either a negative or neutral mood induction, participants were subjected to a differential classical conditioning procedure, using neutral stimuli and appetizing food. Two initially neutral distinctive vases with flowers were (CS+) or were not (CS-) paired with chocolate mousse intake. We measured participants' expectancy and desire to eat (4 CS+ and 4 CS- trials), salivation response, and actual food intake. The BIS-11 was administered to assess trait impulsivity. RESULTS In both mood conditions, participants showed a classically conditioned appetite. Unexpectedly, there was no evidence of facilitated appetitive learning in a negative mood with regard to expectancy, desire, salivation, or intake. However, immediately before the taste test, participants in the negative mood condition reported a stronger desire to eat in the CS+ compared to the CS- condition, while no such effect occurred in the neutral group. An effect of impulsivity was found with regard to food intake in the neutral mood condition: high-impulsive participants consumed less food when presented with the CS+ compared to the CS-, and also less than low-impulsive participants. DISCUSSION An alternative pathway to appetitive conditioning with regard to emotions is that it is not the neutral stimuli, but the emotions themselves that become conditioned stimuli and elicit appetitive responses.
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González F, Garcia-Burgos D, Hall G. Analysis of blocking of flavor-preference conditioning based on nutrients and palatable tastes in rats. Appetite 2014; 80:161-7. [PMID: 24845784 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Revised: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In Experiment 1 rats were given training in which a mixture of two flavors was paired with sucrose. This established a substantial preference for each of the flavors; however, when rats were given prior experience with just one of the flavors paired with sucrose, training with the compound produced only a weak preference for the other - an example of the blocking effect, well known in other associative learning paradigms. Both the palatable taste of sucrose and its nutrient properties contribute to its ability to reinforce preference acquisition. The role of these two forms of learning was examined in two further experiments in which the reinforcer used was fructose (which is considered to support preference learning because it is palatable but not through its nutrient properties) or maltodextrin (thought to support preference learning by way of its nutrient properties). In neither case was blocking observed. At the theoretical level, this outcome constitutes a challenge to the attempt to explain flavor-preference learning in terms of the standard principles of associative learning theory. Its implication at the level of application is that the potential of the blocking procedure as a technique for preventing the development of unwanted flavor preferences may be limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felisa González
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Campus Cartuja s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
| | - David Garcia-Burgos
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Campus Cartuja s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Geoffrey Hall
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK; School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; School of Psychology, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK
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van den Akker K, Jansen A, Frentz F, Havermans RC. Impulsivity makes more susceptible to overeating after contextual appetitive conditioning. Appetite 2013; 70:73-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2013.06.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Revised: 06/18/2013] [Accepted: 06/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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