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Markowitsch HJ, Staniloiu A, Wahl-Kordon A. Urbach-Wiethe disease in a young patient without apparent amygdala calcification. Neuropsychologia 2023; 183:108505. [PMID: 36775051 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108505] [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: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Urbach-Wiethe disease is an extremely rare genetically-based syndrome which usually leads to dermatological and neurological changes. Neurologically, the amygdaloid region is primarily bilaterally affected. Therefore, several functions modulated by the amygdala are changed in patients with Urbach-Wiethe disease. As the neurological alterations evolve only gradually, it is particularly important to determine the cognitive and brain status of a juvenile. The patient described here was seen briefly at age 9 and tested neuropsychologically at age 19; furthermore, computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of his head was done. There were no important abnormalities in the brain, which is unusual in the light of previous data from other patients. On the cognitive level, the patient was generally within normal limits. However, he had mild problems in attention and concentration, and more prominent problems in emotional processing domain, and in personality dimensions. It is concluded that amygdala calcifications in Urbach-Wiethe disease take place progressively-possibly underpinned by genetic and gender variables; this can subsequently allow psychosocial-social factors (such a proper education and socialization) and biological factors (compensatory neuroplasticity) to retard and diminish the development of socio-emotional and cognitive deteriorations, though the outcome of questionnaires indicates that such patients may develop substantial concerns as to their future life and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Angelica Staniloiu
- University of Bielefeld, Germany; University of Bucharest, Romania; Oberberg Clinic Hornberg, Germany
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2
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Feinstein JS, Gould D, Khalsa SS. Amygdala-driven apnea and the chemoreceptive origin of anxiety. Biol Psychol 2022; 170:108305. [PMID: 35271957 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Although the amygdala plays an important part in the pathogenesis of anxiety and generation of exteroceptive fear, recent discoveries have challenged the directionality of this brain-behavior relationship with respect to interoceptive fear. Here we highlight several paradoxical findings including: (1) amygdala lesion patients who experience excessive fear and panic following inhalation of carbon dioxide (CO2), (2) clinically anxious patients who have significantly smaller (rather than larger) amygdalae and a pronounced hypersensitivity toward CO2, and (3) epilepsy patients who exhibit apnea immediately following stimulation of their amygdala yet have no awareness that their breathing has stopped. The above findings elucidate an entirely novel role for the amygdala in the induction of apnea and inhibition of CO2-induced fear. Such a role is plausible given the strong inhibitory connections linking the central nucleus of the amygdala with respiratory and chemoreceptive centers in the brainstem. Based on this anatomical arrangement, we propose a model of Apnea-induced Anxiety (AiA) which predicts that recurring episodes of apnea are being unconsciously elicited by amygdala activation, resulting in transient spikes in CO2 that provoke fear and anxiety, and lead to characteristic patterns of escape and avoidance behavior in patients spanning the spectrum of anxiety. If this new conception of AiA proves to be true, and activation of the amygdala can repeatedly trigger states of apnea outside of one's awareness, then it remains possible that the chronicity of anxiety disorders is being interoceptively driven by a chemoreceptive system struggling to maintain homeostasis in the midst of these breathless states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin S Feinstein
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, 74136; University of Tulsa, Oxley College of Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, 74104; University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, Iowa City, Iowa, USA, 52242.
| | - Dylan Gould
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, 74136
| | - Sahib S Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, 74136; University of Tulsa, Oxley College of Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, 74104
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3
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Verfaellie M, Hunsberger R, Keane MM. Episodic processes in moral decisions: Evidence from medial temporal lobe amnesia. Hippocampus 2021; 31:569-579. [PMID: 33687125 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Theoretical accounts of moral decision making imply distinct ways in which episodic memory processes may contribute to judgments about moral dilemmas that entail high conflict between a harmful action and a greater good resulting from such action. Yet, studies examining the status of moral judgment in amnesic patients with medial temporal lobe (MTL) lesions have yielded inconsistent results. To examine whether and how episodic processes contribute to high conflict moral decisions, amnesic patients with MTL damage and control participants were asked to judge the moral acceptability of a harmful action across two conditions that differed in the framing of the moral question. We predicted that personal (but not abstract) framing would engage episodic processes involved in mental simulation, yielding a selective impairment in MTL patients in the personal framing condition. This prediction was not confirmed as neither patients nor controls were influenced by the framing of the moral question. With the exception of a patient whose lesion extended into the amygdala bilaterally, patients were less willing than controls to endorse the utilitarian option, rejecting the harmful action despite its beneficial outcome. They also rated actions as emotionally more intense than did controls. These findings suggest that episodic processes involved in mental simulation are necessary to prospectively evaluate action-outcome contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieke Verfaellie
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Margaret M Keane
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
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Scheele D, Zimbal S, Feinstein JS, Delis A, Neumann C, Mielacher C, Philipsen A, Hurlemann R. Treatment-Resistant Depression and Ketamine Response in a Patient With Bilateral Amygdala Damage. Am J Psychiatry 2019; 176:982-986. [PMID: 31787017 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.18101219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Scheele
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Sophia Zimbal
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Justin S Feinstein
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Achilles Delis
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Claudia Neumann
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Clemens Mielacher
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Alexandra Philipsen
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - René Hurlemann
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
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Xu X, Liu C, Zhou X, Chen Y, Gao Z, Zhou F, Kou J, Becker B, Kendrick KM. Oxytocin Facilitates Self-Serving Rather Than Altruistic Tendencies in Competitive Social Interactions Via Orbitofrontal Cortex. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 22:501-512. [PMID: 31152588 PMCID: PMC6672625 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyz028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While the neuropeptide oxytocin can facilitate empathy and altruistic behavior, it may also promote self-serving tendencies in some contexts, and it remains unclear if it would increase altruistic or self-interest behaviors when they compete within a social situation. METHODS The current between-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled fMRI study investigated the effect of intranasal oxytocin on empathy for social exclusion using a modified online ball-tossing game that incorporated monetary rewards and the potential to display both altruistic and self-interest behaviors. RESULTS Results showed that when subjects in both oxytocin and placebo groups were observing a player being excluded (victim) by other players in the game, there was activation in the mentalizing network. When subjects then played both with the victim and the players who had excluded them, they threw more balls to the victim player, indicative of an altruistic response. However, subjects in the oxytocin group threw more balls to the excluder players indicative of greater self-interest, since the latter would be perceived as more likely to reciprocate to maximize financial gain. This behavioral effect of oxytocin was associated with greater medial orbitofrontal cortex activation when playing with the excluders and negatively correlated with trait-altruism scores. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our findings suggest that in the context of competing motivations for exhibiting altruistic or self-interest behavior, oxytocin enhanced self-interest and this was associated with greater activation in frontal reward areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolei Xu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Congcong Liu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xinqi Zhou
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuanshu Chen
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhao Gao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Juan Kou
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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Heart rate variability is associated with social value orientation in males but not females. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7336. [PMID: 29743602 PMCID: PMC5943302 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25739-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic and neurobiological theories suggest that inter-individual differences in high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) are associated with inter-individual differences in social behavior and social cognition. To test these theories, we investigated whether individuals with high and low HF-HRV would show different preferences for cooperative behavior in social contexts. We recorded resting state HF-HRV in 84 healthy individuals before they completed the Social Value Orientation task, a well-established measure of cooperative preferences. HF-HRV was derived from short-term (300 s) and ultra-short-term (60 s, 120 s) recordings of participants’ heart rate to determine the robustness of possible findings. Irrespective of recording length, we found a sex-dependent association between inter-individual differences in HF-HRV and inter-individual differences in social value orientation: The preference for cooperation was more pronounced among individuals with high as compared low HF-HRV, albeit only in male and not in female participants. These findings suggest that males with high HF-HRV are more inclined to engage in cooperative behavior than males with low HF-HRV.
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Hinterbuchinger B, Kaltenboeck A, Baumgartner JS, Mossaheb N, Friedrich F. Do patients with different psychiatric disorders show altered social decision-making? A systematic review of ultimatum game experiments in clinical populations. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2018; 23:117-141. [PMID: 29608131 DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2018.1453791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impairments in social functioning are a common feature of psychiatric disorders. Game paradigms pose a unique way for studying how people make decisions in interpersonal contexts. In the last decade, researchers have started to use these paradigms to study social decision-making in patients with psychiatric disorders. PURPOSE The aim of this systematic literature review is to summarise the currently available evidence on the behaviour of patients with psychiatric disorders in the commonly used Ultimatum Game (UG). METHOD A systematic literature search including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PSYNDEXplus Tests, PSYNDEXPLUS Literature, EBM Reviews-Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase and PASCAL was performed via the Ovid interface. RESULTS We found evidence for alterations in UG behaviour for patients with frontotemporal dementia, schizophrenia, affective disorders, alcohol, cocaine, heroin and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine consumption, alcohol dependence, anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder, autism, Tourette syndrome and oppositional defiant disorder. CONCLUSION There is some evidence that different psychiatric disorders might go along with alterations in social decision-making. However, in general, data are currently limited and studies are hard to compare due to differences in methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Hinterbuchinger
- a Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
| | | | - Josef Severin Baumgartner
- a Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
| | - Nilufar Mossaheb
- a Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
| | - Fabian Friedrich
- a Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , Medical University of Vienna , Vienna , Austria
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Hurlemann R, Marsh N. Deciphering the modulatory role of oxytocin in human altruism. Rev Neurosci 2018; 28:335-342. [PMID: 28301323 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2016-0061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Unlike any other species, humans frequently engage in altruistic behaviors by which they increase another individual's welfare even if this implies personal costs. The psychological motives underlying altruistic behaviors remain diverse, ranging from the ability to reciprocate trust and cooperation to bonding and empathizing with family members or even genetically unrelated others. This article explores the neuroendocrine architecture of altruism by emphasizing the crucial role of the evolutionarily highly conserved peptide hormone oxytocin as a modulator of cooperative behaviors including empathy-driven altruism. However, accumulating evidence suggests that oxytocin does not invariably facilitate cooperation but also produces protective or even defensive-aggressive responses in specific social contexts. In addition, we highlight the relevance of message frames as critical determinants of whether the peptide promotes altruism toward prosocial ends.
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Nam HH, Jost JT, Kaggen L, Campbell-Meiklejohn D, Van Bavel JJ. Amygdala structure and the tendency to regard the social system as legitimate and desirable. Nat Hum Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1038/s41562-017-0248-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Neue Einblicke in die Psychobiologie altruistischer Entscheidungen. DER NERVENARZT 2016; 87:1131-1135. [DOI: 10.1007/s00115-016-0229-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Panic Anxiety in Humans with Bilateral Amygdala Lesions: Pharmacological Induction via Cardiorespiratory Interoceptive Pathways. J Neurosci 2016; 36:3559-66. [PMID: 27013684 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4109-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED We previously demonstrated that carbon dioxide inhalation could induce panic anxiety in a group of rare lesion patients with focal bilateral amygdala damage. To further elucidate the amygdala-independent mechanisms leading to aversive emotional experiences, we retested two of these patients (B.G. and A.M.) to examine whether triggering palpitations and dyspnea via stimulation of non-chemosensory interoceptive channels would be sufficient to elicit panic anxiety. Participants rated their affective and sensory experiences following bolus infusions of either isoproterenol, a rapidly acting peripheral β-adrenergic agonist akin to adrenaline, or saline. Infusions were administered during two separate conditions: a panic induction and an assessment of cardiorespiratory interoception. Isoproterenol infusions induced anxiety in both patients, and full-blown panic in one (patient B.G.). Although both patients demonstrated signs of diminished awareness for cardiac sensation, patient A.M., who did not panic, reported a complete lack of awareness for dyspnea, suggestive of impaired respiratory interoception. These findings indicate that the amygdala may play a role in dynamically detecting changes in cardiorespiratory sensation. The induction of panic anxiety provides further evidence that the amygdala is not required for the conscious experience of fear induced via interoceptive sensory channels. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We found that monozygotic twins with focal bilateral amygdala lesions report panic anxiety in response to intravenous infusions of isoproterenol, a β-adrenergic agonist similar to adrenaline. Heightened anxiety was evident in both twins, with one twin experiencing a panic attack. The twin who did not panic displayed signs of impaired cardiorespiratory interoception, including a complete absence of dyspnea sensation. These findings highlight that the amygdala is not strictly required for the experience of panic anxiety, and suggest that neural systems beyond the amygdala are also involved. Determining these additional systems could provide key neural modulation targets for future anxiolytic treatments.
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Kopsida E, Berrebi J, Petrovic P, Ingvar M. Testosterone Administration Related Differences in Brain Activation during the Ultimatum Game. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:66. [PMID: 26973448 PMCID: PMC4771731 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A plethora of studies on the Ultimatum Game have shown that responders forfeit the rule of profit maximization and punish unfair proposers, by rejecting their offers. This behavior has been linked to increased amygdala, insula, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation. Studies have suggested a potential role of testosterone in the Ultimatum Game albeit with inconsistent findings. In the present study, we sought to further investigate the role of amygdala and testosterone in the Ultimatum Game, by conducting a double-blinded, single-administration study. Sixty milligram of Tostrex was administered to male and female healthy volunteers, 3 h prior to undergoing an fMRI session, during which they played a standard version of the Ultimatum Game. The behavioral analysis revealed a statistical trend, as participants in the testosterone group tended to accept a greater number of unfair offers than participants in the placebo group, irrespectively of gender. In terms of fMRI results, for the main contrast unfair>fair offers, the testosterone group displayed a greater activation in the right dlPFC compared to the placebo group. Increased testosterone levels were related to greater caudate activity. Our findings suggest a complex role of testosterone in social behavior and decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Kopsida
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, MR Research Center and Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jonathan Berrebi
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, MR Research Center and Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Predrag Petrovic
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, MR Research Center and Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Ingvar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, MR Research Center and Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
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Harrison LA, Hurlemann R, Adolphs R. An Enhanced Default Approach Bias Following Amygdala Lesions in Humans. Psychol Sci 2015; 26:1543-55. [PMID: 26338883 PMCID: PMC4607547 DOI: 10.1177/0956797615583804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Approach and avoidance constitute a basic dimension of all animal behavior. Although a large number of studies have investigated approach and avoidance elicited by specific sensory stimuli, comparatively little is known about default approach biases when stimulus information is absent or reduced. The amygdala is well known to contribute to approach and avoidance behaviors in response to specific sensory stimuli; we tested whether the amygdala's role might extend to situations in which stimulus information is reduced. In a novel task, 3 patients with rare bilateral amygdala lesions (and control subjects) made approach-related judgments about photos of intact faces and of the same faces with all internal facial features occluded. Direct comparisons of the judgments of these stimuli isolated a default bias. The patients showed a greater tendency than the control subjects to rate occluded faces as more approachable than whole faces. These findings suggest that the amygdala's role in approach behavior extends beyond responses to specific stimuli.
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15
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Feng C, Luo YJ, Krueger F. Neural signatures of fairness-related normative decision making in the ultimatum game: a coordinate-based meta-analysis. Hum Brain Mapp 2014; 36:591-602. [PMID: 25327760 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Revised: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The willingness to incur personal costs to enforce prosocial norms represents a hallmark of human civilization. Although recent neuroscience studies have used the ultimatum game to understand the neuropsychological mechanisms that underlie the enforcement of fairness norms; however, a precise characterization of the neural systems underlying fairness-related norm enforcement remains elusive. In this study, we used a coordinate-based meta-analysis on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies using the ultimatum game with the goal to provide an additional level of evidence for the refinement of the underlying neural architecture of this human puzzling behavior. Our results demonstrated a convergence of reported activation foci in brain networks associated with psychological components of fairness-related normative decision making, presumably reflecting a reflexive and intuitive system (System 1) and a reflective and deliberate system (System 2). System 1 (anterior insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex [PFC]) may be associated with the reflexive and intuitive responses to norm violations, representing a motivation to punish norm violators. Those intuitive responses conflict with economic self-interest, encoded in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which may engage cognitive control from a reflective and deliberate System 2 to resolve the conflict by either suppressing (ventrolateral PFC, dorsomedial PFC, left dorsolateral PFC, and rostral ACC) the intuitive responses or over-riding self-interest (right dorsolateral PFC). Taken together, we suggest that fairness-related norm enforcement recruits an intuitive system for rapid evaluation of norm violations and a deliberate system for integrating both social norms and self-interest to regulate the intuitive system in favor of more flexible decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunliang Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Cáceda R, Moskovciak T, Prendes-Alvarez S, Wojas J, Engel A, Wilker SH, Gamboa JL, Stowe ZN. Gender-specific effects of depression and suicidal ideation in prosocial behaviors. PLoS One 2014; 9:e108733. [PMID: 25259712 PMCID: PMC4178187 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prosocial behaviors are essential to the ability to relate to others. Women typically display greater prosocial behavior than men. The impact of depression on prosocial behaviors and how gender interacts with those effects are not fully understood. We explored the role of gender in the potential effects of depression on prosocial behavior. Methods We examined prosocial behaviors using a modified version of the Trust Game in a clinical population and community controls. Study participants were characterized on the severity of depression and anxiety, presence of suicidal ideation, history of childhood trauma, recent stressful life events, and impulsivity. We correlated behavioral outcomes with gender and clinical variables using analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. Results The 89 participants comprised four study groups: depressed women, depressed men, healthy women and healthy men (n = 16–36). Depressed men exhibited reciprocity more frequently than healthy men. Depression induced an inversion of the gender-specific pattern of self-centered behavior. Suicidal ideation was associated with increased reciprocity behavior in both genders, and enhancement of the effect of depression on gender-specific self-centered behavior. Conclusions Depression, particularly suicidal ideation, is associated with reversal of gender-specific patterns of prosocial behavior, suggesting abnormalities in sexual hormones regulation. This explanation is supported by known abnormalities in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axes found in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Cáceda
- Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Tori Moskovciak
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Stefania Prendes-Alvarez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Justyna Wojas
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Anzhelika Engel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Samantha H. Wilker
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jorge L. Gamboa
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Zachary N. Stowe
- Psychiatric Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
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Wang Y, Zhou Y, Li S, Wang P, Wu GW, Liu ZN. Impaired social decision making in patients with major depressive disorder. BMC Psychiatry 2014; 14:18. [PMID: 24450703 PMCID: PMC3904421 DOI: 10.1186/1471-244x-14-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 01/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abnormal decision-making processes have been observed in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it is unresolved whether MDD patients show abnormalities in decision making in a social interaction context, in which decisions have actual influences on both the self-interests of the decision makers per se and those of their partners. METHODS Using a well-studied ultimatum game (UG), which is frequently used to investigate social interaction behavior, we examined whether MDD can be associated with abnormalities in social decision-making behavior by comparing the acceptance rates of MDD patients (N = 14) with those of normal controls (N = 19). RESULTS The acceptance rates of the patients were lower than those of the normal controls. Additionally, unfair proposals were accepted at similar rates from computer partners and human partners in the MDD patients, unlike the acceptance rates in the normal controls, who were able to discriminatively treat unfair proposals from computer partners and human partners. CONCLUSIONS Depressed patients show abnormal decision-making behavior in a social interaction context. Several possible explanations, such as increased sensitivity to fairness, negative emotional state and disturbed affective cognition, have been proposed to account for the abnormal social decision-making behavior in patients with MDD. This aberrant social decision-making behavior may provide a new perspective in the search to find biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Shu Li
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Institute of Mental Health, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, China
| | - Guo-Wei Wu
- Institute of Mental Health, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, China
| | - Zhe-Ning Liu
- Institute of Mental Health, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, China
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18
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A negative emotional and economic judgment bias in major depression. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2013; 263:675-83. [PMID: 23377282 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-013-0392-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Although major depression is projected to be among the top three causes of disability-adjusted life years lost in 2030, relatively little is known concerning the extent to which depressed mood states can bias social-economic decision making away from optimal outcomes. One experimental framework to study the interaction between negative emotion and social-economic decisions is the ultimatum game (UG), where the fair, cooperative player altruistically punishes the unfair, non-cooperative player. To assess a potential susceptibility of altruistic punishment to depressed mood, we repeatedly administered the UG task to a cohort of 20 currently depressed patients with a diagnosis of recurrent major depressive disorder and 20 healthy controls. Furthermore, valence and arousal ratings of emotionally laden pictures were obtained from all participants in order to assess a depressed mood-related distortion of emotion judgments. Compared to healthy controls, depressed patients over-sanctioned unfair proposals in the UG and judged emotional stimuli too negatively. Thus, major depression is associated with a negative emotional bias that hampers social-economic decision making and produces large personal costs.
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Staniloiu A, Borsutzky S, Woermann FG, Markowitsch HJ. Social cognition in a case of amnesia with neurodevelopmental mechanisms. Front Psychol 2013; 4:342. [PMID: 23805111 PMCID: PMC3690456 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2012] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Episodic-autobiographical memory (EAM) is considered to emerge gradually in concert with the development of other cognitive abilities (such as executive functions, personal semantic knowledge, emotional knowledge, theory of mind (ToM) functions, language, and working memory). On the brain level its emergence is accompanied by structural and functional reorganization of different components of the so-called EAM network. This network includes the hippocampal formation, which is viewed as being vital for the acquisition of memories of personal events for long-term storage. Developmental studies have emphasized socio-cultural-linguistic mechanisms that may be unique to the development of EAM. Furthermore it was hypothesized that one of the main functions of EAM is the social one. In the research field, the link between EAM and social cognition remains however debated. Herein we aim to bring new insights into the relation between EAM and social information processing (including social cognition) by describing a young adult patient with amnesia with neurodevelopmental mechanisms due to perinatal complications accompanied by hypoxia. The patient was investigated medically, psychiatrically, and with neuropsychological and neuroimaging methods. Structural high resolution magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant bilateral hippocampal atrophy as well as indices for degeneration in the amygdalae, basal ganglia, and thalamus, when a less conservative threshold was applied. In addition to extensive memory investigations and testing other (non-social) cognitive functions, we employed a broad range of tests that assessed social information processing (social perception, social cognition, social regulation). Our results point to both preserved (empathy, core ToM functions, visual affect selection, and discrimination, affective prosody discrimination) and impaired domains of social information processing (incongruent affective prosody processing, complex social judgments). They support proposals for a role of the hippocampal formation in processing more complex social information that likely requires multimodal relational handling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sabine Borsutzky
- Physiological Psychology, University of BielefeldBielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Hans J. Markowitsch
- Physiological Psychology, University of BielefeldBielefeld, Germany
- Institute for Advanced ScienceDelmenhorst, Germany
- Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology, University of BielefeldBielefeld, Germany
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Markowitsch HJ. Memory and self-neuroscientific landscapes. ISRN NEUROSCIENCE 2013; 2013:176027. [PMID: 24967303 PMCID: PMC4045540 DOI: 10.1155/2013/176027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Relations between memory and the self are framed from a number of perspectives-developmental aspects, forms of memory, interrelations between memory and the brain, and interactions between the environment and memory. The self is seen as dividable into more rudimentary and more advanced aspects. Special emphasis is laid on memory systems and within them on episodic autobiographical memory which is seen as a pure human form of memory that is dependent on a proper ontogenetic development and shaped by the social environment, including culture. Self and episodic autobiographical memory are seen as interlocked in their development and later manifestation. Aside from content-based aspects of memory, time-based aspects are seen along two lines-the division between short-term and long-term memory and anterograde-future-oriented-and retrograde-past-oriented memory. The state dependency of episodic autobiographical is stressed and implications of it-for example, with respect to the occurrence of false memories and forensic aspects-are outlined. For the brain level, structural networks for encoding, consolidation, storage, and retrieval are discussed both by referring to patient data and to data obtained in normal participants with functional brain imaging methods. It is elaborated why descriptions from patients with functional or dissociative amnesia are particularly apt to demonstrate the facets in which memory, self, and personal temporality are interwoven.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans J. Markowitsch
- Physiological Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Universitaetsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Center of Excellence “Cognitive Interaction Technology” (CITEC), University of Bielefeld, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Hanse Institute of Advanced Science, P. O. Box 1344, 27733 Delmenhorst, Germany
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Mihov Y, Kendrick KM, Becker B, Zschernack J, Reich H, Maier W, Keysers C, Hurlemann R. Mirroring fear in the absence of a functional amygdala. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 73:e9-11. [PMID: 23245746 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2012] [Accepted: 10/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Brüne M, Scheele D, Heinisch C, Tas C, Wischniewski J, Güntürkün O. Empathy moderates the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on costly punishment. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44747. [PMID: 23028601 PMCID: PMC3441456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2012] [Accepted: 08/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans incur considerable costs to punish unfairness directed towards themselves or others. Recent studies using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) suggest that the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is causally involved in such strategic decisions. Presently, two partly divergent hypotheses are discussed, suggesting either that the right DLPFC is necessary to control selfish motives by implementing culturally transmitted social norms, or is involved in suppressing emotion-driven prepotent responses to perceived unfairness. Accordingly, we studied the role of the DLPFC in costly (i.e. third party) punishment by applying rTMS to the left and right DLPFC before playing a Dictator Game with the option to punish observed unfair behavior (DG-P). In addition, sham stimulation took place. Individual differences in empathy were assessed with the German version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Costly punishment increased (non-significantly) upon disruption of the right--but not the left--DLPFC as compared to sham stimulation. However, empathy emerged as a highly significant moderator variable of the effect of rTMS over the right, but not left, DLPFC, suggesting that the right DLPFC is involved in controlling prepotent emotional responses to observed unfairness, depending on individual differences in empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Brüne
- Research Department of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry and Psychiatric Preventive Medicine, Landschaftsverband Westfalen Lippe University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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Mihov Y, Hurlemann R. Altered amygdala function in nicotine addiction: Insights from human neuroimaging studies. Neuropsychologia 2012; 50:1719-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2012] [Revised: 04/22/2012] [Accepted: 04/26/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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