1
|
Ritter A, Habusha S, Givon L, Edut S, Klavir O. Prefrontal control of superior colliculus modulates innate escape behavior following adversity. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2158. [PMID: 38461293 PMCID: PMC10925020 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46460-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Innate defensive responses, though primarily instinctive, must also be highly adaptive to changes in risk assessment. However, adaptive changes can become maladaptive, following severe stress, as seen in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a series of experiments, we observed long-term changes in innate escape behavior of male mice towards a previously non-threatening stimulus following an adverse shock experience manifested as a shift in the threshold of threat response. By recording neural activity in the superior colliculus (SC) while phototagging specific responses to afferents, we established the crucial influence of input arriving at the SC from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), both directly and indirectly, on escape-related activity after adverse shock experience. Inactivating these specific projections during the shock effectively abolished the observed changes. Conversely, optogenetically activating them during encounters controlled escape responses. This establishes the necessity and sufficiency of those specific mPFC inputs into the SC for adverse experience related changes in innate escape behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ami Ritter
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shlomi Habusha
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lior Givon
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shahaf Edut
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Oded Klavir
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yang J, Huggins AA, Sun D, Baird CL, Haswell CC, Frijling JL, Olff M, van Zuiden M, Koch SBJ, Nawijn L, Veltman DJ, Suarez-Jimenez B, Zhu X, Neria Y, Hudson AR, Mueller SC, Baker JT, Lebois LAM, Kaufman ML, Qi R, Lu GM, Říha P, Rektor I, Dennis EL, Ching CRK, Thomopoulos SI, Salminen LE, Jahanshad N, Thompson PM, Stein DJ, Koopowitz SM, Ipser JC, Seedat S, du Plessis S, van den Heuvel LL, Wang L, Zhu Y, Li G, Sierk A, Manthey A, Walter H, Daniels JK, Schmahl C, Herzog JI, Liberzon I, King A, Angstadt M, Davenport ND, Sponheim SR, Disner SG, Straube T, Hofmann D, Grupe DW, Nitschke JB, Davidson RJ, Larson CL, deRoon-Cassini TA, Blackford JU, Olatunji BO, Gordon EM, May G, Nelson SM, Abdallah CG, Levy I, Harpaz-Rotem I, Krystal JH, Morey RA, Sotiras A. Examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and disruptions in cortical networks identified using data-driven methods. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:609-619. [PMID: 38017161 PMCID: PMC10789873 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01763-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with lower cortical thickness (CT) in prefrontal, cingulate, and insular cortices in diverse trauma-affected samples. However, some studies have failed to detect differences between PTSD patients and healthy controls or reported that PTSD is associated with greater CT. Using data-driven dimensionality reduction, we sought to conduct a well-powered study to identify vulnerable networks without regard to neuroanatomic boundaries. Moreover, this approach enabled us to avoid the excessive burden of multiple comparison correction that plagues vertex-wise methods. We derived structural covariance networks (SCNs) by applying non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to CT data from 961 PTSD patients and 1124 trauma-exposed controls without PTSD. We used regression analyses to investigate associations between CT within SCNs and PTSD diagnosis (with and without accounting for the potential confounding effect of trauma type) and symptom severity in the full sample. We performed additional regression analyses in subsets of the data to examine associations between SCNs and comorbid depression, childhood trauma severity, and alcohol abuse. NMF identified 20 unbiased SCNs, which aligned closely with functionally defined brain networks. PTSD diagnosis was most strongly associated with diminished CT in SCNs that encompassed the bilateral superior frontal cortex, motor cortex, insular cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, medial occipital cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex. CT in these networks was significantly negatively correlated with PTSD symptom severity. Collectively, these findings suggest that PTSD diagnosis is associated with widespread reductions in CT, particularly within prefrontal regulatory regions and broader emotion and sensory processing cortical regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jin Yang
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ashley A Huggins
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Delin Sun
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - C Lexi Baird
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Courtney C Haswell
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jessie L Frijling
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Miranda Olff
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam van Zuiden
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia B J Koch
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Nawijn
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dick J Veltman
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez
- Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Xi Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yuval Neria
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna R Hudson
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sven C Mueller
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Justin T Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard University, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Milissa L Kaufman
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Women's Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Rongfeng Qi
- Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guang Ming Lu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Jiangsu, China
| | - Pavel Říha
- First Department of Neurology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ivan Rektor
- CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Emily L Dennis
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Christopher R K Ching
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark & Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Sophia I Thomopoulos
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark & Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Lauren E Salminen
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark & Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Neda Jahanshad
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark & Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark & Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sheri M Koopowitz
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jonathan C Ipser
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Soraya Seedat
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Stefan du Plessis
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Li Wang
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ye Zhu
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gen Li
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Anika Sierk
- University Medical Centre Charité, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Judith K Daniels
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Schmahl
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julia I Herzog
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Anthony King
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Mike Angstadt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Nicholas D Davenport
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Scott R Sponheim
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Seth G Disner
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - David Hofmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Daniel W Grupe
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jack B Nitschke
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Richard J Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Christine L Larson
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Terri A deRoon-Cassini
- Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Comprehensive Injury Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Jennifer U Blackford
- Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Evan M Gordon
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Geoffrey May
- Veterans Integrated Service Network-17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Steven M Nelson
- Veterans Integrated Service Network-17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Chadi G Abdallah
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry of Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ifat Levy
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ilan Harpaz-Rotem
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rajendra A Morey
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Aristeidis Sotiras
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Institute for Informatics, Data Science & Biostatistics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Santacroce LA, Tamber-Rosenau BJ. Crisis-related stimuli do not increase the emotional attentional blink in a general university student population. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:3. [PMID: 38191858 PMCID: PMC10774501 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-023-00525-7] [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: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Crises such as natural disasters or pandemics negatively impact the mental health of the affected community, increasing rates of depression, anxiety, or stress. It has been proposed that this stems in part from crisis-related stimuli triggering negative reactions that interrupt daily life. Given the frequency and prominence of crisis events, it is crucial to understand when crisis-related stimuli involuntarily capture attention and trigger increased stress and distraction from obligations. The emotional attentional blink (EAB) paradigm-in which emotional distractors hinder report of subsequent targets in streams of rapidly displayed stimuli-allows examination of such attentional capture in a rapidly changing dynamic environment. EABs are typically observed with generally disturbing stimuli, but stimuli related to personal traumas yield similar or greater effects, indicating strong attentional capture by stimuli related to individual trauma history. The current study investigated whether a similar comparable or increased crisis-related EAB exists within a community affected by large-scale crisis. Specifically, effects of conventional emotional distractors and distractors related to recent crises were compared using EABs in university students without a mental health diagnosis. Experiment 1 used images related to Hurricane Harvey, evaluating a crisis 4 years prior to data collection. Experiment 2 used words related to the COVID pandemic, evaluating an ongoing crisis at the time of data collection. In both experiments, the conventional EAB distractors yielded strong EABs, while the crisis-related distractors yielded absent or weak EABs in the same participants. This suggests that crisis-related stimuli do not have special potency for capturing attention in the general university student population. More generally, crises affecting communities do not necessarily yield widespread, strong reactivity to crisis-related stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay A Santacroce
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Fred J. Heyne Building, Room 126, 3695 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX, 77204, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Jorgenson Hall, 9th Floor, 380 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada.
| | - Benjamin J Tamber-Rosenau
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Fred J. Heyne Building, Room 126, 3695 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX, 77204, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hinojosa CA, VanElzakker MB, Hughes KC, Offringa R, Sangermano LM, Spaulding IG, Staples-Bradley LK, Whitman ET, Lasko NB, Rauch SL, Orr SP, Pitman RK, Shin LM. Exaggerated amygdala activation to ambiguous facial expressions is a familial vulnerability factor for posttraumatic stress disorder. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 156:451-459. [PMID: 36332360 PMCID: PMC9742331 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.10.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous research has reported hyperresponsivity in the amygdala and hyporesponsivity in ventral portions of the medial prefrontal cortex to threat-related stimuli in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Whether such findings generalize to more ambiguous stimuli and whether such brain activation abnormalities reflect familial vulnerabilities, trauma-exposure, or acquired characteristics of PTSD remain unclear. In this study, we measured brain responses to emotionally ambiguous stimuli (i.e., surprised facial expressions) in identical twin pairs discordant for trauma exposure to elucidate the origin of brain activation abnormalities. METHODS Participants with PTSD (n = 12) and their trauma-unexposed identical cotwins (n = 12), as well as trauma-exposed participants without PTSD (n = 15) and their trauma-unexposed identical cotwins (n = 15), passively viewed surprised and neutral facial expressions during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Afterward, participants labeled and rated each facial expression on valence and arousal. RESULTS Amygdala activation to Surprised and Neutral facial expressions (versus Fixation) was greater in the participants with PTSD and their trauma-unexposed identical cotwins without PTSD, compared to the control twin pairs. In contrast, medial frontal gyrus (MFG) activation to Surprised facial expressions (versus Fixation) was diminished in the PTSD group relative to the other three groups. CONCLUSIONS Amygdala hyperresponsivity to emotionally ambiguous facial expressions may be a familial vulnerability factor that increases the likelihood of developing PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event. In contrast, MFG hyporesponsivity may be an acquired characteristic of the disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia A Hinojosa
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Michael B VanElzakker
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Katherine C Hughes
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Reid Offringa
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Lisa M Sangermano
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Isabella G Spaulding
- Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lindsay K Staples-Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Ethan T Whitman
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Natasha B Lasko
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Scott L Rauch
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Scott P Orr
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Roger K Pitman
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Lisa M Shin
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Smith AJ, Shoji K, Griffin BJ, Sippel LM, Dworkin ER, Wright HM, Morrow E, Locke A, Love TM, Harris JI, Kaniasty K, Langenecker SA, Benight CC. Social cognitive mechanisms in healthcare worker resilience across time during the pandemic. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2022; 57:1457-1468. [PMID: 35217891 PMCID: PMC8881189 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-022-02247-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Healthcare workers are at increased risk for mental health problems during disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying resilience mechanisms can inform development of interventions for this population. The current study examined pathways that may support healthcare worker resilience, specifically testing enabling (social support enabled self-efficacy) and cultivation (self-efficacy cultivating support) models. METHODS Healthcare workers (N = 828) in the Rocky Mountain West completed self-report measures at four time points (once per month from April to July of 2020). We estimated structural equation models to explore the potential mediating effects that received social support and coping self-efficacy had (at time 2 and time 3) between traumatic stress symptom severity (at time 1 and time 4). Models included covariates gender, age, minority status, and time lagged co-variations between the proposed mediators (social support and coping self-efficacy). RESULTS The full model fit the data well, CFI = .993, SRMR = .027, RMSEA = .036 [90% CIs (0.013, 0.057)]. Tests of sequential mediation supported enabling model dynamics. Specifically, the effects of time 1 traumatic stress severity were mediated through received social support at time 2 and time 3 coping self-efficacy, in sequential order to reduce time 4 traumatic stress severity. CONCLUSIONS Findings show the importance of received social support and coping self-efficacy in mitigating psychopathology risk. Interventions can support mental health by focusing on social resource engagement that facilitates coping empowerment, which may decrease risk for mental health job-related problems among frontline healthcare workers exposed to highly stressful events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Huntsman Mental Health Institute, University of Utah School of Medicine, 501 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84018, USA.
- Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, Colorado Springs, USA.
| | - Kotaro Shoji
- Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, Colorado Springs, USA
- University of Human Environments, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Brandon J Griffin
- Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, Colorado Springs, USA
- Mental Health Service, Central Arkansas VA Health Care System, Little Rock, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, USA
| | - Lauren M Sippel
- VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
- National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Emily R Dworkin
- Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, Colorado Springs, USA
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA
| | - Hannah M Wright
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Ellen Morrow
- University of Utah, Resiliency Center, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - Amy Locke
- University of Utah, Resiliency Center, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - Tiffany M Love
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - J Irene Harris
- Bedford VA Healthcare System, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Krzysztof Kaniasty
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, USA
- Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland), Warsaw, Poland
| | - Scott A Langenecker
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Charles C Benight
- Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, Colorado Springs, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Smith SM. The affectively embodied perspective of the subject. PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09515089.2022.2081143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sean Michael Smith
- Chair of Undergraduate Studies Department of Philosophy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Olatunji BO, Liu Q, Zald DH, Cole DA. Emotional induced attentional blink in trauma-exposed veterans: associations with trauma specific and nonspecific symptoms. J Anxiety Disord 2022; 87:102541. [PMID: 35121157 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Although theoretical models suggest that an attentional bias for threat contributes to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, this bias has not been consistently observed in the literature. In the present study, trauma exposed veterans (N = 114) performed an emotional attentional blink task in which task-irrelevant combat-related, disgust, positive, or neutral distractor images appeared 200 ms, 400 ms, 600 ms, or 800 ms (i.e., lag 2, 4, 6, and 8, respectively) before the target. Relative to neutral distractors, impaired target detection was observed following combat distractors and disgust distractors, but not positive distractors. However, veterans were less accurate following disgust distractors compared to combat distractors. As predicted, combat distractors and disgust distractors were also associated with a stronger linear increase in trial accuracy reflecting task improvement with increasing lag before the target. However, the linear trend in trial accuracy for combat distractors and disgust distractors did not significantly differ from each other. Contrary to predictions, trauma specific (i.e., PTSD symptoms and diagnosis) and nonspecific processes (i.e., attentional control) were unrelated to trial accuracy. These data suggest that while initial attentional capture by cues of war is observed among trauma exposed veterans independent of individual differences in trauma specific and nonspecific symptoms, this attentional capture is less robust compared to attentional capture by disgust-eliciting stimuli. The implications of these findings for the theorized role of attentional biases for threat in the development and maintenance of PTSD are discussed.
Collapse
|
8
|
Mayer AR, Quinn DK. Neuroimaging Biomarkers of New-Onset Psychiatric Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:459-469. [PMID: 34334188 PMCID: PMC8665933 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has traditionally been associated with cognitive and behavioral changes during both the acute and chronic phases of injury. Because of its noninvasive nature, neuroimaging has the potential to provide unique information on underlying macroscopic and microscopic biological mechanisms that may serve as causative agents for these neuropsychiatric sequelae. This broad scoping review identifies at least 4 common macroscopic pathways that exist between TBI and new-onset psychiatric disorders, as well as several examples of how neuroimaging is currently being utilized in clinical research. The review then critically examines the strengths and limitations of neuroimaging for elucidating TBI-related microscopic pathology, such as microstructural changes, neuroinflammation, proteinopathies, blood-brain barrier damage, and disruptions in cellular signaling. A summary is then provided for how neuroimaging is currently being used to investigate TBI-related pathology in new-onset neurocognitive disorders, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Identified gaps in the literature include a lack of prospective studies to definitively associate imaging findings with the development of new-onset psychiatric disorders, as well as antemortem imaging studies subsequently confirmed with postmortem correlates in the same study cohort. Although the spatial resolution and specificity of imaging biomarkers has greatly improved over the last 2 decades, we conclude that neuroimaging biomarkers do not yet exist for the definitive in vivo diagnosis of cellular pathology. This represents a necessary next step for further elucidating causal relationships between TBI and new-onset psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Mayer
- The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM 87106,Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131,Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131,Corresponding author: Andrew Mayer, Ph.D., The Mind Research Network, Pete & Nancy Domenici Hall, 1101 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 USA; Tel: 505-272-0769; Fax: 505-272-8002;
| | - Davin K. Quinn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Silveira K, Garcia-Barrera MA, Smart CM. Neuropsychological Impact of Trauma-Related Mental Illnesses: A Systematic Review of Clinically Meaningful Results. Neuropsychol Rev 2020; 30:310-344. [PMID: 32700085 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-020-09444-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
A trauma history is present in approximately 90% of adults in the United States. Comparatively, lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence is only 8.3% (Kilpatrick et al. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 26, 537-547, 2013). A neuropsychological understanding of trauma is essential to effective trauma-informed assessments and treatments. Prior reviews have focused on PTSD, specific neuropsychological domains, and statistically rather than clinically significant results. The current systematic review investigated standardized test performance across neuropsychological domains in participants with trauma histories and any psychiatric diagnosis. The review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. From 2350 records, the search returned 21 eligible studies: 8 for combat trauma, 2 for childhood trauma, 2 for intimate partner violence and sexual assault, 2 for accidental trauma, 1 for refugee trauma, and 6 for unspecified trauma. Mean neuropsychological scores ranged from low to high average, with one mean verbal memory score in the borderline range. These findings diverge from reports of between-group differences or experimental task performance, which suggest greater levels of static cognitive impairment. Current results are limited by lack of distinction between trauma types in the literature, a dearth of cognitive domains examined, wide use of self-report trauma measures, and publication and outcome reporting biases. Clinical implications for assessment and rehabilitation are discussed in relation to clinical significance, state versus trait based changes, intra-individual variability, changes from pre- to post-trauma, and within-group variability in resilience. Future directions are recommended in consideration of cultural factors, prospective and follow-up designs, and psychiatric diagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Silveira
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Mauricio A Garcia-Barrera
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Colette M Smart
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Antov MI, Plog E, Bierwirth P, Keil A, Stockhorst U. Visuocortical tuning to a threat-related feature persists after extinction and consolidation of conditioned fear. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3926. [PMID: 32127551 PMCID: PMC7054355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60597-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons in the visual cortex sharpen their orientation tuning as humans learn aversive contingencies. A stimulus orientation (CS+) that reliably predicts an aversive noise (unconditioned stimulus: US) is selectively enhanced in lower-tier visual cortex, while similar unpaired orientations (CS-) are inhibited. Here, we examine in male volunteers how sharpened visual processing is affected by fear extinction learning (where no US is presented), and how fear and extinction memory undergo consolidation one day after the original learning episode. Using steady-state visually evoked potentials from electroencephalography in a fear generalization task, we found that extinction learning prompted rapid changes in orientation tuning: Both conditioned visuocortical and skin conductance responses to the CS+ were strongly reduced. Next-day re-testing (delayed recall) revealed a brief but precise return-of-tuning to the CS+ in visual cortex accompanied by a brief, more generalized return-of-fear in skin conductance. Explorative analyses also showed persistent tuning to the threat cue in higher visual areas, 24 h after successful extinction, outlasting peripheral responding. Together, experience-based changes in the sensitivity of visual neurons show response patterns consistent with memory consolidation and spontaneous recovery, the hallmarks of long-term neural plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin I Antov
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, D-49074, Osnabrück, Germany.
| | - Elena Plog
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, D-49074, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Philipp Bierwirth
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, D-49074, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Andreas Keil
- Department of Psychology and Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Ursula Stockhorst
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, D-49074, Osnabrück, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Todd RM, Miskovic V, Chikazoe J, Anderson AK. Emotional Objectivity: Neural Representations of Emotions and Their Interaction with Cognition. Annu Rev Psychol 2020; 71:25-48. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-051044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in our understanding of information states in the human brain have opened a new window into the brain's representation of emotion. While emotion was once thought to constitute a separate domain from cognition, current evidence suggests that all events are filtered through the lens of whether they are good or bad for us. Focusing on new methods of decoding information states from brain activation, we review growing evidence that emotion is represented at multiple levels of our sensory systems and infuses perception, attention, learning, and memory. We provide evidence that the primary function of emotional representations is to produce unified emotion, perception, and thought (e.g., “That is a good thing”) rather than discrete and isolated psychological events (e.g., “That is a thing. I feel good”). The emergent view suggests ways in which emotion operates as a fundamental feature of cognition, by design ensuring that emotional outcomes are the central object of perception, thought, and action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M. Todd
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Vladimir Miskovic
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA
| | - Junichi Chikazoe
- Section of Brain Function Information, Supportive Center for Brain Research, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Aichi 4448585, Japan
| | - Adam K. Anderson
- Department of Human Development, Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Koch SBJ, van Zuiden M, Nawijn L, Frijling JL, Veltman DJ, Olff M. Effects of intranasal oxytocin on distraction as emotion regulation strategy in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 29:266-277. [PMID: 30554861 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by difficulty down-regulating emotional responses towards trauma-reminders. The neuropeptide oxytocin may enhance treatment response in PTSD, by dampening excessive fear and improving fear regulation. However, oxytocin effects on (neural correlates of) cognitive emotion regulation abilities have never been investigated in PTSD patients. Therefore, we investigated behavioral and neural effects of intranasal oxytocin administration (40IU) on distraction as emotion regulation strategy in male and female police officers with and without PTSD (n = 76), using a randomized placebo-controlled cross-over fMRI study. The distraction condition consisted of a working memory task while negative affective pictures were presented. Under placebo, male PTSD patients showed decreased right striatal activity during distraction compared to male trauma-exposed controls, which was unaffected by oxytocin. After oxytocin administration, left thalamus activity during distraction was enhanced in all participants, independent of PTSD status or sex. Although left thalamus activity during distraction did not differ between PTSD patients and controls under placebo, it was negatively correlated with error rates within PTSD patients. Furthermore, oxytocin administration increased functional connectivity between the left thalamus and amygdala in PTSD patients and male trauma-exposed controls. Upregulation of thalamus activity during distraction by oxytocin may enhance cognitive emotion regulation abilities during psychotherapy in PTSD, although this should still be investigated in a clinical setting. Our findings open an important research avenue into oxytocin effects on cognitive emotion regulation in PTSD and other psychiatric disorders characterized by deficient emotion regulation abilities. Registered in the Netherlands Trial Registry, registration number: NTR3516.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saskia B J Koch
- Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Mirjam van Zuiden
- Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Nawijn
- Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Location VU University Medical Center, VU University, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jessie L Frijling
- Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dick J Veltman
- Amsterdam UMC, Location VU University Medical Center, VU University, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Miranda Olff
- Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Arq Psychotrauma Expert Center, Diemen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Pistoia F, Conson M, Quarantelli M, Panebianco L, Carolei A, Curcio G, Sacco S, Saporito G, Di Cesare E, Barile A, Masciocchi C, Splendiani A. Neural Correlates of Facial Expression Recognition in Earthquake Witnesses. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1038. [PMID: 31611769 PMCID: PMC6776974 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Major adverse events, like an earthquake, trigger different kinds of emotional dysfunctions or psychiatric disorders in the exposed subjects. Recent literature has also shown that exposure to natural disasters can increase threat detection. In particular, we previously found a selective enhancement in the ability to read emotional facial expressions in L’Aquila earthquake witnesses, suggesting hypervigilance to stimuli signaling a threat. In light of previous neuroimaging data showing that trauma exposure is related to derangement of resting-state brain activity, in the present study we investigated the neurofunctional changes related to the recognition of emotional faces in L’Aquila earthquake witnesses. Specifically, we tested the relationships between accuracy in recognizing facial expressions and activity of the visual network (VN) and of the default-mode network (DMN). Resting-state functional connectivity (FC) with the main hub of the VN (primary, ventral, right-dorsal, and left-dorsal visual cortices) and DMN (posterior cingulate/precuneus, medial prefrontal, and right and left inferior parietal cortices) was investigated through a seed-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis in both earthquake-exposed subjects and non-exposed persons who did not live in an earthquake-affected area. The results showed that, in earthquake-exposed subjects, there is a significant reduction in the correlation between accuracy in recognizing facial expressions and the FC of the dorsal seed of the VN with the right inferior occipito-temporal cortex and the left lateral temporal cortex, and of two parietal seeds of DMN, i.e., lower parietal and medial prefrontal cortex, with the precuneus bilaterally. These findings suggest that a functional modification of brain systems involved in detecting and interpreting emotional faces may represent the neurophysiological basis of the specific “emotional expertise” observed in the earthquake witnesses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Pistoia
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Neurological Institute, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Conson
- Developmental Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Campania, Italy
| | - Mario Quarantelli
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Panebianco
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Antonio Carolei
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Neurological Institute, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Curcio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Simona Sacco
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Neurological Institute, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Gennaro Saporito
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Ernesto Di Cesare
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Antonio Barile
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Carlo Masciocchi
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Alessandra Splendiani
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Fonzo GA, Fine NB, Wright RN, Achituv M, Zaiko YV, Merin O, Shalev AY, Etkin A. Internet-delivered computerized cognitive & affective remediation training for the treatment of acute and chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: Two randomized clinical trials. J Psychiatr Res 2019; 115:82-89. [PMID: 31125916 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is time and cost-intensive. New, readily implementable interventions are needed. Two parallel randomized clinical trials tested if cognitive/affective computerized training improves cognitive/affective functions and PTSD symptoms in acute (N = 80) and chronic PTSD (N = 84). Adults age 18-65 were recruited from an Israeli hospital emergency room (acute) or from across the United States (chronic). Individuals were randomized to an active intervention (acute N = 50, chronic N = 48) that adaptively trains cognition and an affective positivity bias, or a control intervention (acute N = 30, chronic N = 36) of engaging computer games. Participants, blind to assignment, completed exercises at home for 30 min/day over 30 days (acute) or 45 min/day over 45 days (chronic). Primary outcomes were computerized cognitive/affective function metrics. Secondary outcomes were Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) total scores. In chronic PTSD, the active arm demonstrated facilitated speed of fearful face identification (F = 20.96, q < 0.001; d = 1.21) and a trend towards improvement in total PTSD symptoms (F = 2.91, p = 0.09, d = 0.47), which was due to improvement in re-experiencing symptoms (F = 6.14, p = 0.015; d = 0.73). Better cognitive performance at baseline moderated the training effect and was associated with more favorable improvements on both metrics. Cognitive and affective training does not have widespread benefit on symptoms and cognitive/affective functions in PTSD. Future studies targeting re-experiencing a priori, stratifying on cognitive capacity, and with modified methods to infer on mechanisms and optimized training parameters may be warranted. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT01694316 &NCT02085512.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Fonzo
- Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Naomi B Fine
- Psychological Trauma Care Center, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Rachael N Wright
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Sierra Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Michal Achituv
- Psychological Trauma Care Center, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yevgeniya V Zaiko
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Sierra Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Ofer Merin
- Trauma Unit and Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Israel; Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Arieh Y Shalev
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Amit Etkin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Sierra Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Abstract
The processing and regulation of fear is one of the key components of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fear can involve both acute and potential threats that can manifest in different behaviors and result from activity within different neural nodes and networks. Fear circuits have been studied extensively in animal models for several decades and in human neuroimaging research for almost 20 years. Therefore, the centrality of fear processing to PTSD lends the disorder to be more tractable to investigation at the level of brain and behavior, and provides several observable phenotypes that can be linked to PTSD symptoms. Moreover, psychophysiological metrics of fear conditioning offer tools that can be used to shift diagnostic paradigms in psychiatry toward neurobiology-consistent with a Research Domain Criteria approach to PTSD. In general, mammalian fear processing can be divided into fear learning (or acquisition), during which an association develops between previously neutral stimuli and aversive outcomes, and fear extinction, in which the latter associations are suppressed by a new form of learning. This review describes translational research in both fear acquisition and extinction, along with their relevance to PTSD and PTSD treatment, focusing specifically on the empirical value and potential clinical utility of psychophysiological methods.
Collapse
|
16
|
Ashley V, Swick D. Angry and Fearful Face Conflict Effects in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Front Psychol 2019; 10:136. [PMID: 30804838 PMCID: PMC6370733 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the presence of threatening stimuli, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can manifest as hypervigilance for threat and disrupted attentional control. PTSD patients have shown exaggerated interference effects on tasks using trauma-related or threat stimuli. In studies of PTSD, faces with negative expressions are often used as threat stimuli, yet angry and fearful facial expressions may elicit different responses. The modified Eriksen flanker task, or the emotional face flanker, has been used to examine response interference. We compared 23 PTSD patients and 23 military controls on an emotional face flanker task using angry, fearful and neutral expressions. Participants identified the emotion of a central target face flanked by faces with either congruent or incongruent emotions. As expected, both groups showed slower reaction times (RTs) and decreased accuracy on emotional target faces, relative to neutral. Unexpectedly, both groups showed nearly identical interference effects on fearful and neutral target trials. However, post hoc testing suggested that PTSD patients showed faster RTs than controls on congruent angry faces (target and flanker faces both angry) relative to incongruent, although this finding should be interpreted with caution. This possible RT facilitation effect with angry, but not fearful faces, also correlated positively with self-report measures of PTSD symptoms. These results suggest that PTSD patients may be more vigilant for, or primed to respond to, the appearance of angry faces, relative to fearful, but further study is needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Ashley
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States
| | - Diane Swick
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Abnormal target detection and novelty processing neural response in posttraumatic stress disorder. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 85:54-61. [PMID: 29673625 PMCID: PMC5962434 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 03/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Attention impairments are common symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, the nature of these impairments remains elusive. Attention impairment may arise as the result of either excessive response to task-irrelevant stimuli or reduced response to task-relevant information. To test the association between PTSD and response to task-relevant and task-irrelevant stimuli, we used a 3-tone novelty auditory oddball task (AOD). We hypothesized that participants with PTSD relative to trauma controls would have less response during novelty processing in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex, as well as less response in the dlPFC and the orbitofrontal cortex during target detection. Thirty-one male veterans completed a 3-tone novelty AOD task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Compared to trauma controls, the PTSD group had reduced response during novelty processing in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, superior/middle frontal gyrus (dlPFC), supplementary motor area/caudate, and in posterior regions including bilateral posterior cingulate cortex. The current results suggest PTSD is associated with a pattern of reduced response to novel stimuli. A disturbed orienting response in these brain regions could theoretically underlie PTSD attention-related symptoms.
Collapse
|
18
|
Dunkley BT, Wong SM, Jetly R, Wong JK, Taylor MJ. Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic hyperconnectivity in emotional processing. Neuroimage Clin 2018; 20:197-204. [PMID: 30094169 PMCID: PMC6073075 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with heightened responses to threatening stimuli, particularly aggression-related emotional facial expressions. The stability over time of this neurophysiological 'hyperactive' threat response has not been determined. We studied implicit emotional face processing in soldiers with and without PTSD at two time-points (roughly 2 years apart) using magnetoencephalography to determine the response of oscillations and synchrony to happy and angry faces, and the reliability of this marker for PTSD over time. At the initial time-point we had 20 soldiers with and 25 without PTSD; 35 returned for follow-up testing 2 years later, and included 13 with and 22 without PTSD. A mixed-effects analysis was used. There were no significant differences (albeit a slight reduction) in the severity of PTSD between the two time-points. MEG contrasts of the neurophysiological networks involved in the processing of angry vs. happy faces showed that the PTSD group had elevated oscillatory connectivity for angry faces. Maladaptive hypersynchrony in PTSD for threatening faces was seen in subcortical regions, including the thalamus, as well as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, cingulum gyri, inferior temporal and parietal regions. These results are generally consistent with prior studies and our own, and we demonstrate that this hyperconnectivity was stable over a two year period, in line with essentially stable symptomatology. Together, these results are consistent with the theory that hypervigilance in PTSD is driven by bottom-up, rapid processing of threat-related stimuli that engage a widespread network working in synchrony.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Simeon M Wong
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Jimmy K Wong
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Kryklywy JH, Todd RM. Experiential History as a Tuning Parameter for Attention. J Cogn 2018; 1:24. [PMID: 31517198 PMCID: PMC6634521 DOI: 10.5334/joc.25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
[Peer commentary on "Visual selection: usually fast and automatic; seldom slow and volitional," by J. Theeuwes]. Journal of Cognition. In his current opinion piece, Theeuwes emphasizes the role of selection history as a third source of attentional selection, beyond top-down and bottom-up mechanisms, thus challenging traditional dual-process models of attention. While we agree that selection history impacts the allocation of attention, our own work suggests that this terminology may be too restrictive, and propose the simple term history as a better reflection of the impact of learning on our selection biases. Furthermore, we propose that the role of selection/experiential history on attention may not be as a unique third source of attentional selection, but rather as a tuning parameter, allowing certain categories of item to be endowed with greater task-based or feature-driven salience in a context and history dependent manner. This conceptualization presents an alternative to abandoning dual-process models of attention altogether. Rather, we can reimagine how task-based and feature-driven processes may be controlled by past experience in a dynamic and adaptable system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J. H. Kryklywy
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, CA
| | - R. M. Todd
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, CA
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, CA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Todd RM, Manaligod MG. Implicit guidance of attention: The priority state space framework. Cortex 2018; 102:121-138. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
|
21
|
Badura-Brack A, McDermott TJ, Becker KM, Ryan TJ, Khanna MM, Pine DS, Bar-Haim Y, Heinrichs-Graham E, Wilson TW. Attention training modulates resting-state neurophysiological abnormalities in posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychiatry Res 2018; 271:135-141. [PMID: 29174765 PMCID: PMC5741514 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recent research indicates the relative benefits of computerized attention control treatment (ACT) and attention bias modification treatment (ABMT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, neural changes underlying these therapeutic effects remain unknown. This study examines how these two types of attention training modulate neurological dysfunction in veterans with PTSD. A community sample of 46 combat veterans with PTSD participated in a randomized double-blinded clinical trial of ACT versus ABMT and 32 of those veterans also agreed to undergo resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings. Twenty-four veterans completed psychological and MEG assessments at pre- and post-training to evaluate treatment effects. MEG data were imaged using an advanced Bayesian reconstruction method and examined using statistical parametric mapping. In this report, we focus on the neural correlates and the differential treatment effects observed using MEG; the results of the full clinical trial have been described elsewhere. Our results indicated that ACT modulated occipital and ABMT modulated medial temporal activity more strongly than the comparative treatment. PTSD symptoms decreased significantly from pre- to post-test. These initial neurophysiological outcome data suggest that ACT modulates visual pathways, while ABMT modulates threat-processing regions, but that both are associated with normalizing aberrant neural activity in veterans with PTSD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Badura-Brack
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA.
| | - Timothy J McDermott
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA; Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Katherine M Becker
- Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Tara J Ryan
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA; Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Maya M Khanna
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham
- Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Tony W Wilson
- Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Brown VM, Zhu L, Wang JM, Frueh BC, King-Casas B, Chiu PH. Associability-modulated loss learning is increased in posttraumatic stress disorder. eLife 2018; 7:e30150. [PMID: 29313489 PMCID: PMC5760201 DOI: 10.7554/elife.30150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Disproportionate reactions to unexpected stimuli in the environment are a cardinal symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, we test whether these heightened responses are associated with disruptions in distinct components of reinforcement learning. Specifically, using functional neuroimaging, a loss-learning task, and a computational model-based approach, we assessed the mechanistic hypothesis that overreactions to stimuli in PTSD arise from anomalous gating of attention during learning (i.e., associability). Behavioral choices of combat-deployed veterans with and without PTSD were fit to a reinforcement learning model, generating trial-by-trial prediction errors (signaling unexpected outcomes) and associability values (signaling attention allocation to the unexpected outcomes). Neural substrates of associability value and behavioral parameter estimates of associability updating, but not prediction error, increased with PTSD during loss learning. Moreover, the interaction of PTSD severity with neural markers of associability value predicted behavioral choices. These results indicate that increased attention-based learning may underlie aspects of PTSD and suggest potential neuromechanistic treatment targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa M Brown
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research InstituteRoanokeUnited States
- Department of PsychologyVirginia TechBlacksburgUnited States
| | - Lusha Zhu
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research InstituteRoanokeUnited States
- School of Psychological and Cognitive SciencesIDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking–Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - John M Wang
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research InstituteRoanokeUnited States
- Department of PsychologyVirginia TechBlacksburgUnited States
| | | | - Brooks King-Casas
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research InstituteRoanokeUnited States
- Department of PsychologyVirginia TechBlacksburgUnited States
- Salem Veterans Affairs Medical CenterSalemUnited States
- School of Biomedical Engineering and SciencesVirginia Tech-Wake Forest UniversityBlacksburgUnited States
| | - Pearl H Chiu
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research InstituteRoanokeUnited States
- Department of PsychologyVirginia TechBlacksburgUnited States
- Salem Veterans Affairs Medical CenterSalemUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Badura-Brack A, McDermott TJ, Heinrichs-Graham E, Ryan TJ, Khanna MM, Pine DS, Bar-Haim Y, Wilson TW. Veterans with PTSD demonstrate amygdala hyperactivity while viewing threatening faces: A MEG study. Biol Psychol 2018; 132:228-232. [PMID: 29309826 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 12/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a major psychiatric disorder that is prevalent in combat veterans. Previous neuroimaging studies have found elevated amygdala activity in PTSD in response to threatening stimuli, but previous work has lacked the temporal specificity to study fast bottom-up fear responses involving the amygdala. Forty-four combat veterans, 28 with PTSD and 16 without, completed psychological testing and then a face-processing task during magnetoencephalography (MEG). The resulting MEG data were pre-processed, transformed into the time-frequency domain, and then imaged using a beamforming approach. We found that veterans with PTSD exhibited significantly stronger oscillatory activity from 50 to 450 ms in the left amygdala compared to veterans without PTSD while processing threatening faces. This group difference was not present while viewing neutral faces. The current study shows that amygdala hyperactivity in response to threatening cues begins quickly in PTSD, which makes theoretical sense as an adaptive bottom-up fear response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Timothy J McDermott
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA; Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham
- Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Tara J Ryan
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Maya M Khanna
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tony W Wilson
- Center for Magnetoencephalography (MEG), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kass MD, McGann JP. Persistent, generalized hypersensitivity of olfactory bulb interneurons after olfactory fear generalization. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 146:47-57. [PMID: 29104178 PMCID: PMC5886010 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Generalization of fear from previously threatening stimuli to novel but related stimuli can be beneficial, but if fear overgeneralizes to inappropriate situations it can produce maladaptive behaviors and contribute to pathological anxiety. Appropriate fear learning can selectively facilitate early sensory processing of threat-predictive stimuli, but it is unknown if fear generalization has similarly generalized neurosensory consequences. We performed in vivo optical neurophysiology to visualize odor-evoked neural activity in populations of periglomerular interneurons in the olfactory bulb 1 day before, 1 day after, and 1 month after each mouse underwent an olfactory fear conditioning paradigm designed to promote generalized fear of odors. Behavioral and neurophysiological changes were assessed in response to a panel of odors that varied in similarity to the threat-predictive odor at each time point. After conditioning, all odors evoked similar levels of freezing behavior, regardless of similarity to the threat-predictive odor. Freezing significantly correlated with large changes in odor-evoked periglomerular cell activity, including a robust, generalized facilitation of the response to all odors, broadened odor tuning, and increased neural responses to lower odor concentrations. These generalized effects occurred within 24 h of a single conditioning session, persisted for at least 1 month, and were detectable even in the first moments of the brain's response to odors. The finding that generalized fear includes altered early sensory processing of not only the threat-predictive stimulus but also novel though categorically-similar stimuli may have important implications for the etiology and treatment of anxiety disorders with sensory sequelae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marley D Kass
- Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Section, Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States
| | - John P McGann
- Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Section, Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Khanna MM, Badura-Brack AS, McDermott TJ, Embury CM, Wiesman AI, Shepherd A, Ryan TJ, Heinrichs-Graham E, Wilson TW. Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder exhibit altered emotional processing and attentional control during an emotional Stroop task. Psychol Med 2017; 47:2017-2027. [PMID: 28478767 PMCID: PMC5831077 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717000460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often associated with attention allocation and emotional regulation difficulties, but the brain dynamics underlying these deficits are unknown. The emotional Stroop task (EST) is an ideal means to monitor these difficulties, because participants are asked to attend to non-emotional aspects of the stimuli. In this study, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and the EST to monitor attention allocation and emotional regulation during the processing of emotionally charged stimuli in combat veterans with and without PTSD. METHOD A total of 31 veterans with PTSD and 20 without PTSD performed the EST during MEG. Three categories of stimuli were used, including combat-related, generally threatening and neutral words. MEG data were imaged in the time-frequency domain and the network dynamics were probed for differences in processing threatening and non-threatening words. RESULTS Behaviorally, veterans with PTSD were significantly slower in responding to combat-related relative to neutral and generally threatening words. Veterans without PTSD exhibited no significant differences in responding to the three different word types. Neurophysiologically, we found a significant three-way interaction between group, word type and time period across multiple brain regions. Follow-up testing indicated stronger theta-frequency (4-8 Hz) responses in the right ventral prefrontal (0.4-0.8 s) and superior temporal cortices (0.6-0.8 s) of veterans without PTSD compared with those with PTSD during the processing of combat-related words. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicated that veterans with PTSD exhibited deficits in attention allocation and emotional regulation when processing trauma cues, while those without PTSD were able to regulate emotion by directing attention away from threat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maya M. Khanna
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | | | - Timothy J. McDermott
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
- Center for Magnetoencephalography, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Christine M. Embury
- Center for Magnetoencephalography, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Alex I. Wiesman
- Center for Magnetoencephalography, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Alex Shepherd
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tara J. Ryan
- Department of Psychology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham
- Center for Magnetoencephalography, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Tony W. Wilson
- Center for Magnetoencephalography, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Genesis and Maintenance of Attentional Biases: The Role of the Locus Coeruleus-Noradrenaline System. Neural Plast 2017; 2017:6817349. [PMID: 28808590 PMCID: PMC5541826 DOI: 10.1155/2017/6817349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotionally arousing events are typically better remembered than mundane ones, in part because emotionally relevant aspects of our environment are prioritized in attention. Such biased attentional tuning is itself the result of associative processes through which we learn affective and motivational relevance of cues. We propose that the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system plays an important role in the genesis of attentional biases through associative learning processes as well as their maintenance. We further propose that individual differences in and disruptions of the LC-NA system underlie the development of maladaptive biases linked to psychopathology. We provide support for the proposed role of the LC-NA system by first reviewing work on attentional biases in development and its link to psychopathology in relation to alterations and individual differences in NA availability. We focus on pharmacological manipulations to demonstrate the effect of a disrupted system as well as the ADRA2b polymorphism as a tool to investigate naturally occurring differences in NA availability. We next review associative learning processes that-modulated by the LC-NA system-result in such implicit attentional biases. Further, we demonstrate how NA may influence aversive and appetitive conditioning linked to anxiety disorders as well as addiction and depression.
Collapse
|
27
|
Dayan J, Rauchs G, Guillery-Girard B. Rhythms dysregulation: A new perspective for understanding PTSD? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 110:453-460. [PMID: 28161453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex syndrome that may occur after exposure to one or more traumatic events. It associates physiological, emotional, and cognitive changes Brain and hormonal modifications contribute to some impairments in learning, memory, and emotion regulation. Some of these biological dysfunctions may be analyzed in terms of rhythms dysregulation that would be expressed through endocrine rhythmicity, sleep organization, and temporal synchrony in brain activity. In the first part of this article, we report studies on endocrine rhythmicity revealing that some rhythms abnormalities are frequently observed, although not constantly, for both cortisol and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. The most typical changes are a flattening of the diurnal secretion of cortisol and the hyperactivation of the SNS. These results may explain why cognitive functioning, in particular consolidation of emotional memories, attention, learning, vigilance and arousal, is altered in patients with PTSD. The second part of this article focuses on sleep disturbances, one of the core features of PTSD. Abnormal REM sleep reported in various studies may have a pathophysiological role in PTSD and may exacerbate some symptoms such as emotional regulation and memory. In addition, sleep disorders, such as paradoxical insomnia, increase the risk of developing PTSD. We also discuss the potential impact of sleep disturbances on cognition. Finally, temporal synchrony of brain activity and functional connectivity, explored using electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, are addressed. Several studies reported abnormalities in alpha, beta and gamma frequency bands that may affect both attentional and memory processes. Other studies confirmed abnormalities in connectivity and recent fMRI data suggest that this could limit top-down control and may be associated with flashback intrusive memories. These data illustrate that a better knowledge of the different patterns of biological rhythms contributes to explain the heterogeneity of PTSD and shed new light on the association with some frequent medical disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Dayan
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France; CHGR Rennes-I, Pôle Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Rennes, France.
| | - Géraldine Rauchs
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Bérengère Guillery-Girard
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Bell CJ, Colhoun HC, Frampton CM, Douglas KM, McIntosh VVW, Carter FA, Jordan J, Carter JD, Smith RA, Marie LMA, Loughlin A, Porter RJ. Earthquake Brain: Altered Recognition and Misclassification of Facial Expressions Are Related to Trauma Exposure but Not Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:278. [PMID: 29312012 PMCID: PMC5732911 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study investigated facial expression recognition (FER) in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by exposure to earthquakes, and in particular whether people with this condition showed a bias toward interpreting facial expressions as threat-related emotions (i.e., as anger, fear, or disgust). The study included a trauma-exposed control group who had been similarly exposed to the earthquakes but had not developed PTSD. We hypothesized that individuals with PTSD would have increased sensitivity to threat-related facial emotions compared with the trauma-exposed control group. This would be shown by increased accuracy in recognition of threat-related emotions and the misinterpretation of neutral expressions to these emotions (i.e., misidentifying them as anger, fear, or disgust). The availability of a group of healthy controls from a previous study who had been tested on a similar task before the earthquakes allowed a further non-exposed comparison. METHOD Twenty-eight individuals with PTSD (71% female, mean age 42.8 years) and 89 earthquake-exposed controls (66% female, mean age 50.1 years) completed an FER task, which featured six basic emotions. Further comparisons were made with 50 non-exposed controls (64% female, mean age 38.5 years) who had been tested before the earthquakes. RESULTS There was no difference in sensitivity to threat-related facial expressions (as measured by accuracy in recognition of threat-related facial expressions and the misinterpretation of neutral expressions as threatening) in individuals with PTSD compared with similarly earthquake-exposed controls. Supplementary comparison with an historical, non-exposed control group showed that both earthquake-exposed groups had increased accuracy for the identification of all facial emotions and showed a bias in the misclassification of neutral facial expressions to the threat-related emotions of anger and disgust. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that it is exposure to earthquakes and repeated aftershocks, rather than the presence of PTSD that affects FER accuracy and misinterpretation. The importance of these biases in both PTSD and trauma-exposed controls needs further exploration and is an area for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline J Bell
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.,Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Helen C Colhoun
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.,Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Chris M Frampton
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Katie M Douglas
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | | | - Frances A Carter
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.,Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Jennifer Jordan
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.,Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Janet D Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Rebekah A Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Leila M A Marie
- Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Alex Loughlin
- Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Richard J Porter
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.,Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Wilson TW, Heinrichs-Graham E, Proskovec AL, McDermott TJ. Neuroimaging with magnetoencephalography: A dynamic view of brain pathophysiology. Transl Res 2016; 175:17-36. [PMID: 26874219 PMCID: PMC4959997 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2016.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Revised: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a noninvasive, silent, and totally passive neurophysiological imaging method with excellent temporal resolution (∼1 ms) and good spatial precision (∼3-5 mm). In a typical experiment, MEG data are acquired as healthy controls or patients with neurologic or psychiatric disorders perform a specific cognitive task, or receive sensory stimulation. The resulting data are generally analyzed using standard electrophysiological methods, coupled with advanced image reconstruction algorithms. To date, the total number of MEG instruments and associated users is significantly smaller than comparable human neuroimaging techniques, although this is likely to change in the near future with advances in the technology. Despite this small base, MEG research has made a significant impact on several areas of translational neuroscience, largely through its unique capacity to quantify the oscillatory dynamics of activated brain circuits in humans. This review focuses on the clinical areas where MEG imaging has arguably had the greatest impact in regard to the identification of aberrant neural dynamics at the regional and network level, monitoring of disease progression, determining how efficacious pharmacologic and behavioral interventions modulate neural systems, and the development of neural markers of disease. Specifically, this review covers recent advances in understanding the abnormal neural oscillatory dynamics that underlie Parkinson's disease, autism spectrum disorders, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorders, cerebral palsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, cognitive aging, and post-traumatic stress disorder. MEG imaging has had a major impact on how clinical neuroscientists understand the brain basis of these disorders, and its translational influence is rapidly expanding with new discoveries and applications emerging continuously.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tony W Wilson
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, Neb; Center for Magnetoencephalography, UNMC, Omaha, Neb; Department of Neurological Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, Neb.
| | - Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, Neb; Center for Magnetoencephalography, UNMC, Omaha, Neb
| | - Amy L Proskovec
- Center for Magnetoencephalography, UNMC, Omaha, Neb; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska - Omaha, Neb
| | - Timothy J McDermott
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, Neb; Center for Magnetoencephalography, UNMC, Omaha, Neb
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
|
31
|
Zamorski MA, Bennett RE, Boulos D, Garber BG, Jetly R, Sareen J. The 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey: Background and Methods. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. REVUE CANADIENNE DE PSYCHIATRIE 2016; 61:10S-25S. [PMID: 27270738 PMCID: PMC4800478 DOI: 10.1177/0706743716632731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey (CFMHS) collected detailed information on mental health problems, their impacts, occupational and nonoccupational determinants of mental health, and the use of mental health services from a random sample of 8200 serving personnel. The objective of this article is to provide a firm scientific foundation for understanding and interpreting the CFMHS findings. METHODS This narrative review first provides a snapshot of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), focusing on 2 key determinants of mental health: the deployment of more than 40,000 personnel in support of the mission in Afghanistan and the extensive renewal of the CAF mental health system. The findings of recent population-based CAF mental health research are reviewed, with a focus on findings from the very similar mental health survey done in 2002. Finally, key aspects of the methods of the 2013 CFMHS are presented. RESULTS The findings of 20 peer-reviewed publications using the 2002 mental health survey data are reviewed, along with those of 25 publications from other major CAF mental health research projects executed over the past decade. CONCLUSIONS More than a decade of population-based mental health research in the CAF has provided a detailed picture of its mental health and use of mental health services. This knowledge base and the homology of the 2013 survey with the 2002 CAF survey and general population surveys in 2002 and 2012 will provide an unusual opportunity to use the CFMHS to situate mental health in the CAF in a historical and societal perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Zamorski
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Ottawa, Ontario Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
| | - Rachel E Bennett
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Ottawa, Ontario
| | - David Boulos
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Ottawa, Ontario
| | - Bryan G Garber
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Ottawa, Ontario
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Ottawa, Ontario
| | - Jitender Sareen
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Dunkley BT, Pang EW, Sedge PA, Jetly R, Doesburg SM, Taylor MJ. Threatening faces induce fear circuitry hypersynchrony in soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder. Heliyon 2016; 2:e00063. [PMID: 27441243 PMCID: PMC4945901 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2015.e00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Revised: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with atypical responses to emotional face stimuli with preferential processing given to threat-related facial expressions via hyperactive amygdalae disengaged from medial prefrontal modulation. METHOD We examined implicit emotional face perception in soldiers with (n = 20) and without (n = 25) PTSD using magnetoencephalography to define spatiotemporal network interactions, and a subsequent region-of-interest analysis to characterize the network role of the right amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex in threatening face perception. RESULTS Contrasts of network interactions revealed the PTSD group were hyperconnected compared to controls in the phase-locking response in the 2-24 Hz range for angry faces, but not for happy faces when contrasting groups. Hyperconnectivity in PTSD was greatest in the posterior cingulate, right ventromedial prefrontal cortex, right parietal regions and the right temporal pole, as well as the right amygdala. Graph measures of right amygdala and medial prefrontal connectivity revealed increases in node strength and clustering in PTSD, but not inter-node connectivity. Additionally, these measures were found to correlate with anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS In line with prior studies, amygdala hyperconnectivity was observed in PTSD in relation to threatening faces, but the medial prefrontal cortex also displayed enhanced connectivity in our network-based approach. Overall, these results support preferential neurophysiological encoding of threat-related facial expressions in those with PTSD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul A Sedge
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Sam M Doesburg
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Admon R. Spatiotemporal Neural Dynamics of Enhanced Attention to Danger Cues in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2015; 78:e47-8. [PMID: 26589492 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Revised: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roee Admon
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Dunkley BT, Doesburg SM, Jetly R, Sedge PA, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. Characterising intra- and inter-intrinsic network synchrony in combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychiatry Res 2015; 234:172-81. [PMID: 26422117 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Revised: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit elevated gamma-band synchrony in left fronto-temporal cortex, and connectivity measures in these regions correlate with comorbidities and PTSD severity, which suggests increased gamma synchrony is related to symptomology. However, little is known about the role of intrinsic, phase-synchronised networks in the disorder. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we characterised spectral connectivity in the default-mode, salience, visual, and attention networks during resting-state in a PTSD population and a trauma-exposed control group. Intrinsic network connectivity was examined in canonical frequency bands. We observed increased inter-network synchronisation in the PTSD group compared with controls in the gamma (30-80 Hz) and high-gamma range (80-150 Hz). Analyses of connectivity and symptomology revealed that PTSD severity was positively associated with beta synchrony in the ventral-attention-to-salience networks, and gamma synchrony within the salience network, but also negatively correlated with beta synchrony within the visual network. These novel results show that frequency-specific, network-level atypicalities may reflect trauma-related alterations of ongoing functional connectivity, and correlations of beta synchrony in attentional-to-salience and visual networks with PTSD severity suggest complicated network interactions mediate symptoms. These results contribute to accumulating evidence that PTSD is a complicated network-based disorder expressed as altered neural interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Sam M Doesburg
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Paul A Sedge
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| |
Collapse
|