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Clarkson BG, Wagstaff CRD, Arthur CA, Thelwell RC. Measuring emotional contagion as a multidimensional construct: the development and initial validation of the contagion of affective phenomena scales. THE JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2024:1-23. [PMID: 38687698 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2024.2348486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
We offer an alternative conceptualization of the construct of susceptibility to emotional contagion and four related studies where two separate measures were developed and initially validated. The Contagion of Affective Phenomena Scale-General (CAPS-G) is a 5-item scale that measures the general susceptibility to the contagion of affect, and the Contagion of Affective Phenomena Scale - Emotion (CAPS-E) assesses six distinct emotions. Study 1 generated items with experts. Study 2 explored and confirmed construct validity and the factorial structure of both measures using exploratory structural equation modeling. Study 3 established test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and discriminant validity. Study 4 found predictive validity with a sample of competitive swimmers. In four separate samples, a 21-item and 6-factor first-order structure of CAPS-E provided the best model fit. We provide initial evidence that supports the use of CAPS-E and CAPS-G as reliable and valid measures of the susceptibility to contagion of affective phenomena.
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Liu H, Hao Z, Qiu S, Wang Q, Zhan L, Huang L, Shao Y, Wang Q, Su C, Cao Y, Sun J, Wang C, Lv Y, Li M, Shen W, Li H, Jia X. Grey matter structural alterations in anxiety disorders: a voxel-based meta-analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2024; 18:456-474. [PMID: 38150133 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-023-00842-x] [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] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders (ADs) are a group of prevalent and destructive mental illnesses, but the current understanding of their underlying neuropathology is still unclear. Employing voxel-based morphometry (VBM), previous studies have demonstrated several common brain regions showing grey matter volume (GMV) abnormalities. However, contradictory results have been reported among these studies. Considering that different subtypes of ADs exhibit common core symptoms despite different diagnostic criteria, and previous meta-analyses have found common core GMV-altered brain regions in ADs, the present research aimed to combine the results of individual studies to identify common GMV abnormalities in ADs. Therefore, we first performed a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science on studies investigating GMV differences between patients with ADs and healthy controls (HCs). Then, the anisotropic effect-size signed differential mapping (AES-SDM) was applied in this meta-analysis. A total of 24 studies (including 25 data sets) were included in the current study, and 906 patients with ADs and 1003 HCs were included. Compared with the HCs, the patients with ADs showed increased GMV in the left superior parietal gyrus, right angular gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and right lingual gyrus, and decreased GMV in the bilateral insula, bilateral thalamus, left caudate, and right putamen. In conclusion, the current study has identified some abnormal GMV brain regions that are related to the pathological mechanisms of anxiety disorders. These findings could contribute to a better understanding of the underlying neuropathology of ADs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Liu
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Zeqi Hao
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Shasha Qiu
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Qianqian Wang
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Linlin Zhan
- School of Western Languages, Heilongjiang University, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Lina Huang
- Department of Radiology, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Changshu, Jiangsu, China
| | - Youbin Shao
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Chang Su
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Yikang Cao
- School of Information and Electronics Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Jiawei Sun
- School of Information and Electronics Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Chunjie Wang
- Institute of Brain Science, Department of Psychology, School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, the Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yating Lv
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, the Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mengting Li
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Wenbin Shen
- Department of Radiology, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Changshu, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huayun Li
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
| | - Xize Jia
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
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George GC, Heyn SA, Russell JD, Keding TJ, Herringa RJ. Parent Psychopathology and Behavioral Effects on Child Brain-Symptom Networks in the ABCD Study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024:S0890-8567(24)00138-2. [PMID: 38522613 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Parents play a notable role in the development of child psychopathology. In this study, we investigated the role of parent psychopathology and behaviors on child brain-symptom networks to understand the role of intergenerational transmission of psychopathology. Few studies have documented the interaction of child psychopathology, parent psychopathology, and child neuroimaging. METHOD We used the baseline cohort of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (N = 7,151, female-at-birth = 3,619, aged 9-11 years) to derive brain-symptom networks using sparse canonical correlation analysis with the Child Behavior Checklist and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We then correlated parent psychopathology symptoms and parental behaviors with child brain-symptom networks. Finally, we used the significant correlations to understand, using the mediation R package, whether parent behaviors mediated the effect of parent psychopathology on child brain connectivity. RESULTS We observed 3 brain-symptom networks correlated with externalizing (r = 0.19, internalizing (r = 0.17), and neurodevelopmental symptoms (r = 0.18). These corresponded to differences in connectivity between the default mode-default mode, default mode-control, and visual-visual canonical networks. We further detected aspects of parental psychopathology, including personal strength, thought problems, and rule-breaking symptoms to be associated with child brain connectivity. Finally, we found that parental behaviors and symptoms mediate each other's relationship to child brain connectivity. CONCLUSION The current study suggests that positive parental behaviors can relieve potentially detrimental effects of parental psychopathology, and vice versa, on symptom-correlated child brain connectivity. Altogether, these results provide a framework for future research and potential targets for parents who experience mental health symptoms to help mitigate potential intergenerational transmission of mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace C George
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin; McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
| | - Sara A Heyn
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Justin D Russell
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Taylor J Keding
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Ryan J Herringa
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
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Xia R, Heise MJ, Bowman LC. Parental emotionality is related to preschool children's neural responses to emotional faces. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsad078. [PMID: 38123451 PMCID: PMC10868131 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad078] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to accurately decode others' facial expressions is essential for successful social interaction. Previous theories suggest that aspects of parental emotionality-the frequency, persistence and intensity of parents' own emotions-can influence children's emotion perception. Through a combination of mechanisms, parental emotionality may shape how children's brains specialize to respond to emotional expressions, but empirical data are lacking. The present study provides a direct empirical test of the relation between the intensity, persistence and frequency of parents' own emotions and children's neural responses to perceiving emotional expressions. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded as typically developing 3- to 5-year-old children (final Ns = 59 and 50) passively viewed faces expressing different emotional valences (happy, angry and fearful) at full and reduced intensity (100% intense expression and 40% intense expression). We examined relations between parental emotionality and children's mean amplitude ERP N170 and negative central responses. The findings demonstrate a clear relation between parental emotionality and children's neural responses (in the N170 mean amplitude and latency) to emotional expressions and suggest that parents may influence children's emotion-processing neural circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruohan Xia
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Center for Mind and Brain, 202 Cousteau Pl, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Megan J Heise
- Division of HIV, Infectious Disease, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Lindsay C Bowman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Center for Mind and Brain, 202 Cousteau Pl, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Brown L, White LK, Makhoul W, Teferi M, Sheline YI, Balderston NL. Role of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in anxiety and cognition: Opportunities for intervention for anxiety-related disorders. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100385. [PMID: 37006335 PMCID: PMC10060180 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Our objective was to review the literature on the parietal cortex and intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in anxiety-related disorders, as well as opportunities for using neuromodulation to target this region and reduce anxiety. We provide an overview of prior research demonstrating: 1) the importance of the IPS in attention, vigilance, and anxious arousal, 2) the potential for neuromodulation of the IPS to reduce unnecessary attention toward threat and anxious arousal as demonstrated in healthy samples; and 3) limited data on the potential for neuromodulation of the IPS to reduce hyper-attention toward threat and anxious arousal among clinical samples with anxiety-related disorders. Future research should evaluate the efficacy of IPS neuromodulation in fully powered clinical trials, as well as the value in augmenting evidence-based treatments for anxiety with IPS neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Brown
- Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Lauren K. White
- Lifespan Brain Institute, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Walid Makhoul
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Marta Teferi
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Yvette I. Sheline
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nicholas L. Balderston
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Shany O, Dunsky N, Gilam G, Greental A, Gilboa-Schechtman E, Hendler T. Self-evaluation of social-rank in socially anxious individuals associates with enhanced striatal reward function. Psychol Med 2023; 53:4569-4579. [PMID: 35698849 PMCID: PMC10388315 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722001453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Negative self-views, especially in the domain of power (i.e. social-rank), characterize social anxiety (SA). Neuroimaging studies on self-evaluations in SA have mainly focused on subcortical threat processing systems. Yet, self-evaluation may concurrently invoke diverse affective processing, as motivational systems related to desired self-views may also be activated. To investigate the conflictual nature that may accompany self-evaluation of certain social domains in SA, we examined brain activity related to both threat and reward processing. METHODS Participants (N = 74) differing in self-reported SA-severity underwent fMRI while completing a self-evaluation task, wherein they judged the self-descriptiveness of high- v. low-intensity traits in the domains of power and affiliation (i.e. social connectedness). Participants also completed two auxiliary fMRI tasks designated to evoke reward- and threat-related activations in the ventral striatum (VS) and amygdala, respectively. We hypothesized that self-evaluations in SA, particularly in the domain of power, involve aberrant brain activity related to both threat and reward processing. RESULTS SA-severity was more negatively associated with power than with affiliation self-evaluations. During self-evaluative judgment of high-power (e.g. dominant), SA-severity associated with increased activity in the VS and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, SA-severity correlated with higher similarity between brain activity patterns activated by high-power traits and patterns activated by incentive salience (i.e. reward anticipation) in the VS during the reward task. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that self-evaluation of high-power in SA involves excessive striatal reward-related activation, and pinpoint the downregulation of VS-VMPFC activity within such self-evaluative context as a potential neural outcome for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofir Shany
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Netta Dunsky
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gadi Gilam
- Faculty of Dental Medicine, The Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ayam Greental
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Eva Gilboa-Schechtman
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Science Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Talma Hendler
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Marquez J, Katsantonis I, Sellers R, Knies G. Life satisfaction and mental health from age 17 to 21 years in a general population sample. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 42:1-11. [PMID: 36248217 PMCID: PMC9540282 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03685-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a period when both mental health (MH) and wellbeing start deteriorating, which raises the question of how the two phenomena are linked and whether deterioration in one might be used to flag problematic developments in the other. While research shows that wellbeing and MH are associated, the direction of the association is not clear and longitudinal analyses, that might help disentangle the cause and effect, are scarce. Moreover, few studies have investigated the directional relation between MH and wellbeing early in the life course. In emerging adulthood, evidence indicates reciprocal associations and no gender differences, whereas, in early and middle adolescence, results are mixed and differ across gender. Thus, we investigated the relationship between MH and wellbeing and the moderating effect of gender in the crucial developmental transition from middle adolescence to emerging adulthood. We undertake a cross-lagged longitudinal data analysis from a pooled sample of six pseudo-cohorts, including information from 661 young people who participated in the UK Household Longitudinal Study at ages 17, 19, and 21. Using a 7-points overall life satisfaction (LS) scale as an index of wellbeing and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire as a measure of MH, we found no associations between LS and MH in the 17-19 transition and bidirectional associations in the 19-21 transition. There were no substantial gender differences in either transition. We conclude that LS and MH predict each other in the transition from late adolescence (age 19) to emerging adulthood (age 21) for both males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Marquez
- Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL Manchester, UK
| | - Ioannis Katsantonis
- Psychology, Education and Learning Studies Research Group, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 184 Hills Rd, CB2 8PQ Cambridge, UK
| | - Ruth Sellers
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gundi Knies
- Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Institute of Rural Studies, Bundesallee 64, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany
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Liu X, Zheng G, Wang X, Li Y, Ji S, Zhang Y, Yao C, Zhang Y, Hu B. The brain activation of anxiety disorders with emotional stimuli-an fMRI ALE meta-analysis. Neurocase 2022; 28:448-457. [PMID: 36548914 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2022.2160262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Numerous studies have analyzed the state of brain activation about anxiety disorders under emotional stimuli. However, there is no meta-analysis to assess the commonality and specificity activation concerning different subtypes of anxiety. Here, we used ALE to assess this. 29 studies revealed increased bilateral amygdala, anterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus activation in anxiety disorders during emotional stimuli. Moreover, we observed decreased activations in the posterior cingulate, lingual gyrus, and precuneus. In sub-analysis, although different anxiety showed dissimilar activations, the principal activations were observed in limbic lobe, which might indicate the limbic circuit was the main neural reflection of anxiety symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Liu
- School of Computer Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China
| | - Guowei Zheng
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiuzhen Wang
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yongchao Li
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Shanling Ji
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Chaofan Yao
- Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yinghui Zhang
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Bin Hu
- School of Computer Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China.,Guangyuan Mental Health Center, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Joint Research Center for Cognitive Neurosensor Technology of Lanzhou University & Institute of Semiconductors, Lanzhou, China.,School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing, China
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Rosen JB, Schulkin J. Hyperexcitability: From Normal Fear to Pathological Anxiety and Trauma. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:727054. [PMID: 35993088 PMCID: PMC9387392 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.727054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperexcitability in fear circuits is suggested to be important for development of pathological anxiety and trauma from adaptive mechanisms of fear. Hyperexcitability is proposed to be due to acquired sensitization in fear circuits that progressively becomes more severe over time causing changing symptoms in early and late pathology. We use the metaphor and mechanisms of kindling to examine gains and losses in function of one excitatory and one inhibitory neuropeptide, corticotrophin releasing factor and somatostatin, respectively, to explore this sensitization hypothesis. We suggest amygdala kindling induced hyperexcitability, hyper-inhibition and loss of inhibition provide clues to mechanisms for hyperexcitability and progressive changes in function initiated by stress and trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B. Rosen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
- *Correspondence: Jeffrey B. Rosen,
| | - Jay Schulkin
- School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Kim MK, Eom H, Kwon JH, Kyeong S, Kim JJ. Neural effects of a short-term virtual reality self-training program to reduce social anxiety. Psychol Med 2022; 52:1296-1305. [PMID: 32880252 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720003098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by anxiety regarding social situations, avoidance of external social stimuli, and negative self-beliefs. Virtual reality self-training (VRS) at home may be a good interim modality for reducing social fears before formal treatment. This study aimed to find neurobiological evidence for the therapeutic effect of VRS. METHODS Fifty-two patients with SAD were randomly assigned to a VRS or waiting list (WL) group. The VRS group received an eight-session VRS program for 2 weeks, whereas the WL group received no intervention. Clinical assessments and functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning with the distress and speech evaluation tasks were repeatedly performed at baseline and after 3 weeks. RESULTS The post-VRS assessment showed significantly decreased anxiety and avoidance scores, distress index, and negative evaluation index for 'self', but no change in the negative evaluation index for 'other'. Patients showed significant responses to the distress task in various regions, including both sides of the prefrontal regions, occipital regions, insula, and thalamus, and to the speech evaluation task in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex. Among these, significant neuronal changes after VRS were observed only in the right lingual gyrus and left thalamus. CONCLUSIONS VRS-induced improvements in the ability to pay attention to social stimuli without avoidance and even positively modulate emotional cues are based on functional changes in the visual cortices and thalamus. Based on these short-term neuronal changes, VRS can be a first intervention option for individuals with SAD who avoid society or are reluctant to receive formal treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Kyeong Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyojung Eom
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jun Hee Kwon
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sunghyon Kyeong
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jae-Jin Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Sindermann L, Redlich R, Opel N, Böhnlein J, Dannlowski U, Leehr EJ. Systematic transdiagnostic review of magnetic-resonance imaging results: Depression, anxiety disorders and their co-occurrence. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 142:226-239. [PMID: 34388482 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders (ANX) share core symptoms such as negative affect and often co-exist. Magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) research suggests shared neuroanatomical/neurofunctional underpinnings. So far, studies considering transdiagnostic and disorder-specific neural alterations in MDD and ANX as well as the comorbid condition (COM) have not been reviewed systematically. METHODS Following PRISMA guidelines, the literature was screened and N = 247 articles were checked according to the PICOS criteria: MRI studies investigating transdiagnostic (across MDD, ANX, COM compared to healthy controls) and/or disorder-specific (between MDD, ANX, COM) neural alterations. N = 35, thereof n = 13 structural MRI and diffusion-tensor imaging studies and n = 22 functional MRI studies investigating emotional, cognitive deficits and resting state were included and quality coded. RESULTS Results indicated transdiagnostic structural/functional alterations in the orbitofrontal cortex/middle frontal cortex and in limbic regions (amygdala, cingulum, hippocampus). Few and inconsistent disorder-specific alterations were reported. However, depression-specific functional alterations were reported for the inferior frontal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during emotional tasks, and limbic regions at rest. Preliminary results for anxiety-specific functional alterations were found in the insula and frontal regions during emotional tasks, in the inferior parietal lobule, superior frontal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus during cognitive tasks, and (para)limbic alterations at rest. CONCLUSIONS This review provides evidence to support existing transdiagnostic fronto-limbic neural models in MDD and ANX. On top, it expands existing knowledge taking into account comorbidity and comparing MDD with ANX. Heterogeneous evidence exists for disorder-specific alterations. Research focusing on ANX sub-types, and the consideration of COM would contribute to a better understanding of basic neural underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Sindermann
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149, Münster, Germany.
| | - Ronny Redlich
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149, Münster, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, University of Halle, Emil-Abderhalden-Str. 26-27, 06108, Halle, Germany
| | - Nils Opel
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Joscha Böhnlein
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Johanna Leehr
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149, Münster, Germany
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Al-Ezzi A, Kamel N, Faye I, Gunaseli E. Analysis of Default Mode Network in Social Anxiety Disorder: EEG Resting-State Effective Connectivity Study. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 21:4098. [PMID: 34203578 PMCID: PMC8232236 DOI: 10.3390/s21124098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Recent brain imaging findings by using different methods (e.g., fMRI and PET) have suggested that social anxiety disorder (SAD) is correlated with alterations in regional or network-level brain function. However, due to many limitations associated with these methods, such as poor temporal resolution and limited number of samples per second, neuroscientists could not quantify the fast dynamic connectivity of causal information networks in SAD. In this study, SAD-related changes in brain connections within the default mode network (DMN) were investigated using eight electroencephalographic (EEG) regions of interest. Partial directed coherence (PDC) was used to assess the causal influences of DMN regions on each other and indicate the changes in the DMN effective network related to SAD severity. The DMN is a large-scale brain network basically composed of the mesial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus, and lateral parietal cortex (LPC). The EEG data were collected from 88 subjects (22 control, 22 mild, 22 moderate, 22 severe) and used to estimate the effective connectivity between DMN regions at different frequency bands: delta (1-3 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), low beta (13-21 Hz), and high beta (22-30 Hz). Among the healthy control (HC) and the three considered levels of severity of SAD, the results indicated a higher level of causal interactions for the mild and moderate SAD groups than for the severe and HC groups. Between the control and the severe SAD groups, the results indicated a higher level of causal connections for the control throughout all the DMN regions. We found significant increases in the mean PDC in the delta (p = 0.009) and alpha (p = 0.001) bands between the SAD groups. Among the DMN regions, the precuneus exhibited a higher level of causal influence than other regions. Therefore, it was suggested to be a major source hub that contributes to the mental exploration and emotional content of SAD. In contrast to the severe group, HC exhibited higher resting-state connectivity at the mPFC, providing evidence for mPFC dysfunction in the severe SAD group. Furthermore, the total Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was positively correlated with the mean values of the PDC of the severe SAD group, r (22) = 0.576, p = 0.006 and negatively correlated with those of the HC group, r (22) = -0.689, p = 0.001. The reported results may facilitate greater comprehension of the underlying potential SAD neural biomarkers and can be used to characterize possible targets for further medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulhakim Al-Ezzi
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia; (A.A.-E.); (N.K.)
| | - Nidal Kamel
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia; (A.A.-E.); (N.K.)
| | - Ibrahima Faye
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia; (A.A.-E.); (N.K.)
| | - Esther Gunaseli
- Psychiatry Discipline Sub Unit, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak, Ipoh 30450, Malaysia;
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Yu X, Ruan Y, Zhang Y, Wang J, Liu Y, Zhang J, Zhang L. Cognitive Neural Mechanism of Social Anxiety Disorder: A Meta-Analysis Based on fMRI Studies. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18115556. [PMID: 34067468 PMCID: PMC8196988 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Objective: The present meta-analysis aimed to explore the cognitive and neural mechanism of social anxiety disorder (SAD) from a whole-brain view, and compare the differences in brain activations under different task paradigms. Methods: We searched Web of Science Core Collection and other databases with the keywords related to social anxiety, social phobia, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for comparing persons with SAD to healthy controls and used the activation likelihood estimation method. Thirty-seven papers met the inclusion criteria, including 15 with emotional faces as stimuli, 8 presenting specific situations as stimuli, and 14 using other types of tasks as stimuli. Among these papers, 654 participants were in the SAD group and 594 participants were in the control group with 335 activation increase points and 115 activation decrease points. Results: Whole-brain analysis showed that compared with healthy controls, persons with SAD showed significantly lower activation of the left anterior cingulate gyrus (MNI coordinate: x = −6, y = 22, z = 38; p 0.001). Sub-group analysis based on task indicated that when performing tasks with emotional faces as stimuli, persons with SAD showed significantly lower activation of the left cerebellar slope and fusiform gyrus (MNI coordinate: x = −26, y = −68, z = −12; p 0.001), and significantly higher activation of the right supramarginal gyrus and angular gyrus, than healthy controls (MNI coordinate: x = 58, y = −52, z = 30; p 0.001). Conclusion: Individuals with social anxiety disorder show abnormal activation in the cingulate gyrus, which is responsible for the process of attention control, and task type can influence the activation pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianglian Yu
- Department of Education, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430056, China
| | - Yijun Ruan
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China;
| | - Yawen Zhang
- Department of Medical Psychology, School of Health Humanities, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China;
| | - Jiayi Wang
- Department of Education, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Yuting Liu
- Department of Education, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
| | - Jibiao Zhang
- Department of Education, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.); (Y.L.)
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (L.Z.); Tel.: +86-151-1631-9551 (J.Z.); Tel.: +86-186-2215-2329 (L.Z.)
| | - Lin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430056, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (L.Z.); Tel.: +86-151-1631-9551 (J.Z.); Tel.: +86-186-2215-2329 (L.Z.)
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14
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Crane NA, Chang F, Kinney KL, Klumpp H. Individual differences in striatal and amygdala response to emotional faces are related to symptom severity in social anxiety disorder. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 30:102615. [PMID: 33735785 PMCID: PMC7985697 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Amygdala & striatal neural activity may underlie Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). 80 individuals with SAD completed an emotion processing task during fMRI. Dorsal striatal & amygdala response to angry > happy related to illness severity. Activity in these regions may contribute to individual differences in SAD.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common heterogeneous disorder characterized by excessive fear and deficient positive experiences. Case-control emotion processing studies indicate that altered amygdala and striatum function may underlie SAD; however, links between these regions and symptomatology have yet to be established. Therefore, in the current study, 80 individuals diagnosed with SAD completed a validated emotion processing task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Anatomy-based regions of interest were amygdala, caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens. Neural activity in response to angry > happy faces and fearful > happy faces in these regions were submitted to multiple linear regression analysis with bootstrapping. Additionally, multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore clinical features of SAD. Results showed greater putamen activity and less amygdala activity in response to angry > happy faces were related to greater social anxiety severity. In the model consisting of caudate and amygdala activity in response to angry > happy faces, results were marginally related to social anxiety severity and the pattern of activity was similar to the regression model comprising putamen and amygdala. Nucleus accumbens activity was not related to social anxiety severity. There was no correspondence between brain activity in response to fearful > happy faces and social anxiety severity. Clinical variables revealed greater levels of anhedonia and general anxiety were related to social anxiety severity, however, neural activity was not related to these features of SAD. Neuroimaging findings suggest that variance in dorsal striatal and amygdala activity in response to certain social signals of threat contrasted with an approach/rewarding social signal may contribute to individual differences in SAD. Clinical findings indicate variance in anhedonia and general anxiety symptoms may contribute to individual differences in social anxiety severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natania A Crane
- Department of Psychiatry (NAC, FC, KLK, HK), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 W. Taylor St (M/C 912), Chicago, IL 60612, United States.
| | - Fini Chang
- Department of Psychiatry (NAC, FC, KLK, HK), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 W. Taylor St (M/C 912), Chicago, IL 60612, United States; Department of Psychology (FC, KLK, HK), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 W. Harrison St (M/C 285), Chicago, IL 60607, United States
| | - Kerry L Kinney
- Department of Psychiatry (NAC, FC, KLK, HK), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 W. Taylor St (M/C 912), Chicago, IL 60612, United States; Department of Psychology (FC, KLK, HK), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 W. Harrison St (M/C 285), Chicago, IL 60607, United States
| | - Heide Klumpp
- Department of Psychiatry (NAC, FC, KLK, HK), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 W. Taylor St (M/C 912), Chicago, IL 60612, United States; Department of Psychology (FC, KLK, HK), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 W. Harrison St (M/C 285), Chicago, IL 60607, United States
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15
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Wang X, Cheng B, Wang S, Lu F, Luo Y, Long X, Kong D. Distinct grey matter volume alterations in adult patients with panic disorder and social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and voxel-based morphometry meta-analysis. J Affect Disord 2021; 281:805-823. [PMID: 33243552 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.11.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The paradox of similar diagnostic criteria but potentially different neuropathologies in panic disorder (PD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) needs to be clarified. METHODS We performed a qualitative systematic review and a quantitative whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) meta-analysis with an anisotropic effect-size version of seed-based D mapping (AES-SDM) to explore whether the alterations of grey matter volume (GMV) in PD are similar to or different from those in SAD, together with potential confounding factors. RESULTS A total of thirty-one studies were eligible for inclusion, eighteen of which were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to the respective healthy controls (HC), qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed smaller cortical-subcortical GMVs in PD patients in brain areas including the prefrontal and temporal-parietal cortices, striatum, thalamus and brainstem, predominantly right-lateralized regions, and larger GMVs in the prefrontal and temporal-parietal-occipital cortices, and smaller striatum and thalamus in SAD patients. Quantitatively, the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) deficit was specifically implicated in PD patients, whereas left striatum-thalamus deficits were specific to SAD patients, without shared GMV alterations in both disorders. Sex, the severity of clinical symptoms, psychiatric comorbidity, and concomitant medication use were negatively correlated with smaller regional GMV alterations in PD patients. CONCLUSION PD and SAD may represent different anxiety sub-entities at the neuroanatomical phenotypes level, with different specific neurostructural deficits in the right IFG of PD patients, and the left striatum and thalamus of SAD patients. This combination of differences and specificities can potentially be used to guide the development of diagnostic biomarkers for these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuli Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu 610036, China.
| | - Bochao Cheng
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Song Wang
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Fengmei Lu
- Department of Psychiatry, the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu 610036, China
| | - Ya Luo
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xipeng Long
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Di Kong
- Department of Psychiatry, the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu 610036, China
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16
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Kir Y, Sayar-Akaslan D, Agtas-Ertan E, Kusman A, Baskak N, Baran Z, Munir K, Baskak B. Cortical activity during social acceptance and rejection task in social anxiety disorder: A controlled functional near infrared spectroscopy study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 104:110012. [PMID: 32553940 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cognitive and emotional vulnerability of individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and their response to repeated experiences of social rejection and social acceptance are important factors for the emergence and maintenance of symptoms of the disorder. Functional neuroimaging studies of SAD reveal hyperactivity in regions involved in the fear circuit such as amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortices (PFC) in response to human faces with negative emotions. Observation of brain activity, however, involving studies of responses to standardized human interaction of social acceptance and social rejection have been lacking. METHODS We compared a group of index subjects with SAD (N = 22, mean age:26.3 ± 5.4, female/male: 7/15) (SADG) with a group of healthy controls (CG) (N = 21, mean age:28.7 ± 4.5, female/male: 14/7) in measures of cortical activity during standardized experiences of human interaction involving social acceptance (SA) and social rejection (SR) video-simulated handshaking tasks performed by real actors. In a third, control condition (CC), the subjects were expected to press a switch button in an equivalent space. Subjects with a concurrent mood episode were excluded and the severity of subclinical depressive symptoms was controlled. 52-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure cortical activity. RESULTS Activity was higher in the SAD subjects compared to healthy controls, in particular in channels that project to middle and superior temporal gyri (STG), frontal eye fields (FEF) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in terms of both SA and SR conditions. Cortical activity during the CC was not different between the groups. Only in the SAD-group, activity in the pre-motor and supplementary motor cortices, inferior and middle temporal gyri and fronto-polar area was higher during the rejection condition than the other two conditions. Anxiety scores were correlated with activity in STG, DLPFC, FEF and premotor cortex, while avoidance scores were correlated with activity in STG and FEF. CONCLUSIONS SA and SR are represented differently in terms of cortical activity in SAD subjects compared to healthy controls. Higher activity in both social conditions in SAD subjects compared to controls may imply biological sensitivity to these experiences and may underscore the importance of increased cortical activity during social interaction experiences as a putative mediator of vulnerability to SAD. Higher cortical activity in the SADG may possibly indicate stronger need for inhibitory control mechanisms and higher recruitment of theory of mind functions during social stress. Higher activity during the SR compared to the SA condition in the SAD subjects may also suggest distinct processing of social cues, whether they involve acceptance or rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yagmur Kir
- Ankara University, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Research Center, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Damla Sayar-Akaslan
- Ankara University, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Research Center, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ece Agtas-Ertan
- Ankara University, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Research Center, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Adnan Kusman
- Ankara University, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Research Center, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Nilay Baskak
- Yenimahalle Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Zeynel Baran
- Hacettepe University, Department of Psychology, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Kerim Munir
- Harvard Medical School, Developmental Medicine Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA
| | - Bora Baskak
- Ankara University, Department of Psychiatry, Brain Research Center, Ankara, Turkey; Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence (NÖROM), Ankara, Turkey.
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17
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Gerrans P, Murray RJ. Interoceptive active inference and self-representation in social anxiety disorder (SAD): exploring the neurocognitive traits of the SAD self. Neurosci Conscious 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/nc/niaa026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
This article provides an interoceptive active inference (IAI) account of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Through a neurocognitive framework, we argue that the cognitive and behavioural profile of SAD is best conceived of as a form of maladaptive IAI produced by a negatively biased self-model that cannot reconcile inconsistent tendencies to approach and avoid social interaction. Anticipated future social interactions produce interoceptive prediction error (bodily states of arousal). These interoceptive states are transcribed and experienced as states of distress due to the influence of inconsistent and unstable self-models across a hierarchy of interrelated systems involved in emotional, interoceptive and affective processing. We highlight the role of the insula cortex, in concert with the striatum, amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate in the generation and reduction of interoceptive prediction errors as well as the resolution of social approach-avoidance conflict. The novelty of our account is a shift in explanatory priority from the representation of the social world in SAD to the representation of the SAD self. In particular, we show how a high-level conceptual self-model of social vulnerability and inadequacy fails to minimize prediction errors produced by a basic drive for social affiliation combined with strong avoidant tendencies. The result is a cascade of interoceptive prediction errors whose attempted minimization through action (i.e. active inference) yields the symptom profile of SAD. We conclude this article by proposing testable hypotheses to further investigate the neurocognitive traits of the SAD self with respect to IAI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Gerrans
- Department of Philosophy, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ryan J Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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18
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McDermott TJ, Kirlic N, Akeman E, Touthang J, Cosgrove KT, DeVille DC, Clausen AN, White EJ, Kuplicki R, Aupperle RL. Visual cortical regions show sufficient test-retest reliability while salience regions are unreliable during emotional face processing. Neuroimage 2020; 220:117077. [PMID: 32574806 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies frequently use emotional face processing tasks to probe neural circuitry related to psychiatric disorders and treatments with an emphasis on regions within the salience network (e.g., amygdala). Findings across previous test-retest reliability studies of emotional face processing have shown high variability, potentially due to differences in data analytic approaches. The present study comprehensively examined the test-retest reliability of an emotional faces task utilizing multiple approaches to region of interest (ROI) analysis and by examining voxel-wise reliability across the entire brain for both neural activation and functional connectivity. Analyses included 42 healthy adult participants who completed an fMRI scan concurrent with an emotional faces task on two separate days with an average of 25.52 days between scans. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for the 'FACES-SHAPES' and 'FACES' (compared to implicit baseline) contrasts across the following: anatomical ROIs identified from a publicly available brain atlas (i.e., Brainnetome), functional ROIs consisting of 5-mm spheres centered on peak voxels from a publicly available meta-analytic database (i.e., Neurosynth), and whole-brain, voxel-wise analysis. Whole-brain, voxel-wise analyses of functional connectivity were also conducted using both anatomical and functional seed ROIs. While group-averaged neural activation maps were consistent across time, only one anatomical ROI and two functional ROIs showed good or excellent individual-level reliability for neural activation. The anatomical ROI was the right medioventral fusiform gyrus for the FACES contrast (ICC = 0.60). The functional ROIs were the left and the right fusiform face area (FFA) for both FACES-SHAPES and FACES (Left FFA ICCs = 0.69 & 0.79; Right FFA ICCs = 0.68 & 0.66). Poor reliability (ICCs < 0.4) was identified for almost all other anatomical and functional ROIs, with some exceptions showing fair reliability (ICCs = 0.4-0.59). Whole-brain voxel-wise analysis of neural activation identified voxels with good (ICCs = 0.6-0.74) to excellent reliability (ICCs > 0.75) that were primarily located in visual cortex, with several clusters in bilateral dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Whole-brain voxel-wise analyses of functional connectivity for amygdala and fusiform gyrus identified very few voxels with good to excellent reliability using both anatomical and functional seed ROIs. Exceptions included clusters in right cerebellum and right DLPFC that showed reliable connectivity with left amygdala (ICCs > 0.6). In conclusion, results indicate that visual cortical regions demonstrate good reliability at the individual level for neural activation, but reliability is generally poor for salience regions often focused on within psychiatric research (e.g., amygdala). Given these findings, future clinical neuroimaging studies using emotional faces tasks to examine individual differences might instead focus on visual regions and their role in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J McDermott
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Namik Kirlic
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | | | - James Touthang
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Kelly T Cosgrove
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Danielle C DeVille
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Ashley N Clausen
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA; Duke University Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Evan J White
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Rayus Kuplicki
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States; Department of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Robin L Aupperle
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States; Department of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States.
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19
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Bas-Hoogendam JM, van Steenbergen H, van der Wee NJA, Westenberg PM. Amygdala hyperreactivity to faces conditioned with a social-evaluative meaning- a multiplex, multigenerational fMRI study on social anxiety endophenotypes. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 26:102247. [PMID: 32247196 PMCID: PMC7125356 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) runs in families, but the neurobiological pathways underlying the genetic susceptibility towards SAD are largely unknown. Here, we employed an endophenotype approach, and tested the hypothesis that amygdala hyperreactivity to faces conditioned with a social-evaluative meaning is a candidate SAD endophenotype. We used data from the multiplex, multigenerational Leiden Family Lab study on Social Anxiety Disorder (eight families, n = 105) and investigated amygdala activation during a social-evaluative conditioning paradigm with high ecological validity in the context of SAD. Three neutral faces were repeatedly presented in combination with socially negative, positive or neutral sentences. We focused on two endophenotype criteria: co-segregation of the candidate endophenotype with the disorder within families, and heritability. Analyses of the fMRI data were restricted to the amygdala as a region of interest, and association analyses revealed that bilateral amygdala hyperreactivity in response to the conditioned faces co-segregated with social anxiety (SA; continuous measure) within the families; we found, however, no relationship between SA and brain activation in response to more specific fMRI contrasts. Furthermore, brain activation in a small subset of voxels within these amygdala clusters was at least moderately heritable. Taken together, these findings show that amygdala engagement in response to conditioned faces with a social-evaluative meaning qualifies as a neurobiological candidate endophenotype of social anxiety. Thereby, these data shed light on the genetic vulnerability to develop SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Henk van Steenbergen
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Nic J A van der Wee
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - P Michiel Westenberg
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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20
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Walia V, Garg C, Garg M. Amantadine exerts anxiolytic like effect in mice: Evidences for the involvement of nitrergic and GABAergic signaling pathways. Behav Brain Res 2019; 380:112432. [PMID: 31838141 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Amantadine is a glutamatergic antagonist that works by inhibiting the NMDA receptor. Besides the inhibition of NMDA receptors amantadine also stabilizes the glutamatergic system and protects the neurons against the NMDA toxicity. Amantadine treatment also reduces the production of NO and metabolism of GABA. Therefore amantadine modulates glutamate, GABA and NO which are known to be implicated in the pathogenesis of anxiety and related behavior. The present study was designed to investigate the anxiolytic like effect of amantadine in mice. Nitrergic and GABAergic signaling influence in the anxiolytic like effect of amantadine was also studied. Amantadine (25, 50 and 75 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered and the anxiety related behavior was determined using light and dark box (LDB) and elevated plus maze (EPM) methods. Further, the effect of various treatments on the whole brain glutamate, nitrite and GABA levels were also determined. The results obtained demonstrated that the amantadine (50 mg/kg, i.p.) exerted anxiolytic like effect in mice and reduced the levels of glutamate, nitrite and GABA in the brain of mice as compared to control. Further, the influence of NO and GABA in the anxiolytic like effect of the amantadine was also determined. The results obtained demonstrated that NO donor counteracted while NO inhibitor potentiated the anxiolytic like effect of amantadine in mice. Also the combined treatment of amantadine (25 mg/kg, i.p.) and diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) did not affect the anxiety related behavior, brain GABA and nitrite level of mice but reduced the levels the brain glutamate levels significantly as compared to amantadine (25 mg/kg, i.p.) and diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) treated mice. Thus, amantadine exerted anxiolytic like effect in mice and the anxiolytic like effect of amantadine was modulated by nitrergic and GABAergic signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav Walia
- Faculty of Pharmacy, DIT University, Dehradun, India.
| | - Chanchal Garg
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak 124001, Haryana, India.
| | - Munish Garg
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak 124001, Haryana, India.
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21
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Yoon HJ, Seo EH, Kim JJ, Choo IH. Neural Correlates of Self-referential Processing and Their Clinical Implications in Social Anxiety Disorder. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 17:12-24. [PMID: 30690936 PMCID: PMC6361035 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2019.17.1.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with aberrant self-referential processing (SRP) such as increased self-focused attention. Aberrant SRP is one of the core features of SAD and is also related to therapeutic interventions. Understanding of the underlying neural correlates of SRP in SAD is important for identifying specific brain regions as treatment targets. We reviewed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies to clarify the neural correlates of SRP and their clinical implications for SAD. Task-based and resting fMRI studies have reported the cortical midline structures including the default mode network, theory of mind-related regions of the temporo-parietal junction and temporal pole, and the insula as significant neural correlates of aberrant SRP in SAD patients. Also, these neural correlates are related to clinical improvement on pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatments. Furthermore, these could be candidates for the development of novel SAD treatments. This review supports that neural correlates of SAD may be significant biomarkers for future pathophysiology based treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyung-Jun Yoon
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Chosun University Hospital, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Eun Hyun Seo
- Premedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Jae-Jin Kim
- Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Il Han Choo
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Chosun University Hospital, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea
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22
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Phasic amygdala and BNST activation during the anticipation of temporally unpredictable social observation in social anxiety disorder patients. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 22:101735. [PMID: 30878610 PMCID: PMC6423472 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Anticipation of potentially threatening social situations is a key process in social anxiety disorder (SAD). In other anxiety disorders, recent research of neural correlates of anticipation of temporally unpredictable threat suggests a temporally dissociable involvement of amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) with phasic amygdala responses and sustained BNST activation. However, the temporal profile of amygdala and BNST responses during temporal unpredictability of threat has not been investigated in patients suffering from SAD. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate neural activation in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the BNST during anticipation of temporally unpredictable aversive (video camera observation) relative to neutral (no camera observation) events in SAD patients compared to healthy controls (HC). For the analysis of fMRI data, we applied two regressors (phasic/sustained) within the same model to detect temporally dissociable brain responses. The aversive condition induced increased anxiety in patients compared to HC. SAD patients compared to HC showed increased phasic activation in the CeA and the BNST for anticipation of aversive relative to neutral events. SAD patients as well as HC showed sustained activity alterations in the BNST for aversive relative to neutral anticipation. No differential activity during sustained threat anticipation in SAD patients compared to HC was found. Taken together, our study reveals both CeA and BNST involvement during threat anticipation in SAD patients. The present results point towards potentially SAD-specific threat processing marked by elevated phasic but not sustained CeA and BNST responses when compared to HC. fMRI in SAD during anticipation of temporally unpredictable aversive events. Anticipation of social observation induces increased anxiety in SAD patients. SAD patients show elevated phasic activity in fundamental anxiety network regions. Evidence of SAD-specific threat processing.
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23
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Leming M, Su L, Chattopadhyay S, Suckling J. Normative pathways in the functional connectome. Neuroimage 2018; 184:317-334. [PMID: 30223061 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional connectivity is frequently derived from fMRI data to reduce a complex image of the brain to a graph, or "functional connectome". Often shortest-path algorithms are used to characterize and compare functional connectomes. Previous work on the identification and measurement of semi-metric (shortest circuitous) pathways in the functional connectome has discovered cross-sectional differences in major depressive disorder (MDD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and Alzheimer's disease. However, while measurements of shortest path length have been analyzed in functional connectomes, less work has been done to investigate the composition of the pathways themselves, or whether the edges composing pathways differ between individuals. Developments in this area would help us understand how pathways might be organized in mental disorders, and if a consistent pattern can be found. Furthermore, studies in structural brain connectivity and other real-world graphs suggest that shortest pathways may not be as important in functional connectivity studies as previously assumed. In light of this, we present a novel measurement of the consistency of pathways across functional connectomes, and an algorithm for improvement by selecting the most frequently occurring "normative pathways" from the k shortest paths, instead of just the shortest path. We also look at this algorithm's effect on various graph measurements, using randomized matrix simulations to support the efficacy of this method and demonstrate our algorithm on the resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) of a group of 34 adolescent control participants. Additionally, a comparison of normative pathways is made with a group of 82 age-matched participants, diagnosed with MDD, and in doing so we find the normative pathways that are most disrupted. Our results, which are carried out with estimates of connectivity derived from correlation, partial correlation, and normalized mutual information connectomes, suggest disruption to the default mode, affective, and ventral attention networks. Normative pathways, especially with partial correlation, make greater use of critical anatomical pathways through the striatum, cingulum, and the cerebellum. In summary, MDD is characterized by a disruption of normative pathways of the ventral attention network, increases in alternative pathways in the frontoparietal network in MDD, and a mixture of both in the default mode network. Additionally, within- and between-groups findings depend on the estimate of connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Leming
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Li Su
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; China-UK Centre for Cognition and Ageing Research, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | | | - John Suckling
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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24
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MinlanYuan, Meng Y, Zhang Y, Nie X, Ren Z, Zhu H, Li Y, Lui S, Gong Q, Qiu C, Zhang W. Cerebellar Neural Circuits Involving Executive Control Network Predict Response to Group Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Social Anxiety Disorder. THE CEREBELLUM 2018; 16:673-682. [PMID: 28155138 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-017-0845-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Some intrinsic connectivity networks including the default mode network (DMN) and executive control network (ECN) may underlie social anxiety disorder (SAD). Although the cerebellum has been implicated in the pathophysiology of SAD and several networks relevant to higher-order cognition, it remains unknown whether cerebellar areas involved in DMN and ECN exhibit altered resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) with cortical networks in SAD. Forty-six patients with SAD and 64 healthy controls (HC) were included and submitted to the baseline resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Seventeen SAD patients who completed post-treatment clinical assessments were included after group cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). RsFC of three cerebellar subregions in both groups was assessed respectively in a voxel-wise way, and these rsFC maps were compared by two-sample t tests between groups. Whole-brain voxel-wise regression was performed to examine whether cerebellar connectivity networks can predict response to CBT. Lower rsFC circuits of cerebellar subregions compared with HC at baseline (p < 0.05, corrected by false discovery rate) were revealed. The left Crus I rsFC with dorsal medial prefrontal cortex was negatively correlated with symptom severity. The clinical assessments in SAD patients were significantly decreased after CBT. Higher pretreatment cerebellar rsFC with angular gyrus and dorsal lateral frontal cortex corresponded with greater symptom improvement following CBT. Cerebellar rsFC circuits involving DMN and ECN are possible neuropathologic mechanisms of SAD. Stronger pretreatment cerebellar rsFC circuits involving ECN suggest potential neural markers to predict CBT response.
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Affiliation(s)
- MinlanYuan
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yajing Meng
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China.,State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiaojing Nie
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zhengjia Ren
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Hongru Zhu
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China.,State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuchen Li
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Su Lui
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.,Radiology Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Changjian Qiu
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Wei Zhang
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 GuoXue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
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25
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Wang X, Cheng B, Luo Q, Qiu L, Wang S. Gray Matter Structural Alterations in Social Anxiety Disorder: A Voxel-Based Meta-Analysis. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:449. [PMID: 30298028 PMCID: PMC6160565 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The current insight into the neurobiological pathogenesis underlying social anxiety disorder (SAD) is still rather limited. We implemented a meta-analysis to explore the neuroanatomical basis of SAD. We undertook a systematic search of studies comparing gray matter volume (GMV) differences between SAD patients and healthy controls (HC) using a whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach. The anisotropic effect size version of seed-based d mapping (AES-SDM) meta-analysis was conducted to explore the GMV differences of SAD patients compared with HC. We included eleven studies with 470 SAD patients and 522 HC in the current meta-analysis. In the main meta-analysis, relative to HC, SAD patients showed larger GMVs in the left precuneus, right middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and supplementary motor area (SMA), as well as smaller GMV in the left putamen. In the subgroup analyses, compared with controls, adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) with SAD exhibited larger GMVs in the left precuneus, right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), angular gyrus, middle temporal gyrus (MTG), MOG and SMA, as well as a smaller GMV in the left thalamus; SAD patients without comorbid depressive disorder exhibited larger GMVs in the left superior parietal gyrus and precuneus, right inferior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, MTG and superior temporal gyrus (STG), as well as a smaller GMV in the bilateral thalami; and currently drug-free patients with SAD exhibited a smaller GMV in the left thalamus compared with HC while no larger GMVs were found. For SAD patients with different clinical features, our study revealed directionally consistent larger cortical GMVs and smaller subcortical GMVs, including locationally consistent larger precuneus and thalamic deficits in the left brain. Age, comorbid depressive disorder and concomitant medication use of the patients might be potential confounders of SAD at the neuroanatomical level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuli Wang
- Department of Clinical Psychology, the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China
| | - Bochao Cheng
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiang Luo
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lihua Qiu
- Department of Radiology, the Second People's Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, China
| | - Song Wang
- Department of Clinical Psychology, the Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China.,Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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26
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Yang X, Liu J, Meng Y, Xia M, Cui Z, Wu X, Hu X, Zhang W, Gong G, Gong Q, Sweeney JA, He Y. Network analysis reveals disrupted functional brain circuitry in drug-naive social anxiety disorder. Neuroimage 2017; 190:213-223. [PMID: 29223742 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common and disabling condition characterized by excessive fear and avoidance of public scrutiny. Psychoradiology studies have suggested that the emotional and behavior deficits in SAD are associated with abnormalities in regional brain function and functional connectivity. However, little is known about whether intrinsic functional brain networks in patients with SAD are topologically disrupted. Here, we collected resting-state fMRI data from 33 drug-naive patients with SAD and 32 healthy controls (HC), constructed functional networks with 34 predefined regions based on previous meta-analytic research with task-based fMRI in SAD, and performed network-based statistic and graph-theory analyses. The network-based statistic analysis revealed a single connected abnormal circuitry including the frontolimbic circuit (termed the "fear circuit", including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventral medial prefrontal cortex and insula) and posterior cingulate/occipital areas supporting perceptual processing. In this single altered network, patients with SAD had higher functional connectivity than HC. At the global level, graph-theory analysis revealed that the patients exhibited a lower normalized characteristic path length than HC, which suggests a disorder-related shift of network topology toward randomized configurations. SAD-related deficits in nodal degree, efficiency and participation coefficient were detected in the parahippocampal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, insula and the calcarine sulcus. Aspects of abnormal connectivity were associated with anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the aberrant topological organization of functional brain network organization in SAD, which provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying excessive fear and avoidance of social interactions in patients with debilitating social anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xun Yang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jin Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yajing Meng
- Department of Psychiatry, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Mingrui Xia
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Zaixu Cui
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xi Wu
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xinyu Hu
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Gaolang Gong
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Department of Psychiatry, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Department of Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China.
| | - John A Sweeney
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45219, USA
| | - Yong He
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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27
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Harbort J, Spiegel J, Witthöft M, Hecht H. The effects of social pressure and emotional expression on the cone of gaze in patients with social anxiety disorder. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2017; 55:16-24. [PMID: 27883950 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Patients with social anxiety disorder suffer from pronounced fears in social situations. As gaze perception is crucial in these situations, we examined which factors influence the range of gaze directions where mutual gaze is experienced (the cone of gaze). METHODS The social stimulus was modified by changing the number of people (heads) present and the emotional expression of their faces. Participants completed a psychophysical task, in which they had to adjust the eyes of a virtual head to gaze at the edge of the range where mutual eye-contact was experienced. RESULTS The number of heads affected the width of the gaze cone: the more heads, the wider the gaze cone. The emotional expression of the virtual head had no consistent effect on the width of the gaze cone, it did however affect the emotional state of the participants. Angry expressions produced the highest arousal values. Highest valence emerged from happy faces, lowest valence from angry faces. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the widening of the gaze cone in social anxiety disorder is not primarily mediated by their altered emotional reactivity. Implications for gaze assessment and gaze training in therapeutic contexts are discussed. LIMITATIONS Due to interindividual variability, enlarged gaze cones are not necessarily indicative of social anxiety disorder, they merely constitute a correlate at the group level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Harbort
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Psychologisches Institut, Mainz, Germany
| | - Julia Spiegel
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Psychologisches Institut, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael Witthöft
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Psychologisches Institut, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heiko Hecht
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Psychologisches Institut, Mainz, Germany.
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28
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Burklund LJ, Torre JB, Lieberman MD, Taylor SE, Craske MG. Neural responses to social threat and predictors of cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy in social anxiety disorder. Psychiatry Res 2017; 261:52-64. [PMID: 28129556 PMCID: PMC5435374 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2016.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Previous research has often highlighted hyperactivity in emotion regions to simple, static social threat cues in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Investigation of the neurobiology of SAD using more naturalistic paradigms can further reveal underlying mechanisms and how these relate to clinical outcomes. We used fMRI to investigate responses to novel dynamic rejection stimuli in individuals with SAD (N=70) and healthy controls (HC; N=17), and whether these responses predicted treatment outcomes following cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Both HC and SAD groups reported greater distress to rejection compared to neutral social stimuli. At the neural level, HCs exhibited greater activations in social pain/rejection regions, including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula, to rejection stimuli. The SAD group evidenced a different pattern, with no differences in these rejection regions and relatively greater activations in the amygdala and other regions to neutral stimuli. Greater responses in anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala to rejection vs. neutral stimuli predicted better CBT outcomes. In contrast, enhanced activity in sensory-focused posterior insula predicted ACT responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa J Burklund
- University of California Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, United States.
| | - Jared B Torre
- University of California Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, United States
| | - Matthew D Lieberman
- University of California Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, United States
| | - Shelley E Taylor
- University of California Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, United States
| | - Michelle G Craske
- University of California Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, United States
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29
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Correlates of Social Exclusion in Social Anxiety Disorder: An fMRI study. Sci Rep 2017; 7:260. [PMID: 28325901 PMCID: PMC5428215 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00310-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive models posit that social anxiety disorder (SAD) is maintained by biased information-processing vis-à-vis threat of social exclusion. However, uncertainty still abounds regarding the very nature of this sensitivity to social exclusion in SAD. Especially, brain alterations related to social exclusion have not been explored in SAD. Our primary purpose was thus to determine both the self-report and neural correlates of social exclusion in this population. 23 patients with SAD and 23 matched nonanxious controls played a virtual game (“Cyberball”) during fMRI recording. Participants were first included by other players, then excluded, and finally re-included. At the behavioral level, patients with SAD exhibited significantly higher levels of social exclusion feelings than nonanxious controls. At the brain level, patients with SAD exhibited significantly higher activation within the left inferior frontal gyrus relative to nonanxious controls during the re-inclusion phase. Moreover, self-report of social exclusion correlates with the activity of this cluster among individuals qualifying for SAD diagnosis. Our pattern of findings lends strong support to the notion that SAD may be better portrayed by a poor ability to recover following social exclusion than during social exclusion per se. These findings value social neuroscience as an innovative procedure to gain new insight into the underlying mechanisms of SAD.
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30
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Bas-Hoogendam JM, Blackford JU, Brühl AB, Blair KS, van der Wee NJ, Westenberg PM. Neurobiological candidate endophenotypes of social anxiety disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 71:362-378. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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31
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Tadayonnejad R, Klumpp H, Ajilore O, Leow A, Phan KL. Aberrant pulvinar effective connectivity in generalized social anxiety disorder. Medicine (Baltimore) 2016; 95:e5358. [PMID: 27828859 PMCID: PMC5106065 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000005358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging findings in general social anxiety disorder (gSAD) have extended our understanding of the neural mechanisms of gSAD beyond an amygdala-centric fear-based hyperactivity model to include other brain regions and networks relevant to salient cues. In particular, higher order areas compromising visual networks that process emotional and social information have been implicated. The pulvinar anchors this network and is a key regulatory node that mediates complex sensory inputs and the integration between limbic and frontal brain systems. However, the role of the pulvinar and specifically alteration of its effective connectivity with the rest of the brain has not been examined in the pathophysiology of gSAD, a disorder characterized by aberrant socio-emotional processing. The main aim of this study was to examine the pulvinar network effective connectivity in gSAD. In this study, we recruited 21 individuals with gSAD and 19 demographically matched healthy controls (HC), who performed an emotional face processing task while brain activity was recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). To examine pulvinar-based network dynamics, Granger causality (GC) based effective connectivity (EC) analysis was applied on fMRI data to compare gSAD and HC. The EC analysis revealed heightened casual influential dynamics between pulvinar in higher order visual and frontal regions in gSAD. In conclusion, these preliminary data suggest a novel network-based cortico-pulvino-cortical neural mechanism in the pathophysiology of gSAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Tadayonnejad
- Department of Psychiatry
- Correspondence: Reza Tadayonnejad, Room # 27.432, 760 Westwood Plaza, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angles, CA 90024 (e-mail: )
| | - Heide Klumpp
- Department of Psychiatry
- Department of Psychology
| | | | - Alex Leow
- Department of Psychiatry
- Department of Bioengineering
| | - Kinh Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Mental Health Service Line, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL
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32
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Geiger MJ, Domschke K, Ipser J, Hattingh C, Baldwin DS, Lochner C, Stein DJ. Altered executive control network resting-state connectivity in social anxiety disorder. World J Biol Psychiatry 2016; 17:47-57. [PMID: 26452782 DOI: 10.3109/15622975.2015.1083613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Research into the neural basis of social anxiety disorder (SAD) suggests alterations in prefrontal networks, which may in turn disrupt regulation of the limbic system. Better understanding of the disturbed interface between these networks may improve current pathogenic models of this disorder. METHODS Applying group independent component analysis (ICA) to recordings of fMRI resting-state, connectivity in the executive control network was studied in 18 patients with SAD and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. RESULTS Results revealed a dissociation within the left executive control network, with SAD patients showing decreased connectivity of the orbitofrontal gyrus and increased connectivity of the middle frontal gyrus compared to healthy controls. In a subsequent seed-based functional connectivity analysis, patients with SAD displayed increased connectivity between the left orbitofrontal gyrus and the left amygdala. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that hypo-connectivity in the executive control network and hyper-connectivity between the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala may reflect a disturbance in the balance between top-down and bottom-up control processes, potentially contributing to the development of SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katharina Domschke
- a Department of Psychiatry , University of Wuerzburg , Wuerzburg , Germany
| | - Jonathan Ipser
- b Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health , University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Coenie Hattingh
- b Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health , University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - David S Baldwin
- b Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health , University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa.,c Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton , Southampton , UK
| | - Christine Lochner
- d MRC Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorders, Department of Psychiatry , University of Stellenbosch , Stellenbosch , South Africa
| | - Dan J Stein
- b Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health , University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa.,e Groote Schuur Hospital, MRC Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorders, University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa
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Clauss JA, Benningfield MM, Rao U, Blackford JU. Altered Prefrontal Cortex Function Marks Heightened Anxiety Risk in Children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2016; 55:809-16. [PMID: 27566122 PMCID: PMC5003319 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2016.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Anxiety disorders are prevalent and cause substantial disability. An important risk factor for anxiety disorders is inhibited temperament, the tendency to be shy and to avoid new situations. Inhibited adults have heightened amygdala activation and less flexible engagement of the prefrontal cortex (PFC); however, it remains unknown whether these brain alterations are present in inhibited children before the onset of anxiety disorders. METHOD A total of 37 children (18 inhibited and 19 uninhibited), 8 to 10 years of age, completed a task testing anticipation and viewing of threat stimuli and social stimuli in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Brain activation and functional connectivity were measured. RESULTS During the anticipation of threat stimuli, inhibited children failed to show the robust PFC engagement observed in the uninhibited children. In contrast, when viewing social stimuli, inhibited children had increased medial PFC and dorsolateral PFC activation. Connectivity analyses revealed a pattern of reduced connectivity between prefrontal and limbic regions and among distinct PFC regions in the inhibited group. The medial PFC emerged as a key hub of the altered PFC circuitry in inhibited children. CONCLUSION This study provides new evidence of a neural signature of vulnerability to anxiety disorders. By investigating both anticipation and response to images, we identified that high-risk, inhibited children have widespread alterations in PFC function and connectivity, characterized by an inability to proactively prepare for social threat combined with heightened reactivity to social stimuli. Thus, children at high risk for anxiety show significantly altered prefrontal cortical function and connectivity before the onset of anxiety disorders.
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Engel KR, Obst K, Bandelow B, Dechent P, Gruber O, Zerr I, Ulrich K, Wedekind D. Functional MRI activation in response to panic-specific, non-panic aversive, and neutral pictures in patients with panic disorder and healthy controls. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2016; 266:557-66. [PMID: 26585457 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-015-0653-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
There is evidence that besides limbic brain structures, prefrontal and insular cortical activations and deactivations are involved in the pathophysiology of panic disorder. This study investigated activation response patterns to stimulation with individually selected panic-specific pictures in patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) and healthy control subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Structures of interest were the prefrontal, cingulate, and insular cortex, and the amygdalo-hippocampal complex. Nineteen PDA subjects (10 females, 9 males) and 21 healthy matched controls were investigated using a Siemens 3-Tesla scanner. First, PDA subjects gave Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) ratings on 120 pictures showing characteristic panic/agoraphobia situations, of which 20 pictures with the individually highest SAM ratings were selected. Twenty matched pictures showing aversive but not panic-specific stimuli and 80 neutral pictures from the International Affective Picture System were chosen for each subject as controls. Each picture was shown twice in each of four subsequent blocks. Anxiety and depression ratings were recorded before and after the experiment. Group comparisons revealed a significantly greater activation in PDA patients than control subjects in the insular cortices, left inferior frontal gyrus, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, the left hippocampal formation, and left caudatum, when PA and N responses were compared. Comparisons for stimulation with unspecific aversive pictures showed activation of similar brain regions in both groups. Results indicate region-specific activations to panic-specific picture stimulation in PDA patients. They also imply dysfunctionality in the processing of interoceptive cues in PDA and the regulation of negative emotionality. Therefore, differences in the functional networks between PDA patients and control subjects should be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- K R Engel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Anxiety Research Unit, University of Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Strasse 5, 37075, Goettingen, Germany
| | - K Obst
- University clinik Schleswig-Holstein, Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Luebeck, Germany
| | - B Bandelow
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Anxiety Research Unit, University of Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Strasse 5, 37075, Goettingen, Germany
| | - P Dechent
- Core Facility MR-Research in Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of Cognitive Neurology, University of Goettingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, Goettingen, Germany
| | - O Gruber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Anxiety Research Unit, University of Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Strasse 5, 37075, Goettingen, Germany.,Department of Systemic Neurosciences, University of Goettingen, von-Siebold-Strasse 5, Goettingen, Germany
| | - I Zerr
- Department of Neurology, University of Goettingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, 37075, Goettingen, Germany
| | - K Ulrich
- Department of Neurology, University of Goettingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, 37075, Goettingen, Germany
| | - D Wedekind
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Anxiety Research Unit, University of Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Strasse 5, 37075, Goettingen, Germany.
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Wang T, Wang K, Qu H, Zhou J, Li Q, Deng Z, Du X, Lv F, Ren G, Guo J, Qiu J, Xie P. Disorganized cortical thickness covariance network in major depressive disorder implicated by aberrant hubs in large-scale networks. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27964. [PMID: 27302485 PMCID: PMC4908416 DOI: 10.1038/srep27964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder is associated with abnormal anatomical and functional connectivity, yet alterations in whole cortical thickness topology remain unknown. Here, we examined cortical thickness in medication-free adult depression patients (n = 76) and matched healthy controls (n = 116). Inter-regional correlation was performed to construct brain networks. By applying graph theory analysis, global (i.e., small-worldness) and regional (centrality) topology was compared between major depressive disorder patients and healthy controls. We found that in depression patients, topological organization of the cortical thickness network shifted towards randomness, and lower small-worldness was driven by a decreased clustering coefficient. Consistently, altered nodal centrality was identified in the isthmus of the cingulate cortex, insula, supra-marginal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and inferior parietal gyrus, all of which are components within the default mode, salience and central executive networks. Disrupted nodes anchored in the default mode and executive networks were associated with depression severity. The brain systems involved sustain core symptoms in depression and implicate a structural basis for depression. Our results highlight the possibility that developmental and genetic factors are crucial to understand the neuropathology of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Kangcheng Wang
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Hang Qu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jingjing Zhou
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qi Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhou Deng
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xue Du
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Fajin Lv
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Gaoping Ren
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jing Guo
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiang Qiu
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Peng Xie
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Holubova K, Kleteckova L, Skurlova M, Ricny J, Stuchlik A, Vales K. Rapamycin blocks the antidepressant effect of ketamine in task-dependent manner. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:2077-2097. [PMID: 27004790 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4256-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to test whether ketamine produces an antidepressant effect in animal model of olfactory bulbectomy and assess the role of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in ketamine's antidepressant effect. METHODS Bulbectomized (OBX) rats and sham controls were assigned to four subgroups according to the treatment they received (ketamine, saline, ketamine + rapamycin, and saline + rapamycin). The animals were subjected to open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM), passive avoidance (PA), Morris water maze (MWM), and Carousel maze (CM) tests. Blood samples were collected before and after drug administration for analysis of phosphorylated mTOR level. After behavioral testing, brains were removed for evaluation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. RESULTS Ketamine normalized hyperactivity of OBX animals in EPM and increased the time spent in open arms. Rapamycin pretreatment resulted in elimination of ketamine effect in EPM test. In CM test, ketamine + rapamycin administration led to cognitive impairment not observed in saline-, ketamine-, or saline + rapamycin-treated OBX rats. Prefrontal BDNF content was significantly decreased, and level of mTOR was significantly elevated in OBX groups. CONCLUSIONS OBX animals significantly differed from sham controls in most of the tests used. Treatment had more profound effect on OBX phenotype than controls. Pretreatment with rapamycin eliminated the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of ketamine in task-dependent manner. The results indicate that ketamine + rapamycin application resulted in impaired stress responses manifested by cognitive deficits in active place avoidance (CM) test. Intensity of stressor (mild vs. severe) used in the behavioral tests had opposite effect on controls and on OBX animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Holubova
- The Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220, Prague, Czech Republic.,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67 Klecany, Prague East, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Kleteckova
- The Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220, Prague, Czech Republic.,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67 Klecany, Prague East, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Skurlova
- The Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220, Prague, Czech Republic.,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67 Klecany, Prague East, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Ricny
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67 Klecany, Prague East, Czech Republic
| | - Ales Stuchlik
- The Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Vales
- The Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220, Prague, Czech Republic. .,National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67 Klecany, Prague East, Czech Republic.
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37
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Weidt S, Lutz J, Rufer M, Delsignore A, Jakob NJ, Herwig U, Bruehl AB. Common and differential alterations of general emotion processing in obsessive-compulsive and social anxiety disorder. Psychol Med 2016; 46:1427-1436. [PMID: 26804333 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291715002998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) are characterized by biased perception and processing of potentially threatening stimuli. A hyper-reactivity of the fear-circuit [e.g. amygdala, anterior cingulate (ACC)] has been consistently reported using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in SAD in comparison with healthy controls (HCs). Studies investigating the processing of specific emotional stimuli in OCD reported mainly orbitofrontal-striatal abnormalities. The goal of this study was to examine similar/common and differential neurobiological responses in OCD and SAD using unspecific emotional stimuli. METHOD Fifty-four subjects participated: two groups (each n = 18) of outpatients with a current diagnosis of OCD or SAD, and 18 HCs. All subjects underwent fMRI while anticipating and perceiving unspecific visual stimuli with prior announced emotional valence (e.g. positive). RESULTS Compared to HCs, the combined patient group showed increased activation in amygdala, caudate and prefrontal/orbitofrontal cortex while anticipating unspecific emotional stimuli. Caudate was more active in the combined patient group during perception. A comparison between the OCD and the SAD samples revealed increased amygdala and decreased rostral ACC activation in OCD patients during perception, but no differences in the anticipation phase. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we could identify common fronto-subcortical hyper-reactivity in OCD and SAD while anticipating and perceiving unspecific emotional stimuli. While differential neurobiological responses between OCD and SAD when processing specific stimuli are evident from the literature, differences were less pronounced using unspecific stimuli. This could indicate a disturbance of emotion regulation common to both OCD and SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Weidt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University Hospital,University of Zurich,Zurich,Switzerland
| | - J Lutz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics,Psychiatric Hospital,University of Zurich,Switzerland
| | - M Rufer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University Hospital,University of Zurich,Zurich,Switzerland
| | - A Delsignore
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University Hospital,University of Zurich,Zurich,Switzerland
| | - N J Jakob
- Sanatorium Kilchberg,Kilchberg,Switzerland
| | - U Herwig
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics,Psychiatric Hospital,University of Zurich,Switzerland
| | - A B Bruehl
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry,University of Cambridge,UK
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Heitmann CY, Feldker K, Neumeister P, Zepp BM, Peterburs J, Zwitserlood P, Straube T. Abnormal brain activation and connectivity to standardized disorder-related visual scenes in social anxiety disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:1559-72. [PMID: 26806013 PMCID: PMC6867294 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of altered emotional processing in social anxiety disorder (SAD) is hampered by a heterogeneity of findings, which is probably due to the vastly different methods and materials used so far. This is why the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated immediate disorder-related threat processing in 30 SAD patients and 30 healthy controls (HC) with a novel, standardized set of highly ecologically valid, disorder-related complex visual scenes. SAD patients rated disorder-related as compared with neutral scenes as more unpleasant, arousing and anxiety-inducing than HC. On the neural level, disorder-related as compared with neutral scenes evoked differential responses in SAD patients in a widespread emotion processing network including (para-)limbic structures (e.g. amygdala, insula, thalamus, globus pallidus) and cortical regions (e.g. dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and precuneus). Functional connectivity analysis yielded an altered interplay between PCC/precuneus and paralimbic (insula) as well as cortical regions (dmPFC, precuneus) in SAD patients, which emphasizes a central role for PCC/precuneus in disorder-related scene processing. Hyperconnectivity of globus pallidus with amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) additionally underlines the relevance of this region in socially anxious threat processing. Our findings stress the importance of specific disorder-related stimuli for the investigation of altered emotion processing in SAD. Disorder-related threat processing in SAD reveals anomalies at multiple stages of emotion processing which may be linked to increased anxiety and to dysfunctionally elevated levels of self-referential processing reported in previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Yvonne Heitmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, MuensterGermany
| | - Katharina Feldker
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, MuensterGermany
| | - Paula Neumeister
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, MuensterGermany
| | - Britta Maria Zepp
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, MuensterGermany
| | - Jutta Peterburs
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, MuensterGermany
| | | | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, MuensterGermany
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39
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Qiu C, Feng Y, Meng Y, Liao W, Huang X, Lui S, Zhu C, Chen H, Gong Q, Zhang W. Analysis of Altered Baseline Brain Activity in Drug-Naive Adult Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder Using Resting-State Functional MRI. Psychiatry Investig 2015; 12. [PMID: 26207132 PMCID: PMC4504921 DOI: 10.4306/pi.2015.12.3.372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We hypothesize that the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) is involved in the altered regional baseline brain function in social anxiety disorder (SAD). The aim of the study was to analyze the altered baseline brain activity in drug-naive adult patients with SAD. METHODS We investigated spontaneous and baseline brain activities by obtaining the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 20 drug-naïve adult SAD patients and 19 healthy controls. Voxels were used to analyze the ALFF values using one- and two-sample t-tests. A post-hoc correlation of clinical symptoms was also performed. RESULTS Our findings show decreased ALFF in the bilateral insula, left medial superior frontal gyrus, left precuneus, left middle temporal gyrus, right middle temporal pole, and left fusiform gyrus of the SAD group. The SAD patients exhibited significantly increased ALFF in the right inferior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, bilateral middle occipital gyrus, orbital superior frontal gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, right medial superior frontal gyrus, and left parahippocampal gyrus. Moreover, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale results for the SAD patients were positively correlated with the mean Z values of the right middle occipital and right inferior occipital but showed a negative correlation with the mean Z values of the right superior temporal gyrus and right medial superior frontal gyrus. CONCLUSION These results of the altered regional baseline brain function in SAD suggest that the regions with abnormal spontaneous activities are involved in the underlying pathophysiology of SAD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changjian Qiu
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Yuan Feng
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
- Depression Treatment Center, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yajing Meng
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Wei Liao
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Xiaoqi Huang
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Su Lui
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Chunyan Zhu
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
- Department of Psychiatry, Hangzhou Seventh People Hospital, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Huafu Chen
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China
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Yokoyama C, Kaiya H, Kumano H, Kinou M, Umekage T, Yasuda S, Takei K, Nishikawa M, Sasaki T, Nishimura Y, Hara N, Inoue K, Kaneko Y, Suzuki SI, Tanii H, Okada M, Okazaki Y. Dysfunction of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex underlying social anxiety disorder: A multi-channel NIRS study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2015; 8:455-61. [PMID: 26106570 PMCID: PMC4474365 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2015.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by strong fear and anxiety during social interactions. Although ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity in response to emotional stimuli is related to pathological anxiety, little is known about the relationship between VLPFC activity and social anxiety. This study aimed to investigate whether VLPFC activity was involved in SAD and whether VLPFC activity was related to the level of social anxiety. Twenty-four drug-naïve patients with SAD and 35 healthy controls underwent near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) scanning while performing a verbal fluency task (VFT). Results indicated that, compared to the healthy controls, the SAD patients exhibited smaller changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in the VLPFC during the VFT. Furthermore, the right VLPFC activation was negatively correlated with social avoidance. In contrast to the latter, the healthy controls exhibited a positive correlation between changes of oxy-Hb concentrations in the bilateral VLPFC and social fear. Our findings provide evidence for VLPFC dysfunction in SAD, and indicate that the VLPFC dysfunction may contribute to the difference between normal and abnormal social anxiety. We investigated ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity induced by the performance of the verbal fluency task. Smaller changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in bilateral VLPFC in SAD patients Negative correlation between changes of oxy-Hb concentrations in right VLPFC and social avoidance in SAD patients Positive correlation between changes of oxy-Hb concentrations in bilateral VLPFC and social fear in healthy subjects
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Affiliation(s)
- Chika Yokoyama
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Mie, Japan
- Corresponding author at: Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, BIC Akasaka bldg. 6F 3-9-18 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan. Tel.: +81 3 5575 8198; fax: +81 3 3584 3433.
| | - Hisanobu Kaiya
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Kumano
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan
- Institute of Applied Brain Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Masaru Kinou
- Ohara Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine, Saitama, Japan
| | - Tadashi Umekage
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Division for Environment, Health and Safety, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shin Yasuda
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Neural Plasticity Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Kanagawa Psychiatric Center, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kunio Takei
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Office for Mental Health Support, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masami Nishikawa
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Social Education, Kawamura Gakuen Women's University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Tsukasa Sasaki
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory of Health Education, Graduate School of Education, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukika Nishimura
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naomi Hara
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ken Inoue
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Japan
| | - Yui Kaneko
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Shin-ichi Suzuki
- Akasaka Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychiatry, Medical Corporation Warakukai, Tokyo, Japan
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hisashi Tanii
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Mie, Japan
| | - Motohiro Okada
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Mie, Japan
| | - Yuji Okazaki
- Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
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Manning J, Reynolds G, Saygin ZM, Hofmann SG, Pollack M, Gabrieli JDE, Whitfield-Gabrieli S. Altered resting-state functional connectivity of the frontal-striatal reward system in social anxiety disorder. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125286. [PMID: 25928647 PMCID: PMC4416052 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated differences in the intrinsic functional brain organization (functional connectivity) of the human reward system between healthy control participants and patients with social anxiety disorder. Functional connectivity was measured in the resting-state via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). 53 patients with social anxiety disorder and 33 healthy control participants underwent a 6-minute resting-state fMRI scan. Functional connectivity of the reward system was analyzed by calculating whole-brain temporal correlations with a bilateral nucleus accumbens seed and a ventromedial prefrontal cortex seed. Patients with social anxiety disorder, relative to the control group, had (1) decreased functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens seed and other regions associated with reward, including ventromedial prefrontal cortex; (2) decreased functional connectivity between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex seed and lateral prefrontal regions, including the anterior and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices; and (3) increased functional connectivity between both the nucleus accumbens seed and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex seed with more posterior brain regions, including anterior cingulate cortex. Social anxiety disorder appears to be associated with widespread differences in the functional connectivity of the reward system, including markedly decreased functional connectivity between reward regions and between reward regions and lateral prefrontal cortices, and markedly increased functional connectivity between reward regions and posterior brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Manning
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Gretchen Reynolds
- Poitras Center for Affective Disorders Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Zeynep M. Saygin
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Stefan G. Hofmann
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mark Pollack
- Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Poitras Center for Affective Disorders Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Poitras Center for Affective Disorders Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
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42
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Talati A, Pantazatos SP, Hirsch J, Schneier F. A pilot study of gray matter volume changes associated with paroxetine treatment and response in social anxiety disorder. Psychiatry Res 2015; 231:279-85. [PMID: 25659476 PMCID: PMC4363180 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2014] [Revised: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) has received relatively little attention in neurobiological studies. We sought to identify neuro-anatomical changes associated with successful treatment for the disorder. Fourteen patients (31 years; 57% female) with DSM-IV generalized SAD were imaged before and after 8-weeks of paroxetine treatment on a 1.5 T GE Signa MRI scanner. Symptoms were assessed by a clinician using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Longitudinal changes in voxel based morphometry (VBM) were determined using the VBM8 Toolbox for SPM8. Symptom severity decreased by 46% following treatment (p<0.001). At week 8, significant gray matter reductions were detected in bilateral caudate and putamen, and right thalamus, and increases in the cerebellum. Gray matter decreases in left thalamus were correlated with clinical response. This is the first study to our knowledge to identify treatment related correlates of symptom improvement for SAD. Replication in larger samples with control groups is needed to confirm these findings, as well as to test their specificity and temporal stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ardesheer Talati
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Division of Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Spiro P. Pantazatos
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA,Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joy Hirsch
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven CT, USA
| | - Franklin Schneier
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA,Division of Clinical Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
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43
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Duval ER, Javanbakht A, Liberzon I. Neural circuits in anxiety and stress disorders: a focused review. Ther Clin Risk Manag 2015; 11:115-26. [PMID: 25670901 PMCID: PMC4315464 DOI: 10.2147/tcrm.s48528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety and stress disorders are among the most prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders. In recent years, multiple studies have examined brain regions and networks involved in anxiety symptomatology in an effort to better understand the mechanisms involved and to develop more effective treatments. However, much remains unknown regarding the specific abnormalities and interactions between networks of regions underlying anxiety disorder presentations. We examined recent neuroimaging literature that aims to identify neural mechanisms underlying anxiety, searching for patterns of neural dysfunction that might be specific to different anxiety disorder categories. Across different anxiety and stress disorders, patterns of hyperactivation in emotion-generating regions and hypoactivation in prefrontal/regulatory regions are common in the literature. Interestingly, evidence of differential patterns is also emerging, such that within a spectrum of disorders ranging from more fear-based to more anxiety-based, greater involvement of emotion-generating regions is reported in panic disorder and specific phobia, and greater involvement of prefrontal regions is reported in generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. We summarize the pertinent literature and suggest areas for continued investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Duval
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Arash Javanbakht
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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44
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Nordenankar K, Bergfors A, Wallén-Mackenzie Å. Targeted deletion of Vglut2 expression in the embryonal telencephalon promotes an anxiolytic phenotype of the adult mouse. Ups J Med Sci 2015; 120:144-56. [PMID: 25857802 PMCID: PMC4526870 DOI: 10.3109/03009734.2015.1032454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety is a natural emotion experienced by all individuals. However, when anxiety becomes excessive, it contributes to the substantial group of anxiety disorders that affect one in three people and thus are among the most common psychiatric disorders. Anxiolysis, the reduction of anxiety, is mediated via several large groups of therapeutical compounds, but the relief is often only temporary, and increased knowledge of the neurobiology underlying anxiety is needed in order to improve future therapies. AIM We previously demonstrated that mice lacking forebrain expression of the Vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) from adolescence showed a strong anxiolytic behaviour as adults. In the current study, we wished to analyse if removal of Vglut2 expression already from mid-gestation of the mouse embryo would give rise to similar anxiolysis in the adult mouse. METHODS We produced transgenic mice lacking Vglut2 from mid-gestation and analysed their affective behaviour, including anxiety, when they had reached adulthood. RESULTS The transgenic mice lacking Vglut2 expression from mid-gestation showed certain signs of anxiolytic behaviour, but this phenotype was not as prominent as when Vglut2 was removed during adolescence. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that both embryonal and adolescent forebrain expression of Vglut2 normally contributes to balancing the level of anxiety. As the neurobiological basis for anxiety is similar across species, our results in mice may help improve the current understanding of the neurocircuitry of anxiety, and hence anxiolysis, also in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Nordenankar
- Department of Neuroscience, Unit of Functional Neurobiology and Unit of Developmental Genetics, Uppsala University, Box 593, S-75214 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Assar Bergfors
- Department of Neuroscience, Unit of Functional Neurobiology and Unit of Developmental Genetics, Uppsala University, Box 593, S-75214 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Åsa Wallén-Mackenzie
- Department of Neuroscience, Unit of Functional Neurobiology and Unit of Developmental Genetics, Uppsala University, Box 593, S-75214 Uppsala, Sweden
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Laeger I, Dobel C, Radenz B, Kugel H, Keuper K, Eden A, Arolt V, Zwitserlood P, Dannlowski U, Zwanzger P. Of 'disgrace' and 'pain'--corticolimbic interaction patterns for disorder-relevant and emotional words in social phobia. PLoS One 2014; 9:e109949. [PMID: 25396729 PMCID: PMC4232246 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/13/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Limbic hyperactivation and an impaired functional interplay between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex are discussed to go along with, or even cause, pathological anxiety. Within the multi-faceted group of anxiety disorders, the highly prevalent social phobia (SP) is characterized by excessive fear of being negatively evaluated. Although there is widespread evidence for amygdala hypersensitivity to emotional faces in SP, verbal material has rarely been used in imaging studies, in particular with an eye on disorder-specificity. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a block design consisting of (1) overall negative, (2) social-phobia related, (3) positive, and (4) neutral words, we studied 25 female patients with social phobia and 25 healthy female control subjects (HC). Results demonstrated amygdala hyperactivation to disorder-relevant but not to generally negative words in SP patients, with a positive correlation to symptom severity. A functional connectivity analysis revealed a weaker coupling between the amygdala and the left middle frontal gyrus in patients. Symptom severity was negatively related to connectivity strength between the amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex (Brodmann Area 10 and 11). The findings clearly support the view of a hypersensitive threat-detection system, combined with disorder-related alterations in amygdala-prefrontal cortex connectivity in pathological anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga Laeger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christian Dobel
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Britta Radenz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Harald Kugel
- Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Kati Keuper
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Annuschka Eden
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Volker Arolt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Udo Dannlowski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Peter Zwanzger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- kbo-Inn-Salzach-Hospital, Wasserburg am Inn, Germany
- * E-mail:
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46
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Neuroimaging in social anxiety disorder—A meta-analytic review resulting in a new neurofunctional model. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 47:260-80. [PMID: 25124509 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2014] [Revised: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 08/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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47
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Clauss JA, Avery SN, VanDerKlok RM, Rogers BP, Cowan RL, Benningfield MM, Blackford JU. Neurocircuitry underlying risk and resilience to social anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety 2014; 31:822-33. [PMID: 24753211 PMCID: PMC4314099 DOI: 10.1002/da.22265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2013] [Revised: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Almost half of children with an inhibited temperament will develop social anxiety disorder by late adolescence. Importantly, this means that half of children with an inhibited temperament will not develop social anxiety disorder. Studying adults with an inhibited temperament provides a unique opportunity to identify neural signatures of both risk and resilience to social anxiety disorder. METHODS Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activation during the anticipation of viewing fear faces in 34 young adults (17 inhibited, 17 uninhibited). To identify neural signatures of risk, we tested for group differences in functional activation and connectivity in regions implicated in social anxiety disorder, including the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and insula. To identify neural signatures of resilience, we tested for correlations between brain activation and both emotion regulation and social anxiety scores. RESULTS Inhibited subjects had greater activation of a prefrontal network when anticipating viewing fear faces, relative to uninhibited subjects. No group differences were identified in the amygdala. Inhibited subjects had more negative connectivity between the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the bilateral amygdala. Within the inhibited group, those with fewer social anxiety symptoms and better emotion regulation skills had greater ACC activation and greater functional connectivity between the ACC and amygdala. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that engaging regulatory prefrontal regions during anticipation may be a protective factor, or putative neural marker of resilience, in high-risk individuals. Cognitive training targeting prefrontal cortex function may provide protection against anxiety, especially in high-risk individuals, such as those with inhibited temperament.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A. Clauss
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University
,Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
| | - Suzanne N. Avery
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University
,Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
| | | | - Baxter P. Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
,Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University
| | - Ronald L. Cowan
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
,Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
,Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
| | | | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
,Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
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48
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Heitmann CY, Peterburs J, Mothes-Lasch M, Hallfarth MC, Böhme S, Miltner WHR, Straube T. Neural correlates of anticipation and processing of performance feedback in social anxiety. Hum Brain Mapp 2014; 35:6023-31. [PMID: 25099708 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear of negative evaluation, such as negative social performance feedback, is the core symptom of social anxiety. The present study investigated the neural correlates of anticipation and perception of social performance feedback in social anxiety. High (HSA) and low (LSA) socially anxious individuals were asked to give a speech on a personally relevant topic and received standardized but appropriate expert performance feedback in a succeeding experimental session in which neural activity was measured during anticipation and presentation of negative and positive performance feedback concerning the speech performance, or a neutral feedback-unrelated control condition. HSA compared to LSA subjects reported greater anxiety during anticipation of negative feedback. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results showed deactivation of medial prefrontal brain areas during anticipation of negative feedback relative to the control and the positive condition, and medial prefrontal and insular hyperactivation during presentation of negative as well as positive feedback in HSA compared to LSA subjects. The results indicate distinct processes underlying feedback processing during anticipation and presentation of feedback in HSA as compared to LSA individuals. In line with the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in self-referential information processing and the insula in interoception, social anxiety seems to be associated with lower self-monitoring during feedback anticipation, and an increased self-focus and interoception during feedback presentation, regardless of feedback valence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Y Heitmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
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49
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Wood KH, Ver Hoef LW, Knight DC. The amygdala mediates the emotional modulation of threat-elicited skin conductance response. Emotion 2014; 14:693-700. [PMID: 24866521 PMCID: PMC4115032 DOI: 10.1037/a0036636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The ability to respond adaptively to threats in a changing environment is an important emotional function. The amygdala is a critical component of the neural circuit that mediates many emotion-related processes, and thus likely plays an important role in modulating the peripheral emotional response to threat. However, prior research has largely focused on the amygdala's response to stimuli that signal impending threat, giving less attention to the amygdala's response to the threat itself. From a functional perspective, however, it is the response to the threat itself that is most biologically relevant. Thus, understanding the factors that influence the amygdala's response to threat is critical for a complete understanding of adaptive emotional processes. Therefore, we used functional MRI to investigate factors (i.e., valence and arousal of co-occurring visual stimuli) that influence the amygdala's response to threat (loud white noise). We also assessed whether changes in amygdala activity varied with the peripheral expression of emotion (indexed via skin conductance response; SCR). The results showed that threat-elicited amygdala activation varied with the arousal, not valence, of emotional images. More specifically, threat-elicited amygdala activation was larger to the threat when presented during high-arousal (i.e., negative and positive) versus low-arousal (i.e., neutral) images. Further, the threat-elicited amygdala response was positively correlated with threat-elicited SCR. These findings indicate the amygdala's response to threat is modified by the nature (e.g., arousal) of other stimuli in the environment. In turn, the amygdala appears to mediate important aspects of the peripheral emotional response to threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly H. Wood
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233
| | - Lawrence W. Ver Hoef
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine; Birmingham VA Medical Center
| | - David C. Knight
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233
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50
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Gaebler M, Daniels JK, Lamke JP, Fydrich T, Walter H. Behavioural and neural correlates of self-focused emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2014; 39:249-58. [PMID: 24690369 PMCID: PMC4074236 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.130080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In healthy individuals, voluntary modification of self-relevance has proven effective in regulating subjective emotional experience as well as physiologic responses evoked by emotive stimuli. As social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by both altered emotional and self-related processing, we tested if emotion regulation through self-focused reappraisal is effective in individuals with SAD. METHODS While undergoing 3 T functional magnetic resonance imaging, individuals with SAD and matched healthy controls either passively viewed neutral and aversive pictures or actively increased or decreased their negative emotional experience through the modification of self-relevance or personal distance to aversive pictures. Participants rated all pictures with regard to the intensity of elicited emotions and self-relatedness. RESULTS We included 21 individuals with SAD and 23 controls in our study. Individuals with SAD reported significantly stronger emotional intensity across conditions and showed a nonsignificant tendency to judge pictures as more self-related than controls. Compared with controls, individuals with SAD showed an overactivation in bilateral temporoparietal regions and in the posterior midcingulate cortex during the passive viewing of aversive compared with neutral pictures. During instructed emotion regulation, activation patterns normalized and no significant group differences were detected. LIMITATIONS As no positive pictures were presented, results might be limited to the regulation of negative emotion. CONCLUSION During passive viewing of aversive images, individuals with SAD showed evidence of neural hyperreactivity that may be interpreted as increased bodily self-consciousness and heightened perspective-taking. During voluntary increase and decrease of negative emotional intensity, group differences disappeared, suggesting self-focused reappraisal as a successful emotion regulation strategy for individuals with SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Judith K. Daniels
- Correspondence to: J.K. Daniels or H. Walter, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, Charité —Universitätsmedizin Berlin Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany; or
| | | | | | - Henrik Walter
- Correspondence to: J.K. Daniels or H. Walter, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, Charité —Universitätsmedizin Berlin Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany; or
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