The role of day-to-day emotions, sleep, and social interactions in pediatric anxiety treatment

Identifying subgroups with differential response to CBASP versus Escitalopram during the first eight weeks of treatment in outpatients with persistent depressive disorder

There exists little empirical evidence helping clinicians to select the most effective treatment for individual patients with persistent depressive disorder (PDD). This study identifies and characterizes subgroups of patients with PDD who are likely to benefit more from an acute treatment with psychotherapy than from pharmacotherapy and vice versa. Non-medicated outpatients with PDD were randomized to eight weeks of acute treatment with the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP; n = 29) or escitalopram plus clinical management (ESC/CM; n = 31). We combined several baseline variables to one composite moderator and identified two subgroups of patients: for 56.0%, ESC/CM was associated with a greater reduction in depression severity than CBASP, for the remaining 44.0%, it was the other way around. Patients likely to benefit more from ESC/CM were more often female, had higher rates of moderate-to-severe childhood trauma, more adverse life events and more previous suicide attempts. Patients likely to benefit more from CBASP were older, had more often an early illness onset and more previous treatments with antidepressants. Symptomatic response, remission, and reductions in symptom severity occurred more often in those patients treated with their likely more effective treatment condition. The findings suggest that the baseline phenotype of patients with PDD moderates their benefit from acute treatment with CBASP relative to ESC/CM. Once confirmed in an independent sample, these results could serve to guide the choice between primarily psychotherapeutic or pharmacological treatments for outpatients with PDD.

Novel digital methods for gathering intensive time series data in mental health research: scoping review of a rapidly evolving field

Recent technological advances enable the collection of intensive longitudinal data. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of methods for collecting intensive time series data in mental health research as well as basic principles, current applications, target constructs, and statistical methods for this type of data.In January 2021, the database MEDLINE was searched. Original articles were identified that (1) used active or passive data collection methods to gather intensive longitudinal data in daily life, (2) had a minimum sample size of N ⩾ 100 participants, and (3) included individuals with subclinical or clinical mental health problems.In total, 3799 original articles were identified, of which 174 met inclusion criteria. The most widely used methods were diary techniques (e.g. Experience Sampling Methodology), various types of sensors (e.g. accelerometer), and app usage data. Target constructs included affect, various symptom domains, cognitive processes, sleep, dysfunctional behaviour, physical activity, and social media use. There was strong evidence on feasibility of, and high compliance with, active and passive data collection methods in diverse clinical settings and groups. Study designs, sampling schedules, and measures varied considerably across studies, limiting the generalisability of findings.Gathering intensive longitudinal data has significant potential to advance mental health research. However, more methodological research is required to establish and meet critical quality standards in this rapidly evolving field. Advanced approaches such as digital phenotyping, ecological momentary interventions, and machine-learning methods will be required to efficiently use intensive longitudinal data and deliver personalised digital interventions and services for improving public mental health.

International pooled patient-level meta-analysis of ketamine infusion for depression: In search of clinical moderators

Depression is disabling and highly prevalent. Intravenous (IV) ketamine displays rapid-onset antidepressant properties, but little is known regarding which patients are most likely to benefit, limiting personalized prescriptions. We identified randomized controlled trials of IV ketamine that recruited individuals with a relevant psychiatric diagnosis (e.g., unipolar or bipolar depression; post-traumatic stress disorder), included one or more control arms, did not provide any other study-administered treatment in conjunction with ketamine (although clinically prescribed concurrent treatments were allowable), and assessed outcome using either the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale or the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17). Individual patient-level data for at least one outcome was obtained from 17 of 25 eligible trials [pooled n = 809]. Rates of participant-level data availability across 33 moderators that were solicited from these 17 studies ranged from 10.8% to 100% (median = 55.6%). After data harmonization, moderators available in at least 40% of the dataset were tested sequentially, as well as with a data-driven, combined moderator approach. Robust main effects of ketamine on acute [~24-hours; β*(95% CI) = 0.58 (0.44, 0.72); p < 0.0001] and post-acute [~7 days; β*(95% CI) = 0.38 (0.23, 0.54); p < 0.0001] depression severity were observed. Two study-level moderators emerged as significant: ketamine effects (relative to placebo) were larger in studies that required a higher degree of previous treatment resistance to federal regulatory agency-approved antidepressant medications (≥2 failed trials) for study entry; and in studies that used a crossover design. A comprehensive data-driven search for combined moderators identified statistically significant, but modest and clinically uninformative, effects (effect size r ≤ 0.29, a small-medium effect). Ketamine robustly reduces depressive symptoms in a heterogeneous range of patients, with benefit relative to placebo even greater in patients more resistant to prior medications. In this largest effort to date to apply precision medicine approaches to ketamine treatment, no clinical or demographic patient-level features were detected that could be used to guide ketamine treatment decisions.Review Registration: PROSPERO Identifier: CRD42021235630.

The Relationship between Mobile Phone Anxiety and Sleep Quality Occupational Therapy in Adolescents and Its Internal Mechanism

With the development of the Internet era, the application of smartphones in life is quite useful, and the penetration rate of smartphones will be further increased in the future, making teenagers increasingly dependent on mobile phones. Teenagers are under great academic pressure, and excessive reliance on mobile phones will inevitably affect the formation of normal values. Teenagers, as a special group, deserve our attention. Mobile phone dependence has become a social problem. In this paper, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to evaluate the sleep quality of adolescents, and the factors affecting the sleep quality of adolescents were explored from three dimensions of behaviour, physiology, and emotion based on the sleep quality model. In this study, structural equation modelling was used to test the multiple mediating effects and analyze the relationship between mobile phone anxiety and sleep quality. Through the analysis of the internal mechanism of the two, the results show that the average score of adolescents' anxiety about mobile phone use is 32.87, and the standard deviation is 10.67. The difference between mobile phone anxiety and sleep quality was statistically significant (P < 0.001); good sleep quality can alleviate the prediction effect of mobile phone anxiety on anxiety and provide reference for promoting the physical and mental health development of adolescents.

Sleep to Internalizing Pathway in Young Adolescents (SIPYA): A proposed neurodevelopmental model

The prevalence of internalizing disorders, i.e., anxiety and depressive disorders, spikes in adolescence and has been increasing amongst adolescents despite the existence of evidence-based treatments, highlighting the need for advancing theories on how internalizing disorders emerge. The current review presents a theoretical model, called the Sleep to Internalizing Pathway in Young Adolescents (SIPYA) Model, to explain how risk factors, namely sleep-related problems (SRPs), are prospectively associated with internalizing disorders in adolescence. Specifically, SRPs during late childhood and early adolescence, around the initiation of pubertal development, contribute to the interruption of intrinsic brain networks dynamics, both within the default mode network and between the default mode network and other networks in the brain. This interruption leaves adolescents vulnerable to repetitive negative thought, such as worry or rumination, which then increases vulnerability to internalizing symptoms and disorders later in adolescence. Sleep-related behaviors are observable, modifiable, low-stigma, and beneficial beyond treating internalizing psychopathology, highlighting the intervention potential associated with understanding the neurodevelopmental impact of SRPs around the transition to adolescence. This review details support for the SIPYA Model, as well as gaps in the literature and future directions.

Changes in Affective Network Variability Among Youth Treated for Anxiety Disorders

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an efficacious treatment for youth anxiety, but we need to know more about the process of change. Affective network variability, or the "spread" of positive and negative emotions activated across a given time period, has been found to be positively associated with anxiety disorder symptomatology, but it is not yet known how this construct changes in response to intervention or its association with anxiety-focused treatment outcomes. The present study used a dynamical systems framework to model ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data collected via a cellular telephone from 114 youth aged 9-14 years (M_age = 10.94, SD = 1.46) who were seeking treatment for a primary anxiety disorder. We examined patterns of affective network variability over time and across (a) CBT and (b) client-centered therapy (CCT) to determine whether affective network changes were specific to CBT or due to nonspecific factors. Associations between treatment outcomes and patterns of affect at pretreatment and over the course of the treatments were also examined. Results revealed significant decreases in affective network variability over the course of treatment for youth who received CBT, but not for youth who received CCT. Changes in affective network variability over the course of treatment did not predict treatment outcomes. Findings provide initial support for the dynamical systems approach to examining changes that occur during treatment. Implications and future research are discussed.

Anxiety and Sleep Quality Amelioration in College Students: A Comparative Study between Team Sports and Individual Sports

Background: Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders and is often accompanied by sleep disturbances. Studies have focused on the ameliorative effect of sports games on anxiety and its subsidiary issues. However, the effect on the improvement of such mental and physical disorders between individual sports and team group sports is not yet clear, especially regarding their effects on anxiety and sleep quality improvement. Therefore, this paper explores the improvement effects of individual sports and team sports participation on anxiety symptoms and sleep quality amelioration. Objective: To explore the effects of individual and team group sports participation on ameliorating college students’ anxiety symptoms and sleep quality. Methods: A total of 197 college students were sampled in the study. The self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) were used to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms and level of sleep quality. Participants were randomly divided into three groups: team sports, individual sports, and control groups. The distribution ratio of these groups was 1:1:1. Results: Generally, compared with the control group, the subjects in the team sports group and individual sports group had greater improvements in anxiety amelioration and sleep quality improvements. Specifically, the improvement effect between individual and team sports groups was different. To assess the resulting differences, improvements in anxiety symptoms and sleep quality were compared between the team sports group and the individual sports group with reference to the mean change in the control group. In the corrected model, the odds advantage ratio (OR) of anxiety symptom improvement after individual sports was 3.18 (CI 2.87–11.21), and the advantage OR of anxiety symptom improvement after team sports was 4.99 (CI 4.06–14.87). The advantage OR of sleep quality improvement after individual sports was 7.32 (CI 5.53–18.22), and the advantage OR of anxiety symptom improvement after team sports was 7.98 (CI 6.69–19.98). Conclusion: After 6 weeks of intervention, it was found that both team sports and individual sports improved anxiety symptoms and sleep quality with different effects. Team sports were better at improving anxiety, while individual sports and team sports shared the same improvement effect with no significant difference in sleep quality improvement.

Interactions between Sleep and Emotions in Humans and Animal Models

Recently, increased interest and efforts were observed in describing the possible interaction between sleep and emotions. Human and animal model studies addressed the implication of both sleep patterns and emotional processing in neurophysiology and neuropathology in suggesting a bidirectional interaction intimately modulated by complex mechanisms and factors. In this context, we aimed to discuss recent evidence and possible mechanisms implicated in this interaction, as provided by both human and animal models in studies. In addition, considering the affective component of brain physiological patterns, we aimed to find reasonable evidence in describing the two-way association between comorbid sleep impairments and psychiatric disorders. The main scientific literature databases (PubMed/Medline, Web of Science) were screened with keyword combinations for relevant content taking into consideration only English written papers and the inclusion and exclusion criteria, according to PRISMA guidelines. We found that a strong modulatory interaction between sleep processes and emotional states resides on the activity of several key brain structures, such as the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and brainstem nuclei. In addition, evidence suggested that physiologically and behaviorally related mechanisms of sleep are intimately interacting with emotional perception and processing which could advise the key role of sleep in the unconscious character of emotional processes. However, further studies are needed to explain and correlate the functional analysis with causative and protective factors of sleep impairments and negative emotional modulation on neurophysiologic processing, mental health, and clinical contexts.

Effect of early intervention for anxiety on sleep outcomes in adolescents: a randomized trial

The potential effect of early intervention for anxiety on sleep outcomes was examined in a sample of adolescents with anxiety (N = 313, mean 14.0 years, SD = 0.84, 84% girls, 95.7% Norwegians). Participants were randomized to one of three conditions: a brief or a standard-length cognitive-behavioral group-intervention (GCBT), or a waitlist control-group (WL). Interventions were delivered at schools, during school hours. Adolescents with elevated anxiety were recruited by school health services. Questionnaires on self-reported anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and sleep characteristics were administered at pre- and post-intervention, post-waitlist, and at 1-year follow-up. Adolescents reported reduced insomnia (odds ratio (OR) = 0.42, p < 0.001) and shorter sleep onset latency (d = 0.27, p <  0.001) from pre- to post-intervention. For insomnia, this effect was maintained at 1-year follow-up (OR = 0.54, p = 0.020). However, no effect of GCBT on sleep outcomes was found when comparing GCBT and WL. Also, no difference was found in sleep outcomes between brief and standard-length interventions. Adolescents defined as responders (i.e., having improved much or very much on anxiety after GCBT), did not differ from non-responders regarding sleep outcomes. Thus, anxiety-focused CBT, delivered in groups, showed no effect on sleep outcomes. Strategies specifically targeting sleep problems in adolescents should be included in GCBT when delivered as early intervention for adolescents with elevated anxiety.Trial registry Clinical trial registration: School Based Low-intensity Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Anxious Youth (LIST); http://clinicalrials.gov/ ; NCT02279251, Date: 11.31. 2014.

Youth Psychopathology in Daily Life: Systematically Reviewed Characteristics and Potentials of Ecological Momentary Assessment Applications

Traditionally, symptoms of youth psychopathology are assessed with questionnaires, clinical interviews, or laboratory observations. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) could be a particularly valuable additional methodology, since EMA enables examining the daily lives of youths near real-time, considering fluctuations and specific contexts of symptoms. This systematic review aimed to review the characteristics of current EMA applications and to provide a synthesis of their potential in studying youth psychopathology. Following a systematic search in PsycInfo and Medline, we identified 50 studies in clinical samples. Most studies used EMA to examine fluctuations in symptoms, affect, and behavior, and the relation with contextual factors. EMA was also used to investigate interactions between parents and their children over time, and to monitor and predict treatment response. EMA appeared feasible in youth and could provide valuable insights that contribute to understanding youth psychopathology. Benefits, gaps, and suggestions for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Treatment Implications of Sleep-Related Problems in Pediatric Anxiety Disorders: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Pediatric anxiety disorders and sleep-related problems (SRPs) are highly prevalent and are associated with serious health or psychopathological consequences. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of the current evidence of the associations between anxiety disorders and SRPs, to examine how this relationship may affect treatment, and to evaluate future directions for the field. Despite their strong bi-directional relationship, SRPs are often neglected in pediatric anxiety literature. There is little consensus on the conceptualization and related measurements of SRPs, which has led to methodological limitations and difficulties. Furthermore, available research suggests that anxiety treatment alone may be inadequate as clinically impairing SRPs were still present post-treatment, which may, in turn, diminish effects of therapy. Understanding the implications of the relationship between anxiety and SRPs on treatment outcomes may be helpful in recognizing opportunities for high impact and enduring interventions.

Digital Phenotyping in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Perspective

Digital phenotyping (DP) provides opportunities to study child and adolescent psychiatry from a novel perspective. DP combines objective data obtained from digital sensors with participant-generated "active data," in order to understand better an individual's behavior and environmental interactions. Although this new method has led to advances in adult psychiatry, its use in child psychiatry has been more limited. This review aims to demonstrate potential benefits of DP methodology and passive data collection by reviewing studies specifically in child and adolescent psychiatry. Twenty-six studies were identified that collected passive data from four different categories: accelerometer/actigraph data, physiological data, GPS data, and step count. Study topics ranged from the associations between manic symptomology and cardiac parameters to the role of daily emotions, sleep, and social interactions in treatment for pediatric anxiety. Reviewed studies highlighted the diverse ways in which objective data can augment naturalistic self-report methods in child and adolescent psychiatry to allow for more objective, ecologically valid, and temporally resolved conclusions. Though limitations exist-including a lack of participant adherence and device failure and misuse-DP technology may represent a new and effective method for understanding pediatric cognition, behavior, disease etiology, and treatment efficacy.

Memory for emotional images across sleep versus wake in school-aged children

Sleep is important for emotional well-being, memory, and development in children. Regarding memory, sleep has been shown to advantage accuracy for declarative tasks but not procedural tasks. There is some evidence to suggest that sleep provides a relatively greater benefit for memory of negative emotional versus neutral images. However, the extent to which sleep benefits emotionally positive memories in children is not clear. This study assessed memory after nocturnal sleep versus daytime wake in a within-person design involving a sample of 40 children aged 7 to 14 years (M = 10.6 ± 1.9 years; 18 boys and 22 girls) for images of negative, neutral, and positive valences. Results show that after accounting for response time, memory accuracy overall was greater after sleep compared with equivalent time of wake and memory accuracy was greatest for positive images compared with both negative and neutral images. However, there was no difference between memory for negative images and that for neutral images in children, and there was no condition by valence interaction. Sleep characteristics as recorded using actigraphy, diary, and parent report were not predictive of memory performance after sleep when correcting for multiple comparisons. Overall, the results suggest that sleep may benefit memory in otherwise healthy children but that despite a bias toward memory for positive items over both negative and neutral items, there is not a relatively greater benefit for emotional versus neutral memory consolidation across sleep periods compared with wake periods.

Perceived Impacts, Acceptability, and Recommendations for Ecological Momentary Assessment Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

The use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to study youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) behaviors is an emerging area of research. Despite high rates of participation and potential clinical utility, few studies have investigated the acceptability and recommendations for EMA from the YEH perspective.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe the perceived benefits, usability, acceptability, and barriers to the use of EMA from the homeless youth perspective.

METHODS

YEH were recruited from a larger EMA study. Semistructured exit interviews were performed using an interview guide that focused on the YEH experience with the EMA app, and included perceived barriers and recommendations for future studies. Data analyses used an inductive approach with thematic analysis to identify major themes and subthemes.

RESULTS

A total of 18 YEH aged 19-24 years participated in individual and group exit interviews. The EMA was highly acceptable to YEH and they found the app and EMA surveys easy to navigate. Perceived benefits included increased behavioral and emotional awareness with some YEH reporting a decrease in their high-risk behaviors as a result of participation. Another significant perceived benefit was the ability to use the phones for social support and make connections to family, friends, and potential employers. Barriers were primarily survey and technology related. Survey-related barriers included the redundancy of questions, the lack of customizable responses, and the timing of survey prompts. Technology-related barriers included the "freezing" of the app, battery charge, and connectivity issues. Recommendations for future studies included the need to provide real-time mental health support for symptomatic youth, to create individually customized questions, and to test the use of personalized motivational messages that respond to the EMA data in real time.

CONCLUSIONS

YEH are highly receptive to the use of EMA in studies. Further studies are warranted to understand the impact of EMA on YEH behaviors. Incorporating the YEH perspective into the design and implementation of EMA studies may help minimize barriers, increase acceptability, and improve participation rates in this hard-to-reach, disconnected population.

Moderators of Outcome for Youth Anxiety Treatments: Current Findings and Future Directions

Objective: To improve outcomes and create more personalized interventions, the field has sought to identify moderators of treatment response (variables that specify which treatments work for whom and under what conditions).Method: The current review examines moderators of youth anxiety treatments.Results: The majority of studies to date have examined variables of convenience, including demographics (age, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status), pretreatment youth clinical characteristics (anxiety severity, principal diagnosis, comorbidity) and pretreatment parent variables (parent psychopathology, parenting). Findings indicate few consistent moderators.Conclusions: Future directions are discussed, including (a) group to individual generalizability, (b) power considerations, and (c) updates to study design and measure selection.

Does Interpersonal Interaction Really Improve Emotion, Sleep Quality, and Self-Efficacy among Junior College Students?

This study discusses the correlation between teenagers' real-life interpersonal interactions and teenagers' online interpersonal interactions with regards to emotion, sleep quality, and self-efficacy. This study adopted a cross-sectional design that included a survey using a structured questionnaire which included demographic data, the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), the Real Interpersonal Interaction Scale (RIIS), and the Internet Interpersonal Interaction Scale (IIIS). This study enlisted 917 teenage students (age = 17.16 ± 1.48 years). The study found that RIIS had significant negative correlations with DASS and PSQI scores and a significant positive correlation with GSE. Namely, the greater the degree of real-life interpersonal interaction, the lower the degree of negative emotion. Likewise, the more satisfactory sleep quality is, the higher self-efficacy is. In addition, IIIS scores demonstrate significantly positive correlations with DASS and PSQI scores. Therefore, the greater the degree of online interpersonal interaction, the greater the levels of negative emotion, and the poorer the sleep quality is. This study showed that online interpersonal interaction may not improve emotions, sleep quality, or self-efficacy among junior college students. However, real-life interpersonal interaction may improve those three parameters.

Longitudinal Study of Sleep and Internalizing Problems in Youth Treated for Pediatric Anxiety Disorders

The current study examined prospective bidirectional links between dysregulated sleep, and anxiety and depression severity across 4 years, among youth with a history of anxiety disorder. Participants were 319 youth (age 11-26 years), who previously participated in a large multisite randomized controlled trial for the treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders, Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS), and subsequently enrolled in a naturalistic follow-up, Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Extended Long-term Study (CAMELS), an average of 6.5 years later. They participated in four annual visits that included self-report items of dysregulated sleep and semi-structured multi-informant interviews of anxiety and depression. Dysregulated sleep was bidirectionally associated with clinician-rated anxiety and depression symptom severity across adolescence and young adulthood. However, these bidirectional relationships were attributable to youth mean levels of dysregulated sleep, and anxiety and depression severity over the 4 years. Elevations in dysregulated sleep at each visit, relative to mean levels, did not predict worse anxiety or depression severity 1 year later. Likewise visit-specific elevations in anxiety and depression severity, as opposed to average levels, did not predict higher levels of dysregulated sleep at the next visit. Having higher levels of dysregulated sleep or more severe internalizing problems across the four-year period, as opposed to reporting a relative increase in symptom severity at a particular visit, posed greater risk for poor mental health. Interventions should continue to assess and treat persistent sleep problems alongside anxiety and depression.

Combining baseline characteristics to disentangle response differences to disorder-specific versus supportive psychotherapy in patients with persistent depressive disorder

Does the pre-treatment profile of individuals with persistent depressive disorder (PDD) moderate their benefit from disorder-specific Cognitive Behavioral System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) versus supportive psychotherapy (SP)? We investigated this question by analyzing data from a multi-center randomized clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of 48 weeks of CBASP to SP in n  =  237 patients with early-onset PDD who were not taking antidepressant medication. We statistically developed an optimal composite moderator as a weighted combination of 13 preselected baseline variables and used it for identifying and characterizing subgroups for which CABSP may be preferable to SP or vice versa. We identified two distinct subgroups: 58.65% of the patients had a better treatment outcome with CBASP, while the remaining 41.35% had a better outcome with SP. At baseline, patients responding more favorably to CBASP were more severely depressed and more likely affected by moderate-to-severe childhood trauma including early emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, as well as emotional or physical neglect. In contrast, patients responding more favorably to SP had a higher pre-treatment global and social functioning level, a higher life quality and more often a recurrent illness pattern without complete remission between the episodes. These findings emphasize the relevance of considering pre-treatment characteristics when selecting between disorder-specific CBASP and SP for treating PDD. The practical implementation of this approach would advance personalized medicine for PDD by supporting mental health practitioners in their selection of the most effective psychotherapy for an individual patient.

A Review of Current Ambulatory Assessment Studies in Adolescent Samples and Practical Recommendations

The use of ambulatory assessment (AA) and related methods (experience sampling, ecological momentary assessment) has greatly increased within the field of adolescent psychology. In this guide, we describe important practices for conducting AA studies in adolescent samples. To better understand how researchers have been implementing AA study designs, we present a review of 23 AA studies that were conducted in adolescent samples from 2017. Results suggest that there is heterogeneity in how AA studies in youth are conducted and reported. Based on these insights, we provide recommendations with regard to participant recruitment, sampling scheme, item selection, power analysis, and software choice. Further, we provide a checklist for reporting on AA studies in adolescent samples that can be used as a guideline for future studies.

Advancing clinical neuroscience through enhanced tools: Pediatric social anxiety as an example

BACKGROUND

Clinical researchers face challenges when trying to quantify diverse processes engaged during social interactions. We report results from two studies, each demonstrating the potential utility of tools for examining processes engaged during social interactions.

METHOD

In the first study, youth (n = 57) used a smartphone-based tool to rate mood and responses to social events. A subset (n = 20) completed the second, functional magnetic resonance imaging study. This second study related anxiety to error-evoked brain responses in two social conditions-while being observed and when alone. We also combined these tools to bridge clinical, social-contextual, and neural levels of measurement.

RESULTS

Results from the first study showed an association between negatively-perceived social experiences and a range of negative emotions. In the second study there was a positive correlation during error monitoring between social-anxiety severity and context-specific activation of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex. Finally, during imaging, the perceived quality of peer interactions as assessed using the smartphone-based tool, interacted with social context to predict levels of activation in the hippocampus and superior frontal gyrus.

CONCLUSIONS

By improving measurement, enhanced tools may provide new means for studying relationships among anxiety, brain function, and social interactions.

(Re)Conceptualizing Sleep Among Children with Anxiety Disorders: Where to Next?

Children with anxiety disorders (AD) characteristically complain of sleep problems and the extent to which cognitive behavioral treatments (CBT) for childhood anxiety produce sleep-based improvements is a topic of increasing interest. The current paper reviews available evidence for subjective sleep complaints and objective sleep alterations in children and adolescents with AD, including investigations of potential changes in sleep following anxiety-focused CBT. Despite pervasive complaints of poor sleep, the empirical literature provides minimal evidence for actual sleep-wake alterations in this population of youth and evidence for sleep-based changes following treatment for anxiety is minimal. In line with calls for more comprehensive models of the role of sleep in developmental psychopathology, several fundamental gaps in understanding are described and highlighted as essential avenues for clarifying the nature and consequences of poor quality sleep among youth with clinical levels of anxiety. In a second section of the paper, an emerging body of novel, translational research investigating more intricate sleep-anxiety relationships is introduced with potential implications for both etiological models and treatment design and delivery.

Frontoinsular Network Markers of Current and Future Adolescent Mood Health

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is a developmental period in which depression and related mood syndromes often emerge, but few objective markers exist to guide diagnosis or predict symptoms. One potential mood marker is the functioning of frontoinsular networks, which undergo substantial development in adolescence and have been implicated in adult depression. To test this hypothesis, we used task-based neuroimaging to evaluate whether frontoinsular network dysfunction was linked to current and prospective mood health in adolescents.

METHODS

Adolescents (n = 40, 13-19 years of age) reporting varying levels of depressive symptom severity performed an emotional working memory task with neuroimaging. Next, teens completed a 2-week follow-up consisting of a daily diary report of negative affect and final report of depressive symptoms (n = 28 adherent). Analyses tested associations between task-related functional connectivity in frontoinsular networks and baseline or prospective measures of mood health over 2-week follow-up.

RESULTS

Frontoinsular task response was associated with higher current depression severity (p = .049, η_p² = .12), increases in future depression severity (p = .018, η_p² = .23), and more intense and labile negative affect in daily life (ps = .015 to .040, η_p² = .22 to .30). In particular, hypoconnectivity between insula and lateral prefrontal regions of the frontoparietal network was related to both baseline and prospective mood health, and hyperconnectivity between insula and midline or temporal regions of the default network was related to prospective mood health.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that frontoinsular imbalances are related to both current depression and changes in mood health in the near future and suggest that frontoinsular markers may hold promise as translational tools for risk prediction.

Cognitive behavior therapy for child and adolescent anxiety disorders: an update on recent evidence

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To present an updated review of recent studies into the effect of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, ways to increase access to therapy, and predictors and moderators of therapy effect.

RECENT FINDINGS

The evidence base of CBT for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents continues to grow, demonstrating short and long-term efficacy and effectiveness. However, compared with active control conditions its effect appear to be modest; and a substantial percentage of youth do not show stable long-term remission. Standard CBT is often costly, with high noncompletion rates. New strategies to increase access to effective therapy for the large number of youth with anxiety disorders is therefore of priority. Additionally, there is a need for developing new ways to treat nonresponders, and to identify predictors and moderators of the effects of CBT.

SUMMARY

Although there is evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of CBT for youth with anxiety disorders, there is doubt regarding its superiority over active control comparisons. Long-term outcome is uncertain, as a substantial percentage of youth remains impaired at follow-up. It is essential to develop more cost-efficient strategies to reach youth with anxiety disorders with effective treatments, and to identify early indicators for youth needing additional therapy.

Using optimal combined moderators to define heterogeneity in neural responses to randomized conditions: Application to the effect of sleep loss on fear learning

Comparing the neural outcomes of two randomized experimental groups is a primary aim of many functional neuroimaging studies. However, between-group effects can be obscured by heterogeneity in neural responses. Optimal Combined Moderator (OCM) approaches have previously been used to clarify heterogeneity in clinical outcomes following treatment randomization. We show that OCMs can also be used to clarify heterogeneity in the effect of a randomized experimental condition on neural responses. In 78 healthy adults aged 18-30 from the Effects of Dose-Dependent Sleep Disruption on Fear and Reward (SFeRe) study, we used demographic, clinical, genetic, and polysomnographic characteristics to develop OCMs for the effect of a randomized sleep restriction (SR) versus normal sleep (NS) condition on blood-oxygen-level dependent responses in the right amygdala (RAmyg) and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) during fear conditioning (FC) and extinction (FE) paradigms. The OCM for the RAmyg during FE was strongest [r (95% CI) = 0.52 (0.42, 0.68)], withstood cross-validation, and divided the sample into two subgroups with opposing experimental effects. Among N = 48 participants ("SR < NS"), those with SR exhibited less RAmyg activation during FE than those with NS [d (95%CI) = -1.10 (-1.86, -0.77)]. Among the remaining N = 30 participants ("SR > NS"), those with SR exhibited greater RAmyg activation during FE following SR than those with NS [d (95%CI) = 0.87 (0.37,1.78)]. SR > NS participants were more likely to be female, white, l/l genotype carriers, and have a psychiatric history. They had less sleep (overall and in REM), lower REM density, and lower spindle activity (12-16 Hz). Applying OCMs to randomized studies with neural outcomes can clarify neural heterogeneity and jumpstart mechanistic research; with further validation they also offer promise for personalized brain-based treatments and interventions.

A Machine Learning Approach to Identifying Placebo Responders in Late-Life Depression Trials

OBJECTIVE

Despite efforts to identify characteristics associated with medication-placebo differences in antidepressant trials, few consistent findings have emerged to guide participant selection in drug development settings and differential therapeutics in clinical practice. Limitations in the methodologies used, particularly searching for a single moderator while treating all other variables as noise, may partially explain the failure to generate consistent results. The present study tested whether interactions between pretreatment patient characteristics, rather than a single-variable solution, may better predict who is most likely to benefit from placebo versus medication.

METHODS

Data were analyzed from 174 patients aged 75 years and older with unipolar depression who were randomly assigned to citalopram or placebo. Model-based recursive partitioning analysis was conducted to identify the most robust significant moderators of placebo versus citalopram response.

RESULTS

The greatest signal detection between medication and placebo in favor of medication was among patients with fewer years of education (≤12) who suffered from a longer duration of depression since their first episode (>3.47 years) (B = 2.53, t(32) = 3.01, p = 0.004). Compared with medication, placebo had the greatest response for those who were more educated (>12 years), to the point where placebo almost outperformed medication (B = -0.57, t(96) = -1.90, p = 0.06).

CONCLUSION

Machine learning approaches capable of evaluating the contributions of multiple predictor variables may be a promising methodology for identifying placebo versus medication responders. Duration of depression and education should be considered in the efforts to modulate placebo magnitude in drug development settings and in clinical practice.

Characterizing the Interplay Between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Comorbid Medical Conditions: An Integrative Review

Co-occurring medical disorders and associated physiological abnormalities in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may provide insight into causal pathways or underlying biological mechanisms. Here, we review medical conditions that have been repeatedly highlighted as sharing the strongest associations with ASD-epilepsy, sleep, as well as gastrointestinal and immune functioning. We describe within each condition their prevalence, associations with behavior, and evidence for successful treatment. We additionally discuss research aiming to uncover potential aetiological mechanisms. We then consider the potential interaction between each group of conditions and ASD and, based on the available evidence, propose a model that integrates these medical comorbidities in relation to potential shared aetiological mechanisms. Future research should aim to systematically examine the interactions between these physiological systems, rather than considering these in isolation, using robust and sensitive biomarkers across an individual's development. A consideration of the overlap between medical conditions and ASD may aid in defining biological subtypes within ASD and in the development of specific targeted interventions.

Platelet-Derived Growth Factor as an Antidepressant Treatment Selection Biomarker: Higher Levels Selectively Predict Better Outcomes with Bupropion-SSRI Combination

BACKGROUND

Platelet derived growth factor is integral to maintenance of blood brain barrier, increases in response to blood brain barrier disruption, and may reflect neuroinflammation. Based on previous reports of better outcomes with dopaminergic antidepressants in depressed patients with elevated inflammatory biomarkers, we hypothesize that elevated peripheral platelet derived growth factor levels can serve as a powerful biomarker for selecting dopaminergic antidepressants.

METHODS

Platelet derived growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and granulocyte colony stimulating factor were measured as part of Bioplex Pro human cytokine 27-plex kit in participants of the Combining Medications to Enhance Depression Outcomes trial who provided baseline plasma (n=166) and were treated with either bupropion-plus-escitalopram, escitalopram-plus-placebo, or venlafaxine-plus-mirtazapine. Differential changes in overall symptom severity and anhedonia as well as side effects were tested with a treatment-arm-by-biomarker interaction in mixed model analyses. Effect of biomarkers with significant interaction was calculated in subsequent analyses stratified by treatment arm.

RESULTS

There was a significant treatment-arm-by-platelet derived growth factor interaction for depression severity (P=.03) and anhedonia (P=.008) but not for side effects (P=.44). Higher baseline platelet derived growth factor level was associated with greater reduction in depression severity (effect size=0.71, P=.015) and anhedonia (effect size=0.66, P=.02) in the bupropion- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor but not the other two treatment arms. There was no significant treatment-arm-by-biomarker interaction for both depression severity and side effects with the other two biomarkers.

CONCLUSION

As compared with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor monotherapy or venlafaxine-plus-mirtazapine, bupropion-plus-escitalopram selectively improves anhedonia, which in turn results in improved overall depression severity in depressed patients with elevated platelet derived growth factor levels.