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Buckels EE, Williams DA, Trapnell PD, Kermani Koosheh S, Javra OM, Svenne SC. Blunted startle reactivity in everyday sadism and psychopathy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14216. [PMID: 37648765 PMCID: PMC10469178 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41043-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Two studies examined the amplitude of the startle response as a function of the Dark Tetrad of personality (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism). We measured electromyographic activity of the orbicularis oculi muscle evoked by a startle stimulus while participants viewed images on a computer screen. Both studies revealed a negative correlation between general startle reactivity (averaged across positive, negative, and neutral images) and sadistic tendencies. In Study 2, all four dark traits were negative correlates of general startle reactivity. Study 2 also examined the personality correlates of aversive startle potentiation (ASP; indexed by greater reactivity while viewing negatively-valenced images than positive or neutral images). ASP correlated negatively with a variety of personality measures of psychopathy and sadism, their facets, and related personality tendencies (callousness, risk-taking, and restricted affect). These findings suggest that ordinary people with high levels of callousness and antagonism display physiological evidence of non-reactivity (i.e., blunted acoustic startle in general), whereas psychopathy and sadism are preferentially associated with reduced ASP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Buckels
- Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada.
| | - Douglas A Williams
- Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Paul D Trapnell
- Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Siavash Kermani Koosheh
- Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Owen M Javra
- Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Sasha C Svenne
- Department of Psychology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
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Briñez-Gallego P, da Costa Silva DG, Cordeiro MF, Horn AP, Hort MA. Experimental models of chemically induced Parkinson's disease in zebrafish at the embryonic larval stage: a systematic review. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART B, CRITICAL REVIEWS 2023; 26:201-237. [PMID: 36859813 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2023.2182390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra that results in a decrease in dopamine levels, resulting in motor-type disturbances. Different vertebrate models, such as rodents and fish, have been used to study PD. In recent decades, Danio rerio (zebrafish) has emerged as a potential model for the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases due to its homology to the nervous system of humans. In this context, this systematic review aimed to identify publications that reported the utilization of neurotoxins as an experimental model of parkinsonism in zebrafish embryos and larvae. Ultimately, 56 articles were identified by searching three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar). Seventeen studies using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), 4 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), 24 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), 6 paraquat/diquat, 2 rotenone, and 6 articles using other types of unusual neurotoxins to induce PD were selected. Neurobehavioral function, such as motor activity, dopaminergic neuron markers, oxidative stress biomarkers, and other relevant parameters in the zebrafish embryo-larval model were examined. In summary, this review provides information to help researchers determine which chemical model is suitable to study experimental parkinsonism, according to the effects induced by neurotoxins in zebrafish embryos and larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Briñez-Gallego
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brasil
| | - Dennis Guilherme da Costa Silva
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brasil
| | - Marcos Freitas Cordeiro
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biociências e Saúde, Universidade do Oeste de Santa Catarina - UNOESC, Joaçaba, SC, Brasil
| | - Ana Paula Horn
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brasil
| | - Mariana Appel Hort
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, Brasil
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Kumari V, Antonova E, Mahmood S, Shukla M, Saifullah A, Pandey R. Dispositional mindfulness, alexithymia and sensory processing: Emerging insights from habituation of the acoustic startle reflex response. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 184:20-27. [PMID: 36513183 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
There is growing evidence of beneficial effects of mindfulness developed through engaging in mindfulness training/practices on sensory and cognitive processing, emotion regulation and mental health. Mindfulness has also been conceptualised as a dispositional 'trait', i.e. the naturally-occurring ability of meditation-naïve individuals to display, in varying degree, a non-judgmental non-reactive present-moment awareness in everyday life. In this study we examined possible associations between dispositional mindfulness, alexithymia and sensory processing. Eye-blink startle responses to acoustic stimuli of varying intensity [90-dB or 100-dB over 70-dB (A) background] were assessed in 26 meditation-naïve adults (50 % men) using electromyographic recordings of the orbicularis muscle. All participants completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. A negative association was found between dispositional mindfulness and alexithymia (r = -0.513). There was stronger startle habituation to 100-dB, compared to 90-dB probes. Stronger startle habituation (larger negative habitation slope values) to 100-dB probes was significantly associated with higher dispositional mindfulness (r = -0.528) and with lower alexithymia at trend level (r = 0.333). As indicated by commonality analysis, 10.6 % of explained variance in habituation (100-dB probes) was common to both alexithymia and mindfulness, 17.3 % was unique to mindfulness, but alexithymia made negligible unique contribution (0.5 %). These findings indicate similar startle habituation pattern in people with a high level of dispositional mindfulness to that reported previously by Antonova et al. (2015) in people with moderate mindfulness meditation practice intensity. Future studies should investigate the mechanisms, such as interoceptive awareness, that might underly these relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Kumari
- Divison of Psychology, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UK; Centre for Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UK.
| | - E Antonova
- Divison of Psychology, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UK; Centre for Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UK
| | - S Mahmood
- Divison of Psychology, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UK
| | - M Shukla
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, India
| | - A Saifullah
- Divison of Psychology, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UK; Centre for Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UK
| | - R Pandey
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, India
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Dissegna A, Grassi M, Chiandetti C. Individual differences in habituation: Innate covariation between habituation, exploration, and body size in naïve chicks (Gallus gallus). Behav Processes 2022; 200:104705. [PMID: 35843444 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Habituation to novel stimuli has been associated with behavioural differences among individuals in numerous animal species. Because the habituation mechanisms depend on previous experiences with a stimulus, one would expect individuals to develop their habituation capacity based on the life experiences that also shape their behavioural traits. And indeed, in adult lizards, exploratory behaviour and body size correlates with habituation. However, here we show that the same factors correlate with habituation of domestic chicks reared under controlled laboratory conditions and tested in the first 3 days after hatching. This result indicates that the covariation between habituation, exploration, and body size does not necessarily depend on experience. Rather, it represents an innate association between exploratory behaviour and risk assessment, which may provide an immediate survival advantage to new-borns of this precocial avian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Dissegna
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Michele Grassi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
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Xu J, Casanave R, Guo S. Larval zebrafish display dynamic learning of aversive stimuli in a constant visual surrounding. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 28:228-238. [PMID: 34131054 PMCID: PMC8212779 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053425.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Balancing exploration and anti-predation are fundamental to the fitness and survival of all animal species from early life stages. How these basic survival instincts drive learning remains poorly understood. Here, using a light/dark preference paradigm with well-controlled luminance history and constant visual surrounding in larval zebrafish, we analyzed intra- and intertrial dynamics for two behavioral components, dark avoidance and center avoidance. We uncover that larval zebrafish display short-term learning of dark avoidance with initial sensitization followed by habituation; they also exhibit long-term learning that is sensitive to trial interval length. We further show that such stereotyped learning patterns is stimulus-specific, as they are not observed for center avoidance. Finally, we demonstrate at individual levels that long-term learning is under homeostatic control. Together, our work has established a novel paradigm to understand learning, uncovered sequential sensitization and habituation, and demonstrated stimulus specificity, individuality, as well as dynamicity in learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiale Xu
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisico, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
| | - Romelo Casanave
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisico, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
| | - Su Guo
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisico, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.,Program in Human Genetics, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.,Program in Biological Sciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
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Gowen CL, Khwaounjoo P, Cakmak YO. EMG-Free Monitorization of the Acoustic Startle Reflex with a Mobile Phone: Implications of Sound Parameters with Posture Related Responses. SENSORS 2020; 20:s20215996. [PMID: 33105890 PMCID: PMC7660167 DOI: 10.3390/s20215996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
(1) Background: Acute acoustic (sound) stimulus prompts a state of defensive motivation in which unconscious muscle responses are markedly enhanced in humans. The orbicularis oculi (OO) of the eye is an easily accessed muscle common for acoustic startle reaction/response/reflex (ASR) investigations and is the muscle of interest in this study. Although the ASR can provide insights about numerous clinical conditions, existing methodologies (Electromyogram, EMG) limit the usability of the method in real clinical conditions. (2) Objective: With EMG-free muscle recording in mind, our primary aim was to identify and investigate potential correlations in the responses of individual and cooperative OO muscles to various acoustic stimuli using a mobile and wire-free system. Our secondary aim was to investigate potential altered responses to high and also relatively low intensity acoustics at different frequencies in both sitting and standing positions through the use of biaural sound induction and video diagnostic techniques and software. (3) Methods: This study used a mobile-phone acoustic startle response monitoring system application to collect blink amplitude and velocity data on healthy males, aged 18–28 community cohorts during (n = 30) in both sitting and standing postures. The iPhone X application delivers specific sound parameters and detects blinking responses to acoustic stimulus (in millisecond resolution) to study the responses of the blinking reflex to acoustic sounds in standing and sitting positions by using multiple acoustic test sets of different frequencies and amplitudes introduced as acute sound stimuli (<0.5 s). The single acoustic battery of 15 pure-square wave sounds consisted of frequencies and amplitudes between 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz scales using 65, 90, and 105 dB (e.g., 3000 Hz_90 dB). (4) Results: Results show that there was a synchronization of amplitude and velocity between both eyes to all acoustic startles. Significant differences (p = 0.01) in blinking reaction time between sitting vs. standing at the high intensity (105 dB) 500 Hz acoustic test set was discovered. Interestingly, a highly significant difference (p < 0.001) in response times between test sets 500 Hz_105 dB and 4000 Hz_105 dB was identified. (5) Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first mobile phone-based acoustic battery used to detect and report significant ASR responses to specific frequencies and amplitudes of sound stimulus with corresponding sitting and standing conditions. The results from this experiment indicate the potential significance of using the specific frequency, amplitude, and postural conditions (as never before identified) which can open new horizons for ASR to be used for diagnosis and monitoring in numerous clinical and remote or isolated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher L. Gowen
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University Of Otago, Po Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; (C.L.G.); (P.K.)
| | - Prashanna Khwaounjoo
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University Of Otago, Po Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; (C.L.G.); (P.K.)
- Medtech Core, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Yusuf O. Cakmak
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University Of Otago, Po Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; (C.L.G.); (P.K.)
- Medtech Core, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- Brain Health Research Centre, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
- Centre for Health Systems and Technology, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +64-03-479-4030
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Prepulse Inhibition of the Auditory Startle Reflex Assessment as a Hallmark of Brainstem Sensorimotor Gating Mechanisms. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10090639. [PMID: 32947873 PMCID: PMC7563436 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10090639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
When a low-salience stimulus of any type of sensory modality-auditory, visual, tactile-immediately precedes an unexpected startle-like stimulus, such as the acoustic startle reflex, the startle motor reaction becomes less pronounced or is even abolished. This phenomenon is known as prepulse inhibition (PPI), and it provides a quantitative measure of central processing by filtering out irrelevant stimuli. As PPI implies plasticity of a reflex and is related to automatic or attentional processes, depending on the interstimulus intervals, this behavioral paradigm might be considered a potential marker of short- and long-term plasticity. Assessment of PPI is directly related to the examination of neural sensorimotor gating mechanisms, which are plastic-adaptive operations for preventing overstimulation and helping the brain to focus on a specific stimulus among other distracters. Despite their obvious importance in normal brain activity, little is known about the intimate physiology, circuitry, and neurochemistry of sensorimotor gating mechanisms. In this work, we extensively review the current literature focusing on studies that used state-of-the-art techniques to interrogate the neuroanatomy, connectomics, neurotransmitter-receptor functions, and sex-derived differences in the PPI process, and how we can harness it as biological marker in neurological and psychiatric pathology.
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Funkhouser CJ, Correa KA, Carrillo VL, Klemballa DM, Shankman SA. The time course of responding to aversiveness in females with a history of non-suicidal self-injury. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 141:1-8. [PMID: 31028756 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Non-suicidal self-injury is a risk factor for suicidal behavior, particularly in females. Two prominent theories of suicide suggest that habituation to the psychophysiological aversiveness of NSSI is a mechanism by which NSSI exposure may lead to increased risk for suicide. Several laboratory studies examining the relationship between physiological habituation and suicide attempt history have yielded mixed results, potentially due to their use of broad measures of physiological arousal and/or focus on specific psychopathologies. However, no studies have examined the association between the time course (e.g., habituation, initial reactivity) of responding to aversiveness and NSSI, which may help to elucidate psychophysiological mechanisms of NSSI. Therefore, we examined habituation and initial reactivity to aversiveness (indexed by the time course of acoustic startle reflex, a well-validated measure of defensive responding) in three groups of young adult females - those with a history of NSSI, psychiatric controls matched on potential confounds (e.g., psychopathology, trauma history, demographics), and healthy controls. Results indicated that individuals with a history of NSSI exhibited blunted initial reactivity and marginally slower habituation to aversiveness relative to the two control groups. The NSSI group's insensitivity to aversiveness may reflect prior psychophysiological habituation, and may be a mechanism through which prior NSSI exposure leads to increased risk for suicidal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carter J Funkhouser
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States of America
| | - Kelly A Correa
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States of America
| | - Vivian L Carrillo
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States of America
| | - David M Klemballa
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States of America
| | - Stewart A Shankman
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, United States of America.
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Blanch A, Lucas I, Balada F, Blanco E, Aluja A. Sex differences and personality in the modulation of the acoustic startle reflex. Physiol Behav 2018; 195:20-27. [PMID: 30053432 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The modulation of the eyeblink component of the acoustic startle reflex (ASR) has been used to study human motivation, attention, and emotion towards affective stimuli of different valence. However, sex and individual differences in personality have been rather overlooked concerning the change in the ASR to brief affective sequences. In this study, we aimed to evaluate sex differences in the ASR, together with the influence of sensitivity to punishment (SP) and sensitivity to reward (SR) in the affective modulation of the ASR to pleasant and unpleasant pictures. We addressed this topic with a latent curve model (LCM) representing the change in the ASR of an extensive group of men (n = 166) and women (n = 109). There was a significant habituation of the ASR to the pleasant pictures, and a significant sensitization of the ASR to the unpleasant pictures. Both effects were higher and more variable for women than for men. There were in addition interactive and quadratic effects of SP and SR on the ASR to the pleasant and unpleasant pictures. Men and women with extreme scores in SP, and women with low scores in SR habituated faster to the pleasant stimuli. For men scoring low in SP, higher scores in SR related with an attenuated initial ASR to the unpleasant stimuli. Women with extreme scores in SP had a higher initial ASR to the unpleasant stimuli. There were remarkable asymmetries between men and women concerning personality effects on the change in the ASR to affective stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Blanch
- Department of Psychology, University of Lleida, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB), Lleida, Spain.
| | - Ignacio Lucas
- Department of Psychology, University of Lleida, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB), Lleida, Spain
| | - Ferran Balada
- Department of Psychology, University of Lleida, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB), Lleida, Spain; Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eduardo Blanco
- Department of Psychology, University of Lleida, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB), Lleida, Spain
| | - Anton Aluja
- Department of Psychology, University of Lleida, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB), Lleida, Spain
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Kang D, Bresin K, Fairbairn CE. The Impact of Alcohol and Social Context on the Startle Eyeblink Reflex. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018; 42:1951-1960. [PMID: 29989675 PMCID: PMC6167173 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Researchers have long sought to understand how individuals respond to alcohol in social settings with the aim of elucidating pathways of risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD). But studies that incorporate a social context are still outnumbered by those that examine alcohol's subjective effects among participants drinking alcohol in isolation. Further, perhaps due to the challenges of capturing automatic affective processes in these settings, prior studies of alcohol response in social context have relied mainly on self-report measures, and so relatively little is known about alcohol's psychophysiological effects in social settings. METHODS Using a novel paradigm that integrated alcohol-administration procedures, startle methodology, and social context, this study examined the impact of alcohol and social context on startle eyeblink reflex among 40 social drinkers. RESULTS Results indicated that there was a significant effect of group presence, indicating that startle magnitude was larger when people were alone than with others. There was a significant group presence-by-alcoholic beverage interaction, with the effect of alcohol being significantly larger when people were alone versus with others. These effects were found both for the startle habituation data and during the picture-viewing task. CONCLUSIONS Results of this study highlight the importance of considering the presence of other individuals for understanding alcohol response and mechanisms of AUD risk. Findings are discussed in light of both emotional and cognitive correlates of startle reflex magnitude. Future research should examine these effects within larger samples of participants and further explore mechanisms that might underlie these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dahyeon Kang
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Konrad Bresin
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Catharine E Fairbairn
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
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Baertschi M, Costanza A, Canuto A, Weber K. The Function of Personality in Suicidal Ideation from the Perspective of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15040636. [PMID: 29601506 PMCID: PMC5923678 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15040636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) has been increasingly studied over the last years, responding to the demand for a valid framework addressing suicidality. Yet, only a few studies have explored the function of personality in the IPTS and none with clinical patients. We aimed to contribute to fill this gap in investigating the relationship between personality as conceptualized by the Five-Factor Model, the IPTS constructs, and a dimensional measure of current suicidal ideation. We conducted correlation, multiple linear regression, and path analyses based on a trait-interpersonal framework in a sample of 201 individuals visiting the psychiatric emergency room of a general hospital with current suicidal ideation. Neuroticism (positively) and openness (negatively) predicted perceived burdensomeness, while neuroticism (positively) and extraversion (negatively) predicted thwarted belongingness. Higher conscientiousness and lower extraversion were both predictors of the acquired capability for suicide. However, none of the models involving path analyses with IPTS variables as mediators of the relationship between personality traits and suicidal ideation was adequately adjusted to the data. Thus, it appears that personality plays a significant albeit modest role in suicidality when considered from an IPTS perspective. As personality is frequently assessed in the clinical routine, health professionals should consider it as complementary to detect individuals at risk of or presenting suicidal ideation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Baertschi
- Service of General Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Nant Foundation, Avenue des Alpes 66, 1820 Montreux, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve 40, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Alessandra Costanza
- Psychiatry Department, SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Hospital, Via Venezia 16, 15521 Alessandria, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Canuto
- Executive and General Management Service, Nant Foundation, 1804 Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
| | - Kerstin Weber
- Division of Institutional Measures, Medical Direction, Geneva University Hospitals, Les Voirons-Chemin du Petit-Bel-Air 2, 1225 Chêne-Bourg, Switzerland.
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Anger and aggression problems in veterans are associated with an increased acoustic startle reflex. Biol Psychol 2016; 123:119-125. [PMID: 27939701 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Anger and aggression are frequent problems in deployed military personnel. A lowered threshold of perceiving and responding to threat can trigger impulsive aggression. This can be indicated by an exaggerated startle response. Fifty-two veterans with anger and aggression problems (Anger group) and 50 control veterans were tested using a startle experiment with 10 startle probes and 10 prepulse trials, presented in a random order and with a random interval between the trials. Predictors (demographics, Trait Anger, State Anger, Harm Avoidance and Anxious Arousal) for the startle response within the Anger group were tested. Increased EMG responses were found to the startle probes in the Anger Group compared to the Control group, but not to the prepulse trials. Furthermore, Harm Avoidance and State Anger predicted the increased startle reflex within the Anger group, whereas Trait Anger was negatively related to the startle reflex. These findings indicate that threat reactivity is increased in anger and aggression problems. These problems are not only caused by an anxious predisposition, the degree of anger also predicts the startle reflex.
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Kedzior KK, Wehmann E, Martin-Iverson M. Habituation of the startle reflex depends on attention in cannabis users. BMC Psychol 2016; 4:50. [PMID: 27782849 PMCID: PMC5080700 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-016-0158-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabis use is associated with an attention-dependent deficit in prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI). The aim of the current study was to investigate startle habituation in cannabis users and healthy controls during two attentional tasks. METHODS Auditory startle reflex was recorded from orbicularis oculi muscle while participants (12 controls and 16 regular cannabis users) were either attending to or ignoring 100 dB startling pulses. Startle habituation was measured as the absolute reduction in startle magnitude on block 2 (last nine trials) vs. block 1 (first nine trials). RESULTS Startle habituation with moderate effect sizes was observed in controls and cannabis users only while they were ignoring the startling pulses but not while they were attending to them. Similar results were also observed in controls (lifetime non-users of cannabis) and cannabis users with lifetime cannabis use disorders (CUD). CONCLUSION Startle habituation appears to depend on selective attention but not on cannabis use. Startle habituation was present when attention was directed away from auditory startling pulses in healthy controls and cannabis users. Such a similar pattern of results in both groups suggests that at least a trend exists towards presence of startle habituation regardless of cannabis use or CUD in otherwise healthy members of the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina K Kedzior
- Institute of Psychology and Transfer, University of Bremen, (FB 11), Grazer Str. 2c, 28359, Bremen, Germany. .,School of Engineering and Science, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany. .,Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Graylands Hospital and Pharmacology & Anaesthesiology Unit, School of Medicine & Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
| | - Eileen Wehmann
- School of Engineering and Science, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Mathew Martin-Iverson
- Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Graylands Hospital and Pharmacology & Anaesthesiology Unit, School of Medicine & Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
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14
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Pantoja C, Hoagland A, Carroll EC, Karalis V, Conner A, Isacoff EY. Neuromodulatory Regulation of Behavioral Individuality in Zebrafish. Neuron 2016; 91:587-601. [PMID: 27397519 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2015] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Inter-individual behavioral variation is thought to increase fitness and aid adaptation to environmental change, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We find that variation between individuals in neuromodulatory input contributes to individuality in short-term habituation of the zebrafish (Danio Rerio) acoustic startle response (ASR). ASR habituation varies greatly between individuals, but differences are stable over days and are heritable. Acoustic stimuli that activate ASR-command Mauthner cells also activate dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) serotonergic neurons, which project to the vicinity of the Mauthner cells and their inputs. DRN neuron activity decreases during habituation in proportion to habituation and a genetic manipulation that reduces serotonin content in DRN neurons increases habituation, whereas serotonergic agonism or DRN activation with ChR2 reduces habituation. Finally, level of rundown of DRN activity co-segregates with extent of behavioral habituation across generations. Thus, variation between individuals in neuromodulatory input contributes to individuality in a core adaptive behavior. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Pantoja
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Adam Hoagland
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Carroll
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Vasiliki Karalis
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Alden Conner
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ehud Y Isacoff
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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15
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Sperl MFJ, Panitz C, Hermann C, Mueller EM. A pragmatic comparison of noise burst and electric shock unconditioned stimuli for fear conditioning research with many trials. Psychophysiology 2016; 53:1352-65. [PMID: 27286734 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Several methods that are promising for studying the neurophysiology of fear conditioning (e.g., EEG, MEG) require a high number of trials to achieve an adequate signal-to-noise ratio. While electric shock and white noise burst are among the most commonly used unconditioned stimuli (US) in conventional fear conditioning studies with few trials, it is unknown whether these stimuli are equally well suited for paradigms with many trials. Here, N = 32 participants underwent a 260-trial differential fear conditioning and extinction paradigm with a 240-trial recall test 24 h later and neutral faces as conditioned stimuli. In a between-subjects design, either white noise bursts (n = 16) or electric shocks (n = 16) served as US, and intensities were determined using the most common procedure for each US (i.e., a fixed 95 dB noise burst and a work-up procedure for electric shocks, respectively). In addition to differing US types, groups also differed in closely linked US-associated characteristics (e.g., calibration methods, stimulus intensities, timing). Subjective ratings (arousal/valence), skin conductance, and evoked heart period changes (i.e., fear bradycardia) indicated more reliable, extinction-resistant, and stable conditioning in the white noise burst versus electric shock group. In fear conditioning experiments where many trials are presented, white noise burst should serve as US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias F J Sperl
- Faculty of Psychology, Personality Psychology and Assessment, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Christian Panitz
- Faculty of Psychology, Personality Psychology and Assessment, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Christiane Hermann
- Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Erik M Mueller
- Faculty of Psychology, Personality Psychology and Assessment, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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