1
|
Grégoire L, Dubravac M, Moore K, Kim N, Anderson BA. Observational learning of threat-related attentional bias. Cogn Emot 2024; 38:789-800. [PMID: 38411172 PMCID: PMC11321941 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2317917] [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: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Attentional bias to threat has been almost exclusively examined after participants experienced repeated pairings between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). This study aimed to determine whether threat-related attentional capture can result from observational learning, when participants acquire knowledge of the aversive qualities of a stimulus without themselves experiencing aversive outcomes. Non-clinical young-adult participants (N = 38) first watched a video of an individual (the demonstrator) performing a Pavlovian conditioning task in which one colour was paired with shock (CS+) and another colour was neutral (CS-). They then carried out visual search for a shape-defined target. Oculomotor measures evidenced an attentional bias toward the CS+ colour, suggesting that threat-related attentional capture can ensue from observational learning. Exploratory analyses also revealed that this effect was positively correlated with empathy for the demonstrator. Our findings extend empirical and theoretical knowledge about threat-driven attention and provide valuable insights to better understand the formation of anxiety disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Grégoire
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University
| | - Mirela Dubravac
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University
| | - Kirsten Moore
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University
| | - Namgyun Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Dayton
| | - Brian A. Anderson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ney LJ, O'Donohue M, Wang Y, Richardson M, Vasarhelyi A, Lipp OV. The next frontier: Moving human fear conditioning research online. Biol Psychol 2023; 184:108715. [PMID: 37852526 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108715] [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: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Fear conditioning is a significant area of research that has featured prominently among the topics published in Biological Psychology over the last 50 years. This work has greatly contributed to our understanding of human anxiety and stressor-related disorders. While mainly conducted in the laboratory, recently, there have been initial attempts to conduct fear conditioning experiments online, with around 10 studies published on the subject, primarily in the last two years. These studies have demonstrated the potential of online fear conditioning research, although challenges to ensure that this research meets the same methodological standards as in-person experimentation remain, despite recent progress. We expect that in the coming years new outcome measures will become available online including the measurement of eye-tracking, pupillometry and probe reaction time and that compliance monitoring will be improved. This exciting new approach opens new possibilities for large-scale data collection among hard-to-reach populations and has the potential to transform the future of fear conditioning research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luke J Ney
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Australia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Matthew O'Donohue
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Australia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Yi Wang
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Australia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Mikaela Richardson
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Australia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Adam Vasarhelyi
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Australia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ottmar V Lipp
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Australia, Brisbane, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pan Y, Vinding MC, Zhang L, Lundqvist D, Olsson A. A Brain-To-Brain Mechanism for Social Transmission of Threat Learning. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2304037. [PMID: 37544901 PMCID: PMC10558655 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202304037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Survival and adaptation in environments require swift and efficacious learning about what is dangerous. Across species, much of such threat learning is acquired socially, e.g., through the observation of others' ("demonstrators'") defensive behaviors. However, the specific neural mechanisms responsible for the integration of information shared between demonstrators and observers remain largely unknown. This dearth of knowledge is addressed by performing magnetoencephalography (MEG) neuroimaging in demonstrator-observer dyads. A set of stimuli are first shown to a demonstrator whose defensive responses are filmed and later presented to an observer, while neuronal activity is recorded sequentially from both individuals who never interacted directly. These results show that brain-to-brain coupling (BtBC) in the fronto-limbic circuit (including insula, ventromedial, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) within demonstrator-observer dyads predict subsequent expressions of learning in the observer. Importantly, the predictive power of BtBC magnifies when a threat is imminent to the demonstrator. Furthermore, BtBC depends on how observers perceive their social status relative to the demonstrator, likely driven by shared attention and emotion, as bolstered by dyadic pupillary coupling. Taken together, this study describes a brain-to-brain mechanism for social threat learning, involving BtBC, which reflects social relationships and predicts adaptive, learned behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yafeng Pan
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral SciencesZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
- Department of Clinical NeuroscienceKarolinska InstitutetStockholm17165Sweden
| | - Mikkel C. Vinding
- Department of Clinical NeuroscienceKarolinska InstitutetStockholm17165Sweden
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and ResearchCopenhagen University Hospital ‐ Amager and HvidovreCopenhagen2650Denmark
| | - Lei Zhang
- Centre for Human Brain HealthSchool of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamB15 2TTUK
- Institute for Mental HealthSchool of PsychologyUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamB15 2TTUK
- SocialCognitive and Affective Neuroscience UnitDepartment of CognitionEmotionand Methods in PsychologyFaculty of PsychologyUniversity of ViennaVienna1010Austria
| | - Daniel Lundqvist
- Department of Clinical NeuroscienceKarolinska InstitutetStockholm17165Sweden
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical NeuroscienceKarolinska InstitutetStockholm17165Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bakkali N, Ott L, Triquet C, Cottencin O, Grynberg D. Learning from others' experience: Social fear conditioning deficits in patients with severe alcohol use disorder. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 47:1603-1613. [PMID: 37573573 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant public health problem. A better understanding of the psychosocial factors contributing to AUD is important for developing public health policy. The purpose of this study was to identify social mechanisms involved in AUD and, more specifically, to determine whether vicarious learning deficits are related to the disorder. A secondary objective was to evaluate the role of empathy in social fear conditioning. METHODS Patients with severe AUD (n = 30) and healthy participants (n = 30) performed a social fear learning (SFL) task. The task assesses how an association between a stimulus and an aversive consequence is acquired through social means. Specifically, participants observed a person receiving an electric shock (unconditioned stimulus; US) that was associated (conditioned stimulus; CS+) or not (CS-) with a neutral CS. The skin conductance response was used to measure the effect of learning. RESULTS Individuals with severe AUD showed a deficit in SFL, indicating that they had difficulty learning from another's negative experience. Patients also evaluated the emotional experience as less unpleasant than healthy participants. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to show that patients with severe AUD have social learning deficits. The findings suggest that these individuals do not learn from another's negative experience. At a fundamental level, the findings demonstrate the importance of understanding the role of social mechanisms in AUD. At a clinical level, the study highlights the potential for using social learning enhancement to prevent relapse in individuals with severe AUD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nahid Bakkali
- UMR 9193-SCALab-Cognitive Science and Affective Science, CNRS, Univ. Lille, Lille, France
| | - Laurent Ott
- UMR 9193-SCALab-Cognitive Science and Affective Science, CNRS, Univ. Lille, Lille, France
| | - Claire Triquet
- Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, CHU Lille, Lille, France
| | - Olivier Cottencin
- Inserm, CHU Lille, U1172 - LilNcog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, Univ. Lille, Lille, France
| | - Delphine Grynberg
- UMR 9193-SCALab-Cognitive Science and Affective Science, CNRS, Univ. Lille, Lille, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kim SW, Kim M, Baek J, Latchoumane CF, Gangadharan G, Yoon Y, Kim DS, Lee JH, Shin HS. Hemispherically lateralized rhythmic oscillations in the cingulate-amygdala circuit drive affective empathy in mice. Neuron 2023; 111:418-429.e4. [PMID: 36460007 PMCID: PMC10681369 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Observational fear, a form of emotional contagion, is thought to be a basic form of affective empathy. However, the neural process engaged at the specific moment when socially acquired information provokes an emotional response remains elusive. Here, we show that reciprocal projections between the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) in the right hemisphere are essential for observational fear, and 5-7 Hz neural oscillations were selectively increased in those areas at the onset of observational freezing. A closed-loop disruption demonstrated the causal relationship between 5-7 Hz oscillations in the cingulo-amygdala circuit and observational fear responses. The increase/decrease in theta power induced by optogenetic manipulation of the hippocampal theta rhythm bi-directionally modulated observational fear. Together, these results indicate that hippocampus-dependent 5-7 Hz oscillations in the cingulo-amygdala circuit in the right hemisphere are the essential component of the cognitive process that drives empathic fear, but not freezing, in general.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Wook Kim
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | - Minsoo Kim
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jinhee Baek
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Gireesh Gangadharan
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
| | - Yongwoo Yoon
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea
| | - Duk-Soo Kim
- Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan-Si 31151, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Hyung Lee
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Hee-Sup Shin
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea; SL Bigen, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Müllner-Huber A, Anton-Boicuk L, Pronizius E, Lengersdorff L, Olsson A, Lamm C. The causal role of affect sharing in driving vicarious fear learning. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277793. [PMID: 36399451 PMCID: PMC9674158 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vicarious learning, i.e. learning through observing others rather than through one's own experiences, is an integral skill of social species. The aim of this study was to assess the causal role of affect sharing, an important aspect of empathy, in vicarious fear learning. N = 39 participants completed a vicarious Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm. In the learning stage, they watched another person-the demonstrator-responding with distress when receiving electric shocks to a color cue (conditioned stimulus; CS+; a different color served as CS-). In the subsequent test stage, an increased skin conductance response (SCR) to the CS+ presented in the absence of the demonstrator indexed vicarious fear learning. Each participant completed this paradigm under two different hypnotic suggestions, which were administered to induce high or low affect sharing with the demonstrator in the learning stage, following a counterbalanced within-subject design. In the learning stage, high affect sharing resulted in stronger unconditioned SCR, increased eye gaze toward the demonstrator's face, and higher self-reported unpleasantness while witnessing the demonstrator's distress. In the test stage, participants showed a stronger conditioned fear response (SCR) when they had learned under high, compared to low, affect sharing. In contrast, participants' declarative memory of how many shocks the demonstrator had received with each cue was not influenced by the affect sharing manipulation. These findings demonstrate that affect sharing is involved in enhancing vicarious fear learning, and thus advance our understanding of the role of empathy, and more generally emotion, in social observational learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexa Müllner-Huber
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail: (AMH); (CL)
| | - Lisa Anton-Boicuk
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ekaterina Pronizius
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Lengersdorff
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail: (AMH); (CL)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Skversky-Blocq Y, Haaker J, Shechner T. Watch and Learn: Vicarious Threat Learning across Human Development. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11101345. [PMID: 34679409 PMCID: PMC8533719 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Vicarious threat learning is an important pathway in learning about safety and danger in the environment and is therefore critical for survival. It involves learning by observing another person's (the demonstrator) fearful responses to threat and begins as early as infancy. The review discusses the literature on vicarious threat learning and infers how this learning pathway may evolve over human development. We begin by discussing the methods currently being used to study observational threat learning in the laboratory. Next, we focus on the social factors influencing vicarious threat learning; this is followed by a review of vicarious threat learning among children and adolescents. Finally, we examine the neural mechanisms underpinning vicarious threat learning across human development. To conclude, we encourage future research directions that will help elucidate how vicarious threat learning emerges and how it relates to the development of normative fear and pathological anxiety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yael Skversky-Blocq
- School of Psychological Sciences and the Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel;
| | - Jan Haaker
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany;
| | - Tomer Shechner
- School of Psychological Sciences and the Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel;
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Muñoz Centifanti LC, Stickle TR, Thomas J, Falcón A, Thomson ND, Gamer M. Reflexive Gaze Shifts and Fear Recognition Deficits in Children with Callous-Unemotional Traits and Impulsivity/Conduct Problems. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1342. [PMID: 34679406 PMCID: PMC8533769 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to efficiently recognize the emotions on others' faces is something that most of us take for granted. Children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits and impulsivity/conduct problems (ICP), such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, have been previously described as being "fear blind". This is also associated with looking less at the eye regions of fearful faces, which are highly diagnostic. Previous attempts to intervene into emotion recognition strategies have not had lasting effects on participants' fear recognition abilities. Here we present both (a) additional evidence that there is a two-part causal chain, from personality traits to face recognition strategies using the eyes, then from strategies to rates of recognizing fear in others; and (b) a pilot intervention that had persistent effects for weeks after the end of instruction. Further, the intervention led to more change in those with the highest CU traits. This both clarifies the specific mechanisms linking personality to emotion recognition and shows that the process is fundamentally malleable. It is possible that such training could promote empathy and reduce the rates of antisocial behavior in specific populations in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Timothy R. Stickle
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; (J.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Jamila Thomas
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; (J.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Amanda Falcón
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; (J.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Nicholas D. Thomson
- Division of Acute Care Surgical Services, Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA;
| | - Matthias Gamer
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Affective empathy and prosocial behavior in rodents. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 68:181-189. [PMID: 34091136 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is an essential function for humans as social animals. Emotional contagion, the basic form of afffective empathy, comprises the cognitive process of perceiving and sharing the affective state of others. The observational fear assay, an animal model of emotional contagion, has enabled researchers to undertake molecular, cellular, and circuit mechanism of this behavior. Such studies have revealed that observational fear is mediated through neural circuits involved in processing the affective dimension of direct pain experiences. A mouse can also respond to milder social stimuli induced by either positive or negative emotional changes in another mouse, which seems not dependent on the affective pain circuits. Further studies should explore how different neural circuits contribute to integrating different dimensions of affective empathy.
Collapse
|
10
|
Abstract
Empathy is a complex phenomenon critical for group survival and societal bonds. In addition, there is mounting evidence demonstrating empathic behaviors are dysregulated in a multitude of psychiatric disorders ranging from autism spectrum disorder, substance use disorders, and personality disorders. Therefore, understanding the underlying drive and neurobiology of empathy is paramount for improving the treatment outcomes and quality of life for individuals suffering from these psychiatric disorders. While there is a growing list of human studies, there is still much about empathy to understand, likely due to both its complexity and the inherent limitations of imaging modalities. It is therefore imperative to develop, validate, and utilize rodent models of empathic behaviors as translational tools to explore this complex topic in ways human research cannot. This review outlines some of the more prevailing theories of empathy, lists some of the psychiatric disorders with disrupted empathic processes, describes rat and mouse models of empathic behaviors currently used, and discusses ways in which these models have elucidated social, environmental, and neurobiological factors that may modulate empathy. The research tools afforded to rodent models will provide an increasingly clear translational understanding of empathic processes and consequently result in improvements in care for those diagnosed with any one of the many psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stewart S. Cox
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Marin MF, Bilodeau-Houle A, Morand-Beaulieu S, Brouillard A, Herringa RJ, Milad MR. Vicarious conditioned fear acquisition and extinction in child-parent dyads. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17130. [PMID: 33051522 PMCID: PMC7555483 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74170-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The biological mechanisms involved in fear transmission within families have been scarcely investigated in humans. Here we studied (1) how children acquired conditioned fear from observing their parent, or a stranger, being exposed to a fear conditioning paradigm, and (2) the subsequent fear extinction process in these children. Eighty-three child-parent dyads were recruited. The parent was filmed while undergoing a conditioning procedure where one cue was paired with a shock (CS + Parent) and one was not (CS −). Children (8 to 12 years old) watched this video and a video of an adult stranger who underwent conditioning with a different cue reinforced (CS + Stranger). Children were then exposed to all cues (no shocks were delivered) while skin conductance responses (SCR) were recorded. Children exhibited higher SCR to the CS + Parent and CS + Stranger relative to the CS −. Physiological synchronization between the child’s SCR during observational learning and the parent’s SCR during the actual process of fear conditioning predicted higher SCR for the child to the CS + Parent. Our data suggest that children acquire fear vicariously and this can be measured physiologically. These data lay the foundation to examine observational fear learning mechanisms that might contribute to fear and anxiety disorders transmission in clinically affected families.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marie-France Marin
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke West Street, Montreal, QC, H2X 3P2, Canada. .,Research Center of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, Montreal, QC, H1N 3V2, Canada.
| | - Alexe Bilodeau-Houle
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke West Street, Montreal, QC, H2X 3P2, Canada.,Research Center of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, Montreal, QC, H1N 3V2, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, 2900 Edouard-Montpetit Blvd, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Simon Morand-Beaulieu
- Research Center of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, Montreal, QC, H1N 3V2, Canada.,Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, 2900 Edouard-Montpetit Blvd, Montréal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada.,Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
| | - Alexandra Brouillard
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 Sherbrooke West Street, Montreal, QC, H2X 3P2, Canada.,Research Center of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, 7331 Hochelaga Street, Montreal, QC, H1N 3V2, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, 2900 Edouard-Montpetit Blvd, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Ryan J Herringa
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, 750 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53726, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 530 1st Ave, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Espinosa L, Lundin Kleberg J, Hofvander B, Berggren S, Bölte S, Olsson A. Enhanced social learning of threat in adults with autism. Mol Autism 2020; 11:71. [PMID: 32962741 PMCID: PMC7510115 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00375-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent theories have linked autism to challenges in prediction learning and social cognition. It is unknown, however, how autism affects learning about threats from others “demonstrators” through observation, which contains predictive learning based on social information. The aims of this study are therefore to investigate social fear learning in individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to examine whether typically developing social cognition is necessary for successful observational learning. Methods Adults with ASD (n = 23) and neurotypical controls (n = 25) completed a social fear learning (SFL) procedure in which participants watched a “demonstrator” receiving electrical shocks in conjunction with a previously neutral conditioned stimulus (CS+), but never with a safe control stimulus (CS−). Skin conductance was used to measure autonomic responses of learned threat responses to the CS+ versus CS−. Visual attention was measured during learning using eye tracking. To establish a non-social learning baseline, each participant also underwent a test of Pavlovian conditioning. Results During learning, individuals with ASD attended less to the demonstrator’s face, and when later tested, displayed stronger observational, but not Pavlovian, autonomic indices of learning (skin conductance) compared to controls. In controls, both higher levels of attention to the demonstrator’s face and trait empathy predicted diminished expressions of learning during test. Limitations The relatively small sample size of this study and the typical IQ range of the ASD group limit the generalizability of our findings to individuals with ASD in the average intellectual ability range. Conclusions The enhanced social threat learning in individuals with ASD may be linked to difficulties using visual attention and mental state attributions to downregulate their emotion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Espinosa
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Nobels väg 9, 171 65 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Johan Lundin Kleberg
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Björn Hofvander
- Lund Clinical Research on Externalizing and Developmental Psychopathology (LU-CRED), Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Region Skåne, Trelleborg, Sweden
| | - Steve Berggren
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Curtin Autism Research Group, School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Nobels väg 9, 171 65 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Pärnamets P, Espinosa L, Olsson A. Physiological synchrony predicts observational threat learning in humans. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192779. [PMID: 32429814 PMCID: PMC7287361 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how information about threats in the environment is shared and transmitted between individuals is crucial for explaining adaptive, survival-related behaviour in humans and other animals, and for developing treatments for phobias and other anxiety disorders. Research across species has shown that observing a conspecific's, a 'demonstrator's,' threat responses causes strong and persistent threat memories in the 'observer'. Here, we examined if physiological synchrony between demonstrator and observer can serve to predict the strength of observationally acquired conditioned responses. We measured synchrony between demonstrators' and observers' phasic electrodermal signals during learning, which directly reflects autonomic nervous system activity. Prior interpersonal synchrony predicted the strength of the observer's later skin conductance responses to threat predicting stimuli, in the absence of the demonstrator. Dynamic coupling between an observer's and a demonstrator's autonomic nervous system activity may reflect experience sharing processes facilitating the formation of observational threat associations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip Pärnamets
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Lisa Espinosa
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Williams AL, Conway CC. Empathy does not amplify vicarious threat learning. Behav Res Ther 2020; 127:103577. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
|
15
|
Keum S, Shin HS. Neural Basis of Observational Fear Learning: A Potential Model of Affective Empathy. Neuron 2019; 104:78-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
|
16
|
Selbing I, Olsson A. Anxious behaviour in a demonstrator affects observational learning. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9181. [PMID: 31235886 PMCID: PMC6591253 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45613-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans can acquire fear through the observation of others’ (learning models’) threat responses. These responses can be direct responses to aversive stimuli, or anticipatory responses to threats. Most research focuses on learning from observation of direct responses only. Here, we investigated how observational fear conditioning is influenced by a learning model’s typically anxious anticipatory responses. High anxiety individuals often display typically anxious anticipatory behaviour, such as worsened discrimination between safe and unsafe stimuli, characterized by increased threat responses to safe stimuli. We hypothesized that observation of an anxiously behaving model would worsen discriminatory learning. To this end, we developed an observational conditioning paradigm where a learning model was exposed to one safe and one unsafe stimuli. The learning model displayed anticipatory aversion to either to the unsafe stimulus only (Non-Anxious Model group) or to both the safe and unsafe stimuli (Anxious Model group) in addition to reacting directly to an aversive stimulus paired with the unsafe stimulus. Contrary to expectations, discriminatory learning was not worsened in the Anxious Model group compared to the Non-Anxious Model group. Rather, we saw more robust discriminatory learning in the Anxious Model group. The study provides a first step towards understanding the effect of other’s anticipatory responses in general and typically anxious anticipatory responses in particular, on observational fear learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ida Selbing
- Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Oxytocin for learning calm and safety. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 136:5-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
|
18
|
Kim A, Keum S, Shin HS. Observational fear behavior in rodents as a model for empathy. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 18:e12521. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arie Kim
- Center for Cognition and Sociality; Institute for Basic Science (IBS); Daejeon Republic of Korea
| | - Sehoon Keum
- Center for Cognition and Sociality; Institute for Basic Science (IBS); Daejeon Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Sup Shin
- Center for Cognition and Sociality; Institute for Basic Science (IBS); Daejeon Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
A Missense Variant at the Nrxn3 Locus Enhances Empathy Fear in the Mouse. Neuron 2018; 98:588-601.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.03.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
|
20
|
Haaker J, Golkar A, Selbing I, Olsson A. Assessment of social transmission of threats in humans using observational fear conditioning. Nat Protoc 2017; 12:1378-1386. [PMID: 28617449 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2017.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Across the human life span, fear is often acquired indirectly by observation of the emotional expressions of others. The observational fear conditioning protocol was previously developed as a laboratory model for investigating socially acquired threat responses. This protocol serves as a suitable alternative to the widely used Pavlovian fear conditioning, in which threat responses are acquired through direct experiences. In the observational fear conditioning protocol, the participant (observer) watches a demonstrator being presented with a conditioned stimulus (CS) paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). The expression of threat learning is measured as the conditioned response (CR) expressed by the observer in the absence of the demonstrator. CRs are commonly measured as skin conductance responses, but behavioral and neural measures have also been implemented. The experimental procedure is suitable for divergent populations, can be administered by a graduate student and takes ∼40 min. Similar protocols are used in animals, emphasizing its value as a translational tool for studying socioemotional learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Haaker
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Armita Golkar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ida Selbing
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Meyza KZ, Bartal IBA, Monfils MH, Panksepp JB, Knapska E. The roots of empathy: Through the lens of rodent models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 76:216-234. [PMID: 27825924 PMCID: PMC5418107 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is a phenomenon often considered dependent on higher-order emotional control and an ability to relate to the emotional state of others. It is, by many, attributed only to species having well-developed cortical circuits capable of performing such complex tasks. However, over the years, a wealth of data has been accumulated showing that rodents are capable not only of sharing emotional states of their conspecifics, but also of prosocial behavior driven by such shared experiences. The study of rodent empathic behaviors is only now becoming an independent research field. Relevant animal models allow precise manipulation of neural networks, thereby offering insight into the foundations of empathy in the mammalian brains. Here we review the data on empathic behaviors in rat and mouse models, their neurobiological and neurophysiological correlates, and the factors influencing these behaviors. We discuss how simple rodent models of empathy enhance our understanding of how brain controls empathic behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K Z Meyza
- Laboratory of Emotions' Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - I Ben-Ami Bartal
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - M H Monfils
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - J B Panksepp
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - E Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions' Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|