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Lörsch F, Kollei I, Steins-Loeber S. The effects of a retrieval cue on renewal of conditioned responses in human appetitive conditioning. Behav Res Ther 2024; 176:104501. [PMID: 38520963 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Contextual renewal of reward anticipation may be one potential mechanism underlying relapse in eating and substance use disorders. We therefore tested retrieval cues, a method derived from an inhibitory retrieval-based model of extinction learning to attenuate contextual renewal using an appetitive conditioning paradigm. A pilot study was carried out in Experiment 1 to validate a differential chocolate conditioning paradigm, in which a specific tray was set up as a conditioned stimulus (CS) for eating chocolate (unconditioned stimulus, US). Using an ABA renewal design in Experiment 2, half of the participants were presented with a retrieval cue in the acquisition phase (group AC) and the other half in the extinction phase (group EC). Presentation of the retrieval cue in the EC was associated with reduced renewal of US-expectancy, while there was a clear renewal effect for US-expectancy in the AC. One limitation was the difference in cue presentations between both groups due to the number of trials in acquisition and extinction. Experiment 3 therefore aimed at replicating the results of Experiment 2, but with fewer cue presentations for the EC to match the AC. No significant group differences were observed indicating no effect of the retrieval cue. Theoretical and clinical implications in light of the differing results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Lörsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany.
| | - Ines Kollei
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Sabine Steins-Loeber
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, 96047, Bamberg, Germany
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Morriss J, Biagi N, Lonsdorf TB, Andreatta M. The role of intolerance of uncertainty in the acquisition and extinction of reward. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 53:3063-3071. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jayne Morriss
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences University of Reading Reading UK
| | - Nicolo Biagi
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences University of Reading Reading UK
| | - Tina B. Lonsdorf
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience University Medical Center Hamburg‐Eppendorf Hamburg Germany
| | - Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies Erasmus University Rotterdam Rotterdam The Netherlands
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Andreatta M, Pauli P. Generalization of appetitive conditioned responses. Psychophysiology 2019; 56:e13397. [PMID: 31152454 PMCID: PMC6852357 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A stimulus (conditioned stimulus, CS) associated with an appetitive unconditioned stimulus (US) acquires positive properties and elicits appetitive conditioned responses (CR). Such associative learning has been examined extensively in animals with food as the US, and results are used to explain psychopathologies (e.g., substance-related disorders or obesity). Human studies on appetitive conditioning exist, too, but we still know little about generalization processes. Understanding these processes may explain why stimuli not associated with a drug, for instance, can elicit craving. Forty-seven hungry participants underwent an appetitive conditioning protocol during which one of two circles with different diameters (CS+) became associated with an appetitive US (chocolate or salty pretzel, according to participants' preference) but never the other circle (CS-). During generalization, US were delivered twice and the two CS were presented again plus four circles (generalization stimuli, GS) with gradually increasing diameters from CS- to CS+. We found successful appetitive conditioning as reflected in appetitive subjective ratings (positive valence, higher contingency) and physiological responses (startle attenuation and larger skin conductance responses) to CS+ versus CS-, and, importantly, both measures confirmed generalization as indicated by generalization gradients. Small changes in CS-US contingency during generalization may have weakened generalization processes on the physiological level. Considering that appetitive conditioned responses can be generalized to non-US-associated stimuli, a next important step would be to investigate risk factors that mediate overgeneralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy)University of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
- Center of Mental HealthUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy)University of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
- Center of Mental HealthUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
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Pietrock C, Ebrahimi C, Katthagen TM, Koch SP, Heinz A, Rothkirch M, Schlagenhauf F. Pupil dilation as an implicit measure of appetitive Pavlovian learning. Psychophysiology 2019; 56:e13463. [PMID: 31424104 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Appetitive Pavlovian conditioning is a learning mechanism of fundamental biological and pathophysiological significance. Nonetheless, its exploration in humans remains sparse, which is partly attributed to the lack of an established psychophysiological parameter that aptly represents conditioned responding. This study evaluated pupil diameter and other ocular response measures (gaze dwelling time, blink duration and count) as indices of conditioning. Additionally, a learning model was used to infer participants' learning progress on the basis of their pupil dilation. Twenty-nine healthy volunteers completed an appetitive differential delay conditioning paradigm with a primary reward, while the ocular response measures along with other psychophysiological (heart rate, electrodermal activity, postauricular and eyeblink reflex) and behavioral (ratings, contingency awareness) parameters were obtained to examine the relation among different measures. A significantly stronger increase in pupil diameter, longer gaze duration and shorter eyeblink duration was observed in response to the reward-predicting cue compared to the control cue. The Pearce-Hall attention model best predicted the trial-by-trial pupil diameter. This conditioned response was corroborated by a pronounced heart rate deceleration to the reward-predicting cue, while no conditioning effect was observed in the electrodermal activity or startle responses. There was no discernible correlation between the psychophysiological response measures. These results highlight the potential value of ocular response measures as sensitive indices for representing appetitive conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Pietrock
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia Ebrahimi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Teresa M Katthagen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan P Koch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus Rothkirch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Schlagenhauf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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van den Akker K, Schyns G, Jansen A. Altered appetitive conditioning in overweight and obese women. Behav Res Ther 2017; 99:78-88. [PMID: 28964981 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Overweight and obese individuals show increased psychological and physiological reactivity to food cues and many of them have difficulties in achieving long-term weight loss. The current study tests whether abnormalities in the learning and extinction of appetitive responses to food cues might be responsible for this. Overweight/obese and healthy weight women completed a differential appetitive conditioning task using food as rewards, while eating expectancies, eating desires, conditioned stimulus evaluations, salivation, and electrodermal responses were assessed during an acquisition and extinction phase. Results suggested reduced discriminative conditioning in the overweight/obese group, as reflected by a worse acquisition of differential eating desires and no successful acquisition of differential evaluative responses. Some evidence was also found for impaired contingency learning in overweight and obese individuals. No group differences in conditioned salivation and skin conductance responses were found and no compelling evidence for differences in extinction was found as well. In sum, the current findings indicate that overweight and obesity may be characterized by reduced appetitive conditioning. It is suggested that this could be causally related to overeating via stronger context conditioning or a tendency towards overgeneralization in overweight and obese individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolien van den Akker
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Ghislaine Schyns
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Anita Jansen
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
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