1
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Moscovitch DA, White K, Hudd T. Hooking the Self Onto the Past: How Positive Autobiographical Memory Retrieval Benefits People With Social Anxiety. Clin Psychol Sci 2024; 12:882-902. [PMID: 39309219 PMCID: PMC11415290 DOI: 10.1177/21677026231195792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Do people with social anxiety (SA) benefit from positive memory retrieval that heightens self-relevant meaning? In this preregistered study, an analog sample of 255 participants with self-reported clinically significant symptoms of SA were randomly assigned to retrieve and process a positive social-autobiographical memory by focusing on either its self-relevant meaning (deep processing) or its perceptual features (superficial processing). Participants were then socially excluded and instructed to reimagine their positive memory. Analyses revealed that participants assigned to the deep processing condition experienced significantly greater improvements than participants in the superficial processing condition in positive affect, social safeness, and positive beliefs about others during initial memory retrieval and in negative and positive beliefs about the self following memory reactivation during recovery from exclusion. These novel findings highlight the potential utility of memory-based interventions for SA that work by "hooking" self-meaning onto recollections of positive interpersonal experiences that elicit feelings of social acceptance.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Kendra White
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Taylor Hudd
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo
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2
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Ginat-Frolich R, Gilboa-Schechtman E, Huppert JD, Aderka IM, Alden LE, Bar-Haim Y, Becker ES, Bernstein A, Geva R, Heimberg RG, Hofmann SG, Kashdan TB, Koster EHW, Lipsitz J, Maner JK, Moscovitch DA, Philippot P, Rapee RM, Roelofs K, Rodebaugh TL, Schneier FR, Schultheiss OC, Shahar B, Stangier U, Stein MB, Stopa L, Taylor CT, Weeks JW, Wieser MJ. Vulnerabilities in social anxiety: Integrating intra- and interpersonal perspectives. Clin Psychol Rev 2024; 109:102415. [PMID: 38493675 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102415] [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: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
What are the major vulnerabilities in people with social anxiety? What are the most promising directions for translational research pertaining to this condition? The present paper provides an integrative summary of basic and applied translational research on social anxiety, emphasizing vulnerability factors. It is divided into two subsections: intrapersonal and interpersonal. The intrapersonal section synthesizes research relating to (a) self-representations and self-referential processes; (b) emotions and their regulation; and (c) cognitive biases: attention, interpretation and judgment, and memory. The interpersonal section summarizes findings regarding the systems of (a) approach and avoidance, (b) affiliation and social rank, and their implications for interpersonal impairments. Our review suggests that the science of social anxiety and, more generally, psychopathology may be advanced by examining processes and their underlying content within broad psychological systems. Increased interaction between basic and applied researchers to diversify and elaborate different perspectives on social anxiety is necessary for progress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Idan M Aderka
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Lynn E Alden
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Eni S Becker
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Amit Bernstein
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronny Geva
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Israel
| | - Richard G Heimberg
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, United States of America
| | - Stefan G Hofmann
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, United States of America
| | - Todd B Kashdan
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Ernst H W Koster
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | | | - Jon K Maner
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Florida, United States of America
| | - David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research & Treatment, University of Waterloo, Canada
| | - Pierre Philippot
- Department of Psychology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
| | - Ronald M Rapee
- Centre for Emotional Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands; Donders Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Thomas L Rodebaugh
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Franklin R Schneier
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Ben Shahar
- The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ulrich Stangier
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Murray B Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and School of Public Health, University of California San Diego, United States of America
| | - Lusia Stopa
- Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Charles T Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry and School of Public Health, University of California San Diego, United States of America
| | - Justin W Weeks
- Department of Psychology, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Matthias J Wieser
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
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3
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Moscovitch DA, Moscovitch M, Sheldon S. Neurocognitive Model of Schema-Congruent and -Incongruent Learning in Clinical Disorders: Application to Social Anxiety and Beyond. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023; 18:1412-1435. [PMID: 36795637 PMCID: PMC10623626 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221141351] [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] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Negative schemas lie at the core of many common and debilitating mental disorders. Thus, intervention scientists and clinicians have long recognized the importance of designing effective interventions that target schema change. Here, we suggest that the optimal development and administration of such interventions can benefit from a framework outlining how schema change occurs in the brain. Guided by basic neuroscientific findings, we provide a memory-based neurocognitive framework for conceptualizing how schemas emerge and change over time and how they can be modified during psychological treatment of clinical disorders. We highlight the critical roles of the hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and posterior neocortex in directing schema-congruent and -incongruent learning (SCIL) in the interactive neural network that comprises the autobiographical memory system. We then use this framework, which we call the SCIL model, to derive new insights about the optimal design features of clinical interventions that aim to strengthen or weaken schema-based knowledge through the core processes of episodic mental simulation and prediction error. Finally, we examine clinical applications of the SCIL model to schema-change interventions in psychotherapy and provide cognitive-behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder as an illustrative example.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research & Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Rotman Research Institute and Department of Psychology, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
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4
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Gavric D, Cameron D, Waechter S, Moscovitch DA, McCabe RE, Rowa K. Just do something: An experimental investigation of brief interventions for reducing the negative impact of post-event processing in social anxiety disorder. J Anxiety Disord 2023; 98:102744. [PMID: 37478698 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Post-Event Processing (PEP) is prevalent and problematic in Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) but is typically not a direct target in evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for SAD. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the impact of several theoretically and empirically derived interventions for PEP in SAD, including concrete thinking, abstract thinking, and distraction in comparison to a control (i.e., do nothing) condition. Based on prior research, we hypothesized that the concrete and distract conditions would be associated with positive benefits, including reductions in PEP and improvements in self-perception, whereas the abstract and control conditions would not. The second aim of the study was to identify baseline variables that predict the trajectory of change in PEP over time. Participants (N=92) with a principal diagnosis of SAD completed a social stress task and were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Participants completed measures at baseline, post-intervention/control, and at 1-week, and 1-month follow-up. Contrary to hypotheses, all three active conditions were similarly effective at reducing PEP and improving self-perceptions relative to the control condition. In the absence of an intervention, engagement in PEP remained high up to a month following the social stress task. Higher levels of baseline state anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and use of safety behaviours predicted greater PEP, even in the presence of an intervention. These results highlight the benefits of relatively brief interventions that disrupt the course of PEP for people with SAD. Such interventions can be easily incorporated into CBT protocols for SAD to enhance their effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dubravka Gavric
- Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8N 3K7, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.
| | - Duncan Cameron
- Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8N 3K7, Canada
| | - Stephanie Waechter
- Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8N 3K7, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Randi E McCabe
- Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8N 3K7, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Karen Rowa
- Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8N 3K7, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
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5
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Alawadhi YT, Smith MR, King KM. The relations between real-time use of emotion regulation strategies and anxiety and depression symptoms. J Clin Psychol 2023; 79:1082-1098. [PMID: 36490357 PMCID: PMC10042282 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23458] [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: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE How individuals differentially implement specific emotion regulation (ER) strategies is a critical indicator of the progression of depressive and anxiety disorders. Symptoms of anxiety and depression may be associated with differences in ER, but little evidence to date had examined whether anxiety and depression were associated with individual differences in the real-time use of ER strategies. METHODS This study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in two samples (n = 276) of undergraduate students from a single university who were assessed for 8-10 days. Baseline surveys captured participant self-reported anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms using the PROMIS-Anxiety scale and the PROMIS-Depression scale, respectively. We measured ER through EMA-adapted prompts from the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), which participants received on their internet-enabled cell phones. In pre-registered analyses, we tested the associations between anxiety symptoms with the use of discrete ER strategies in EMA using generalized estimating equations with a log-link function to account for nesting of EMA observations within participants, and further tested whether the findings generalized to depression (not pre-registered). RESULTS Symptoms of anxiety and depression were associated with greater odds of using both maladaptive and adaptive ER strategy use during the EMA period, and with lower odds of reporting no strategy use. Moreover, associations were generally stronger for maladaptive than adaptive ER strategies. CONCLUSION Anxiety and depressive symptoms are related to increased regulatory efforts overall, and results suggest that individuals with anxiety and depressive symptoms may be especially prone to use maladaptive ER strategies. Tracking ER strategies in a natural environment can further inform our understanding of how anxious and depressed individuals attempt to regulate emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmeen T. Alawadhi
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle WA 98195-1525, (206) 685-3571, USA
| | - Michele R. Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle WA 98195-1525, (206) 685-3571, USA
| | - Kevin M. King
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle WA 98195-1525, (206) 685-3571, USA
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6
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Del Palacio-Gonzalez A, Berntsen D. Involuntary autobiographical memories and future projections in social anxiety. Memory 2020; 28:516-527. [PMID: 32148184 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2020.1738497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Intrusive involuntary memories and images are a cardinal phenomenon in a range of psychological disorders, but not systematically examined in social anxiety. We examined potential biases upon generating involuntary versus voluntary memories and future projections in individuals with high and low levels of social anxiety. Participants recorded involuntary and voluntary autobiographical events, and their associated emotional response in a structured mental time travel diary. High social anxiety was associated with more intense anxiety and embarrassment and greater use of a range of emotion regulation strategies upon generating all types of autobiographical events. Involuntary (versus voluntary) memories and future events were associated with a heightened emotional response independent of social anxiety, and memories were associated with more embarrassment than imagined future events. The effects of high versus low social anxiety and involuntary versus voluntary generation process were independent from each other. The findings have implications for affective and cognitive models of involuntary memories and future projections in emotional disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Del Palacio-Gonzalez
- Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Center for Alcohol and Drug Research, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Dorthe Berntsen
- Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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7
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Dryman MT, Heimberg RG. Emotion regulation in social anxiety and depression: a systematic review of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal. Clin Psychol Rev 2018; 65:17-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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8
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Moscovitch DA, Vidovic V, Lenton-Brym AP, Dupasquier JR, Barber KC, Hudd T, Zabara N, Romano M. Autobiographical memory retrieval and appraisal in social anxiety disorder. Behav Res Ther 2018; 107:106-116. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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9
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Cremers HR, Roelofs K. Social anxiety disorder: a critical overview of neurocognitive research. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2016; 7:218-32. [DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2015] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henk R. Cremers
- Department of Clinical Psychology; University of Amsterdam; Amsterdam Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry; The University of Chicago; Chicago IL USA
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Behavioural Science Institute; Radboud University Nijmegen; Nijmegen Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour; Radboud University Nijmegen; Nijmegen Netherlands
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10
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Moscovitch DA. Early memories in social anxiety: A meaningful and enduring collaboration with my Dad. Neuropsychologia 2016; 90:286-92. [PMID: 26994594 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In this short paper in honour of my father's Festschrift, I describe a recent collaboration with him in which we joined forces to investigate the nature of autobiographical images and memories in social anxiety. I outline our work together and the unique insights that were gleaned from our interactive contributions. Then, I reflect on how this collaboration has helped to lay the foundation for subsequent work in my lab and illuminate new directions in my program of research, enhance my career as a scientist-practitioner, and ultimately, enrich both my personal and professional identities. In so doing, I aim to highlight one of the most important and enduring aspects of my father's legacy: the profound positive impact he has on the people with whom he has worked.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research, University of Waterloo, Canada.
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11
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O'Toole MS, Watson LA, Rosenberg NK, Berntsen D. Negative autobiographical memories in social anxiety disorder: A comparison with panic disorder and healthy controls. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2016; 50:223-30. [PMID: 26412293 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Revised: 08/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Empirical interest in mental imagery in social anxiety disorder (SAD) has grown over the past years but still little is known about the specificity to SAD. The present study therefore examines negative autobiographical memories in participants with social anxiety disorder (SAD), compared to patients with panic disorder (PD), and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS A total of 107 participants retrieved four memories cued by verbal phrases associated with either social anxiety (SA) or panic anxiety (PA), with two memories for each cue category. RESULTS PA-cued memories were experienced with stronger imagery and as more traumatic. They were also rated as more central to identity than SA-cued memories, but not among participants with SAD, who perceived SA-cued memories as equally central to their identity. When between-group effects were detected, participants with anxiety disorders differed from HCs, but not from each other. LIMITATIONS Central limitations include reliance on self-report measures, comorbidity in the anxiety disorder groups, and lack of a neutrally cued memory comparison. CONCLUSIONS The findings align with models of SAD suggesting that past negative social events play a central role in this disorder. Future research is suggested to further explore the function of negative memories, not only in SAD, but also in other anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia Skytte O'Toole
- Department of Psychology, Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Denmark.
| | - Lynn A Watson
- Department of Psychology, Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Nicole K Rosenberg
- Department of Psychology, Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Denmark; Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Dorthe Berntsen
- Department of Psychology, Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Denmark
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12
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Moscovitch M, Cabeza R, Winocur G, Nadel L. Episodic Memory and Beyond: The Hippocampus and Neocortex in Transformation. Annu Rev Psychol 2016; 67:105-34. [PMID: 26726963 PMCID: PMC5060006 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 567] [Impact Index Per Article: 70.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The last decade has seen dramatic technological and conceptual changes in research on episodic memory and the brain. New technologies, and increased use of more naturalistic observations, have enabled investigators to delve deeply into the structures that mediate episodic memory, particularly the hippocampus, and to track functional and structural interactions among brain regions that support it. Conceptually, episodic memory is increasingly being viewed as subject to lifelong transformations that are reflected in the neural substrates that mediate it. In keeping with this dynamic perspective, research on episodic memory (and the hippocampus) has infiltrated domains, from perception to language and from empathy to problem solving, that were once considered outside its boundaries. Using the component process model as a framework, and focusing on the hippocampus, its subfields, and specialization along its longitudinal axis, along with its interaction with other brain regions, we consider these new developments and their implications for the organization of episodic memory and its contribution to functions in other domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morris Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada;
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Center, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1 Canada
- Department of Psychology, Baycrest Center, Toronto, Ontario M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Roberto Cabeza
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708;
| | - Gordon Winocur
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Center, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1 Canada
- Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8, Canada;
| | - Lynn Nadel
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721;
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13
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Cremers HR, Veer IM, Spinhoven P, Rombouts SARB, Yarkoni T, Wager TD, Roelofs K. Altered cortical-amygdala coupling in social anxiety disorder during the anticipation of giving a public speech. Psychol Med 2015; 45:1521-1529. [PMID: 25425031 PMCID: PMC6892398 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291714002657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe stress in social situations is a core symptom of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Connectivity between the amygdala and cortical regions is thought to be important for emotion regulation, a function that is compromised in SAD. However, it has never been tested if and how this connectivity pattern changes under conditions of stress-inducing social evaluative threat. Here we investigate changes in cortical-amygdala coupling in SAD during the anticipation of giving a public speech. METHOD Twenty individuals with SAD and age-, gender- and education-matched controls (n = 20) participated in this study. During the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session, participants underwent three 'resting-state' fMRI scans: one before, one during, and one after the anticipation of giving a public speech. Functional connectivity between cortical emotion regulation regions and the amygdala was investigated. RESULTS Compared to controls, SAD participants showed reduced functional integration between cortical emotion regulation regions and the amygdala during the public speech anticipation. Moreover, in SAD participants cortical-amygdala connectivity changes correlated with social anxiety symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS The distinctive pattern of cortical-amygdala connectivity suggests less effective cortical-subcortical communication during social stress-provoking situations in SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. R. Cremers
- Behavioral Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Biological Science Division, Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, USA
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - I. M. Veer
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - P. Spinhoven
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - S. A. R. B. Rombouts
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - T. Yarkoni
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, USA
| | - T. D. Wager
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
| | - K. Roelofs
- Behavioral Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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14
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Ng AS, Abbott MJ, Hunt C. The effect of self-imagery on symptoms and processes in social anxiety: a systematic review. Clin Psychol Rev 2014; 34:620-33. [PMID: 25455626 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2014.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2014] [Revised: 09/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/20/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive models of Social Anxiety Disorder suggest that negative self-images maintain social fears despite repeated exposure to benign social situations. An accumulating body of evidence supports this notion, and preliminary data indicate that modifying self-imagery can potentially reduce fears of negative evaluation in socially anxious individuals. This systematic review aims to evaluate the existing research on the effect of self-imagery on symptoms and processes in social anxiety. METHODS The following databases were searched: PsycInfo, Medline, PubMed, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Articles were limited to adult samples and English language papers that examined the effect of self-imagery on at least one measure related to social anxiety. Risk of bias and study results were reviewed for each study. RESULTS In the 17 studies that were identified, negative self-imagery had a consistently adverse effect on anxiety, self and observer-rated performance appraisals, and negative thoughts for both socially anxious and non-clinical participants. Effects of negative self-imagery were generally not significantly greater for socially anxious participants. CONCLUSIONS Further research is warranted to determine the precise role of different types of self-imagery for both clinical and non-clinical individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlen S Ng
- Clinical Psychology Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Maree J Abbott
- Clinical Psychology Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Australia.
| | - Caroline Hunt
- Clinical Psychology Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Australia
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15
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Moscovitch DA, Rowa K, Paulitzki JR, Antony MM, McCabe RE. What If I Appear Boring, Anxious, or Unattractive? Validation and Treatment Sensitivity of the Negative Self Portrayal Scale in Clinical Samples. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-014-9645-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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16
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Mills AC, Grant DM, Judah MR, Lechner WV. Consequences of anticipatory processing on cognitive symptoms of social anxiety. ANXIETY STRESS AND COPING 2013; 27:394-409. [DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2013.866229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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