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Mas-Cuesta L, Baltruschat S, Cándido A, Catena A. Brain signatures of catastrophic events: Emotion, salience, and cognitive control. Psychophysiology 2024:e14674. [PMID: 39169571 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Anticipatory brain activity makes it possible to predict the occurrence of expected situations. However, events such as traffic accidents are statistically unpredictable and can generate catastrophic consequences. This study investigates the brain activity and effective connectivity associated with anticipating and processing such unexpected, unavoidable accidents. We asked 161 participants to ride a motorcycle simulator while recording their electroencephalographic activity. Of these, 90 participants experienced at least one accident while driving. We conducted both within-subjects and between-subjects comparisons. During the pre-accident period, the right inferior parietal lobe (IPL), left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and right insula showed higher activity in the accident condition. In the post-accident period, the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, right IPL, bilateral ACC, and middle and superior frontal gyrus also showed increased activity in the accident condition. We observed greater effective connectivity within the nodes of the limbic network (LN) and between the nodes of the attentional networks in the pre-accident period. In the post-accident period, we also observed greater effective connectivity between networks, from the ventral attention network (VAN) to the somatomotor network and from nodes in the visual network, VAN, and default mode network to nodes in the frontoparietal network, LN, and attentional networks. This suggests that activating salience-related processes and emotional processing allows the anticipation of accidents. Once an accident has occurred, integration and valuation of the new information takes place, and control processes are initiated to adapt behavior to the new demands of the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Mas-Cuesta
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Granada, Spain
| | - Sabina Baltruschat
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Cándido
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Granada, Spain
| | - Andrés Catena
- School of Psychology, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Granada, Spain
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2
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Wojtyna E, Hyla M, Hachuła A. Pain of Threatened Self: Explicit and Implicit Self-Esteem, Cortisol Responses to a Social Threat and Pain Perception. J Clin Med 2024; 13:2705. [PMID: 38731234 PMCID: PMC11084546 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13092705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Rejection, injustice, and exclusion from meaningful interpersonal relationships are often extremely painful and stress-generating experiences. This study aimed to define the role of explicit and implicit self-esteem in pain perception as a component of the physiological-psychological system that regulates the body's response to stress associated with the threat of social rejection. Methods: In total, 360 individuals participated in this study. The measurement of cortisol in saliva, the assessment of pain thresholds using thermal stimuli, the IAT to assess implicit self-esteem, and a questionnaire on global self-esteem and social pain were used. The study included three measurements: baseline and 15 and 45 min after the application of a laboratory socially threatening stimulus (the Trier Social Stress Test). Results: People experiencing chronic social pain (CSP) are more likely to have fragile self-esteem, higher pain thresholds, and tend to experience reduced pain tolerance in situations of acute social threat than people without CSP experience. In people with CSP and fragile self-esteem, after the introduction of a social threat, an increase in pain tolerance was observed along with a longer-lasting increase in cortisol levels. Conclusions: Fragile self-esteem, along with feelings of chronic exclusion, injustice, and rejection, may prolong stress reactions and produce a hypoalgesic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Wojtyna
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Opole, 45-040 Opole, Poland
| | - Magdalena Hyla
- Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-007 Katowice, Poland;
| | - Aleksandra Hachuła
- Faculty of Psychology in Katowice, SWPS University, 40-326 Katowice, Poland;
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3
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Liu H, Hao Z, Qiu S, Wang Q, Zhan L, Huang L, Shao Y, Wang Q, Su C, Cao Y, Sun J, Wang C, Lv Y, Li M, Shen W, Li H, Jia X. Grey matter structural alterations in anxiety disorders: a voxel-based meta-analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2024; 18:456-474. [PMID: 38150133 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-023-00842-x] [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] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders (ADs) are a group of prevalent and destructive mental illnesses, but the current understanding of their underlying neuropathology is still unclear. Employing voxel-based morphometry (VBM), previous studies have demonstrated several common brain regions showing grey matter volume (GMV) abnormalities. However, contradictory results have been reported among these studies. Considering that different subtypes of ADs exhibit common core symptoms despite different diagnostic criteria, and previous meta-analyses have found common core GMV-altered brain regions in ADs, the present research aimed to combine the results of individual studies to identify common GMV abnormalities in ADs. Therefore, we first performed a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science on studies investigating GMV differences between patients with ADs and healthy controls (HCs). Then, the anisotropic effect-size signed differential mapping (AES-SDM) was applied in this meta-analysis. A total of 24 studies (including 25 data sets) were included in the current study, and 906 patients with ADs and 1003 HCs were included. Compared with the HCs, the patients with ADs showed increased GMV in the left superior parietal gyrus, right angular gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and right lingual gyrus, and decreased GMV in the bilateral insula, bilateral thalamus, left caudate, and right putamen. In conclusion, the current study has identified some abnormal GMV brain regions that are related to the pathological mechanisms of anxiety disorders. These findings could contribute to a better understanding of the underlying neuropathology of ADs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Liu
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Zeqi Hao
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Shasha Qiu
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Qianqian Wang
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Linlin Zhan
- School of Western Languages, Heilongjiang University, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Lina Huang
- Department of Radiology, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Changshu, Jiangsu, China
| | - Youbin Shao
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Chang Su
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Yikang Cao
- School of Information and Electronics Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Jiawei Sun
- School of Information and Electronics Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Chunjie Wang
- Institute of Brain Science, Department of Psychology, School of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, the Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yating Lv
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, the Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mengting Li
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Wenbin Shen
- Department of Radiology, Changshu No.2 People's Hospital, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Changshu, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huayun Li
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
| | - Xize Jia
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
- Intelligent Laboratory of Zhejiang Province in Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
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4
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Liu X, Jiao G, Zhou F, Kendrick KM, Yao D, Gong Q, Xiang S, Jia T, Zhang XY, Zhang J, Feng J, Becker B. A neural signature for the subjective experience of threat anticipation under uncertainty. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1544. [PMID: 38378947 PMCID: PMC10879105 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45433-6] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Uncertainty about potential future threats and the associated anxious anticipation represents a key feature of anxiety. However, the neural systems that underlie the subjective experience of threat anticipation under uncertainty remain unclear. Combining an uncertainty-variation threat anticipation paradigm that allows precise modulation of the level of momentary anxious arousal during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with multivariate predictive modeling, we train a brain model that accurately predicts subjective anxious arousal intensity during anticipation and test it across 9 samples (total n = 572, both gender). Using publicly available datasets, we demonstrate that the whole-brain signature specifically predicts anxious anticipation and is not sensitive in predicting pain, general anticipation or unspecific emotional and autonomic arousal. The signature is also functionally and spatially distinguishable from representations of subjective fear or negative affect. We develop a sensitive, generalizable, and specific neuroimaging marker for the subjective experience of uncertain threat anticipation that can facilitate model development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiqin Liu
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- The Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Guojuan Jiao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Chongqing, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Dezhong Yao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Department of Radiology, West China Xiamen Hospital of Sichuan University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Shitong Xiang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianye Jia
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- The Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), ISTBI, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- SGDP Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Xiao-Yong Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianfeng Feng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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5
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Chaudhary R, Prasad A, Agarwal V, Rehman M, Kumar A, Kaushik AS, Srivastava S, Srivastava S, Mishra V. Chronic stress predisposes to the aggravation of inflammation in autoimmune diseases with focus on rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 125:111046. [PMID: 37879231 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111046] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
The global incidence of autoimmune diseases is on the rise, and many healthcare professionals believe that chronic stress plays a prominent role in both the aggravation and remission of these conditions. It is believed that prolonged exposure to stress is associated with neuroimmune axis malfunction, which eventually dysregulates multiple immunological factors as well as deregulates autoimmune responses that play a central role in various autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Herein, we performed validation of an 8-week long rat model of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) which consisted of exposing groups of rats to random stressors daily for 8 weeks. Additionally, we developed a novel rat model combining 8-week long random stressor-induced CUS with CIA-triggered arthritis and IMQ-triggered psoriasis and have successfully used both these models to assess the role of chronic stress in the aggravation of arthritis and psoriasis, respectively. Notably, the 8-week CUS protocol extensively aggravated and prolonged both arthritis and psoriasis condition in the rat model by upregulating the release of different pro-inflammatory cytokines, dysregulation of immune cell responses and oxidative stress system, which were all related to severe inflammation. Further, CUS aggravated macroscopic features and the increase in destruction of joint tissue and epidermal thickness induced by CIA and IMQ, respectively, in rats. In conclusion, this study suggests that exposure to an 8-week long CUS paradigm aggravates the distinctive characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis in rats via amplifying the inflammatory circuits and immune cell responses linked to these autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rishabh Chaudhary
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India
| | - Ajay Prasad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India
| | - Vipul Agarwal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India
| | - Mujeeba Rehman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India
| | - Anand Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India
| | - Arjun Singh Kaushik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India
| | - Siddhi Srivastava
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India
| | - Sukriti Srivastava
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India
| | - Vikas Mishra
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226025, U.P., India.
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6
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Tsuchiyagaito A, Sánchez SM, Misaki M, Kuplicki R, Park H, Paulus MP, Guinjoan SM. Intensity of repetitive negative thinking in depression is associated with greater functional connectivity between semantic processing and emotion regulation areas. Psychol Med 2023; 53:5488-5499. [PMID: 36043367 PMCID: PMC9973538 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722002677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Repetitive negative thinking (RNT), a cognitive process that encompasses past (rumination) and future (worry) directed thoughts focusing on negative experiences and the self, is a transdiagnostic construct that is especially relevant for major depressive disorder (MDD). Severe RNT often occurs in individuals with severe levels of MDD, which makes it challenging to disambiguate the neural circuitry underlying RNT from depression severity. METHODS We used a propensity score, i.e., a conditional probability of having high RNT given observed covariates to match high and low RNT individuals who are similar in the severity of depression, anxiety, and demographic characteristics. Of 148 MDD individuals, we matched high and low RNT groups (n = 50/group) and used a data-driven whole-brain voxel-to-voxel connectivity pattern analysis to investigate the resting-state functional connectivity differences between the groups. RESULTS There was an association between RNT and connectivity in the bilateral superior temporal sulcus (STS), an important region for speech processing including inner speech. High relative to low RNT individuals showed greater connectivity between right STS and bilateral anterior insular cortex (AI), and between bilateral STS and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Greater connectivity in those regions was specifically related to RNT but not to depression severity. CONCLUSIONS RNT intensity is directly related to connectivity between STS and AI/DLPFC. This might be a mechanism underlying the role of RNT in perceptive, cognitive, speech, and emotional processing. Future investigations will need to determine whether modifying these connectivities could be a treatment target to reduce RNT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aki Tsuchiyagaito
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
- The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA
- Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | | | - Masaya Misaki
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | | | - Heekyong Park
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
- University of North Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
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7
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Abend R. Understanding anxiety symptoms as aberrant defensive responding along the threat imminence continuum. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105305. [PMID: 37414377 PMCID: PMC10528507 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105305] [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: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Threat-anticipatory defensive responses have evolved to promote survival in a dynamic world. While inherently adaptive, aberrant expression of defensive responses to potential threat could manifest as pathological anxiety, which is prevalent, impairing, and associated with adverse outcomes. Extensive translational neuroscience research indicates that normative defensive responses are organized by threat imminence, such that distinct response patterns are observed in each phase of threat encounter and orchestrated by partially conserved neural circuitry. Anxiety symptoms, such as excessive and pervasive worry, physiological arousal, and avoidance behavior, may reflect aberrant expression of otherwise normative defensive responses, and therefore follow the same imminence-based organization. Here, empirical evidence linking aberrant expression of specific, imminence-dependent defensive responding to distinct anxiety symptoms is reviewed, and plausible contributing neural circuitry is highlighted. Drawing from translational and clinical research, the proposed framework informs our understanding of pathological anxiety by grounding anxiety symptoms in conserved psychobiological mechanisms. Potential implications for research and treatment are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rany Abend
- School of Psychology, Reichman University, P.O. Box 167, Herzliya 4610101, Israel; Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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8
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Müller UWD, Bahnsen O, Alpers GW. State anxiety by itself does not change political attitudes: A threat of shock experiment. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1006757. [PMID: 36533062 PMCID: PMC9752813 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1006757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous research suggests that state anxiety may sway political attitudes. However, previous experimental procedures induced anxiety using political contexts (e.g., social or economic threat). In a pre-registered laboratory experiment, we set out to examine if anxiety that is unrelated to political contexts can influence political attitudes. We induced anxiety with a threat of shock paradigm, void of any political connotation. All participants were instructed that they might receive an electric stimulus during specified threat periods and none during safety periods. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: Political attitudes (implicit and explicit) were assessed under safety in one condition and under threat in the other. Psychometric, as well as physiological data (skin conductance, heart rate), confirmed that anxiety was induced successfully. However, this emotional state did not alter political attitudes. In a Bayesian analytical approach, we confirmed the absence of an effect. Our results suggest that state anxiety by itself does not sway political attitudes. Previously observed effects that were attributed to anxiety may be conditional on a political context of threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich W. D. Müller
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Oke Bahnsen
- Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Georg W. Alpers
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
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9
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Müller UWD, Gerdes ABM, Alpers GW. Time is a great healer: Peak-end memory bias in anxiety - Induced by threat of shock. Behav Res Ther 2022; 159:104206. [PMID: 36270235 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Recently, we demonstrated that the peak-end memory bias, which is well established in the context of pain, can also be observed in anxiety: Retrospective evaluations of a frightening experience are worse when peak anxiety is experienced at the end of an episode. Here, we set out to conceptually replicate and extend this finding with rigorous experimental control in a threat of shock paradigm. We induced two intensity levels of anxiety by presenting visual cues that indicated different strengths of electric stimuli. Each of the 59 participants went through one of two conditions that only differed in the order of moderate and high threat phases. As a manipulation check, orbicularis-EMG to auditory startle probes, electrodermal activity, and state anxiety confirmed the effects of the specific threat exposure. Critically, after some time had passed, participants for whom exposure had ended with high threat reported more anxiety for the entire episode than those for whom it ended with moderate threat. Moreover, they ranked their experience as more aversive when compared to other unpleasant everyday experiences. This study overcomes several previous limitations and speaks to the generalizability of the peak-end bias. Most notably, the findings bear implications for exposure therapy in clinical anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich W D Müller
- School of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Germany
| | - Antje B M Gerdes
- School of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Germany
| | - Georg W Alpers
- School of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Germany.
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10
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Moughrabi N, Botsford C, Gruichich TS, Azar A, Heilicher M, Hiser J, Crombie KM, Dunsmoor JE, Stowe Z, Cisler JM. Large-scale neural network computations and multivariate representations during approach-avoidance conflict decision-making. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119709. [PMID: 36283543 PMCID: PMC9835092 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Many real-world situations require navigating decisions for both reward and threat. While there has been significant progress in understanding mechanisms of decision-making and mediating neurocircuitry separately for reward and threat, there is limited understanding of situations where reward and threat contingencies compete to create approach-avoidance conflict (AAC). Here, we leverage computational learning models, independent component analysis (ICA), and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) approaches to understand decision-making during a novel task that embeds concurrent reward and threat learning and manipulates congruency between reward and threat probabilities. Computational modeling supported a modified reinforcement learning model where participants integrated reward and threat value into a combined total value according to an individually varying policy parameter, which was highly predictive of decisions to approach reward vs avoid threat during trials where the highest reward option was also the highest threat option (i.e., approach-avoidance conflict). ICA analyses demonstrated unique roles for salience, frontoparietal, medial prefrontal, and inferior frontal networks in differential encoding of reward vs threat prediction error and value signals. The left frontoparietal network uniquely encoded degree of conflict between reward and threat value at the time of choice. MVPA demonstrated that delivery of reward and threat could accurately be decoded within salience and inferior frontal networks, respectively, and that decisions to approach reward vs avoid threat were predicted by the relative degree to which these reward vs threat representations were active at the time of choice. This latter result suggests that navigating AAC decisions involves generating mental representations for possible decision outcomes, and relative activation of these representations may bias subsequent decision-making towards approaching reward or avoiding threat accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Moughrabi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Chloe Botsford
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | | | - Ameera Azar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
| | | | - Jaryd Hiser
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Kevin M Crombie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Zach Stowe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Josh M Cisler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin.
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11
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Karl JA, Fischer R. The Relationship Between Negative Affect, State Mindfulness, and the Role of Personality. Mindfulness (N Y) 2022; 13:2729-2737. [PMID: 36248239 PMCID: PMC9550304 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-022-01989-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Are affective states influencing state mindfulness and can this explain the link between personality and mindfulness? Mindfulness is commonly thought to decrease negative affect, but a number of studies have reported reductions in mindfulness in negative affect situations. This highlights a potential mechanism explaining previously observed negative relationships between individual differences such as Neuroticism and mindfulness, via their shared relationship with negative affect. Methods In an experiment, 331 participants were exposed to a negative affect stimulus to investigate whether previously established relationships between Neuroticism, Behavioral Inhibition, and Mindfulness are due to differences in negative affect reactivity. It was expected that participants high on Neuroticism and Behavioral Inhibition to show greater negative affect reactivity which in turn would reduce their state Non-Judgmental Acceptance and Acting with Awareness. Results While change in negative affect was related to lower Non-Judgmental Acceptance and Acting with Awareness, negative affect reactivity did not mediate the relationship between Neuroticism/BIS and these state mindfulness facets. Importantly, only Non-Judgmental Acceptance and Acting with Awareness facets of mindfulness were affected by negative affect change, but not Attention. This indicates that greater negative affect might require allocation of cognitive resources to stress-related processes such as threat monitoring, reducing mindful emotion processing but not attention. Conclusions The current study found that situational mindfulness might be influenced by state affect highlighting the need to more strongly consider the environmental factors which can shape affect in mindfulness interventions. Trial Registration Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/kmyh2).
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12
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Kanen JW, Robbins TW, Trofimova IN. Harnessing temperament to elucidate the complexities of serotonin function. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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13
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Park SE, Kim YH, Yang JC, Jeong GW. Comparative Functional Connectivity of Core Brain Regions between Implicit and Explicit Memory Tasks Underlying Negative Emotion in General Anxiety Disorder. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 20:279-291. [PMID: 35466099 PMCID: PMC9048018 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2022.20.2.279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Objective To investigate not only differential patterns of functional connectivity of core brain regions between implicit and explicit verbal memory tasks underlying negatively evoked emotional condition, but also correlations of functional connectivity (FC) strength with clinical symptom severity in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Methods Thirteen patients with GAD and 13 healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging for memory tasks with negative emotion words. Results Clinical symptom and its severities of GAD were potentially associated with abnormalities of task-based FC with core brain regions and distinct FC patterns between implicit vs. explicit memory processing in GAD were potentially well discriminated. Outstanding FC in implicit memory task includes positive connections of precentral gyus (PrG) to inferior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal gyrus (IPG), respectively, in encoding period; a positive connection of amygdala (Amg) to globus pallidus as well as a negative connection of Amg to cerebellum in retrieval period. Meanwhile, distinct FC in explicit memory included a positive connection of PrG to inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) in encoding period; a positive connection of the anterior cingulate gyrus to superior frontal gyrus in retrieval period. Especially, there were positive correlation between GAD-7 scores and FC of PrG-IPG (r2 = 0.324, p = 0.042) in implicit memory encoding, and FC of PrG-ITG (r2 = 0.378, p = 0.025) in explicit memory encoding. Conclusion This study clarified differential patterns of brain activation and relevant FC between implicit and explicit verbal memory tasks underlying negative emotional feelings in GAD. These findings will be helpful for an understanding of distinct brain functional mechanisms associated with clinical symptom severities in GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-Eui Park
- Advanced Institute of Aging Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Yun-Hyeon Kim
- Department of Radiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Jong-Chul Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Jeonuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University-Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Korea
| | - Gwang-Woo Jeong
- Department of Radiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea
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14
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Colasante T, Speidel R, Malti T. Kindhearted: Ethical guilt and ethical heart rate reactivity codevelop with aggression across childhood. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 174:108-118. [PMID: 35182685 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Largely cross-sectional evidence indicates that ethical guilt is a robust predictor of childhood aggression. However, the underlying mechanisms of ethical guilt-in part assessed as ethical heart rate (HR) reactivity in the present study-are less clear, and longitudinal associations between ethical guilt, its underlying mechanisms, and aggression have not been explored. The present study used a multicohort longitudinal design to assess these constructs across early and middle childhood. At the beginning of the study and 2 years later, cohorts of 4- and 8-year-olds (ns = 150; N = 300) reported their guilt in response to an ethical transgression (i.e., pushing) and a nonethical transgression (i.e., breaking a classroom rule), and their HR was measured while they imagined committing these acts. Caregivers reported their child's aggression at each time point via questionnaire. Latent difference score models indicated that, regardless of cohort, children who increased in their ability to prioritize ethical guilt over 2 years were more likely to decrease in aggression over the same period. Moreover, children whose HR reactivity became more sensitive to ethical transgressions over time showed corresponding declines in aggression over time. Overall, these findings highlight the potential protective roles of children's capacities to react affectively and autonomically to the gravity of ethical transgressions across early and middle childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Colasante
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy, University of Toronto, Canada.
| | - Ruth Speidel
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Tina Malti
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy, University of Toronto, Canada
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15
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Terasawa Y, Oba K, Motomura Y, Katsunuma R, Murakami H, Moriguchi Y. Paradoxical somatic information processing for interoception and anxiety in alexithymia. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:8052-8068. [PMID: 34766398 PMCID: PMC9298728 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The concept of alexithymia has garnered much attention in an attempt to understand the psychological mechanisms underlying the experience of feeling an emotion. In this study, we aimed to understand how the interoceptive processing in an emotional context relates to problems of alexithymia in recognizing self‐emotions. Therefore, we prepared experimental conditions to induce emotional awareness based on interoceptive information. As such, we asked participants to be aware of interoception under an anxiety‐generating situation anticipating pain, having them evaluate their subjective anxiety levels in this context. High alexithymia participants showed attenuated functional connectivity within their ‘interoception network’, particularly between the insula and the somatosensory areas when they focused on interoception. In contrast, they had enhanced functional connectivity between these regions when they focused on their anxiety about pain. Although access to somatic information is supposed to be more strongly activated while attending to interoception in the context of primary sensory processing, high alexithymia individuals were biased as this process was activated when they felt emotions, suggesting they recognize primitive and unprocessed bodily sensations as emotions. The paradoxical somatic information processing may reflect their brain function pathology for feeling emotions and their difficulty with context‐dependent emotional control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Terasawa
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Kentaro Oba
- Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan.,Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuki Motomura
- Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan.,Department of Human Science, Faculty of Design, Kyusyu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Ruri Katsunuma
- Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Hiroki Murakami
- Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan.,Department of Psychology, Oita University, Oita, Japan
| | - Yoshiya Moriguchi
- Department of Sleep-Wake Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan.,Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
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16
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Li F, Jackson T. Psychophysiological correlates of pain resilience in anticipating, experiencing, and recovering from pain. Psychophysiology 2021; 59:e13962. [PMID: 34716607 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13962] [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: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although researchers have documented behavioral and brain structure correlates of pain resilience, associated physiological responses have received little consideration. In this study, we assessed psychophysiological differences between high (HPR), moderate (MPR), and low (LPR) pain resilience subgroups during anticipation, experiencing, and recovery from laboratory pain. In an initial pain anticipation task, participants (79 women, 32 man) viewed visual cues to signal possible mild or intense shocks prior to receiving these shocks. Subsequently, in a pain recovery task, participants received uncued mild and intense shocks. Subjective appraisals were assessed during each task in tandem with continuous recording of skin conductance level (SCL), heart rate variability (HRV), and corrugator electromyography (cEMG). On physiological indexes, HPR subgroup members displayed significantly lower SCL than MPR and LPR subgroups did during anticipation and experiencing of pain while no resilience group effects were found for HRV or cEMG. During pain recovery, HPR and LPR subgroups displayed weaker SCL than the MPR subgroup did in the immediate aftermath of shock. However, HPR members continued to display lower SCL than other groups did over an extended recovery period. On self-report measures, the LPR subgroup reported higher levels of anticipatory anxiety and expected pain than HPR and MPR subgroups did during the pain anticipation task. Together, results suggested higher pain resilience is characterized, in part, by comparatively reduced SCL during the course of anticipating, experiencing and recovering from painful shock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenghua Li
- Key Laboratory of Cognition & Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Todd Jackson
- Key Laboratory of Cognition & Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau S.A.R., China
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17
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Indoxyl sulfate, a gut microbiome-derived uremic toxin, is associated with psychic anxiety and its functional magnetic resonance imaging-based neurologic signature. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21011. [PMID: 34697401 PMCID: PMC8546034 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99845-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It is unknown whether indoles, metabolites of tryptophan that are derived entirely from bacterial metabolism in the gut, are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Serum samples (baseline, 12 weeks) were drawn from participants (n = 196) randomized to treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), escitalopram, or duloxetine for major depressive disorder. Baseline indoxyl sulfate abundance was positively correlated with severity of psychic anxiety and total anxiety and with resting state functional connectivity to a network that processes aversive stimuli (which includes the subcallosal cingulate cortex (SCC-FC), bilateral anterior insula, right anterior midcingulate cortex, and the right premotor areas). The relation between indoxyl sulfate and psychic anxiety was mediated only through the metabolite's effect on the SCC-FC with the premotor area. Baseline indole abundances were unrelated to post-treatment outcome measures, and changes in symptoms were not correlated with changes in indole concentrations. These results suggest that CBT and antidepressant medications relieve anxiety via mechanisms unrelated to modulation of indoles derived from gut microbiota; it remains possible that treatment-related improvement stems from their impact on other aspects of the gut microbiome. A peripheral gut microbiome-derived metabolite was associated with altered neural processing and with psychiatric symptom (anxiety) in humans, which provides further evidence that gut microbiome disruption can contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders that may require different therapeutic approaches. Given the exploratory nature of this study, findings should be replicated in confirmatory studies.Clinical trial NCT00360399 "Predictors of Antidepressant Treatment Response: The Emory CIDAR" https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00360399 .
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18
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Kvarta MD, Chiappelli J, West J, Goldwaser EL, Bruce HA, Ma Y, Kochunov P, Hatch K, Gao S, Jones A, O'Neill H, Du X, Hong LE. Aberrant anterior cingulate processing of anticipated threat as a mechanism for psychosis. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2021; 313:111300. [PMID: 34010783 PMCID: PMC8206034 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2021.111300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Stress and abnormal stress response are associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD), but the brain mechanisms linking stress to symptomatology remain unclear. In this study, we used a stress-based functional neuroimaging task, reverse-translated from preclinical studies, to test the hypothesis that abnormal corticolimbic processing of stressful threat anticipation is associated with psychosis and affective symptoms in SSD. Participants underwent an MRI-compatible ankle-shock task (AST) in which the threat of mild electrical shock was anticipated. We compared functional brain activations during anticipatory threat periods from N = 18 participants with SSD (10 M/8F) to those from N = 12 community controls (9 M/3F). After family-wise error correction, only one region, the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), showed significantly reduced activation compared with controls. vACC activation significantly correlated with clinical symptoms measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale total score (r = 0.54) and the psychosis subscale (r = 0.71), and inversely correlated with trait depression measured by the Maryland Trait and State Depression scale (r=-0.48). Deficient activation in vACC under stress of anticipated threat may lead to aberrant interpretation of such threat, contributing to psychosis and mood symptoms in SSD. This experimental paradigm has translational potential and may identify circuitry-level mechanisms of stress-related mental illness, leading to more targeted treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Kvarta
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States.
| | - Joshua Chiappelli
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Jeffrey West
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Eric L Goldwaser
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Heather A Bruce
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Yizhou Ma
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Peter Kochunov
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Kathryn Hatch
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Si Gao
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Aaron Jones
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Hugh O'Neill
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - Xiaoming Du
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
| | - L Elliot Hong
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228 , United States
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19
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Weis CN, Bennett KP, Huggins AA, Parisi EA, Gorka SM, Larson C. A 7-Tesla MRI Study of the Periaqueductal Grey: Resting State and Task Activation Under Threat. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:187-197. [PMID: 34244809 PMCID: PMC8847906 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The periaqueductal grey (PAG) is a region of the midbrain implicated in a variety of behaviors including defensive responses to threat. Despite the wealth of knowledge pertaining to the differential functional roles of the PAG columns in nonhuman and human research, the basic functional connectivity of the PAG at rest has not been well characterized. Therefore, the current study utilized 7-Tesla MRI to characterize PAG functional connectivity at rest and task activation under uncertain threat. A sample of 53 neurologically healthy undergraduate participants (Mage=22.2, SDage=3.62) underwent structural and resting state functional MRI scans. Supporting previous work, voxel-wise analyses showed the PAG is functionally connected to emotion regulation and fear networks. Comparison of functional connectivity of PAG columns did not reveal any significant differences. Thirty-five participants from the same sample also completed an uncertain threat task with blocks of 3 conditions-No shock, Predictable shock, and Unpredictable shock. There were no robust activity differences within the PAG columns or the whole PAG across conditions, though there was differential activity at the voxel level in the PAG and in other regions theoretically relevant to uncertain threat. Results of this study elucidate PAG connectivity at rest and activation in response to uncertain threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carissa N Weis
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Ashley A Huggins
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Parisi
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- The Ohio State University, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Christine Larson
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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20
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Magal N, Hendler T, Admon R. Is neuroticism really bad for you? Dynamics in personality and limbic reactivity prior to, during and following real-life combat stress. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100361. [PMID: 34286052 PMCID: PMC8274340 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The personality trait of neuroticism is considered a risk factor for stress vulnerability, putatively via its association with elevated limbic reactivity. Nevertheless, majority of evidence to date that relates neuroticism, neural reactivity and stress vulnerability stems from cross-sectional studies conducted in a “stress-free” environment. Here, using a unique prospective longitudinal design, we assessed personality, stress-related symptoms and neural reactivity at three time points over the course of four and a half years; accounting for prior to, during, and long-time following a stressful military service that included active combat. Results revealed that despite exposure to multiple potentiality traumatic events, majority of soldiers exhibited none-to-mild levels of posttraumatic and depressive symptoms during and following their military service. In contrast, a quadratic pattern of change in personality emerged overtime, with neuroticism being the only personality trait to increase during stressful military service and subsequently decrease following discharge. Elevated neuroticism during military service was associated with reduced amygdala and hippocampus activation in response to stress-related content, and this association was also reversed following discharge. A similar pattern was found between neuroticism and hippocampus-anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) functional connectivity in response to stress-related content. Taken together these findings suggest that stressful military service at young adulthood may yield a temporary increase in neuroticism mediated by a temporary decrease in limbic reactivity, with both effects being reversed long-time following discharge. Considering that participants exhibited low levels of stress-related symptoms throughout the study period, these dynamic patterns may depict behavioral and neural mechanisms that facilitate stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Magal
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Talma Hendler
- Tel-Aviv Center for Brain Function, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Roee Admon
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.,The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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21
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Bystritsky A, Spivak NM, Dang BH, Becerra SA, Distler MG, Jordan SE, Kuhn TP. Brain circuitry underlying the ABC model of anxiety. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 138:3-14. [PMID: 33798786 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety Disorders are prevalent and often chronic, recurrent conditions that reduce quality of life. The first-line treatments, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive behavioral therapy, leave a significant proportion of patients symptomatic. As psychiatry moves toward targeted circuit-based treatments, there is a need for a theory that unites the phenomenology of anxiety with its underlying neural circuits. The Alarm, Belief, Coping (ABC) theory of anxiety describes how the neural circuits associated with anxiety interact with each other and domains of the anxiety symptoms, both temporally and spatially. The latest advancements in neuroimaging techniques offer the ability to assess these circuits in vivo. Using Neurosynth, a large open-access meta-analytic imaging database, the association between terms related to specific neural circuits was explored within the ABC theory framework. Alarm-related terms were associated with the amygdala, anterior cingulum, insula, and bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Belief-related terms were associated with medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, bilateral temporal poles, and hippocampus. Coping-related terms were associated with the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, basal ganglia, and anterior cingulate. Neural connections underlying the functional neuroanatomy of the ABC model were observed. Additionally, there was considerable interaction and overlap between circuits associated with the symptom domains. Further neuroimaging research is needed to explore the dynamic interaction between the functional domains of the ABC theory. This will pave the way for probing the neuroanatomical underpinnings of anxiety disorders and provide an evidence-based foundation for the development of targeted treatments, such as neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Bystritsky
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; BrainSonix Corporation, Sherman Oaks, CA, USA.
| | - Norman M Spivak
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bianca H Dang
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sergio A Becerra
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Margaret G Distler
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sheldon E Jordan
- Neurology Management Associates - Los Angeles, Santa Monica, CA, USA
| | - Taylor P Kuhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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22
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Chen C, Wang X, Cao S, Zhang J, Wang Z, Pan W, Yang J, Tian Y, Qiu B, Wei Q, Wang K. Thalamocortical Functional Connectivity in Patients With White Matter Hyperintensities. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:632237. [PMID: 33815090 PMCID: PMC8012554 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.632237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMH)s is a very common neuroradiological manifestation in the elderly and is an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. As we all know, the thalamocortical circuit plays an important part in cognition regulation. However, the role of this circuit in WMHs and its related cognitive deficits is still unclear. Method: Eighty WMH patients and 37 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the current study. WMH patients were divided into a mild WMH group (n = 33) and moderate-severe WMH group (n = 47) according to Fazekas scores. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data of all participants were collected for thalamocortical functional connectivity (FC) analysis. The analysis was performed in two steps. First, the whole cerebral cortex was divided into six regions of interest (ROIs), which were used as seeds to investigate the changes of FC with the thalamus. Then, the subregion of the thalamus generated in the previous step was used as the seed for FC analysis with the whole brain. Results: In the first step of FC analysis, it was found that precentral gyrus (PrCG)-interthalamic adhesion (ITA) FC values in moderate-severe WMH group were higher than those in HC and mild WMH groups. However, when compared with the HC group, the increase of PrCG-ITA FC values in mild WMH group was not statistically significant. In the second step of FC analysis, the ITA was set as the seed, and compared with the HC group, the results showed that the FC values of the ITA-medial frontal gyrus (MFG) in mild group and moderate-severe WMH groups were significantly increased. In addition, the FC values in moderate-severe group were significantly higher than those in mild group. Finally, it was also found that FC values (PrCG-ITA and ITA-MFG) were significantly correlated with neuropsychological test results for multiple cognitive functions such as memory, execution and attention in WMH patients. Conclusion: Abnormal thalamocortical FC was closely related with cognitive impairments in WMH patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaojing Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Shanshan Cao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Zhiqi Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Wen Pan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Jinying Yang
- Laboratory Center for Information Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Yanghua Tian
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, China
| | - Bensheng Qiu
- Hefei National Lab for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and the Centers for Biomedical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Qiang Wei
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, China.,The College of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China
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23
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Abend R, Bajaj MA, Harrewijn A, Matsumoto C, Michalska KJ, Necka E, Palacios-Barrios EE, Leibenluft E, Atlas LY, Pine DS. Threat-anticipatory psychophysiological response is enhanced in youth with anxiety disorders and correlates with prefrontal cortex neuroanatomy. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2021; 46:E212-E221. [PMID: 33703868 PMCID: PMC8061736 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.200110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Threat anticipation engages neural circuitry that has evolved to promote defensive behaviours; perturbations in this circuitry could generate excessive threat-anticipation response, a key characteristic of pathological anxiety. Research into such mechanisms in youth faces ethical and practical limitations. Here, we use thermal stimulation to elicit pain-anticipatory psychophysiological response and map its correlates to brain structure among youth with anxiety and healthy youth. Methods Youth with anxiety (n = 25) and healthy youth (n = 25) completed an instructed threat-anticipation task in which cues predicted nonpainful or painful thermal stimulation; we indexed psychophysiological response during the anticipation and experience of pain using skin conductance response. High-resolution brain-structure imaging data collected in another visit were available for 41 participants. Analyses tested whether the 2 groups differed in their psychophysiological cue-based pain-anticipatory and pain-experience responses. Analyses then mapped psychophysiological response magnitude to brain structure. Results Youth with anxiety showed enhanced psychophysiological response specifically during anticipation of painful stimulation (b = 0.52, p = 0.003). Across the sample, the magnitude of psychophysiological anticipatory response correlated negatively with the thickness of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (pFWE < 0.05); psychophysiological response to the thermal stimulation correlated positively with the thickness of the posterior insula (pFWE < 0.05). Limitations Limitations included the modest sample size and the cross-sectional design. Conclusion These findings show that threat-anticipatory psychophysiological response differentiates youth with anxiety from healthy youth, and they link brain structure to psychophysiological response during pain anticipation and experience. A focus on threat anticipation in research on anxiety could delineate relevant neural circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rany Abend
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Mira A Bajaj
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Anita Harrewijn
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Chika Matsumoto
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Kalina J Michalska
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Elizabeth Necka
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Esther E Palacios-Barrios
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Lauren Y Atlas
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
| | - Daniel S Pine
- From the Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Abend, Bajaj, Harrewijn, Matsumoto, Leibenluft, Pine); the Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA (Michalaska); the 3 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (Necka, Atlas); and the 1 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (Palacios-Barrios)
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24
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Chavanne AV, Robinson OJ. The Overlapping Neurobiology of Induced and Pathological Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Neural Activation. Am J Psychiatry 2021; 178:156-164. [PMID: 33054384 PMCID: PMC7116679 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19111153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although anxiety can be an adaptive response to unpredictable threats, pathological anxiety disorders occur when symptoms adversely affect daily life. Whether or not adaptive and pathological anxiety share mechanisms remains unknown, but if they do, induced (adaptive) anxiety could be used as an intermediate translational model of pathological anxiety to improve drug development pipelines. The authors therefore compared meta-analyses of functional neuroimaging studies of induced and pathological anxiety. METHODS A systematic search of the PubMed database was conducted in June 2019 for whole-brain functional MRI articles. Eligible articles contrasted either anxious patients to control subjects or an unpredictable-threat condition to a safe condition in healthy participants. Five anxiety disorders were included: posttraumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobia. A total of 3,433 records were identified, 181 articles met selection criteria, and the largest subset of task type was emotional (N=138). Seed-based d-mapping software was used for all analyses. RESULTS Induced anxiety (N=693 participants) and pathological anxiety (N=2,554 patients and 2,348 control subjects) both showed increased activation in the left and right insula (coordinates, 44, 14, -14 and -38, 20, -8; k=2,102 and k=1,305, respectively) and cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex (-12, -8, 68; k=2,217). When the analyses were split by disorder, specific phobia appeared the most, and generalized anxiety disorder the least, similar to induced anxiety. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis indicates a consistent pattern of activation across induced and pathological anxiety, supporting the proposition that some neurobiological mechanisms overlap and that the former may be used as a model for the latter. Induced anxiety might nevertheless be a better model for some anxiety disorders than others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice V. Chavanne
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London
- École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay
| | - Oliver J. Robinson
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London
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25
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Gerrans P, Murray RJ. Interoceptive active inference and self-representation in social anxiety disorder (SAD): exploring the neurocognitive traits of the SAD self. Neurosci Conscious 2020; 2020:niaa026. [PMID: 39015778 PMCID: PMC11249956 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niaa026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
This article provides an interoceptive active inference (IAI) account of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Through a neurocognitive framework, we argue that the cognitive and behavioural profile of SAD is best conceived of as a form of maladaptive IAI produced by a negatively biased self-model that cannot reconcile inconsistent tendencies to approach and avoid social interaction. Anticipated future social interactions produce interoceptive prediction error (bodily states of arousal). These interoceptive states are transcribed and experienced as states of distress due to the influence of inconsistent and unstable self-models across a hierarchy of interrelated systems involved in emotional, interoceptive and affective processing. We highlight the role of the insula cortex, in concert with the striatum, amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate in the generation and reduction of interoceptive prediction errors as well as the resolution of social approach-avoidance conflict. The novelty of our account is a shift in explanatory priority from the representation of the social world in SAD to the representation of the SAD self. In particular, we show how a high-level conceptual self-model of social vulnerability and inadequacy fails to minimize prediction errors produced by a basic drive for social affiliation combined with strong avoidant tendencies. The result is a cascade of interoceptive prediction errors whose attempted minimization through action (i.e. active inference) yields the symptom profile of SAD. We conclude this article by proposing testable hypotheses to further investigate the neurocognitive traits of the SAD self with respect to IAI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Gerrans
- Department of Philosophy, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ryan J Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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26
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Straub C, Annison H. The mental health impact of parole on families of indeterminate-sentenced prisoners in England and Wales. CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH : CBMH 2020; 30:341-349. [PMID: 33230954 DOI: 10.1002/cbm.2184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The indeterminate sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP), was created in England and Wales in 2003. After its abolition in 2012, many IPP-prisoners have become stuck in the prison system, facing considerable problems of sentence progression. The extant literature makes clear that the uncertainty and hopelessness caused by the indeterminacy of the IPP sentence are compounded by the negative impacts experienced by families and others providing support to people serving these sentences. AIMS The mental strains caused for family members by the IPP sentence were examined. Of particular interest is the role and weight of the parole process experience, and its potential mental and physiological health impact on families. METHODS This article draws on findings from two qualitative research projects conducted with families of prisoners serving the IPP sentence in England and Wales. Their experiences will be examined by reference to literature on the mental health impact of indeterminate sentences on prisoners and their families and the wider literature on the symbiotic harms of imprisonment for families. The aim was to add to this by focusing on families' experiences of cumulative stress caused by the sentence. FINDINGS We demonstrate that the IPP parole process exerts specific weight and mental strains on family members occupying the negative end of the stress spectrum. Drawing on a body of neuroscientific, neuroendocrinological and criminological literature, we argue that these mental health impacts on families may represent a public health risk in need of practical and policy mitigation. IMPLICATIONS There is a pressing need for recognition of what are often hidden symbiotic harms experienced by families of people sentenced to IPP. Families require more information as well as considerably greater practical and emotional support on an institutional and communal level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Harry Annison
- University of Southampton, Law School, Southampton, UK
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27
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Rattel JA, Miedl SF, Liedlgruber M, Blechert J, Seidl E, Wilhelm FH. Sensation seeking and neuroticism in fear conditioning and extinction: The role of avoidance behaviour. Behav Res Ther 2020; 135:103761. [PMID: 33186828 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Maladaptive avoidance behaviour, a key symptom of anxiety-related disorders, prevents extinction learning and maintains anxiety. Individual personality traits likely influence avoidance propensity: high sensation-seeking may decrease avoidance, thereby increasing extinction, and neuroticism may have the reverse effect. However, research on this is scarce. Using a naturalistic conditioned avoidance paradigm, 163 women underwent differential fear acquisition to a conditioned stimulus (CSplus). Next, during extinction, participants could either choose a risky shortcut, anticipating shock signalled by CSplus, or a time-consuming avoidance option (lengthy detour). Across participants, increased skin conductance (SCR) acquisition learning predicted subsequent instrumental avoidance. Avoidance, in turn, predicted elevated post-extinction SCR and shock-expectancy, i.e., 'protection-from-extinction'. Mediation analyses revealed that sensation seeking decreased protection-from-extinction-both for shock-expectancy and SCR-via attenuating avoidance. Neither sensation seeking nor neuroticism were related to acquisition learning and neuroticism was neither related to avoidance nor extinction. Transcranial direct currentstimulation administered before extinction did not influence present results. Results highlight the important role of elevated avoidance propensity in fear maintenance. Results moreover provide evidence for reduced sensation-seeking and increased acquisition learning to be avoidance-driving mechanisms. Since approach-avoidance conflicts are faced by anxiety patients on a daily basis, strengthening sensation-seeking-congruent attitudes and approach behaviours may optimize individualized treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julina A Rattel
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Stephan F Miedl
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Michael Liedlgruber
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jens Blechert
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Division of Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Esther Seidl
- Behavioral Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Frank H Wilhelm
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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28
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Baker C, Pawling R, Fairclough S. Assessment of threat and negativity bias in virtual reality. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17338. [PMID: 33060767 PMCID: PMC7566621 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74421-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Negativity bias, i.e., tendency to respond strongly to negative stimuli, can be captured via behavioural and psychophysiological responses to potential threat. A virtual environment (VE) was created at room-scale wherein participants traversed a grid of ice blocks placed 200 m above the ground. Threat was manipulated by increasing the probability of encountering ice blocks that disintegrated and led to a virtual fall. Participants interacted with the ice blocks via sensors placed on their feet. Thirty-four people were recruited for the study, who were divided into High (HN) and Low (LN) Neuroticism groups. Movement data were recorded alongside skin conductance level and facial electromyography from the corrugator supercilii and zygomaticus major. Risk-averse behaviours, such as standing on ‘safe’ blocks and testing blocks prior to movement, increased when threat was highest. HN individuals exhibited more risk-averse behaviour than the LN group, especially in the presence of high threat. In addition, activation of the corrugator muscle was higher for HN individuals in the period following a movement to an ice block. These findings are discussed with respect to the use of room-scale VE as a protocol for emotion induction and measuring trait differences in negativity bias within VR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Baker
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Ralph Pawling
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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29
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[Hair cortisol as chronic stress parameter in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction]. Herz 2020; 46:235-242. [PMID: 33026485 DOI: 10.1007/s00059-020-04990-4] [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: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Stress is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. New analytical methods enable the determination of cortisol concentrations in hair (HCC) as a retrospective long-term parameter for chronic stress. So far, it is still uncertain whether stress objectively measured by an increase in HCC might be a predictive factor associated with the development of an acute myocardial infarction. METHODS Included in this study were 40 patients with an acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), confirmed by electrocardiography (ECG). The control group consisted of 80 patients without coronary artery disease (CAD). RESULTS Patients with STEMI did not show significantly higher HCCs (p = 0.846) compared to the control group and there was no correlation with the extent of myocardial infarction (p = 0.701, r = 0.038). Correlations were found between HCC, diabetes mellitus (p = 0.046, odds ratio, OR = 6.346), low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentration (p = 0.107) and glycated hemoglobin A (HbA1c) concentration (p = 0.083, r = 0.236). Furthermore, there was an association between an increased HCC and chronic heart failure (p = 0.110) and an association to the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) concentration (p = 0.005, r = 0.293). CONCLUSION The results of this study showed that patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction did not have significantly higher levels of hair cortisol compared to the reference group; however, long-term metabolic changes as well as advanced chronic heart failure appear to be long-acting stress factors for the organism and increase cortisol levels in hair.
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30
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Gagnon SA, Waskom ML, Brown TI, Wagner AD. Stress Impairs Episodic Retrieval by Disrupting Hippocampal and Cortical Mechanisms of Remembering. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:2947-2964. [PMID: 30060134 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of science investigating the neural underpinnings of episodic memory retrieval, a critical question remains: how does stress influence remembering and the neural mechanisms of recollection in humans? Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and multivariate pattern analyses to examine the effects of acute stress during retrieval. We report that stress reduced the probability of recollecting the details of past experience, and that this impairment was driven, in part, by a disruption of the relationship between hippocampal activation, cortical reinstatement, and memory performance. Moreover, even memories expressed with high confidence were less accurate under stress, and this stress-induced decline in accuracy was explained by reduced posterior hippocampal engagement despite similar levels of category-level cortical reinstatement. Finally, stress degraded the relationship between the engagement of frontoparietal control networks and retrieval decision uncertainty. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the widespread consequences of acute stress on the neural systems of remembering.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael L Waskom
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thackery I Brown
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anthony D Wagner
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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31
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Braithwaite JJ, Watson DG, Dewe H. The Body-Threat Assessment Battery (BTAB): A new instrument for the quantification of threat-related autonomic affective responses induced via dynamic movie clips. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 155:16-31. [PMID: 32387395 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We present a new instrument for the assessment of responses to threat-related imagery directed towards a human body - the Body-Threat Assessment Battery (BTAB). The BTAB consists of a series of high-definition dynamic clips depicting body-threats and matched non-threat baseline behaviours. For body-threat stimuli a perspective manipulation was included to assess the effects of viewing threats from the point-of-view of the observer (POV) or from an external/exocentric perspective (EXO). Green-screen technology was used so that extraneous background information could be removed and standardised in post-production. Categorical normative data for psychological ratings (valence, arousal and pain), psychophysiological, phasic skin conductance responses (SCRs) and tonic skin conductance levels (SCLs) were obtained for all stimuli. Body-threat stimuli evoked significantly higher psychological ratings of arousal and pain, with more negative ratings of valence, relative to baseline stimuli. In addition, threat stimuli also had an increased efficacy at evoking SCRs, and these were significantly stronger relative to baseline stimuli. There were no effects of perspective on psychophysiological or psychological responses to threat imagery. The findings are discussed in the context of the utility and scope of the BTAB for supporting neurocognitive investigations of aversive imagery and body-threats specifically in the study of embodiment, body-processing and self-consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hayley Dewe
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, DH1 3LE, UK
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32
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Dir AL, Allebach CL, Hummer TA, Adams ZW, Aalsma MC, Finn PR, Nurnberger JI, Hulvershorn LA. Atypical Cortical Activation During Risky Decision Making in Disruptive Behavior Disordered Youths With Histories of Suicidal Ideation. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:510-519. [PMID: 32007432 PMCID: PMC10568982 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Suicidality is a leading cause of death among adolescents. In addition to other psychiatric conditions, youths with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are at heightened risk for suicide. Decision-making deficits are a hallmark symptom of ADHD and DBDs and are also implicated in suicidal behavior. We examined behavioral and neural differences in decision making among youths with ADHD and DBDs with (SI+) and without (SI-) histories of suicidal ideation. METHODS The Balloon Analog Risk Task, a risky decision-making task, was completed by 57 youths with ADHD and DBDs (38% SI+) during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Mean stop wager (mean wager at which youths bank money) was the primary measure of risk taking. We conducted whole-brain and region-of-interest analyses in the anterior cingulate cortex and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during choice (win vs. inflate) and outcome (inflate vs. explode) contrasts using parametric modulators accounting for probability of balloon explosion. RESULTS There were no differences between SI+ and SI- youths in Balloon Analog Risk Task performance. SI+ youths showed decreasing activation in the right medial frontal gyrus when choosing inflate as explosion probability increased compared with SI- youths. During explosions, SI- youths showed increasing activation in the left OFC as explosions became more likely. SI+ showed increasing left medial OFC activity in response to inflations as explosion probability increased. CONCLUSIONS SI+ youths may show heightened sensitivity to immediate reward and decreased sensitivity to potential loss as evidenced by medial frontal gyrus activity. OFC findings suggest that SI+ youths may be drawn to reward even when there is high probability of loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson L Dir
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Adolescent Behavioral Health Research Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Christian L Allebach
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Tom A Hummer
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Zachary W Adams
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Adolescent Behavioral Health Research Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Matthew C Aalsma
- Adolescent Behavioral Health Research Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Department of Pediatrics, Section of Adolescent Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Peter R Finn
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - John I Nurnberger
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Leslie A Hulvershorn
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
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33
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Anticipation and violated expectation of pain are influenced by trait rumination: An fMRI study. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 19:56-72. [PMID: 30251186 PMCID: PMC6344394 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0644-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Rumination – as a stable tendency to focus repetitively on feelings related to distress – represents a transdiagnostic risk factor. Theories suggest altered emotional information processing as the key mechanism of rumination. However, studies on the anticipation processes in relation to rumination are scarce, even though expectation in this process is demonstrated to influence the processing of emotional stimuli. In addition, no published study has investigated violated expectation in relation to rumination yet. In the present study we examined the neural correlates of pain anticipation and perception using a fear conditioning paradigm with pain as the unconditioned stimulus in healthy subjects (N = 30). Rumination was assessed with the 10-item Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). Widespread brain activation – extending to temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes along with activation in the cingulate cortex, insula, and putamen – showed a positive correlation with rumination, supporting our hypothesis that trait rumination influences anticipatory processes. Interestingly, with violated expectation (when an unexpected, non-painful stimulus follows a pain cue compared to when an expected, painful stimulus follows the same pain cue) a negative association between rumination and activation was found in the posterior cingulate cortex, which is responsible for change detection in the environment and subsequent behavioral modification. Our results suggest that rumination is associated with increased neural response to pain perception and pain anticipation, and may deteriorate the identification of an unexpected omission of aversive stimuli. Therefore, targeting rumination in cognitive behavioral therapy of chronic pain could have a beneficial effect.
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Hao ZY, Zhong Y, Ma ZJ, Xu HZ, Kong JY, Wu Z, Wu Y, Li J, Lu X, Zhang N, Wang C. Abnormal resting-state functional connectivity of hippocampal subfields in patients with major depressive disorder. BMC Psychiatry 2020; 20:71. [PMID: 32066415 PMCID: PMC7026985 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-020-02490-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many studies have found that the hippocampus plays a very important role in major depressive disorder (MDD). The hippocampus can be divided into three subfields: the cornu ammonis (CA), dentate gyrus (DG) and subiculum. Each subfield of the hippocampus has a unique function and are differentially associated with the pathological mechanisms of MDD. However, no research exists to describe the resting state functional connectivity of each hippocampal subfield in MDD. METHODS Fifty-five patients with MDD and 25 healthy controls (HCs) matched for gender, age and years of education were obtained. A seed-based method that imposed a template on the whole brain was used to assess the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of each hippocampal subfield. RESULTS Patients with MDD demonstrated increased connectivity in the left premotor cortex (PMC) and reduced connectivity in the right insula with the CA seed region. Increased connectivity was reported in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) with the DG seed region. The subiculum seed region revealed increased connectivity with the left premotor cortex (PMC), the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG), the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and reduced connectivity with the right insula. ROC curves confirmed that the differences between groups were statistically significant. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the CA, DG and subiculum have significant involvement with MDD. Specifically, the abnormal functional connectivity of the CA may be related to bias of coding and integration of information in patients with MDD. The abnormal functional connectivity of the DG may be related to the impairment of working memory in patients with MDD, and the abnormal functional connectivity of the subiculum may be related to cognitive impairment and negative emotions in patients with MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Yu Hao
- grid.452645.40000 0004 1798 8369Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 Jiangsu China
| | - Yuan Zhong
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 Jiangsu China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 People’s Republic of China
| | - Zi Juan Ma
- grid.452645.40000 0004 1798 8369Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Hua Zhen Xu
- grid.452645.40000 0004 1798 8369Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Jing Ya Kong
- grid.452645.40000 0004 1798 8369Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 Jiangsu China
| | - Zhou Wu
- grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 Jiangsu China
| | - Yun Wu
- grid.452645.40000 0004 1798 8369Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 Jiangsu China
| | - Jian Li
- grid.452645.40000 0004 1798 8369Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 Jiangsu China
| | - Xin Lu
- grid.452645.40000 0004 1798 8369Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 Jiangsu China
| | - Ning Zhang
- grid.452645.40000 0004 1798 8369Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China ,grid.260474.30000 0001 0089 5711School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097 Jiangsu China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 Jiangsu China
| | - Chun Wang
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China. .,School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, Jiangsu, China. .,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China. .,Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China.
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Armario A, Labad J, Nadal R. Focusing attention on biological markers of acute stressor intensity: Empirical evidence and limitations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 111:95-103. [PMID: 31954151 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
ARMARIO, A, J. Labad and R. Nadal. Focusing attention on biological markers of acute stressor intensity: empirical evidence and limitations. NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS. The availability of biological markers that objectively quantify stress is a highly relevant issue. However, experimental evidence suggests that most physiological changes elicited by emotional stressors do not reflect their intensity and are not useful for this purpose. Thus, we review experimental evidence in animals and humans about the putative validity of neuroendocrine and sympathetic/parasympathetic variables to measure stress. Plasma levels of some hormones (e.g. ACTH, glucocorticoids, prolactin and catecholamines) have been found to reflect, at least under certain conditions, the intensity of emotional stressors in animals and probably in humans. However, the temporal resolution of hormone changes is insufficient to reflect the very dynamic psychological processes taking place while experiencing stressors. Cardiovascular parameters (e.g. heart rate and blood pressure) have much better temporal resolution but their validity as markers of stressor intensity either in animals or humans is problematic. Skin conductance and pupil dilation appear to be promising. Additional and more systematic studies are needed to demonstrate the actual validity of stress-induced physiological changes to quantify stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Armario
- Institut de Neurociències, Spain; Animal Physiology Unit (Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology), Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain; CIBERSAM, Spain.
| | - Javier Labad
- CIBERSAM, Spain; Department of Mental Health, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, I3PT, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roser Nadal
- Institut de Neurociències, Spain; CIBERSAM, Spain; Psicobiology Unit, Faculty of Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Spain
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Kim SW, Kim MK, Kim B, Choi TK, Lee SH. White matter connectivity differences between treatment responders and non-responders in patients with panic disorder. J Affect Disord 2020; 260:527-535. [PMID: 31539689 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Panic disorder (PD) is a prevalent and highly disabling mental condition. However, less is known about relationships between biomarkers that may together predict a better response to pharmacological treatment. The objective of the present study was to compare the brain white matter (WM) connectivity between treatment-responsive patients with panic disorder (RPD) and non-responsive patients with panic disorder (NRPD) after 12 weeks of pharmacotherapy. METHODS Sixty-four patients with PD were enrolled in this study (RPD, n = 37; NRPD, n = 27). All patients were examined by using magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla. The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), Albany Panic and Phobia Questionnaire (APPQ), Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory-Revised (ASI-R), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered at baseline of the study. Fractional anisotropy (FA) data were compared using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). RESULTS TBSS results showed that the FA values of the patients with NRPD were significantly higher than of those with RPD in the WM regions such as the precentral gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, posterior corona radiata, posterior thalamic radiation, posterior parts of the corpus callosum, and precuneus. Symptom severity scales, such as ASI-R scores, showed significant positive correlations of the FA values with the fronto-temporal WM regions in NRPD. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that structural changes to areas such as the fronto-limbic regions and the posterior part of default mode network, could influence medication response in PD. Further studies with a larger number of patients should be performed to confirm our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Se-Woong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 59 Yatap-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13492, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Kyoung Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 59 Yatap-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13492, Republic of Korea
| | - Borah Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 59 Yatap-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13492, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Kiu Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 59 Yatap-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13492, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hyuk Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, 59 Yatap-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13492, Republic of Korea.
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An E, Nolty AAT, Amano SS, Rizzo AA, Buckwalter JG, Rensberger J. Heart Rate Variability as an Index of Resilience. Mil Med 2019; 185:363-369. [DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usz325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Resilience is the ability to maintain or quickly return to a stable physical and psychological equilibrium despite experiencing stressful events. Flexibility of the autonomic nervous system is particularly important for adaptive stress responses and may contribute to individual differences in resilience. Power spectrum analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) allows measurement of sympathovagal balance, which helps to evaluate autonomic flexibility. The present study investigated HRV as a broad index of resilience.
Materials and Methods
Twenty-four male participants from the Army National Guard Special Forces completed psychological measures known to relate to resilience and had HRV measured while undergoing stressful virtual environment scenarios. Pearson product-moment correlations were used to explore the relationships between HRV and resilience factors. All research was conducted with the oversight of the Human Subjects Review Committee of Fuller Theological Seminary.
Results
Trends toward significance were reported in order to provide results that would reasonably be expected in a study of higher power. Trends between resilience factors and HRV were found only during specific stress-inducing simulations (see Tables III).
Conclusion
Greater resilience to stress was associated with HRV during nonstress periods. Higher levels of resilience to traumatic events were associated with HRV during circumstances that were more stressful and emotionally distressing. Post hoc analysis revealed that specific factors including flexibility, emotional control, and spirituality were driving the relationship between general resilience and HRV following emotionally laden stressors. Less stress vulnerability was associated with HRV following intermittent brief stressors. In sum, HRV appears to represent some aspects of an individual’s overall resilience profile. Although resilience remains a complex, multidimensional construct, HRV shows promise as a global psychophysiological index of resilience. This study also offers important perspectives concerning ways to optimize both physical and psychological health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric An
- Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 135 N Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
| | - Anne A T Nolty
- Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 135 N Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
- Headington Institute, 402 S Marengo Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
| | - Stacy S Amano
- Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 135 N Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
| | - Albert A Rizzo
- Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, 12015 E Waterfront Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90094
| | - J Galen Buckwalter
- Headington Institute, 402 S Marengo Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
- Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, 12015 E Waterfront Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90094
| | - Jared Rensberger
- Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 135 N Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
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Stout DM, Glenn DE, Acheson DT, Simmons AN, Risbrough VB. Characterizing the neural circuitry associated with configural threat learning. Brain Res 2019; 1719:225-234. [PMID: 31173725 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Contextual threat learning is often associated with two processes: elemental and configural learning. Few studies have examined configural learning where subjects form a representation of the threat-related context as a gestalt whole from the individual features in the environment. The goal of the current study was to compare and contrast neural circuitry recruited by variation in demands placed on configural threat encoding. Subjects (N = 25) completed a configural threat learning task, where we manipulated the amount of configural encoding required to learn the threat association (low demand: changes to a discrete element of the context; and high demand: rearrangement of elements). US expectancy ratings, skin conductance responses (SCR), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were collected. Subjects successfully learned the configural threat association as measured by US expectancy ratings, SCR, and BOLD activity. Hippocampal and amygdala region of interest analyses indicated differential configural threat learning and predicted SCR measures of learning. Furthermore, whole brain analyses identified four circuits that were impacted by the amount of differential configural encoding required, but none correlated with SCR. These results set the stage for a more detailed understanding of how configural threat learning is instantiated in the brain-an important mechanism associated with PTSD and other fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Stout
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Daniel E Glenn
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Dean T Acheson
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Alan N Simmons
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Victoria B Risbrough
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
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Margetić B, Aukst Margetić B, Ivanec D. Temperament and character in homicidal patients with schizophrenia. Nord J Psychiatry 2019; 73:317-322. [PMID: 31215824 DOI: 10.1080/08039488.2019.1630482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Background: Understanding the etiology of violence in patients with schizophrenia is an issue of great clinical and public importance. Although personality traits are an important aspect in determining complex behaviors of schizophrenia patients, there is a lack of research on the relationship between personality traits and violence, especially homicidal behavior, in this population. Aim: We aimed to compare temperament and character dimensions between homicidal and other mostly violent forensic patients with schizophrenia, and to determine which temperament and character dimensions are associated with homicidal behavior in these patients. Methods: We recruited 71 male forensic schizophrenia patients without concomitant substance dependence and antisocial personality disorder. The patients were divided into two groups according to trial documentation as: (1) Homicide and attempted homicide group (N 30; 42%), and (2) Other offenses group (N 41; 58%). Patients were assessed by means of the Temperament and Character Inventory and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Differences between groups were tested with t-test. Results: The two groups of patients were similar in their PANSS scores, but the homicidal men were significantly more likely to show higher harm avoidance (HA) scores than the less violent comparison men (t = 2,876, df-69, p = 0.005). Conclusions: Our results indicate that forensic schizophrenic patients with higher HA scores would show a greater risk of homicidal violence. Improved understanding of personality traits associated with such behavior is needed in order to prevent homicidal behavior. Importance of these results suggests that further study is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branimir Margetić
- a Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatric hospital "Dr. Ivan Barbot" , Popovača , Croatia
| | - Branka Aukst Margetić
- b Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre , Sestre Milosrdnice , Zagreb
| | - Dragutin Ivanec
- c Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences , Zagreb , Croatia
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Madonna D, Delvecchio G, Soares JC, Brambilla P. Structural and functional neuroimaging studies in generalized anxiety disorder: a systematic review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 41:336-362. [PMID: 31116259 PMCID: PMC6804309 DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2018-0108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Brain imaging studies carried out in patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have contributed to better characterize the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this disorder. The present study reviews the available functional and structural brain imaging evidence on GAD, and suggests further strategies for investigations in this field. METHODS A systematic literature review was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar, aiming to identify original research evaluating GAD patients with the use of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging as well as diffusion tensor imaging. RESULTS The available studies have shown impairments in ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, posterior parietal regions, and amygdala in both pediatric and adult GAD patients, mostly in the right hemisphere. However, the literature is often tentative, given that most studies have employed small samples and included patients with comorbidities or in current use of various medications. Finally, different methodological aspects, such as the type of imaging equipment used, also complicate the generalizability of the findings. CONCLUSIONS Longitudinal neuroimaging studies with larger samples of both juvenile and adult GAD patients, as well as at risk individuals and unaffected relatives, should be carried out in order to shed light on the specific biological signature of GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Madonna
- Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Medico-Chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Universitá di Milano, Milano, Italy.,Dipartimento di Neuroscienze e Salute Mentale, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Delvecchio
- Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Medico-Chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Universitá di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Jair C Soares
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze e Salute Mentale, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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Ma Z, Wang C, Hines CS, Lu X, Wu Y, Xu H, Li J, Wang Q, Pang M, Zhong Y, Zhang N. Frontoparietal network abnormalities of gray matter volume and functional connectivity in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2019; 286:24-30. [PMID: 30877889 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We hypothesized that the frontoparietal region would exhibit differences in gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) versus healthy controls (HCs). We also aimed to report on correlations between these neuroradiological findings and HAMA scores. We recruited 27 patients with GAD and 28 HCs, matched for gender, age and education. GMV was estimated using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). We found decreased GMV in the precentral gyrus (PrCG) and the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) in patients with GAD, which were used as regions of interest (ROI) for rs-FC analyses. We detected enhanced rs-FC in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) based on an increase in negative connections, and reduced rs-FC in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) based on a decrease in positive connections compared to HCs. The right PrCG may be a candidate biomarker in patients with GAD, as well as a potential stimulation target for improvement of anxiety symptoms. By combining GMV and rs-FC analyses, our findings help to understand the pathophysiology of GAD by combining GMV and rs-FC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijuan Ma
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chun Wang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Christina S Hines
- South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, University of Texas Health San Antonio, United States
| | - Xin Lu
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yun Wu
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huazhen Xu
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jinyang Li
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qiuyu Wang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Manlong Pang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuan Zhong
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Ning Zhang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Ma Z, Zhong Y, Hines CS, Wu Y, Li Y, Pang M, Li J, Wang C, Fox PT, Zhang N, Wang C. Identifying generalized anxiety disorder using resting state habenular circuitry. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 14:1406-1418. [DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00055-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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43
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Wang W, Fang Z. Linear scalar-on-surface random effects regression models. J Appl Stat 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/02664763.2018.1502262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Department of Surgical Outcomes and Analysis, Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Zhuo Fang
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Neuroticism modulates mood responses to pharmacological sex hormone manipulation in healthy women. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 99:251-256. [PMID: 30390443 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 10/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women show increased risk of depressive symptoms during hormonal transition phases. The risk mechanisms may include changes in mood in response to fluctuating ovarian hormones moderated by predisposing risk factors for mood disorders, such as personality trait Neuroticism. METHODS A pooled sample of 92 mentally healthy women (28.3 ± 7.1, mean age ± SD) from two independent cohorts run in our lab, using gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) experimentally (n = 28) compared to placebo (n = 27) and as part in vitro fertilization (n = 37), were extracted from the Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging database. All women filled in questionnaires of trait Neuroticism from the NEO personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) at baseline and self-reported levels of mood disturbances with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) daily during 14 days of GnRHa intervention or placebo. Effects of intervention by trait Neuroticism on serial daily reports of mood disturbances were examined using mixed model analyses. RESULTS Personality trait Neuroticism significantly modulated daily mood responses to GnRHa, but not placebo. Women with high and low scores on trait Neuroticism at baseline experienced more pronounced changes in mood when exposed to GnRHa, whereas women with medium trait Neuroticism scores remained relatively stable. CONCLUSIONS The susceptibility to hormone-triggered mood changes appears to depend upon women's general tendency to experience distress and destabilization of mood, as captured by personality trait Neuroticism. This could aid clinicians evaluate hormone-related vulnerability for mood disorders in women and may guide targeted prevention in reproductive care.
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Morriss J, Gell M, van Reekum CM. The uncertain brain: A co-ordinate based meta-analysis of the neural signatures supporting uncertainty during different contexts. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 96:241-249. [PMID: 30550858 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Uncertainty is often inevitable in everyday life and can be both stressful and exciting. Given its relevance to psychopathology and wellbeing, recent research has begun to address the brain basis of uncertainty. In the current review we examined whether there are discrete and shared neural signatures for different uncertain contexts. From the literature we identified three broad categories of uncertainty currently empirically studied using functional MRI (fMRI): basic threat and reward uncertainty, decision-making under uncertainty, and associative learning under uncertainty. We examined the neural basis of each category by using a coordinate based meta-analysis, where brain activation foci from previously published fMRI experiments were drawn together (1998-2017; 87 studies). The analyses revealed shared and discrete patterns of neural activation for uncertainty, such as the insula and amygdala, depending on the category. Such findings will have relevance for researchers attempting to conceptualise uncertainty, as well as clinical researchers examining the neural basis of uncertainty in relation to psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayne Morriss
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
| | - Martin Gell
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Carien M van Reekum
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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46
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Qiao Z, Geng H, Wang Y, Li X. Anticipation of Uncertain Threat Modulates Subsequent Affective Responses and Covariation Bias. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2547. [PMID: 30618968 PMCID: PMC6297831 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Uncertainty contributes to stress and anxiety-like behaviors by impairing the ability of participants to objectively estimate threat. Our study used the cue-picture paradigm in conjunction with the event-related potential (ERP) technique to explore the temporal dynamics of anticipation for and response to uncertain threat in healthy individuals. This task used two types of cue. While ‘certain’ cues precisely forecasted the valence of the subsequent pictures (negative or neutral), the valence of pictures following ‘uncertain’ cues was not predictable. ERP data showed that, during anticipation, uncertain cues elicited similar Stimulus-Preceding Negativity (SPN) to certain-negative cues, while both of them elicited larger SPN than certain-neutral cues. During affective processing, uncertainty enlarged the mean amplitude of late positive potential (LPP) for both negative and neutral pictures. Behavioral data showed that participants reported more negative mood ratings of uncertain-neutral pictures relative to certain-neutral pictures and overestimated the probability of negative pictures following uncertain cues. Importantly, the enlarged anticipatory activity evoked by uncertain cues relative to that evoked by certain-neutral cues positively modulated the more negative mood ratings of uncertain-neutral pictures relative to certain-neutral pictures. Further, this more negative mood ratings and the general arousal anticipation during anticipatory stage contributed to the covariation bias. These results can provide a novel insight into understanding the neural mechanism and pathological basis of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiling Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haiyang Geng
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Center for Emotion and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China.,BCN Neuroimaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Yi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuebing Li
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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47
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Wilson-Mendenhall CD, Henriques A, Barsalou LW, Barrett LF. Primary Interoceptive Cortex Activity during Simulated Experiences of the Body. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 31:221-235. [PMID: 30277431 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Studies of the classic exteroceptive sensory systems (e.g., vision, touch) consistently demonstrate that vividly imagining a sensory experience of the world-simulating it-is associated with increased activity in the corresponding primary sensory cortex. We hypothesized, analogously, that simulating internal bodily sensations would be associated with increased neural activity in primary interoceptive cortex. An immersive, language-based mental imagery paradigm was used to test this hypothesis (e.g., imagine your heart pounding during a roller coaster ride, your face drenched in sweat during a workout). During two neuroimaging experiments, participants listened to vividly described situations and imagined "being there" in each scenario. In Study 1, we observed significantly heightened activity in primary interoceptive cortex (of dorsal posterior insula) during imagined experiences involving vivid internal sensations. This effect was specific to interoceptive simulation: It was not observed during a separate affect focus condition in Study 1 nor during an independent Study 2 that did not involve detailed simulation of internal sensations (instead involving simulation of other sensory experiences). These findings underscore the large-scale predictive architecture of the brain and reveal that words can be powerful drivers of bodily experiences.
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48
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Ruffle JK, Coen SJ, Giampietro V, Williams SCR, Aziz Q, Farmer AD. Preliminary report: parasympathetic tone links to functional brain networks during the anticipation and experience of visceral pain. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13410. [PMID: 30194351 PMCID: PMC6128833 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31522-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms that underpin the anti-nociceptive effect of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) on visceral pain remain incompletely understood. We sought to describe the effect of resting parasympathetic tone on functional brain networks during the anticipation and experience of oesophageal pain. 21 healthy participants had their resting cardiac vagal tone (CVT), a validated measure of the PNS, quantified, and underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during the anticipation and experience of painful oesophageal distention. The relationship between resting CVT and functional brain networks was examined using 11 hypothesis-driven nodes and network-based statistics. A network comprising all nodes was apparent in individuals with high resting CVT, compared to those with low CVT, during oesophageal pain (family wise error rate (FWER)-corrected p < 0.048). Functional connections included the thalamus-amygdala, thalamus-hypothalamus, hypothalamus-nucleus accumbens, amygdala-pallidum, pallidum-nucleus accumbens and insula-pallidum. A smaller network was seen during pain anticipation, comprising the amygdala, pallidum and anterior insula (FWER-corrected p < 0.049). These findings suggest that PNS tone is associated with functional brain networks during the anticipation and experience of visceral pain. Given the role of these subcortical regions in the descending inhibitory modulation of pain, these networks may represent a potential neurobiological explanation for the anti-nociceptive effect of the PNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- James K Ruffle
- Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 26 Ashfield Street, London, E1 2AJ, UK
| | - Steven J Coen
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Vincent Giampietro
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Neuroimaging, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Steven C R Williams
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Neuroimaging, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Qasim Aziz
- Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 26 Ashfield Street, London, E1 2AJ, UK.
| | - Adam D Farmer
- Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 26 Ashfield Street, London, E1 2AJ, UK.,Institute of Applied Clinical Sciences, University of Keele, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
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Dewe H, Watson DG, Kessler K, Braithwaite JJ. The depersonalized brain: New evidence supporting a distinction between depersonalization and derealization from discrete patterns of autonomic suppression observed in a non-clinical sample. Conscious Cogn 2018; 63:29-46. [PMID: 29929064 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Depersonalization and Derealization are characterised by feelings of detachment from one's bodily self/surroundings and a general emotional numbness. We explored predisposition to trait-based experiences of depersonalization/derealization-type experiences and autonomic arousal toward simulated body-threats, which were delivered to the participant's own body (i.e. Self) and when observed being delivered to another individual (i.e. Other). Ninety participants took part in an "Implied Body-Threat Illusion" task (Dewe, Watson, & Braithwaite, 2016) and autonomic arousal was recorded via standardised skin conductance responses and finger temperature. Autonomic suppression in response to threats delivered to the Self correlated with increases in trait-based depersonalization-type experiences. In contrast, autonomic suppression for threats delivered to Others correlated with trait-based derealization-like experiences. Body-temperature and anticipatory arousal did not correlate reliably with predisposition to depersonalization- or derealization-type experiences. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed in terms of a fronto-limbic autonomic suppression mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley Dewe
- Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK.
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50
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Coplan JD, Webler R, Gopinath S, Abdallah CG, Mathew SJ. Neurobiology of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in GAD: Aberrant neurometabolic correlation to hippocampus and relationship to anxiety sensitivity and IQ. J Affect Disord 2018; 229:1-13. [PMID: 29288871 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The neurometabolism underlying the cognitive and affective symptoms associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) remain poorly understood. After we have linked worry to intelligence in patients with GAD, we hypothesized that aberrant neurometabolic correlations between hippocampus and neocortical regions may underlie a shared substrate in GAD patients for both anxiety sensitivity and intelligence. METHODS GAD patients (n = 16; F = 11) and healthy volunteers (n = 16; F = 10) were assessed using 1H-MRSI. Co-axial planes I [hippocampus (HIPP)] and co-axial plane III [dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), central gyrus (CG)] were examined. Using general linear models, we examined resting metabolite concentrations using HIPP as a hub to CG and DLPFC. Neocortical ROIs were related to Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) in GAD patients versus controls. RESULTS Right hippocampal Cho/Cr directly predicted left DLPFC Cho/Cr in GAD (r = 0.75), an effect distinguishable (p = 0.0004) from controls. Left HIPP Cho/Cr positively predicted left CG Cho/Cr in GAD, an effect distinguishable from controls. In patients, both left and right DLPFC Cho/Cr positively predicted ASI but only left DLPFC Cho/Cr inversely predicted IQ. By contrast, IQ in controls correlated directly with left CG Cho/Cr. LIMITATIONS Small sample size precluded us from investigating how gender and FSIQ subscales related to neurochemical correlations in the ROIs examined. CONCLUSIONS Aberrant resting state neurochemical correlation between left DLPFC and right HIPP may contribute to GAD symptomatology. Unlike controls, in GAD, IQ and worry may share a common yet inverse neurometabolic substrate in left DLPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy D Coplan
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
| | - Ryan Webler
- Yale Depression Research Program, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Srinath Gopinath
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Chadi G Abdallah
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Clinical Neuroscience Division, National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sanjay J Mathew
- Mental Health Care Line, Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA; Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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