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Genheimer H, Pauli P, Andreatta M. Elemental and configural representation of a conditioned context. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115119. [PMID: 38906481 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115119] [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: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
A context can be conceptualized as a stable arrangement of elements or as the sum of single elements. Both configural and elemental representations play a role in associative processes. This study aimed to explore the respective contributions of these two representations of a context in the acquisition of conditioned anxiety in humans. Virtual reality (VR) can be an ecologically valid tool to investigate context-related mechanisms, yet the influence of the sense of presence within the virtual environment remains unclear. Forty-eight healthy individuals participated in a VR-based context conditioning wherein electric shocks (unconditioned stimulus, US) were unpredictably delivered in one virtual office (CTX+), but not in the other (CTX-). During the test phase, nine elements from each context were presented singularly. We found a cluster of participants, who exhibited heightened anticipation of the US for anxiety-related elements as compared to the other group. In contrast to their clear elemental representation, these individuals showed diminished discriminative responses between the two context's configurations. Discriminative responses to the contexts were boosted in those individuals, who had a weaker elemental representation. Importantly, the individual sense of presence significantly influenced the conditioned responses. These findings align with the dual-representation view of context and provide insights into the role of presence in eliciting (conditioned) anxiety responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Genheimer
- Department of Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Germany; Center of Mental Health, Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marta Andreatta
- General Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany.
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Carbone GA, Imperatori C, Adenzato M, Presti AL, Farina B, Ardito RB. Is parental overcontrol a specific form of child maltreatment? Insights from a resting state EEG connectivity study. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 155:106962. [PMID: 39068738 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recent studies suggest that parental overcontrol could be considered a specific form of childhood trauma (CT). Although previous research has shown that CT alters the functional and structural architecture of large-scale networks in the brain, the neural basis associated with parental overcontrol has not been sufficiently explored. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between parental overcontrol and electroencephalography (EEG) triple network (TN) functional connectivity during the resting state (RS) condition in a non-clinical sample (N = 71; 39 females, mean age 23.94 ± 5.89 SD). METHODS EEG was recorded during 5 min of RS with eyes closed. All participants were asked to self-report maternal and paternal overcontrol, CT and general psychopathology. All EEG analyses were performed using the exact low-resolution electromagnetic tomography software (eLORETA). RESULTS Our results showed a significant positive correlation between maternal overcontrol and theta connectivity between the salience network and the central executive network. This connectivity pattern was independently associated with maternal overcontrol even when controlling for relevant confounding variables, including the severity of CT and the general level of psychopathology. This neurophysiological pattern may reflect a predisposition to detect and respond to potentially threatening stimuli in the environment, which is typically associated with excessive overcontrol. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the hypothesis that parental overcontrol should be considered a form of CT in all respects independent of the forms traditionally studied in the literature (i.e., emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and physical and emotional neglect).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudio Imperatori
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Adenzato
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
| | | | - Benedetto Farina
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Rita B Ardito
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Misra J, Pessoa L. Brain dynamics and spatiotemporal trajectories during threat processing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.06.588389. [PMID: 38617278 PMCID: PMC11014591 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.06.588389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
In the past decades, functional MRI research has investigated mental states and their brain bases in largely static fashion based on evoked responses during blocked and event-related designs. Despite some progress in naturalistic designs, our understanding of threat processing remains largely limited to those obtained with standard paradigms. In the present paper, we applied Switching Linear Dynamical Systems to uncover the dynamics of threat processing during a continuous threat-of-shock paradigm. Importantly, unlike studies in systems neuroscience that frequently assume that systems are decoupled from external inputs, we characterized both endogenous and exogenous contributions to dynamics. First, we demonstrated that the SLDS model learned the regularities of the experimental paradigm, such that states and state transitions estimated from fMRI time series data from 85 ROIs reflected both the proximity of the circles and their direction (approach vs. retreat). After establishing that the model captured key properties of threat-related processing, we characterized the dynamics of the states and their transitions. The results revealed that threat processing can profitably be viewed in terms of dynamic multivariate patterns whose trajectories are a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that jointly determine how the brain temporally evolves during dynamic threat. We propose that viewing threat processing through the lens of dynamical systems offers important avenues to uncover properties of the dynamics of threat that are not unveiled with standard experimental designs and analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyneel Misra
- Departmentof Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Luiz Pessoa
- Departmentof Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Psychology and Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
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Lee AM, Sturm VE, Dawes H, Krystal AD, Chang EF. Human Anterior Insular Cortex Encodes Multiple Electrophysiological Representations of Anxiety-Related Behaviors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.05.583610. [PMID: 38496459 PMCID: PMC10942279 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.05.583610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Anxiety is a common symptom across psychiatric disorders, but the neurophysiological underpinnings of these symptoms remain unclear. This knowledge gap has prevented the development of circuit-based treatments that can target the neural substrates underlying anxiety. Here, we conducted an electrophysiological mapping study to identify neurophysiological activity associated with self-reported state anxiety in 17 subjects implanted with intracranial electrodes for seizure localization. Participants had baseline anxiety traits ranging from minimal to severe. Subjects volunteered to participate in an anxiety induction task in which they were temporarily exposed to the threat of unpredictable shock during intracranial recordings. We found that anterior insular beta oscillatory activity was selectively elevated during epochs when unpredictable aversive stimuli were being delivered, and this enhancement in insular beta was correlated with increases in self-reported anxiety. Beta oscillatory activity within the frontoinsular region was also evoked selectively by cues-predictive of threat, but not safety cues. Anterior insular gamma responses were less selective than gamma, strongly evoked by aversive stimuli and had weaker responses to salient threat and safety cues. On longer timescales, this gamma signal also correlated with increased skin conductance, a measure of autonomic state. Lastly, we found that direct electrical stimulation of the anterior insular cortex in a subset of subjects elicited self-reported increases in anxiety that were accompanied by enhanced frontoinsular beta oscillations. Together, these findings suggest that electrophysiologic representations of anxiety- related states and behaviors exist within anterior insular cortex. The findings also suggest the potential of reducing anterior insular beta activity as a therapeutic target for refractory anxiety-spectrum disorders.
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Jenkins KC, Difatta J, Jones EE, Kreutzer KA, Way BM, Phan KL, Gorka SM. Sleep quality impacts the link between reactivity to uncertain threat and anxiety and alcohol use in youth. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14490. [PMID: 38217499 PMCID: PMC10922133 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14490] [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: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Individual differences in reactivity to unpredictable threat (U-threat) have repeatedly been linked to symptoms of anxiety and drinking behavior. An emerging theory is that individuals who are hyper-reactive to U-threat experience chronic anticipatory anxiety, hyperarousal, and are vulnerable to excessive alcohol use via negative reinforcement processes. Notably, anxiety and alcohol use commonly relate to disruptions in sleep behavior and recent findings suggest that sleep quality may impact the link between reactivity to U-threat and psychiatric symptoms and behaviors. The aim of the current study was to examine the unique and interactive effects of reactivity to U-threat and sleep quality on anxiety symptoms and drinking behavior in a cohort of youth, ages 16-19 years. Participants (N = 112) completed a well-validated threat-of-shock task designed to probe individual differences in reactivity to U-threat and predictable threat (P-threat). Startle eyeblink potentiation was recorded during the task as an index of aversive reactivity. Participants also completed well-validated self-report measures of anxiety and depression symptoms, lifetime alcohol use, and current sleep quality. Results revealed significant startle reactivity to U-threat by sleep quality interactions on anxiety symptoms and lifetime drinking behavior. At high levels of sleep disturbance (only), greater reactivity to U-threat was associated with greater anxiety symptoms and total number of lifetime alcoholic beverages. These results suggest that sensitivity to uncertainty and chronic hyperarousal increases anxiety symptoms and alcohol use behavior, particularly in the context of poor sleep quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn C Jenkins
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Jordan Difatta
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Emily E Jones
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Kayla A Kreutzer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Baldwin M Way
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Benke C, Wallenfels LM, Bleichhardt GM, Melzig CA. Health anxiety amplifies fearful responses to illness-related imagery. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4345. [PMID: 38388793 PMCID: PMC10883981 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54985-y] [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: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe health anxiety (HA) is characterized by excessive worry and anxiety about one's health, often accompanied by distressing intrusive imagery of signs of a serious illness or potentially receiving bad news about having a life-threatening disease. However, the emotional responses to these illness-related mental images in relation to HA have not been fully elucidated. Emotional responses to mental imagery of 142 participants were assessed in a well-controlled script-driven imagery task, systematically comparing emotional responses to illness-related imagery with neutral and standard fear imagery. The results revealed that participants reported higher anxiety, aversion, emotional arousal, and a stronger avoidance tendency during imagery of fear and illness-related scenes compared to neutral scenes. Importantly, the emotional modulation varied by the level of HA, indicating that individuals with higher HA experienced stronger emotional responses to illness-related imagery. This association between HA and fearful imagery could not be better accounted for by other psychological factors such as trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, somatic symptom severity, or symptoms of depression and anxiety. Fearful responding to standard threat material was not associated with HA. The present findings highlight the importance of considering fear responding to mental imagery in understanding and addressing HA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Benke
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Laura-Marie Wallenfels
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Gaby M Bleichhardt
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Christiane A Melzig
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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7
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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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Maita I, Bazer A, Chae K, Parida A, Mirza M, Sucher J, Phan M, Liu T, Hu P, Soni R, Roepke TA, Samuels BA. Chemogenetic activation of corticotropin-releasing factor-expressing neurons in the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis reduces effortful motivation behaviors. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:377-385. [PMID: 37452139 PMCID: PMC10724138 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01646-9] [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: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aBNST) is associated with chronic stress and avoidance behavior. However, CRF + BNST neurons project to reward- and motivation-related brain regions, suggesting a potential role in motivated behavior. We used chemogenetics to selectively activate CRF+ aBNST neurons in male and female CRF-ires-Cre mice during an effort-related choice task and a concurrent choice task. In both tasks, mice were given the option either to exert effort for high value rewards or to choose freely available low value rewards. Acute chemogenetic activation of CRF+ aBNST neurons reduced barrier climbing for a high value reward in the effort-related choice task in both males and females. Furthermore, acute chemogenetic activation of CRF+ aBNST neurons also reduced effortful lever pressing in high-performing males in the concurrent choice task. These data suggest a novel role for CRF+ aBNST neurons in effort-based decision and motivation behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Maita
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Allyson Bazer
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Kiyeon Chae
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Amlaan Parida
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Mikyle Mirza
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Jillian Sucher
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Graduate Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Mimi Phan
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Tonia Liu
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Pu Hu
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Ria Soni
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Troy A Roepke
- Department of Animal Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Benjamin Adam Samuels
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
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Roxburgh AD, White DJ, Grillon C, Cornwell BR. A neural oscillatory signature of sustained anxiety. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1534-1544. [PMID: 37880568 PMCID: PMC10684633 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01132-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety is a sustained response to uncertain threats; yet few studies have explored sustained neurobiological activities underlying anxious states, particularly spontaneous neural oscillations. To address this gap, we reanalysed magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data recorded during induced anxiety to identify differences in sustained oscillatory activity between high- and low-anxiety states. METHODS We combined data from three previous MEG studies in which healthy adults (total N = 51) were exposed to alternating periods of threat of unpredictable shock and safety while performing a range of cognitive tasks (passive oddball, mixed-saccade or stop-signal tasks). Spontaneous, band-limited, oscillatory activity was extracted from middle and late intervals of the threat and safe periods, and regional power distributions were reconstructed with adaptive beamforming. Conjunction analyses were used to identify regions showing overlapping spectral power differences between threat and safe periods across the three task paradigms. RESULTS MEG source analyses revealed a robust and widespread reduction in beta (14-30 Hz) power during threat periods in bilateral sensorimotor cortices extending into right prefrontal regions. Alpha (8-13 Hz) power reductions during threat were more circumscribed, with notable peaks in left intraparietal sulcus and thalamus. CONCLUSIONS Threat-induced anxiety is underpinned by a sustained reduction in spontaneous beta- and alpha-band activity in sensorimotor and parietal cortical regions. This general oscillatory pattern likely reflects a state of heightened action readiness and vigilance to cope with uncertain threats. Our findings provide a critical reference for which to identify abnormalities in cortical oscillatory activities in clinically anxious patients as well as evaluating the efficacy of anxiolytic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel D Roxburgh
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
- Turning Point, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - David J White
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
| | | | - Brian R Cornwell
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
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McCall C, Schofield G, Halgarth D, Blyth G, Laycock A, Palombo DJ. The underwood project: A virtual environment for eliciting ambiguous threat. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:4002-4017. [PMID: 36289179 PMCID: PMC10700233 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-02002-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Threatening environments can be unpredictable in many different ways. The nature of threats, their timing, and their locations in a scene can all be uncertain, even when one is acutely aware of being at risk. Prior research demonstrates that both temporal unpredictability and spatial uncertainty of threats elicit a distinctly anxious psychological response. In the paradigm presented here, we further explore other facets of ambiguous threat via an environment in which there are no concrete threats, predictable or otherwise, but which nevertheless elicits a building sense of danger. By incorporating both psychological research and principles of emotional game design, we constructed this world and then tested its effects in three studies. In line with our goals, participants experienced the environment as creepy and unpredictable. Their subjective and physiological response to the world rose and fell in line with the presentation of ambiguously threatening ambient cues. Exploratory analyses further suggest that this ambiguously threatening experience influenced memory for the virtual world and its underlying narrative. Together the data demonstrate that naturalistic virtual worlds can effectively elicit a multifaceted experience of ambiguous threat with subjective and cognitive consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cade McCall
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Guy Schofield
- School of Arts and Creative Technologies, University of York, York, UK
| | - Darel Halgarth
- Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, UK
| | - Georgina Blyth
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Aaron Laycock
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Daniela J Palombo
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Roy JC, Desmidt T, Dam S, Mirea-Grivel I, Weyl L, Bannier E, Barantin L, Drapier D, Batail JM, David R, Coloigner J, Robert GH. Connectivity patterns of the core resting-state networks associated with apathy in late-life depression. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2023; 48:E404-E413. [PMID: 37914222 PMCID: PMC10620011 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.230008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Apathy is associated with reduced antidepressant response and dementia in late-life depression (LLD). However, the functional cerebral basis of apathy is understudied in LLD. We investigated the functional connectivity of 5 resting-state networks (RSN) hypothesized to underlie apathy in LLD. METHODS Resting-state functional MRI data were collected from individuals with LLD who did not have dementia as well as healthy older adults between October 2019 and April 2022. Apathy was evaluated using the diagnostic criteria for apathy (DCA), the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) and the Apathy Motivation Index (AMI). Subnetworks whose connectivity was significantly associated with each apathy measure were identified via the threshold-free network-based statistics. Regions that were consistently associated with apathy across the measures were reported as robust findings. RESULTS Our sample included 39 individuals with LLD who did not have dementia and 26 healthy older adults. Compared with healthy controls, individuals with LLD had an altered intra-RSN and inter-RNS connectivity in the default mode, the cingulo-opercular and the frontoparietal networks. All 3 apathy measurements showed associations with modified intra-RSN connectivity in these networks, except for the DCA in the cingulo-opercular network. The AMI scores showed stronger associations with the cingulo-opercular and frontoparietal networks, whereas the AES had stronger associations with the default mode network and the goal-oriented behaviour network. LIMITATIONS The study was limited by the small number of participants without apathy according to the DCA, which may have reduced the statistical power of between-group comparisons. Additionally, the reliance on specific apathy measures may have influenced the observed overlap in brain regions. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that apathy in LLD is consistently associated with changes in both intra-RSN and inter-RSN connectivity of brain regions implicated in goal-oriented behaviours. These results corroborate previous findings of altered functional RSN connectivity in severe LLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Charles Roy
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Thomas Desmidt
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Sébastien Dam
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Iris Mirea-Grivel
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Louise Weyl
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Elise Bannier
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Laurent Barantin
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Dominique Drapier
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Jean-Marie Batail
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Renaud David
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Julie Coloigner
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
| | - Gabriel H Robert
- From the Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, Rennes, France (Roy, Mirea-Grivel, Louise, Drapier, Batail, Robert); the Centre d'investigation clinique (CIC) de Rennes 1414, CHU de Rennes, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Rennes, France (Roy, Drapier, Batail, Robert); l'Université de Rennes, Inria Centre, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IRISA, INSERM, Empenn U1228 ERL, Rennes, France (Roy, Dam, Bannier, Coloigner, Robert); the Service de Radiologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France (Bannier); the CHU de Tours, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt, Barantin); the CIC 1415, CHU de Tours, INSERM, Tours, France (Desmidt); the CoBTeK (Cognition Behaviour Technology) Lab, University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (David)
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12
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van de Poll Y, Cras Y, Ellender TJ. The neurophysiological basis of stress and anxiety - comparing neuronal diversity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) across species. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1225758. [PMID: 37711509 PMCID: PMC10499361 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1225758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), as part of the extended amygdala, has become a region of increasing interest regarding its role in numerous human stress-related psychiatric diseases, including post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder amongst others. The BNST is a sexually dimorphic and highly complex structure as already evident by its anatomy consisting of 11 to 18 distinct sub-nuclei in rodents. Located in the ventral forebrain, the BNST is anatomically and functionally connected to many other limbic structures, including the amygdala, hypothalamic nuclei, basal ganglia, and hippocampus. Given this extensive connectivity, the BNST is thought to play a central and critical role in the integration of information on hedonic-valence, mood, arousal states, processing emotional information, and in general shape motivated and stress/anxiety-related behavior. Regarding its role in regulating stress and anxiety behavior the anterolateral group of the BNST (BNSTALG) has been extensively studied and contains a wide variety of neurons that differ in their electrophysiological properties, morphology, spatial organization, neuropeptidergic content and input and output synaptic organization which shape their activity and function. In addition to this great diversity, further species-specific differences are evident on multiple levels. For example, classic studies performed in adult rat brain identified three distinct neuron types (Type I-III) based on their electrophysiological properties and ion channel expression. Whilst similar neurons have been identified in other animal species, such as mice and non-human primates such as macaques, cross-species comparisons have revealed intriguing differences such as their comparative prevalence in the BNSTALG as well as their electrophysiological and morphological properties, amongst other differences. Given this tremendous complexity on multiple levels, the comprehensive elucidation of the BNSTALG circuitry and its role in regulating stress/anxiety-related behavior is a major challenge. In the present Review we bring together and highlight the key differences in BNSTALG structure, functional connectivity, the electrophysiological and morphological properties, and neuropeptidergic profiles of BNSTALG neurons between species with the aim to facilitate future studies of this important nucleus in relation to human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana van de Poll
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Yasmin Cras
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Tommas J. Ellender
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Dabrowska J. From recent advances in underlying neurocircuitry of fear and anxiety to promising pharmacotherapies for PTSD: The saga of heart, sex and the developing brain. Neuropharmacology 2023; 232:109529. [PMID: 37004751 PMCID: PMC11017858 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Available pharmacotherapies for anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress-disorder (PTSD) have limited efficacy, but no new anxiolytic drug has been approved for treatment since the 1980s. In this issue of Neuropharmacology on "Fear, anxiety and PTSD: from cellular mechanisms to translational approaches", we review the currently recommended pharmacotherapy for PTSD and discuss promising pharmacotherapies being revisited or newly developed. Novel strategies for pharmaceuticals in PTSD treatment include the use of serotonergic psychedelics as low-dose adjunct therapies combined with psychotherapy. We also discuss the use of glucocorticoids targeting the temporal window shortly following trauma exposure to interfere with fear memory consolidation. Although many factors have impeded progress in pharmacotherapy development for anxiety disorders and PTSD, we highlight three: (1) the sparsity of preclinical studies investigating the neurobiology of fear processing in female animal models despite the higher prevalence of anxiety disorders in women, (2) the poor implementation of the knowledge of how stress affects fear circuitry development across the lifetime into clinical practice, and (3) our paucity of knowledge of canonical fear circuitry in adaptive vs. maladaptive fear processing. Finally, we emphasize the functional link between interoceptive signals and emotion regulation and discuss how these interoceptive signals may be an inroad into PTSD treatment, which is often accompanied by cardiovascular dysregulation. A better understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of adaptive and maladaptive fear processing is critical for identifying risk factors that will spur the development of sex- and developmental trauma-specific interventions, ushering in a new era of precision medicine for anxiety disorders and PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, USA.
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14
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Gorka SM, Radoman M, Jimmy J, Kreutzer KA, Manzler C, Culp S. Behavioral and brain reactivity to uncertain stress prospectively predicts binge drinking in youth. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:1194-1200. [PMID: 37147429 PMCID: PMC10267158 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01571-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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Prior studies show that individuals with alcohol use disorder exhibit exaggerated behavioral and brain reactivity to uncertain threats (U-threat). It is posited this brain-based factor emerges early in life and contributes to the onset and escalation of alcohol problems. However, no study to date has tested this theory using a longitudinal within-subjects design. Ninety-five young adults, ages 17-19, with minimal alcohol exposure and established risk factors for alcohol use disorder participated in this multi-session study with a 1-year tracking period. Startle eyeblink potentiation and brain activation were collected at separate baseline sessions during the well-validated No-Predictable-Unpredictable (NPU) threat-of-shock task designed to probe reactivity to U-threat and predictable threat (P-threat). Participants self-reported their drinking behavior over the past 90 days at baseline and one-year later. We fit a series of multilevel hurdle models to model the binary outcome of whether binge drinking occurred and the continuous outcome of number of binge drinking episodes. Zero-inflated binary submodels revealed that greater baseline startle reactivity, bilateral anterior insula (AIC) reactivity, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) reactivity to U-threat were associated with increased probability of binge drinking. There were no other associations between reactivity to U- and P-threat and probability of binge drinking and number of binging episodes. These results demonstrate that exaggerated reactivity to U-threat is a brain-based individual difference factor that connotes risk for problem drinking. These findings also add to a growing literature implicating AIC and dACC dysfunction in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Drive, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
| | - Milena Radoman
- Yale Stress Center, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 2 Church St South, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
| | - Jagan Jimmy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Kayla A Kreutzer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Charles Manzler
- Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, 3711 USF Citrus Drive, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
| | - Stacey Culp
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 1800 Cannon Drive, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
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15
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Murty DVPS, Song S, Surampudi SG, Pessoa L. Threat and Reward Imminence Processing in the Human Brain. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2973-2987. [PMID: 36927571 PMCID: PMC10124955 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1778-22.2023] [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: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. In addition, the extent to which aversive-related and appetitive-related processing engage distinct or overlapping circuits remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive and appetitive processing while male and female participants engaged in comparable trials involving threat avoidance or reward seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence. For example, in the aversive domain, we predicted that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), but not the amygdala, would exhibit anticipatory responses given the role of the former in anxious apprehension. We also predicted that the periaqueductal gray (PAG) would exhibit threat-proximity responses based on its involvement in proximal-threat processes, and that the ventral striatum would exhibit threat-imminence responses given its role in threat escape in rodents. Overall, we uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the BST, PAG, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Whereas the ventral striatum generated anticipatory responses in the proximity of reward as expected, it also exhibited threat-related imminence responses. In fact, across multiple brain regions, we observed a main effect of arousal. In other words, we uncovered extensive temporally evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information regardless of valence, findings further supported by network analysis.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive/appetitive processing while participants engaged in trials involving threat avoidance or reward seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence. We uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, periaqueductal gray, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Overall, we uncovered extensive temporally evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information regardless of valence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Songtao Song
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | | | - Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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Stegmann Y, Andreatta M, Wieser MJ. The effect of inherently threatening contexts on visuocortical engagement to conditioned threat. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14208. [PMID: 36325884 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14208] [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: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Fear and anxiety are crucial for adaptive responding in life-threatening situations. Whereas fear is a phasic response to an acute threat accompanied by selective attention, anxiety is characterized by a sustained feeling of apprehension and hypervigilance during situations of potential threat. In the current literature, fear and anxiety are usually considered mutually exclusive, with partially separated neural underpinnings. However, there is accumulating evidence that challenges this distinction between fear and anxiety, and simultaneous activation of fear and anxiety networks has been reported. Therefore, the current study experimentally tested potential interactions between fear and anxiety. Fifty-two healthy participants completed a differential fear conditioning paradigm followed by a test phase in which the conditioned stimuli were presented in front of threatening or neutral contextual images. To capture defense system activation, we recorded subjective (threat, US-expectancy), physiological (skin conductance, heart rate) and visuocortical (steady-state visual evoked potentials) responses to the conditioned stimuli as a function of contextual threat. Results demonstrated successful fear conditioning in all measures. In addition, threat and US-expectancy ratings, cardiac deceleration, and visuocortical activity were enhanced for fear cues presented in threatening compared with neutral contexts. These results are in line with an additive or interactive rather than an exclusive model of fear and anxiety, indicating facilitated defensive behavior to imminent danger in situations of potential threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannik Stegmann
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias J Wieser
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Jin S, Liu W, Hu Y, Liu Z, Xia Y, Zhang X, Ding Y, Zhang L, Xie S, Ma C, Kang Y, Hu Z, Cheng W, Yang Z. Aberrant functional connectivity of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and its age dependence in children and adolescents with social anxiety disorder. Asian J Psychiatr 2023; 82:103498. [PMID: 36758449 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a prevalent and impairing mental disorder among children and adolescents. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) plays a critical role in anxiety disorders, including valence surveillance and hypervigilance for potential threats. However, the role of BNST and its related functional network in children and adolescents with SAD has not been fully investigated. This study examined the aberration of BNST's functional connectivity and its age dependence in adolescents with SAD. METHODS Using a sample of 75 SAD patients and 75 healthy controls (HCs) children aged 9-18 years old, we delineated the group-by-age interaction of BNST-seeded functional connectivity (FC) during resting state and movie-watching. The relationships between BNST-seeded FC and clinical scores were also examined. RESULTS During movie viewing, the FC between the right BNST and the left amygdala, bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral superior temporal cortex, and right pericalcarine cortex showed a diagnostic group-by-age interaction. Compared to HCs, SAD patients showed a significant enhancement of the above FC at younger ages. Meanwhile, they showed an age-dependent decrease in FC between the right BNST and left amygdala. Furthermore, for SAD patients, FC between the right BNST and left amygdala during movie viewing was positively correlated with separation anxiety scores. CONCLUSIONS The right BNST plays an essential role in the aberrant brain functioning in children and adolescents with SAD. The atypicality of BNST's FC has remarkable age dependence in SAD, suggesting an association of SAD with neurodevelopmental traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyu Jin
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Wenjing Liu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yang Hu
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhen Liu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yufeng Xia
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xiaochen Zhang
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yue Ding
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Lei Zhang
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Shuqi Xie
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Changminghao Ma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yinzhi Kang
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhishan Hu
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Wenhong Cheng
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhi Yang
- Laboratory of Psychological Health and Imaging, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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18
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Comparison of behavioral and brain indices of fear renewal during a standard vs. novel immersive reality Pavlovian fear extinction paradigm in healthy adults. Behav Brain Res 2023; 437:114154. [PMID: 36244544 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114154] [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: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Pavlovian conditioning paradigms model the learned fear associations inherent in posttraumatic stress disorder, including the renewal of inappropriate fear responses following extinction learning. However, very few studies in humans investigate the underlying neural mechanisms involved in fear renewal despite its clinical importance. To address this issue, our lab designed a novel, immersive-reality Pavlovian fear acquisition, extinction, recall, and renewal paradigm. We utilized an ecological threat - a snake striking towards the participant - as the unconditioned stimulus (US). Context and background were dynamic and included both visual and auditory cues that are relevant to everyday life. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral measures (US expectancy ratings), we examined the validity of this Novel paradigm in healthy adults (n = 49) and compared it to a Standard, well-validated 2D paradigm (n = 28). The Novel paradigm, compared to the Standard, was associated with greater hippocampal activation throughout the task. Participants who underwent the Standard paradigm, compared to the Novel, also displayed insula activation; however, this was not specific to stimulus or time. During fear renewal, the Novel paradigm was associated with dorsal anterior cingulate cortex activation to CS+ (> CS-). Overall, we found that our Novel, immersive-reality paradigm, which features an ecologically relevant US, elicited greater corticolimbic activation. These results suggest that immersive Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigms paired with innately fearful stimuli may improve translatability of preclinical paradigms to clinical interventions for fear-based disorders.
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19
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Murty DVPS, Song S, Surampudi SG, Pessoa L. Threat and reward imminence processing in the human brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.20.524987. [PMID: 36711746 PMCID: PMC9882302 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.20.524987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. In addition, the extent to which aversive- and appetitive-related processing engage distinct or overlapping circuits remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive and appetitive processing while male and female participants engaged in comparable trials involving threat-avoidance or reward-seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence . For example, in the aversive domain, we predicted that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), but not the amygdala, would exhibit anticipatory responses given the role of the former in anxious apprehension. We also predicted that the periaqueductal gray (PAG) would exhibit threat-proximity responses based on its involvement in proximal-threat processes, and that the ventral striatum would exhibit threat-imminence responses given its role in threat escape in rodents. Overall, we uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the BST, PAG, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Whereas the ventral striatum generated anticipatory responses in the proximity of reward as expected, it also exhibited threat-related imminence responses. In fact, across multiple brain regions, we observed a main effect of arousal. In other words, we uncovered extensive temporally-evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information irrespective of valence, findings further supported by network analysis. Significance Statement In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive/appetitive processing while participants engaged in trials involving threat-avoidance or reward-seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence . We uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, periaqueductal gray, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Overall, we uncovered extensive temporally-evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information irrespective of valence.
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20
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Bullock T, MacLean MH, Santander T, Boone AP, Babenko V, Dundon NM, Stuber A, Jimmons L, Raymer J, Okafor GN, Miller MB, Giesbrecht B, Grafton ST. Habituation of the stress response multiplex to repeated cold pressor exposure. Front Physiol 2023; 13:752900. [PMID: 36703933 PMCID: PMC9871365 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.752900] [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: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans show remarkable habituation to aversive events as reflected by changes of both subjective report and objective measures of stress. Although much experimental human research focuses on the effects of stress, relatively little is known about the cascade of physiological and neural responses that contribute to stress habituation. The cold pressor test (CPT) is a common method for inducing acute stress in human participants in the laboratory; however, there are gaps in our understanding of the global state changes resulting from this stress-induction technique and how these responses change over multiple exposures. Here, we measure the stress response to repeated CPT exposures using an extensive suite of physiologic measures and state-of-the-art analysis techniques. In two separate sessions on different days, participants underwent five 90 s CPT exposures of both feet and five warm water control exposures, while electrocardiography (ECG), impedance cardiography, continuous blood pressure, pupillometry, scalp electroencephalography (EEG), salivary cortisol and self-reported pain assessments were recorded. A diverse array of adaptive responses are reported that vary in their temporal dynamics within each exposure as well as habituation across repeated exposures. During cold-water exposure there was a cascade of changes across several cardiovascular measures (elevated heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO) and Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) and reduced left ventricular ejection time (LVET), stroke volume (SV) and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF)). Increased pupil dilation was observed, as was increased power in low-frequency bands (delta and theta) across frontal EEG electrode sites. Several cardiovascular measures also habituated over repeated cold-water exposures (HR, MAP, CO, SV, LVET) as did pupil dilation and alpha frequency activity across the scalp. Anticipation of cold water induced stress effects in the time-period immediately prior to exposure, indexed by increased pupil size and cortical disinhibition in the alpha and beta frequency bands across central scalp sites. These results provide comprehensive insight into the evolution of a diverse array of stress responses to an acute noxious stressor, and how these responses adaptively contribute to stress habituation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Bullock
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Tom Bullock,
| | - Mary H. MacLean
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Tyler Santander
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Alexander P. Boone
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Viktoriya Babenko
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Neil M. Dundon
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Alexander Stuber
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Liann Jimmons
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jamie Raymer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Gold N. Okafor
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Michael B. Miller
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Barry Giesbrecht
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Scott T. Grafton
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States,Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
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21
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Andreatta M, Winkler MH, Collins P, Gromer D, Gall D, Pauli P, Gamer M. VR for Studying the Neuroscience of Emotional Responses. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 65:161-187. [PMID: 36592276 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_405] [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] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Emotions are frequently considered as the driving force of behavior, and psychopathology is often characterized by aberrant emotional responding. Emotional states are reflected on a cognitive-verbal, physiological-humoral, and motor-behavioral level but to date, human research lacks an experimental protocol for a comprehensive and ecologically valid characterization of such emotional states. Virtual reality (VR) might help to overcome this situation by allowing researchers to study mental processes and behavior in highly controlled but reality-like laboratory settings. In this chapter, we first elucidate the role of presence and immersion as requirements for eliciting emotional states in a virtual environment and discuss different VR methods for emotion induction. We then consider the organization of emotional states on a valence continuum (i.e., from negative to positive) and on this basis discuss the use of VR to study threat processing and avoidance as well as reward processing and approach behavior. Although the potential of VR has not been fully realized in laboratory and clinical settings yet, this technological tool can open up new avenues to better understand the neurobiological mechanisms of emotional responding in healthy and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology, Educational Sciences, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Markus H Winkler
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Peter Collins
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Gromer
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Gall
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Gamer
- Department of Psychology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.
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22
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Bouras NN, Mack NR, Gao WJ. Prefrontal modulation of anxiety through a lens of noradrenergic signaling. Front Syst Neurosci 2023; 17:1173326. [PMID: 37139472 PMCID: PMC10149815 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2023.1173326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million individuals annually. Anxiety is an adaptive response to a stressful or unpredictable life event. Though evolutionarily thought to aid in survival, excess intensity or duration of anxiogenic response can lead to a plethora of adverse symptoms and cognitive dysfunction. A wealth of data has implicated the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the regulation of anxiety. Norepinephrine (NE) is a crucial neuromodulator of arousal and vigilance believed to be responsible for many of the symptoms of anxiety disorders. NE is synthesized in the locus coeruleus (LC), which sends major noradrenergic inputs to the mPFC. Given the unique properties of LC-mPFC connections and the heterogeneous subpopulation of prefrontal neurons known to be involved in regulating anxiety-like behaviors, NE likely modulates PFC function in a cell-type and circuit-specific manner. In working memory and stress response, NE follows an inverted-U model, where an overly high or low release of NE is associated with sub-optimal neural functioning. In contrast, based on current literature review of the individual contributions of NE and the PFC in anxiety disorders, we propose a model of NE level- and adrenergic receptor-dependent, circuit-specific NE-PFC modulation of anxiety disorders. Further, the advent of new techniques to measure NE in the PFC with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution will significantly help us understand how NE modulates PFC function in anxiety disorders.
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Genheimer H, Pauli P, Andreatta M. Biomarkers of Anxiety Acquisition and Generalization in Virtual Reality Experiments. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR KLINISCHE PSYCHOLOGIE UND PSYCHOTHERAPIE 2022. [DOI: 10.1026/1616-3443/a000658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Anxiety disorders are characterized by exaggerated responses to a threatening situation and overgeneralization. Context conditioning has been used for the identification of risk factors. This systematic literature search identifies 16 articles published between 1990 and 2021 on differential anxiety conditioning and generalization in humans. Additionally, we provide example data for individuals suffering from panic attacks with and without depressive symptoms. Successful anxiety acquisition (discrimination between anxiety and safety context) was found on the subjective level of anxiety and US-expectancy, on the physiological level of electrodermal activity, and in the defensive behavior of startle response. Anxiety generalization (discrimination between generalization and safety context) was found on the verbal but not on the physiobehavioral level. In sum, we emphasize the impact of virtual reality on anxiety research. Verbal and physiobehavioral responses serve as reliable biomarkers for anxiety. Few studies found ratings to be the best predictor for anxiety generalization. Genetic predisposition or personality traits might foster overgeneralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Genheimer
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany
- Center of Mental Health, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Educational Sciences, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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24
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Grützmann R, Kathmann N, Heinzel S. Effects of a three-week executive control training on adaptation to task difficulty and emotional interference. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276994. [PMID: 36413545 PMCID: PMC9681094 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Intact executive functions are characterized by flexible adaptation to task requirements, while these effects are reduced in internalizing disorders. Furthermore, as executive functions play an important role in emotion regulation, deficits in executive functions may contribute to symptom generation in psychological disorders through increased emotional interference. Thus, the present study investigated transfer effects of a three-week executive control training on adaptation to task difficulty and emotional interference in healthy participants (n = 24) to further explore the training's suitability for clinical application. To assess the adaptation to task difficulty, the proportion congruency effect on behavioral data (response times, error rates) and ERP measures (N2, CRN) was assessed in a flanker task with varying frequency of incompatible trials (25%, 75%). To quantify emotional interference, flanker stimuli were superimposed on neutral or negative pictures. Replicating previous results, the training increased interference control as indexed by decreased response times and errors rates, increased N2 amplitude and decreased CRN amplitude in incompatible trials after training. Proportion congruency effects were weaker than expected and not affected by the training intervention. The training lead to a shift in the time-point of emotional interference: before training negative pictures lead to a reduction in CRN amplitude, while after training this reduction was observed for the N2. This pattern illustrates that the training leads to a change in task processing mode from predominant response-related cognitive control to predominant stimulus-related cognitive control (N2), indicating a proactive processing mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Grützmann
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Norbert Kathmann
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Heinzel
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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25
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Philipson J, Naesstrom M, Johansson JD, Hariz M, Blomstedt P, Jahanshahi M. Deep brain stimulation in the ALIC-BNST region targeting the bed nucleus of stria terminalis in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: effects on cognition after 12 months. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2022; 165:1201-1214. [PMID: 36056244 PMCID: PMC10140080 DOI: 10.1007/s00701-022-05351-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate cognitive effects 12 months after Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis (BNST) in patients with refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). METHODS Eight patients (5 female; mean ± SD age 36 ± 15) with OCD were included. A neuropsychological test battery covering verbal and spatial episodic memory, executive function, and attention was administered preoperatively and 12 months after surgery. Medical records were used as a source for descriptive data to probe for any changes not covered by standardized checklists and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the primary outcome measure. RESULTS At 12 months, seven patients showed response to DBS: three were full responders (i.e., Y-BOCS ≥ 35% improvement), and four were partial responders (Y-BOCS 25-34% improvement). Relative to baseline, there was a slight decline on visuo-spatial learning (p = 0.027), and improved performance on the Color-Word Interference inhibition/switching subtest (p = 0.041), suggesting improvement in cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSIONS DBS in the BNST for treatment refractory OCD generates very few adverse cognitive effects and improves cognitive flexibility after 12 months of stimulation. The improvement in Y-BOCS and the absence of major cognitive side effects support the BNST as a potential target for DBS in severe OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Philipson
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Neuroscience, Umeå University, 901 85, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Matilda Naesstrom
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Psychiatry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Marwan Hariz
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Neuroscience, Umeå University, 901 85, Umeå, Sweden.,Unit of Functional Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical and Movement Neuroscience, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 33 Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Patric Blomstedt
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Neuroscience, Umeå University, 901 85, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Marjan Jahanshahi
- Unit of Functional Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical and Movement Neuroscience, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, 33 Queen Square, London, UK
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26
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Gorka SM, Khorrami KJ, Manzler CA, Phan KL. Acute orexin antagonism selectively modulates anticipatory anxiety in humans: implications for addiction and anxiety. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:308. [PMID: 35918313 PMCID: PMC9345881 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02090-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Research indicates that heightened anticipatory anxiety underlies several forms of psychopathology. Anticipatory anxiety can be reliably and objectively measured in the laboratory using the No-Predictable-Unpredictable (NPU) threat paradigm. The NPU paradigm is an ideal research tool for the NIH 'Fast-Fail' approach of screening promising compounds and testing human target engagement. Evidence from preclinical studies suggests that the hypocretin/orexin (ORX) hypothalamic neuropeptide system is a potential means for modulating anticipatory anxiety and disrupting stress-related alcohol use. The current study tested this question using a psychophysiological probe of the ORX system in humans. We examined whether a single dose of suvorexant (SUV; 10 mg; dual ORX receptor antagonist) can effectively and selectively target a well-validated human laboratory index of exaggerated anticipatory anxiety using a within-subjects placebo-controlled design. A total of twenty-one volunteers completed two laboratory sessions during acute administration of 10 mg SUV or placebo. Across sessions, we administered the NPU paradigm probing sustained anticipatory anxiety and fear while startle eyeblink was recorded as an index of aversive reactivity. Questionnaires assessing mood states and subjective drug effects were also collected. Results indicated SUV was well-tolerated. Compared with placebo, SUV was associated with decreased startle reactivity during anticipatory anxiety but not fear or no-threat conditions. Therefore, SUV selectively and effectively reduced objective indicators of anticipatory anxiety in humans and engaged our laboratory target of psychopathology. ORX antagonism may be a promising strategy for modulating human anxiety and potentially, stress-related alcohol use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M. Gorka
- grid.412332.50000 0001 1545 0811Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 USA ,grid.261331.40000 0001 2285 7943Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
| | - Kia J. Khorrami
- grid.412332.50000 0001 1545 0811Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 USA ,grid.261331.40000 0001 2285 7943Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
| | - Charles A. Manzler
- grid.412332.50000 0001 1545 0811Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 USA ,grid.261331.40000 0001 2285 7943Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
| | - K. Luan Phan
- grid.412332.50000 0001 1545 0811Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
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27
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Maita I, Roepke TA, Samuels BA. Chronic stress-induced synaptic changes to corticotropin-releasing factor-signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:903782. [PMID: 35983475 PMCID: PMC9378865 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.903782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The sexually dimorphic bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is comprised of several distinct regions, some of which act as a hub for stress-induced changes in neural circuitry and behavior. In rodents, the anterodorsal BNST is especially affected by chronic exposure to stress, which results in alterations to the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-signaling pathway, including CRF receptors and upstream regulators. Stress increases cellular excitability in BNST CRF+ neurons by potentiating miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (mEPSC) amplitude, altering the resting membrane potential, and diminishing M-currents (a voltage-gated K+ current that stabilizes membrane potential). Rodent anterodorsal and anterolateral BNST neurons are also critical regulators of behavior, including avoidance of aversive contexts and fear learning (especially that of sustained threats). These rodent behaviors are historically associated with anxiety. Furthermore, BNST is implicated in stress-related mood disorders, including anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders in humans, and may be linked to sex differences found in mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Maita
- Samuels Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States,Neuroscience Graduate Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Troy A. Roepke
- Roepke Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Benjamin A. Samuels
- Samuels Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States,*Correspondence: Benjamin A. Samuels,
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Talisman NW, Rohrbeck CA. Anxiety and fear: Testing distinctions with theoretically-informed vignettes. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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29
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EEG-Based Empathic Safe Cobot. MACHINES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/machines10080603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
An empathic collaborative robot (cobot) was realized through the transmission of fear from a human agent to a robot agent. Such empathy was induced through an electroencephalographic (EEG) sensor worn by the human agent, thus realizing an empathic safe brain-computer interface (BCI). The empathic safe cobot reacts to the fear and in turn transmits it to the human agent, forming a social circle of empathy and safety. A first randomized, controlled experiment involved two groups of 50 healthy subjects (100 total subjects) to measure the EEG signal in the presence or absence of a frightening event. The second randomized, controlled experiment on two groups of 50 different healthy subjects (100 total subjects) exposed the subjects to comfortable and uncomfortable movements of a collaborative robot (cobot) while the subjects’ EEG signal was acquired. The result was that a spike in the subject’s EEG signal was observed in the presence of uncomfortable movement. The questionnaires were distributed to the subjects, and confirmed the results of the EEG signal measurement. In a controlled laboratory setting, all experiments were found to be statistically significant. In the first experiment, the peak EEG signal measured just after the activating event was greater than the resting EEG signal (p < 10−3). In the second experiment, the peak EEG signal measured just after the uncomfortable movement of the cobot was greater than the EEG signal measured under conditions of comfortable movement of the cobot (p < 10−3). In conclusion, within the isolated and constrained experimental environment, the results were satisfactory.
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Bradley MM, Sambuco N. Emotional Memory and Amygdala Activation. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:896285. [PMID: 35769628 PMCID: PMC9234481 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.896285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Margaret M Bradley
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Nicola Sambuco
- Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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Luyck K, Bervoets C, Deblieck C, Nuttin B, Luyten L. Deep brain stimulation in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis: A symptom provocation study in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 151:252-260. [PMID: 35512619 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.04.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an emerging therapy for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and several targets for electrode implantation and contact selection have been proposed, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). Selecting the active electrode contacts (patients typically have four to choose from in each hemisphere), and thus the main locus of stimulation, can be a taxing process. Here, we investigated whether contact selection based purely on their neuroanatomical position in the BST is a worthwhile approach. For the first time, we also compared the effects of uni- versus bilateral BST stimulation. METHODS Nine OCD patients currently receiving DBS participated in a double-blind, randomized symptom provocation study to compare no versus BST stimulation. Primary outcomes were anxiety and mood ratings in response to disorder-relevant trigger images, as well as ratings of obsessions, compulsions, tendency to avoid and overall wellbeing. Furthermore, we asked whether patients preferred the electrode contacts in the BST over their regular stimulation contacts as a new treatment setting after the end of the task. RESULTS We found no statistically significant group differences between the four conditions (no, left, right and bilateral BST stimulation). Exploratory analyses, as well as follow-up data, did indicate that (bilateral) bipolar stimulation in the BST was beneficial for some patients, particularly for those who had achieved unsatisfactory effects through the typical contact selection procedure. CONCLUSIONS Despite its limitations, this study suggests that selection of stimulation contacts in the BST is a viable option for DBS in treatment-resistant OCD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Luyck
- KU Leuven, Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, Herestraat 49 PB 7003, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49 PB 1021, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Chris Bervoets
- Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49 PB 1021, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Psychiatry, Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Choi Deblieck
- University Hospitals Leuven, Psychiatry, Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Nuttin
- KU Leuven, Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, Herestraat 49 PB 7003, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49 PB 1021, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; University Hospitals Leuven, Neurosurgery, Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laura Luyten
- KU Leuven, Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, Herestraat 49 PB 7003, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49 PB 1021, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Tiensestraat 102 PB 3712, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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Vantrease JE, Avonts B, Padival M, DeJoseph MR, Urban JH, Rosenkranz JA. Sex Differences in the Activity of Basolateral Amygdalar Neurons That Project to the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis and Their Role in Anticipatory Anxiety. J Neurosci 2022; 42:4488-4504. [PMID: 35477901 PMCID: PMC9172066 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1499-21.2022] [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: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal fear and anxiety can manifest as psychiatric disorders. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is implicated in sustained responding to, or anticipation of, an aversive event which can be expressed as anticipatory anxiety. The BLA is also active during anticipatory anxiety and sends projections to the BNST. However, little is known about the role for BLA neurons that project to BNST (BLA-BNST) in anticipatory anxiety in rodents. To address this, we tested whether chemogenetic inactivation of the BLA-BNST pathway attenuates sustained conditioned responses produced by anticipation of an aversive stimulus. For comparison, we also assessed BLA-BNST inactivation during social interaction, which is sensitive to unlearned anxiety. We found that BLA-BNST inactivation reduced conditioned sustained freezing and increased social behaviors, but surprisingly, only in males. To determine whether sex differences in BLA-BNST neuronal activity contribute to the differences in behavior, we used in vivo and ex vivo electrophysiological approaches. In males, BLA-BNST projection neurons were more active and excitable, which coincided with a smaller after-hyperpolarization current (I AHP) compared with other BLA neurons; whereas in females, BLA-BNST neurons were less excitable and had larger I AHP compared with other BLA neurons. These findings demonstrate that activity of BLA-BNST neurons mediates conditioned anticipatory anxiety-like behavior in males. The lack of a role of BLA-BNST in females in this behavior, possibly because of low excitability of these neurons, also highlights the need for caution when generalizing the role of specific neurocircuits in fear and anxiety.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Anxiety disorders disproportionately affect women. This hints toward sex differences within anxiety neurocircuitry, yet most of our understanding is derived from male rodents. Furthermore, debilitating anticipation of adverse events is among the most severe anxiety symptoms, but little is known about anticipatory anxiety neurocircuitry. Here we demonstrated that BLA-BNST activity is required for anticipatory anxiety to a prolonged aversive cue, but only in males. Moreover, BLA-BNST neurons are hypoactive and less excitable in females. These results uncover BLA-BNST as a key component of anticipatory anxiety circuitry, and cellular differences may explain the sex-dependent role of this circuit. Uncovering this disparity provides evidence that the assumed basic circuitry of an anxiety behavior might not readily transpose from males to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime E Vantrease
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
| | - Brittany Avonts
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
| | - Mallika Padival
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
| | - M Regina DeJoseph
- Discipline of Physiology and Biophysics, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
| | - Janice H Urban
- Discipline of Physiology and Biophysics, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
| | - J Amiel Rosenkranz
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
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Chen X, Xu L, Li Z. Autonomic Neural Circuit and Intervention for Comorbidity Anxiety and Cardiovascular Disease. Front Physiol 2022; 13:852891. [PMID: 35574459 PMCID: PMC9092179 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.852891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorder is a prevalent psychiatric disease and imposes a significant influence on cardiovascular disease (CVD). Numerous evidence support that anxiety contributes to the onset and progression of various CVDs through different physiological and behavioral mechanisms. However, the exact role of nuclei and the association between the neural circuit and anxiety disorder in CVD remains unknown. Several anxiety-related nuclei, including that of the amygdala, hippocampus, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, and medial prefrontal cortex, along with the relevant neural circuit are crucial in CVD. A strong connection between these nuclei and the autonomic nervous system has been proven. Therefore, anxiety may influence CVD through these autonomic neural circuits consisting of anxiety-related nuclei and the autonomic nervous system. Neuromodulation, which can offer targeted intervention on these nuclei, may promote the development of treatment for comorbidities of CVD and anxiety disorders. The present review focuses on the association between anxiety-relevant nuclei and CVD, as well as discusses several non-invasive neuromodulations which may treat anxiety and CVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanzhao Chen
- The Center of Pathological Diagnosis and Research, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Li Xu
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, General Hospital of Central Theater Command, Wuhan, China
| | - Zeyan Li
- The Center of Pathological Diagnosis and Research, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
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Manzler CA, Radoman M, Khorrami KJ, Gorka SM. Association between startle reactivity to uncertain threats and structural brain volume. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14074. [PMID: 35579909 PMCID: PMC10080733 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14074] [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: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sensitivity to uncertain threat (U-threat) is a clinically important individual difference factor in multiple psychopathologies. Recent studies have implicated a specific frontolimbic circuit as a key network involved in the anticipation of aversive stimuli. In particular, the insula, thalamus, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) have recently been found to be robustly activated by anticipation of U-threat. However, no study to date has examined the association between U-threat reactivity and structural brain volume. In the present study, we utilized a pooled sample of 186 young adult volunteers who completed a structural MRI scan and the well-validated No-Predictable-Unpredictable (NPU) threat of electric shock task. Startle eyeblink potentiation was collected during the NPU task as an objective index of aversive reactivity. ROI-based analyses revealed that increased startle reactivity to U-threat was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the right insula and bilateral thalamus, but not the dACC. These results add to a growing literature implicating the insula and thalamus as core nodes involved in individual differences in U-threat reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles A Manzler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Milena Radoman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Kia J Khorrami
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Namkung H, Thomas KL, Hall J, Sawa A. Parsing neural circuits of fear learning and extinction across basic and clinical neuroscience: Towards better translation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104502. [PMID: 34921863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decades, studies of fear learning and extinction have advanced our understanding of the neurobiology of threat and safety learning. Animal studies can provide mechanistic/causal insights into human brain regions and their functional connectivity involved in fear learning and extinction. Findings in humans, conversely, may further enrich our understanding of neural circuits in animals by providing macroscopic insights at the level of brain-wide networks. Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement in translation between basic and clinical research on fear learning and extinction. Through the lens of neural circuits, in this article, we aim to review the current knowledge of fear learning and extinction in both animals and humans, and to propose strategies to fill in the current knowledge gap for the purpose of enhancing clinical benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Namkung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kerrie L Thomas
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
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Hall OT, Phan KL, Gorka S. Childhood Adversity and the Association Between Stress Sensitivity and Problematic Alcohol Use in Adults. J Trauma Stress 2022; 35:148-158. [PMID: 34263960 PMCID: PMC8760364 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Early life adversity (ELA) increases the risk of problematic alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, it is unclear why some but not all ELA-exposed individuals develop problematic alcohol use. Research is needed to determine how this environmental risk factor interacts with underlying neurobehavioral vulnerabilities to problem alcohol use. Hypersensitivity to uncertain threats (U-threat) has been posited as an endophenotype for AUD that might aid in the refinement of mechanistic models of problematic alcohol use. Therefore, U-threat hypersensitivity requires examination as a possible individual difference factor that facilitates problematic alcohol use among ELA-exposed individuals. We examined the unique and interactive effects of ELA and U-threat reactivity on problem drinking and depressive and anxiety symptom severity. Participants (N = 131) completed a well-validated threat-of-shock task, and startle eyeblink potentiation was recorded to index aversive responding. Individuals also completed self-report measures of alcohol use, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Results demonstrated a positive association between ELA and higher levels of problematic alcohol use at high levels of U-threat reactivity, β = .75, t = 3.93, p < .001. Conversely, at low levels of U-threat reactivity, ELA exposure was negatively associated with problematic alcohol use, β = -.49, t = -2.30, p = .023. There was no significant ELA x U-Threat reactivity interaction on anxiety or depression. U-threat response strongly interacts with ELA exposure, affecting the direction of the association between ELA and problem drinking. U-threat reactivity may be a promising target for the prevention and treatment of problematic drinking among ELA-exposed individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- O. Trent Hall
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Columbus Ohio USA
| | - K. Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Columbus Ohio USA
| | - Stephanie Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Columbus Ohio USA
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Khorrami KJ, Manzler CA, Kreutzer KA, Gorka SM. Neural and Self-report Measures of Sensitivity to Uncertainty as Predictors of COVID-Related Negative Affect. Psychiatry Res 2022; 319:111414. [PMID: 34902781 PMCID: PMC8608787 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2021.111414] [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] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a period of unprecedented uncertainty. Research indicates individuals differ in their response to uncertainty and these differences are mediated by anterior insula (aINS) function. Those most sensitive to uncertainty are likely vulnerable to negative affect in the context of the pandemic. The current study was designed to directly test this question using both neural and self-reported measures of sensitivity to uncertainty. Fifty-nine volunteers completed a task designed to probe neural response to anticipation of predictable (P-) and unpredictable (U-) threat-of-electric-shock during functional magnetic resonance imaging and a self-report measure of intolerance of uncertainty (IU). Approximately two years later, during the peak of the pandemic, participants reported their emotional reactions to the COVID-19 crisis. Multilevel mixed models revealed that greater aINS activation to U-threat and greater self-reported IU were independent predictors of increased COVID-related negative affect. These findings were significant when adjusting for biological sex and depression and anxiety symptom severity. The results add to a growing literature demonstrating that individual differences in response to uncertainty have a robust impact on mood and functioning. Results also highlight that individuals highly sensitive to uncertainty may be at increased risk for poor mental health during the ongoing pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kia J Khorrami
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 USA; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
| | - Charles A Manzler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 USA; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
| | - Kayla A Kreutzer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 USA; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 370W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 USA; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43210 USA.
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Cross-species anxiety tests in psychiatry: pitfalls and promises. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:154-163. [PMID: 34561614 PMCID: PMC8960405 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01299-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Behavioural anxiety tests in non-human animals are used for anxiolytic drug discovery, and to investigate the neurobiology of threat avoidance. Over the past decade, several of them were translated to humans with three clinically relevant goals: to assess potential efficacy of candidate treatments in healthy humans; to develop diagnostic tests or biomarkers; and to elucidate the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders. In this review, we scrutinise these promises and compare seven anxiety tests that are validated across species: five approach-avoidance conflict tests, unpredictable shock anticipation, and the social intrusion test in children. Regarding the first goal, three tests appear suitable for anxiolytic drug screening in humans. However, they have not become part of the drug development pipeline and achieving this may require independent confirmation of predictive validity and cost-effectiveness. Secondly, two tests have shown potential to measure clinically relevant individual differences, but their psychometric properties, predictive value, and clinical applicability need to be clarified. Finally, cross-species research has not yet revealed new evidence that the physiology of healthy human behaviour in anxiety tests relates to the physiology of anxiety symptoms in patients. To summarise, cross-species anxiety tests could be rendered useful for drug screening and for development of diagnostic instruments. Using these tests for aetiology research in healthy humans or animals needs to be queried and may turn out to be unrealistic.
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Lerman I, Klaming R, Spadoni A, Baker DG, Simmons AN. Non-invasive cervical vagus nerve stimulation effects on reaction time and valence image anticipation response. Brain Stimul 2022; 15:946-956. [PMID: 35738468 PMCID: PMC9721369 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2022.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Norepinephrine (NE) driven noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS), which improves attention and reduces reaction time, augments learning. Equally important, endogenous NE mediated arousal is highly dependent on the valence (positive or negative) of the exogenous stimulus. But to date, no study has measured valence specific effects of nVNS on both functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) anticipation task response and reaction time in healthy individuals. Therefore, the aim of this pilot study was to assess whether nVNS vs sham modulates valence cortical anticipation task response and reaction time in a normative sample. METHODS Participants received right sided transcutaneous cervical nVNS (N = 12) or sham (N = 12) stimulation during a 3T fMRI scan. Subjects first performed a continuous performance task (CPT) and then a cued anticipation task to images of positively and negatively valenced events during fMRI. Reaction times to cues and Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response were examined over phase to identify effects of nVNS/sham over time. RESULTS nVNS reduced reaction time for all valenced image anticipation trials. With the fMRI anticipation task, we observed a valence-specific effect; nVNS increased responsivity to images with negative valence and decreased responsivity to images with positive valence, whereas sham showed an inverse valence response. CONCLUSIONS nVNS was linked to reduced reaction time during the anticipation task. In tandem, nVNS consistently enhanced responsivity to negatively valenced images and diminished responsivity to positively valenced images, suggesting specific nVNS driven endogenous neurotransmitter signaling may contribute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imanuel Lerman
- VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States; Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Pain Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.
| | - Ruth Klaming
- VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Andrea Spadoni
- VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Dewleen G Baker
- VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Alan N Simmons
- VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
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Correa KA, Carrillo V, Funkhouser CJ, Shenberger ER, Shankman SA. Ethnic differences in behavioral and physiological indicators of sensitivity to threat. J Anxiety Disord 2022; 85:102508. [PMID: 34864540 PMCID: PMC8760157 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The clinical presentation of anxiety may differ between Hispanics/Latinx (H/L) and non-H/L, although findings on ethnic differences in self-reported anxiety symptoms have been mixed. Fewer studies have focused on ethnic differences in quick and relatively automatic laboratory-assessed indicators of anxiety symptoms, which have the potential to be more objective indicators than self-report. Therefore, the present study examined ethnic differences in two laboratory-assessed indicators of threat sensitivity (an important transdiagnostic mechanism of anxiety): attentional bias to threat and electromyography startle reactivity to threat. White H/L (n = 117) and White non-H/L (n = 168) adults who were matched on demographics and lifetime psychopathology (including anxiety) completed a dot-probe task to assess attentional bias to threat and the No-Predictable-Unpredictable threat (NPU) task to assess startle reactivity to threat. Results indicated that H/L displayed less Slow OrientationRB (β = -0.27, p = 0.032, R2β∗ = 0.02), and increased Slow DisengagementRB (β = 0.31, p = 0.016, R2β∗ = 0.02) compared to non-H/L. H/L exhibited blunted overall startle compared to non-H/L (β = -0.30, p = 0.014, R2β∗ = 0.02), but groups did not differ in startle reactivity to either predictable or unpredictable threat. In summary, H/L and non-H/L may differ in their experience and presentation of anxiety symptoms and such differences may vary across indicators of sensitivity to threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A Correa
- University of Illinois at Chicago, United States; Northwestern University, United States
| | | | - Carter J Funkhouser
- University of Illinois at Chicago, United States; Northwestern University, United States
| | - Elyse R Shenberger
- University of Illinois at Chicago, United States; Northwestern University, United States
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Jelinčić V, Torta DM, Van Diest I, von Leupoldt A. The effects of unpredictability and negative affect on perception and neural gating in different interoceptive modalities. Biol Psychol 2022; 169:108267. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Murty DVPS, Song S, Morrow K, Kim J, Hu K, Pessoa L. Distributed and Multifaceted Effects of Threat and Safety. J Cogn Neurosci 2021; 34:495-516. [PMID: 34942650 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
In the present fMRI study, we examined how anxious apprehension is processed in the human brain. A central goal of the study was to test the prediction that a subset of brain regions would exhibit sustained response profiles during threat periods, including the anterior insula, a region implicated in anxiety disorders. A second important goal was to evaluate the responses in the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminals, regions that have been suggested to be involved in more transient and sustained threat, respectively. A total of 109 participants performed an experiment in which they encountered "threat" or "safe" trials lasting approximately 16 sec. During the former, they experienced zero to three highly unpleasant electrical stimulations, whereas in the latter, they experienced zero to three benign electrical stimulations (not perceived as unpleasant). The timing of the stimulation during trials was randomized, and as some trials contained no stimulation, stimulation delivery was uncertain. We contrasted responses during threat and safe trials that did not contain electrical stimulation, but only the potential that unpleasant (threat) or benign (safe) stimulation could occur. We employed Bayesian multilevel analysis to contrast responses to threat and safe trials in 85 brain regions implicated in threat processing. Our results revealed that the effect of anxious apprehension is distributed across the brain and that the temporal evolution of the responses is quite varied, including more transient and more sustained profiles, as well as signal increases and decreases with threat.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Kesong Hu
- Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
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Feola B, Melancon SNT, Clauss JA, Noall MP, Mgboh A, Flook EA, Benningfield MM, Blackford JU. Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala responses to unpredictable threat in children. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22206. [PMID: 34813095 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Substantial evidence from studies in humans suggests the amygdala is pivotal for anxiety. Findings from animal models and translational studies suggests the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is also critical for anxiety and the anticipation of unpredictable threat in adults. However, it remains unknown whether the BNST is involved in unpredictable threat anticipation in children. Forty-two 8-10-year-olds completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans and an unpredictable threat fMRI task in which they were trained to associate cues with images. Intrinsic connectivity analyses were performed to establish functional BNST and amygdala networks. BNST and amygdala activation to cues and images was tested. Significant findings were followed by task-based functional connectivity analyses. Children showed evidence for BNST and amygdala intrinsic connectivity that was similar to previous patterns observed in adults. In response to unpredictable cues relative to neutral face cues, children had a significant amygdala response but no response in the BNST. The amygdala, but not the BNST, also showed a significantly greater response to fear face images relative to neutral images. Thus, unpredictable threat activated the amygdala, but not BNST, in children. This finding is contrary to studies showing robust BNST activation to unpredictable threat in adults and may suggest that the BNST's role in threat processing emerges later in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Sir Norman T Melancon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - Madison P Noall
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Adaora Mgboh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Flook
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Margaret M Benningfield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jennifer Urbano Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
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Andreatta M, Pauli P. Contextual modulation of conditioned responses in humans: A review on virtual reality studies. Clin Psychol Rev 2021; 90:102095. [PMID: 34763127 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102095] [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: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Conditioned response (CRs) triggered by stimuli predicting aversive consequences have been confirmed across various species including humans, and were found to be exaggerated in anxious individuals and anxiety disorder patients. Importantly, contextual information may strongly modulate such conditioned responses (CR), however, there are several methodological boundaries in the translation of animal findings to humans, and from healthy individuals to patients. Virtual Reality (VR) is a useful technological tool for overcoming such boundaries. In this review, we summarize and evaluate human VR conditioning studies exploring the role of the context as conditioned stimulus or occasion setter for CRs. We observe that VR allows successful acquisition of conditioned anxiety and conditioned fear in response to virtual contexts and virtual cues, respectively. VR studies also revealed that spatial or temporal contextual information determine whether conditioned anxiety and conditioned fear become extinguished and/or return. Novel contexts resembling the threatening context foster conditioned fear but not conditioned anxiety, suggesting distinct context-related generalization processes. We conclude VR contexts are able to strongly modulate CRs and therefore allow a comprehensive investigation of the modulatory role of the context over CR in humans leading to conclusions relevant for non-VR and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Educational Sciences, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
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Daniel-Watanabe L, Fletcher PC. Are Fear and Anxiety Truly Distinct? BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 2:341-349. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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Hantsoo L, Grillon C, Sammel M, Johnson R, Marks J, Epperson CN. Response to sertraline is associated with reduction in anxiety-potentiated startle in premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:2985-2997. [PMID: 34292344 PMCID: PMC11146287 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05916-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) appear to have altered central nervous system sensitivity to neuroactive steroid hormones, manifesting as affective symptoms and heightened arousal in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. In particular, women with PMDD appear less sensitive to allopregnanolone, a positive allosteric GABA-A receptor (GABA-A-R) modulator. OBJECTIVES This study evaluated psychophysiologic reactivity in women with PMDD in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle, utilizing anxiety-potentiated startle (APS), a potential translational marker of GABA-A-R sensitivity. The study also assessed APS response to low-dose sertraline treatment in women with PMDD. METHODS Participants' APS and fear-potentiated startle (FPS) were assessed in the follicular and luteal phases. Women with PMDD received 50 mg sertraline in the following luteal phase to examine impact on APS and FPS. RESULTS There were no significant differences between controls (n = 41) and PMDD participants (n = 36) in change from follicular to luteal phases in baseline startle, APS nor FPS. However, among participants who responded to sertraline, APS was higher in the untreated luteal phase than the follicular phase, but lower in the treated luteal phase than the follicular phase. CONCLUSION These data demonstrate elevated psychophysiologic arousal in the luteal phase among some women with PMDD, suggesting impaired ability to modulate arousal reactivity. Specifically, alterations in APS suggest potential GABA-A-R changes across the menstrual cycle and in response to sertraline among treatment responders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisa Hantsoo
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 550 N. Broadway Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Christian Grillon
- National Institute of Mental Health, 15K North Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Mary Sammel
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, 13001 E. 17th Place, Mail Stop B119, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Rachel Johnson
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, 13001 E. 17th Place, Mail Stop B119, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Joanna Marks
- College of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, 130 S. 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA
| | - C Neill Epperson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
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Zhang J, Xu Z, Zhou Y, Wang P, Fu P, Xu X, Zhang D. An Empirical Comparative Study on the Two Methods of Eliciting Singers' Emotions in Singing: Self-Imagination and VR Training. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:693468. [PMID: 34456670 PMCID: PMC8387635 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.693468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotional singing can affect vocal performance and the audience's engagement. Chinese universities use traditional training techniques for teaching theoretical and applied knowledge. Self-imagination is the predominant training method for emotional singing. Recently, virtual reality (VR) technologies have been applied in several fields for training purposes. In this empirical comparative study, a VR training task was implemented to elicit emotions from singers and further assist them with improving their emotional singing performance. The VR training method was compared against the traditional self-imagination method. By conducting a two-stage experiment, the two methods were compared in terms of emotions' elicitation and emotional singing performance. In the first stage, electroencephalographic (EEG) data were collected from the subjects. In the second stage, self-rating reports and third-party teachers' evaluations were collected. The EEG data were analyzed by adopting the max-relevance and min-redundancy algorithm for feature selection and the support vector machine (SVM) for emotion recognition. Based on the results of EEG emotion classification and subjective scale, VR can better elicit the positive, neutral, and negative emotional states from the singers than not using this technology (i.e., self-imagination). Furthermore, due to the improvement of emotional activation, VR brings the improvement of singing performance. The VR hence appears to be an effective approach that may improve and complement the available vocal music teaching methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zhang
- College of Arts, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
| | - Ziming Xu
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, College of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
| | - Yueying Zhou
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, College of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
| | - Pengpai Wang
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, College of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
| | - Ping Fu
- Department of Library Services, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA, United States
| | - Xijia Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Daoqiang Zhang
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, College of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
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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: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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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Neural substrates of human fear generalization: A 7T-fMRI investigation. Neuroimage 2021; 239:118308. [PMID: 34175426 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear generalization - the tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli as threatening due to perceptual similarity to a learned threat - is an adaptive process. Overgeneralization, however, is maladaptive and has been implicated in a number of anxiety disorders. Neuroimaging research has indicated several regions sensitive to effects of generalization, including regions involved in fear excitation (e.g., amygdala, insula) and inhibition (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex). Research has suggested several other small brain regions may play an important role in this process (e.g., hippocampal subfields, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis [BNST], habenula), but, to date, these regions have not been examined during fear generalization due to limited spatial resolution of standard human neuroimaging. To this end, we utilized the high spatial resolution of 7T fMRI to characterize the neural circuits involved in threat discrimination and generalization. Additionally, we examined potential modulating effects of trait anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty on neural activation during threat generalization. In a sample of 31 healthy undergraduate students, significant positive generalization effects (i.e., greater activation for stimuli with increasing perceptual similarity to a learned threat cue) were observed in the visual cortex, thalamus, habenula and BNST, while negative generalization effects were observed in the dentate gyrus, CA1, and CA3. Associations with individual differences were underpowered, though preliminary findings suggested greater generalization in the insula and primary somatosensory cortex may be correlated with self-reported anxiety. Overall, findings largely support previous neuroimaging work on fear generalization and provide additional insight into the contributions of several previously unexplored brain regions.
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50
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Pang M, Zhong Y, Hao Z, Xu H, Wu Y, Teng C, Li J, Xiao C, Fox PT, Zhang N, Wang C. Resting-state causal connectivity of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in panic disorder. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:25-35. [PMID: 31833015 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00229-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Panic disorder (PD) is associated with anticipatory anxiety, a sustained threat response that appears to be related to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Individuals with panic disorder may demonstrate significant differences in causal connectivity of the BNST in comparison to healthy controls. To test this hypothesis, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to identify aberrant causal connectivity of the BNST in PD patients. 19 PD patients and 18 healthy controls (HC) matched for gender, age and education were included. Granger causality analysis (GCA) utilizing the BNST as a seed region was used to investigate changes in directional connectivity. Relative to healthy controls, PD patients displayed abnormal directional connectivity of the BNST including enhanced causal connectivity between the left parahippocampal gyrus and left BNST, the right insula and the right BNST, the left BNST and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and right BNST to the left and right dlPFC. Furthermore, PD patients displayed weakened causal connectivity between the right dlPFC and the left BNST, the left dlPFC and the right BNST, the left BNST and the left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), right insula, right fusiform, and right BNST to the right insula. The results suggest that PD strongly correlates with increased causal connectivity between emotional processing regions and the BNST and enhanced causal connectivity between the BNST and cognitive control regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manlong Pang
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal 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
| | - Ziyu Hao
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huazhen Xu
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yun Wu
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal 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
| | - Changjun Teng
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal 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
| | - Jian Li
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chaoyong Xiao
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Peter T Fox
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to 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
| | - Ning Zhang
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal 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
- Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. .,School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal 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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