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Wang C, Zhang Y, Chong JS, Zhang W, Zhang X, McIntyre RS, Li Z, Ho RCM, Tang TB, Lim LG. Altered functional connectivity subserving expressed emotion environments in schizophrenia: An fNIRS study. Schizophr Res 2024; 270:178-187. [PMID: 38917555 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.06.019] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Living in high-expressed emotion (EE) environments, characterized by critical, hostile, or over-involved family attitudes, has been linked to increased relapse rates among individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). In our previous work (Wang et al., 2023), we conducted the first feasibility study of using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) with our developed EE stimuli to examine cortical hemodynamics in SZ. To better understand the neural mechanisms underlying EE environmental factors in SZ, we extended our investigation by employing functional connectivity (FC) analysis with a graph theory approach to fNIRS signals. Relative to healthy controls (N=40), individuals with SZ (N=37) exhibited altered connectivity across the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC), and left superior temporal gyrus (STG) while exposed to EE environments. Notably, while individuals with SZ were exposed to high-EE environments, (i) reduced connectivity was observed in these brain regions and (ii) the left vlPFC-STG coupling was found to be associated with the negative symptom severity. Taken together, our FC findings suggest individuals with SZ experience a more extensive disruption in neural functioning and coordination, particularly indicating an increased susceptibility to high-EE environments. This further supports the potential utility of integrating fNIRS with the created EE stimuli for assessing EE environmental influences, paving the way for more targeted therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jie Sheng Chong
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, Malaysia
| | | | - Xi Zhang
- Huaibei Mental Health Center, China
| | - Roger S McIntyre
- Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Poul Hansen Family Centre for Depression, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Brain and Cognition Discovery Foundation, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zhifei Li
- Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, 119077, Singapore
| | - Roger C M Ho
- Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, 119077, Singapore; Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228, Singapore; Division of Life Science (LIFS), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
| | - Tong Boon Tang
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Lam Ghai Lim
- Department of Electrical and Robotics Engineering, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway 47500, Selangor, Malaysia; Medical Engineering & Technology Hub, School of Engineering, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway 47500, Selangor, Malaysia.
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2
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Tully LM, Blendermann M, Fine JR, Zakskorn LN, Fritz M, Hamlett GE, Lamb ST, Moody AK, Ng J, Parakul N, Ritter BM, Rahim R, Yu G, Taylor SL. The SocialVidStim: a video database of positive and negative social evaluation stimuli for use in social cognitive neuroscience paradigms. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae024. [PMID: 38597895 PMCID: PMC11015894 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae024] [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: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
This paper describes the SocialVidStim-a database of video stimuli available to the scientific community depicting positive and negative social evaluative and neutral statements. The SocialVidStim comprises 53 diverse individuals reflecting the demographic makeup of the USA, ranging from 9 to 41 years old, saying 20-60 positive and 20-60 negative social evaluative statements (e.g. 'You are a very trustworthy/annoying person'), and 20-60 neutral statements (e.g. 'The sky is blue'), totaling 5793 videos post-production. The SocialVidStim are designed for use in behavioral and functional magetic resonance imaging paradigms, across developmental stages, in diverse populations. This study describes stimuli development and reports initial validity and reliability data on a subset videos (N = 1890) depicting individuals aged 18-41 years. Raters perceive videos as expected: positive videos elicit positively valenced ratings, negative videos elicit negatively valenced ratings and neutral videos are rated as neutral. Test-retest reliability data demonstrate intraclass correlations in the good-to-excellent range for negative and positive videos and the moderate range for neutral videos. We also report small effects on valence and arousal that should be considered during stimuli selection, including match between rater and actor sex and actor believability. The SocialVidStim is a resource for researchers and we offer suggestions for using the SocialVidStim in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Tully
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Mary Blendermann
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Fine
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Lauren N Zakskorn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Matilda Fritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Gabriella E Hamlett
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Shannon T Lamb
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Anna K Moody
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Julenne Ng
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Narimes Parakul
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Bryn M Ritter
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Raisa Rahim
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Grace Yu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Sandra L Taylor
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
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Ginat-Frolich R, Gilboa-Schechtman E, Huppert JD, Aderka IM, Alden LE, Bar-Haim Y, Becker ES, Bernstein A, Geva R, Heimberg RG, Hofmann SG, Kashdan TB, Koster EHW, Lipsitz J, Maner JK, Moscovitch DA, Philippot P, Rapee RM, Roelofs K, Rodebaugh TL, Schneier FR, Schultheiss OC, Shahar B, Stangier U, Stein MB, Stopa L, Taylor CT, Weeks JW, Wieser MJ. Vulnerabilities in social anxiety: Integrating intra- and interpersonal perspectives. Clin Psychol Rev 2024; 109:102415. [PMID: 38493675 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
What are the major vulnerabilities in people with social anxiety? What are the most promising directions for translational research pertaining to this condition? The present paper provides an integrative summary of basic and applied translational research on social anxiety, emphasizing vulnerability factors. It is divided into two subsections: intrapersonal and interpersonal. The intrapersonal section synthesizes research relating to (a) self-representations and self-referential processes; (b) emotions and their regulation; and (c) cognitive biases: attention, interpretation and judgment, and memory. The interpersonal section summarizes findings regarding the systems of (a) approach and avoidance, (b) affiliation and social rank, and their implications for interpersonal impairments. Our review suggests that the science of social anxiety and, more generally, psychopathology may be advanced by examining processes and their underlying content within broad psychological systems. Increased interaction between basic and applied researchers to diversify and elaborate different perspectives on social anxiety is necessary for progress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Idan M Aderka
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Lynn E Alden
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Eni S Becker
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Amit Bernstein
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronny Geva
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Israel
| | - Richard G Heimberg
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, United States of America
| | - Stefan G Hofmann
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, United States of America
| | - Todd B Kashdan
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Ernst H W Koster
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | | | - Jon K Maner
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Florida, United States of America
| | - David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research & Treatment, University of Waterloo, Canada
| | - Pierre Philippot
- Department of Psychology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
| | - Ronald M Rapee
- Centre for Emotional Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands; Donders Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Thomas L Rodebaugh
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Franklin R Schneier
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Ben Shahar
- The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ulrich Stangier
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Murray B Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and School of Public Health, University of California San Diego, United States of America
| | - Lusia Stopa
- Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Charles T Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry and School of Public Health, University of California San Diego, United States of America
| | - Justin W Weeks
- Department of Psychology, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Matthias J Wieser
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
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4
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Azoulay R, Gilboa-Schechtman E. CyberStatus: Responses to status manipulation and fears of positive and negative evaluations. J Anxiety Disord 2024; 103:102845. [PMID: 38447231 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Fear of positive evaluation (FPE) and fear of negative evaluation (FNE), which play distinct and central roles in social anxiety (SA), are postulated to reflect conflicting forces in hierarchal group contexts. Yet, experimental studies testing these assumptions are scarce. We examined the impact of status positions on FPE, FNE, and SA using a novel manipulation, CyberStatus. Participants (N = 557) provided self-descriptive statements before being randomly assigned to high, intermediate, or low-status conditions. Next, they reported their emotions, status, and belongingness-related cognitions and adjusted their self-presentation. FPE was more strongly linked to self-presentation modifications in the high- compared to intermediate-status conditions and positively associated with perceived status in the low vs. intermediate conditions. Furthermore, FPE and SA were more linked to belongingness in low vs. intermediate status conditions while FNE demonstrated the reversed pattern. These findings support and expand the evolutionary perspective on evaluation fears and emphasize the importance of assessing the linkage between status and belongingness systems in SA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy Azoulay
- Department of Psychology and Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Center, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.
| | - Eva Gilboa-Schechtman
- Department of Psychology and Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Center, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
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Kühnel A, Hagenberg J, Knauer-Arloth J, Ködel M, Czisch M, Sämann PG, Binder EB, Kroemer NB. Stress-induced brain responses are associated with BMI in women. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1031. [PMID: 37821711 PMCID: PMC10567923 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05396-8] [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: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Overweight and obesity are associated with altered stress reactivity and increased inflammation. However, it is not known whether stress-induced changes in brain function scale with BMI and if such associations are driven by peripheral cytokines. Here, we investigate multimodal stress responses in a large transdiagnostic sample using predictive modeling based on spatio-temporal profiles of stress-induced changes in activation and functional connectivity. BMI is associated with increased brain responses as well as greater negative affect after stress and individual response profiles are associated with BMI in females (pperm < 0.001), but not males. Although stress-induced changes reflecting BMI are associated with baseline cortisol, there is no robust association with peripheral cytokines. To conclude, alterations in body weight and energy metabolism might scale acute brain responses to stress more strongly in females compared to males, echoing observational studies. Our findings highlight sex-dependent associations of stress with differences in endocrine markers, largely independent of peripheral inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Kühnel
- Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany.
| | - Jonas Hagenberg
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Janine Knauer-Arloth
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Maik Ködel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
- German Center for Mental Health, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Nils B Kroemer
- Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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6
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Ma SS, Zhang JT, Song KR, Zhao R, Fang RH, Wang LB, Yao ST, Hu YF, Jiang XY, Potenza MN, Fang XY. Connectome-based prediction of marital quality in husbands' processing of spousal interactions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:1055-1067. [PMID: 35560211 PMCID: PMC9714425 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Marital quality may decrease during the early years of marriage. Establishing models predicting individualized marital quality may help develop timely and effective interventions to maintain or improve marital quality. Given that marital interactions have an important impact on marital well-being cross-sectionally and prospectively, neural responses during marital interactions may provide insight into neural bases underlying marital well-being. The current study applies connectome-based predictive modeling, a recently developed machine-learning approach, to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from both partners of 25 early-stage Chinese couples to examine whether an individual's unique pattern of brain functional connectivity (FC) when responding to spousal interactive behaviors can reliably predict their own and their partners' marital quality after 13 months. Results revealed that husbands' FC involving multiple large networks, when responding to their spousal interactive behaviors, significantly predicted their own and their wives' marital quality, and this predictability showed gender specificity. Brain connectivity patterns responding to general emotional stimuli and during the resting state were not significantly predictive. This study demonstrates that husbands' differences in large-scale neural networks during marital interactions may contribute to their variability in marital quality and highlights gender-related differences. The findings lay a foundation for identifying reliable neuroimaging biomarkers for developing interventions for marital quality early in marriages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan-Shan Ma
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Jin-Tao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Kun-Ru Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Rui Zhao
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ren-Hui Fang
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Luo-Bin Wang
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Shu-Ting Yao
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yi-Fan Hu
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Xin-Ying Jiang
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
- Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT 06109, USA
- Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
| | - Xiao-Yi Fang
- Correspondence should be addressed to Xiao-Yi Fang, Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekou Wai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China. E-mail:
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Shany O, Gurevitch G, Gilam G, Dunsky N, Reznik Balter S, Greental A, Nutkevitch N, Eldar E, Hendler T. A corticostriatal pathway mediating self-efficacy enhancement. NPJ MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH 2022; 1:6. [PMID: 38609484 PMCID: PMC10955890 DOI: 10.1038/s44184-022-00006-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Forming positive beliefs about one's ability to perform challenging tasks, often termed self-efficacy, is fundamental to motivation and emotional well-being. Self-efficacy crucially depends on positive social feedback, yet people differ in the degree to which they integrate such feedback into self-beliefs (i.e., positive bias). While diminished positive bias of this sort is linked to mood and anxiety, the neural processes by which positive feedback on public performance enhances self-efficacy remain unclear. To address this, we conducted a behavioral and fMRI study wherein participants delivered a public speech and received fictitious positive and neutral feedback on their performance in the MRI scanner. Before and after receiving feedback, participants evaluated their actual and expected performance. We found that reduced positive bias in updating self-efficacy based on positive social feedback associated with a psychopathological dimension reflecting symptoms of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Analysis of brain encoding of social feedback showed that a positive self-efficacy update bias associated with a stronger reward-related response in the ventral striatum (VS) and stronger coupling of the VS with a temporoparietal region involved in self-processing. Together, our findings demarcate a corticostriatal circuit that promotes positive bias in self-efficacy updating based on social feedback, and highlight the centrality of such bias to emotional well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofir Shany
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| | - Guy Gurevitch
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gadi Gilam
- The Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Netta Dunsky
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Ayam Greental
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Noa Nutkevitch
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Eran Eldar
- Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Departments, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Talma Hendler
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
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Kim MK, Eom H, Kwon JH, Kyeong S, Kim JJ. Neural effects of a short-term virtual reality self-training program to reduce social anxiety. Psychol Med 2022; 52:1296-1305. [PMID: 32880252 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720003098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by anxiety regarding social situations, avoidance of external social stimuli, and negative self-beliefs. Virtual reality self-training (VRS) at home may be a good interim modality for reducing social fears before formal treatment. This study aimed to find neurobiological evidence for the therapeutic effect of VRS. METHODS Fifty-two patients with SAD were randomly assigned to a VRS or waiting list (WL) group. The VRS group received an eight-session VRS program for 2 weeks, whereas the WL group received no intervention. Clinical assessments and functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning with the distress and speech evaluation tasks were repeatedly performed at baseline and after 3 weeks. RESULTS The post-VRS assessment showed significantly decreased anxiety and avoidance scores, distress index, and negative evaluation index for 'self', but no change in the negative evaluation index for 'other'. Patients showed significant responses to the distress task in various regions, including both sides of the prefrontal regions, occipital regions, insula, and thalamus, and to the speech evaluation task in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex. Among these, significant neuronal changes after VRS were observed only in the right lingual gyrus and left thalamus. CONCLUSIONS VRS-induced improvements in the ability to pay attention to social stimuli without avoidance and even positively modulate emotional cues are based on functional changes in the visual cortices and thalamus. Based on these short-term neuronal changes, VRS can be a first intervention option for individuals with SAD who avoid society or are reluctant to receive formal treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Kyeong Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyojung Eom
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jun Hee Kwon
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sunghyon Kyeong
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jae-Jin Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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9
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Zhang W, Zhou Y, Hu J, Gao Z, Gao S. Anxiety- and Depression-Related Individual Differences in Affective and Cognitive Judgments of Self-Referential Praise and Criticism. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1521/jscp.2021.40.3.201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: While praise is generally pleasant and criticism unpleasant, individual differences in response to social evaluations arise from distinct personal traits and states. Here, we investigate how processing of self-referential praise and criticism varies with personal attributes related to anxiety and depression, two highly prevalent and often chronic affective conditions. Methods: Ninety-three healthy participants first completed questionnaires for anxiety- and depression-related traits and states, and then they were scheduled to perform an evaluation task to rate praise and criticism for pleasantness and truthfulness. Results: Fear of negative evaluation positively correlated with unpleasantness of criticism. Trait- and state-anxiety and depression were positively associated with the truthfulness of criticism but negatively associated with that of praise. We further divided participants into high- and low-scoring groups based on the medians of their scores of each scale that displayed significant correlations with comment ratings and found group differences in their responses to praise and criticism. Discussion: The findings suggest that more highly anxious and depressed individuals may be subject to negatively-distorted self-representations in response to self-referential evaluations, thus exhibiting attenuated rejection for criticism or reduced acceptance for praise, which may have important implications not only for facilitating daily social interactions but also for subclinical and clinical diagnosis and treatment given that affective and cognitive processing of self-referential evaluations serves as a critical process exhibiting the sense of the self.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanyu Zhang
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
| | - Yunxiao Zhou
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
| | - Jiehui Hu
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
| | - Zhao Gao
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
| | - Shan Gao
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
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10
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Hur JW, Shin H, Jung D, Lee HJ, Lee S, Kim GJ, Cho CY, Choi S, Lee SM, Cho CH. Virtual Reality-Based Psychotherapy in Social Anxiety Disorder: fMRI Study Using a Self-Referential Task. JMIR Ment Health 2021; 8:e25731. [PMID: 33851931 PMCID: PMC8082384 DOI: 10.2196/25731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although it has been well demonstrated that the efficacy of virtual reality therapy for social anxiety disorder is comparable to that of traditional cognitive behavioral therapy, little is known about the effect of virtual reality on pathological self-referential processes in individuals with social anxiety disorder. OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine changes in self-referential processing and their neural mechanisms following virtual reality treatment. METHODS We recruited participants with and without a primary diagnosis of social anxiety disorder to undergo clinical assessments (Social Phobia Scale and Post-Event Rumination Scale) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. Participants with social anxiety disorder received virtual reality-based exposure treatment for 6 sessions starting immediately after baseline testing. After the sixth session, participants with social anxiety disorder completed follow-up scans during which they were asked to judge whether a series of words (positive, negative, neutral) was relevant to them. RESULTS Of 25 individuals with social anxiety disorder who participated in the study, 21 completed the sessions and follow-up; 22 control individuals also participated. There were no significant differences in age (P=.36), sex (P=.71), or handedness (P=.51) between the groups. Whole-brain analysis revealed that participants in the social anxiety disorder group had increased neural responses during positive self-referential processing in the medial temporal and frontal cortexes compared with those in the control group. Participants in the social anxiety disorder group also showed increased left insular activation and decreased right middle frontal gyrus activation during negative self-referential processing. After undergoing virtual reality-based therapy, overall symptoms of the participants with social anxiety disorder were reduced, and these participants exhibited greater activity in a brain regions responsible for self-referential and autobiographical memory processes while viewing positive words during postintervention fMRI scans. Interestingly, the greater the blood oxygen level dependent changes related to positive self-referential processing, the lower the tendency to ruminate on the negative events and the lower the social anxiety following the virtual reality session. Compared with that at baseline, higher activation was also found within broad somatosensory areas in individuals with social anxiety disorder during negative self-referential processing following virtual reality therapy. CONCLUSIONS These fMRI findings might reflect the enhanced physiological and cognitive processing in individuals with social anxiety disorder in response to self-referential information. They also provide neural evidence of the effect of virtual reality exposure therapy on social anxiety and self-derogation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Won Hur
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyemin Shin
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dooyoung Jung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Heon-Jeong Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungkil Lee
- Department of Software, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Gerard J Kim
- Digital Experience Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chung-Yean Cho
- Department of Film & Multimedia, Korea National University of Arts, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungmoon Choi
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Moo Lee
- Department of Film & Multimedia, Korea National University of Arts, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul-Hyun Cho
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Sejong, Republic of Korea
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11
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A L, Sf M, Fh W, J M, J B. Love at first taste: Activation in reward-related brain regions during single-trial naturalistic appetitive conditioning in humans. Physiol Behav 2020; 224:113014. [PMID: 32553642 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Palatable food can trigger appetitive responses, such as salivation and approach tendencies. Though evolutionarily functional, these conditioned responses can encourage overeating and obesity when food is abundant. The current study examines the neural correlates of 'denovo' Pavlovian appetitive conditioning, pairing one class of unknown objects (conditioned stimuli, CS) with their sweet taste (unconditioned stimulus, US) during a single trial. To do so, 23 participants consumed unknown (marzipan) objects of one particular color (CS+) while only interacting with control stimuli of different color and shape (CS-). After this single-trial conditioning procedure, participants viewed and rated images of the marzipan figures and the control objects during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Relative to the CS-, the CS+ elicited stronger activation in the dorsal striatum, a brain region associated with cue-reward coupling. Furthermore, conditioning effects in subjective 'craving', defined as increased palatability and desire to eat, were observed, and these were positively related to conditioning effects in the amygdala, a brain region associated with the need-dependent value of a reward. Thus, the study identified reward-related brain regions involved in single-trial appetitive learning, thereby providing a potential mechanism that contributes to the etiology of food craving. These findings might help to understand clinically relevant food cravings in individuals with eating or weight related concerns and might support the development of extinction based treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lender A
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Miedl Sf
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 15020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Wilhelm Fh
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 15020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Miller J
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Blechert J
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
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12
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Miedl SF, Rattel JA, Franke LK, Blechert J, Kronbichler M, Spoormaker VI, Wilhelm FH. Neural Processing During Fear Extinction Predicts Intrusive Memories. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:403-411. [PMID: 32111578 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deficient extinction learning has been suggested as an important mechanism involved in the etiology of posttraumatic stress disorder. A key feature of posttraumatic stress disorder, reexperiencing the trauma in form of intrusions, may be linked to deficient extinction learning. This link is investigated in a novel, functional magnetic resonance imaging-compatible fear conditioning procedure that uses trauma films. Based on previous results, we expected deficient fear extinction indexed by exaggerated responding in the anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex to predict subsequent intrusions. METHODS A total of 58 healthy participants underwent acquisition and extinction learning with faces as conditioned stimuli (CS) and highly aversive 16-second films depicting interpersonal violence as unconditioned stimuli. During the subsequent 3 days, participants reported intrusive memories on their smartphone. RESULTS Successful fear acquisition was evidenced by differential (CS+ > CS-) activity (threat cues associated with trauma films > cues paired only with neutral films) of a widespread network, including the anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, whereas extinction was characterized exclusively by differential anterior insula activity. Differential conditioned responding during late extinction in the anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex was positively related to intrusive memory frequency independent of unconditioned stimuli responding. Exploratory analysis also revealed intrusion sensitivity of the hippocampus, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, among others. CONCLUSIONS Results support the role of extinction learning in intrusive memory formation; a failure to uncouple conditioned emotional responding from external threat cues was associated with subsequent intrusive memories, representing a potential risk marker for developing posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology after trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan F Miedl
- Clinical Stress and Emotion Laboratory, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Julina A Rattel
- Clinical Stress and Emotion Laboratory, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Laila K Franke
- Clinical Stress and Emotion Laboratory, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jens Blechert
- Clinical Stress and Emotion Laboratory, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Martin Kronbichler
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler Clinic, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Victor I Spoormaker
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Frank H Wilhelm
- Clinical Stress and Emotion Laboratory, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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13
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Birk SL, Horenstein A, Weeks J, Olino T, Heimberg R, Goldin PR, Gross JJ. Neural responses to social evaluation: The role of fear of positive and negative evaluation. J Anxiety Disord 2019; 67:102114. [PMID: 31445390 PMCID: PMC6759361 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.102114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
One of the core features of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is the persistent fear of being evaluated. Fear of evaluation includes fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and fear of positive evaluation (FPE). Few studies have examined the relationship between self-reported FNE and FPE and neural responses to simulated negative and positive social evaluation. In the current study, 56 participants, 35 with SAD and 21 healthy controls, completed questionnaires to assess dimensions of social anxiety including FNE and FPE, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants also completed a social evaluation task, which involved viewing people delivering criticism and praise, and a control task, which involved counting asterisks, during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Although whole-brain analyses did not reveal significant associations between self-reported constructs and neural responses to social evaluation, region of interest analyses for the sample as a whole revealed that both FNE and social anxiety symptoms were associated with greater neural responses to both criticism and praise in emotion-processing brain regions, including the amygdala and anterior insula. There were no significant associations between FPE or depressive symptoms and neural responses to criticism or praise for the sample as a whole. Future research should examine the relationship between FNE, FPE, and neural responses to self-referent social evaluation in an unselected sample to assess a full range of fear of evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Justin Weeks
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, United States
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14
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Gao S, Luo L, Gou T. Criticism in a foreign language hurts less. Cogn Emot 2019; 34:822-830. [PMID: 31537167 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2019.1668751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding emotional resonances to social evaluations delivered in different languages may contribute to favourable social communication in today's increasingly internationalised world. The present study thus investigated the language-induced emotionality differences by presenting Chinese-English bilinguals with self-referential praising and criticising statements in both their native Chinese and foreign English languages and asking them to make their affective and cognitive judgments on the comments, namely, to rate how pleased they were by the comments and how truly the comments described their attributes. Results revealed that while criticism was rated more unpleasant than praise in both languages, the unpleasantness was reduced by the use of English as compared to Chinese. Intriguingly, no cross-language differences were found in the cognitive assessment. Our findings may shed light on facilitating affective social communication using different languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Gao
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.,The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Lizhu Luo
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Ting Gou
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
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15
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FMRI response to acute psychological stress differentiates patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures from healthy controls - A biochemical and neuroimaging biomarker study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:101967. [PMID: 31446314 PMCID: PMC6718876 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We investigated psychological stress response in the brain regions involved in emotion-motor-executive control in psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). 12 PNES patients and 12 healthy controls (HCs) underwent stress task and resting state functional MRI (fMRI), mood and quality of life (QOL) assessments, and measurements of salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, and heart rate. Group differences were assessed, and we correlated beta values from a priori selected brain regions showing stress task fMRI group differences with other stress response measures. We also used the regions showing stress task fMRI group differences as seeds for resting state functional connectivity (rs-FC) analysis. Mood and QOL were worse in PNES versus HCs. Physiological and assessment measures were similar except 'Planful Problem Solving' coping that was greater for HCs (p = .043). Perceived stress associated negatively with heart rate change (rs = -0.74, p = .0063). There was stress fMRI hyporeactivity in left/right amygdala and left hippocampus in PNES versus HCs (corrected p < .05). PNES exhibited a positive association between alpha-amylase change and right amygdala activation (rs = 0.71, p = .010). PNES versus HCs exhibited greater right amygdala rs-FC to left precentral and inferior/middle frontal gyri (corrected p < .05). Our findings of fMRI hyporeactivity to psychological stress, along with greater emotion-motor-executive control network rs-FC in PNES when compared to HCs suggest a dysregulation in stress response circuitry in PNES.
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16
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Reichenberger J, Wiggert N, Wilhelm FH, Liedlgruber M, Voderholzer U, Hillert A, Timmer B, Blechert J. Fear of negative and positive evaluation and reactivity to social-evaluative videos in social anxiety disorder. Behav Res Ther 2019; 116:140-148. [PMID: 30921745 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is marked by persistent fear of being scrutinized by others. This and most diagnostic symptoms relate to some form of fear of negative evaluation (FNE). More recent accounts of SAD, such as the Bivalent Fear of Evaluation Model, however, complement FNE with fear of positive evaluation (FPE), described as distress and avoidance of positive feedback. An explicit test of the incremental validity of FPE in discriminating SAD patients from controls - over and on top of the explanatory power of FPE - is currently missing and generally, well controlled laboratory experiments with positive and negative social stimuli in this patient group are rare. To fill this gap, we exposed 35 patients with SAD and healthy controls (HCs) to short social-evaluative video clips with actors expressing negative and positive as well as neutral statements while recording reactivity on experiential measures (valence, arousal, and approval ratings) as well as on facial electromyography and electrocardiography. In addition, participants completed questionnaire measures of FNE and FPE. Results revealed that FPE questionnaire scores as well as experiential (valence and appreciation) and electromyographical reactivity measures to positive videos improved prediction of group membership beyond the predictive power of FNE questionnaires scores and reactivity to negative videos. Results document the importance of FPE to more fully characterize and understand social anxiety and SAD. Implications include amendments to future diagnostic criteria, theoretical models, and treatment approaches for SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Reichenberger
- Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Nicole Wiggert
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, Germany
| | - Frank H Wilhelm
- Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Michael Liedlgruber
- Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Health Psychology, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Ulrich Voderholzer
- Schön Klinik Roseneck [Schoen Hospital Roseneck], Prien am Chiemsee, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Hillert
- Schön Klinik Roseneck [Schoen Hospital Roseneck], Prien am Chiemsee, Germany
| | - Barbara Timmer
- Schön Klinik Roseneck [Schoen Hospital Roseneck], Prien am Chiemsee, Germany
| | - Jens Blechert
- Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria.
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17
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Gao S, Luo L, Zhang W, Lan Y, Gou T, Li X. Personality Counts More Than Appearance for Men Making Affective Judgments of Verbal Comments. Front Psychol 2019; 10:78. [PMID: 30761043 PMCID: PMC6362430 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has shown that that evaluative verbal information (praise and criticism) conveys different affective values: criticism is perceived as unpleasant while praise is generally considered pleasant. Here, using praise and criticism in Chinese, we investigated how affective value is modulated in men and women, depending on the particular attribute (personality vs. appearance) targeted by social comments. Results showed that whereas praise was rated as pleasant and criticism as unpleasant overall, criticizing personality reduced pleasantness more than criticizing appearance. In men, moreover, criticism of personality was deemed more unpleasant than criticism of appearance while personality-targeted praise was rated more pleasant than appearance-targeted praise. This effect was absent in women and consistent with men’s higher arousal ratings for personality- relative to appearance-targeted comments. Our findings suggest that men are more concerned about external perception of their personality than that of their appearance whereas women’s affective judgment is more balanced. These gender-specific results may have implications for topic selection in evaluative social communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Gao
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Lizhu Luo
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Wanyu Zhang
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuxin Lan
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Ting Gou
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xun Li
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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18
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Reichenberger J, Blechert J. Malaise with praise: A narrative review of 10 years of research on the concept of Fear of Positive Evaluation in social anxiety. Depress Anxiety 2018; 35:1228-1238. [PMID: 30144225 PMCID: PMC6519229 DOI: 10.1002/da.22808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety is characterized by a fear of being negatively evaluated by others (i.e., Fear of Negative Evaluation [FNE]). In 2008, Weeks, Heimberg, and Rodebaugh proposed Fear of Positive Evaluation (FPE) as a second cognitive component in social anxiety. The article presents an overview of FPE, its psycho-evolutionary theoretical foundation and assessment by the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale as well as relevant psychometric research on demographic characteristics. The relationship of FPE with a wide range of established dimensions from clinical, personality, and social psychology (i.e., self-esteem, perfectionism, or quality of life) will be reviewed. The role of FPE for psychological comorbidities such as other anxiety disorders, depression, eating, and substance use disorders as well as for treatment of social anxiety will be discussed. Future research might address questions of causality of FPE relative to related constructs, further data on psychometric properties, as well as on its independence from FNE in longitudinal studies. In sum, FPE seems to be a valid and reliable construct that explains cognitions, emotions, and behavior related to social anxiety at subclinical and clinical levels and therefore enriches the psychometric repertoire in the fields of social psychology, personality, and clinical psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Reichenberger
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
| | - Jens Blechert
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
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19
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Iffland B, Wiggert N, Neuner F, Blechert J. Neutral is negative enough-Peer victimization influences cardiac, facial-muscular and experiential reactions to both negative evaluative and neutral social stimuli. Biol Psychol 2018; 139:152-162. [PMID: 30296467 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 08/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Physiological stress responses vary as a function of adverse childhood experiences. However, previous studies concentrate on familial sources of childhood adversity. Potential long-term effects of peer victimization on physiology and affective responses are less known. This study examined cardiac, facial-muscular, and experiential responses to social evaluative stimuli in ninety-four healthy subjects with various degrees of experienced peer victimization. In a social conditioning task, peer victimization was associated with similarly attenuated cardiac and facial-muscular responses to negative and neutral stimuli, while differentiated physiological responses to negative and neutral stimuli were found in subjects without peer victimization. Overall, increased ratings of arousal, valence and disapproval for negative compared to neutral stimuli were found. Contrary to the physiological response, peer victimization was associated with more negative ratings of negative stimuli one month after acquisition. The results suggest that the physiological and experiential reactivity towards both negative and neutral social stimuli is affected by the experience of peer victimization. Peer victimization causes generalized autonomic dysregulation and memory recall biases during social learning impeding adequate response preparation to social stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Iffland
- Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Postbox 100131, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Nicole Wiggert
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, Germany.
| | - Frank Neuner
- Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Postbox 100131, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Jens Blechert
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
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20
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Gao S, Geng Y, Li J, Zhou Y, Yao S. Encoding Praise and Criticism During Social Evaluation Alters Interactive Responses in the Mentalizing and Affective Learning Networks. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:611. [PMID: 30233296 PMCID: PMC6131607 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal communication with evaluative characters of different emotional valence has a considerable impact on the extent to which social relations are facilitated or undermined. Here using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated how the brain acts in response to social praise and criticism, leading to differential affective judgments. We engaged thirty men and women in a task associating sex-balanced, neutral faces with praising or criticizing comments targeting others or objects. A whole-brain analysis revealed that criticism as compared to praise enhanced the activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), particularly its dorsal portion, whereas the right amygdala displayed an opposite pattern of changes. Comments on others relative to objects increased the reactivity in the left posterior superior temporal sulcus and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) such that both praise and criticism of others produced stronger activation in these two regions than their object-targeted counterparts. The interaction of valence and target was identified in the mPFC with greater reactivity in the contrasts of criticism vs. praise in the social context and others- vs. object-targeted criticism. Comments also modulated the functional connectivity of prior activated regions with the left temporoparietal junction, bilateral caudate and left PCC/precuneus showing reduced connectivity in response to social criticism but greatly strengthened connectivity for social praise as compared to non-social counterparts. These neural effects subsequently led to altered likeability ratings for the faces. Neither behavioral nor neural effects observed were influenced by the gender of participants. Taken together, our findings suggest a fundamental interactive role of the mentalizing and affective learning networks in differential encoding of individuals associated with praising or criticizing others, leading to learning of valenced traits and subsequent approach or avoidance responses in social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Gao
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yayuan Geng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jia Li
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yunxiao Zhou
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Shuxia Yao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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21
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Baeken C, Dedoncker J, Remue J, Wu GR, Vanderhasselt MA, De Witte S, Poppa T, Hooley JM, De Raedt R. One MRI-compatible tDCS session attenuates ventromedial cortical perfusion when exposed to verbal criticism: The role of perceived criticism. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:4462-4470. [PMID: 29956424 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a potential treatment strategy for mood and anxiety disorders, but how this application may influence emotional processes, and whether this is related to individual characteristics, is not well understood. It has been proposed that perceived criticism (PC) may represent a vulnerability factor for the development of such mental illnesses. To decipher whether neural mechanisms of action of tDCS potentially differ depending on PC status (low vs. high), we evaluated mood and brain perfusion before and after applying MRI-compatible tDCS, and after participants were exposed to verbal criticism in the scanner. Experimental design 30 healthy nondepressed females were included in a sham-controlled crossover MRI-compatible tDCS study. Brain perfusion was measured by means of arterial spin labeling (ASL) before and after tDCS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and after hearing criticism. Before the experiment, all participants provided a rating of PC in their closest environment. Principal observations at the behavioral level, criticism made participants angrier. This was unrelated to the active or sham stimulation. After being criticized, females scoring high on PC had significantly decreased brain perfusion in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) and medioprefrontal cortex (mPFC), after active tDCS but not sham. The decrease in pgACC/mPFC perfusion points to a significant impact of tDCS in brain areas related to stress responses and self-referential processes, especially in females scoring high on PC, which has been shown to be related to vulnerability for mood and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Baeken
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital UZBrussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Josefien Dedoncker
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jonathan Remue
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Guo-Rong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sara De Witte
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tasha Poppa
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Jill M Hooley
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Rudi De Raedt
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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22
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Wiggert N, Wilhelm FH, Boger S, Georgii C, Klimesch W, Blechert J. Social Pavlovian conditioning: Short- and long-term effects and the role of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2016; 12:329-339. [PMID: 27614767 PMCID: PMC5390734 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Today's stressors largely arise from social interactions rather than from physical threat. However, the dominant laboratory model of emotional learning relies on physical stimuli (e.g. electric shock) whereas adequate models of social conditioning are missing, possibly due to more subtle and multilayered biobehavioral responses to such stimuli. To fill this gap, we acquired a broad set of measures during conditioning to negative social unconditioned stimuli, also taking into account long-term maintenance of conditioning and inter-individual differences. Fifty-nine healthy participants underwent a classical conditioning task with videos of actors expressing disapproving (US-neg) or neutral (US-neu) statements. Static images of the corresponding actors with a neutral facial expression served as CS+ and CS-, predicting US-neg and US-neu, respectively. Autonomic and facial-muscular measures confirmed differential unconditioned responding whereas experiential CS ratings, event-related potentials, and evoked theta oscillations confirmed differential conditioned responding. Conditioning was maintained at 1 month and 1 year follow-ups on experiential ratings, especially in individuals with elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms, documenting the efficiency of social conditioning and its clinical relevance. This novel, ecologically improved conditioning paradigm uncovered a remarkably efficient multi-layered social learning mechanism that may represent a risk factor for anxiety and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Wiggert
- Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria,Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Frank H. Wilhelm
- Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Sabrina Boger
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Claudio Georgii
- Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria,Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Klimesch
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jens Blechert
- Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria,Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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