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Guthrie AJ, Paredes-Echeverri S, Bleier C, Adams C, Millstein DJ, Ranford J, Perez DL. Mechanistic studies in pathological health anxiety: A systematic review and emerging conceptual framework. J Affect Disord 2024; 358:222-249. [PMID: 38718945 PMCID: PMC11298870 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.05.029] [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: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pathological health anxiety (PHA) (e.g., hypochondriasis and illness anxiety disorder) is common in medical settings and associated with increased healthcare costs. However, the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms contributing to the development and maintenance of PHA are incompletely understood. METHODS We performed a systematic review to characterize the mechanistic understanding of PHA. PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase databases were searched to find articles published between 1/1/1990 and 12/31/2022 employing a behavioral task and/or physiological measures in individuals with hypochondriasis, illness anxiety disorder, and PHA more broadly. RESULTS Out of 9141 records identified, fifty-seven met inclusion criteria. Article quality varied substantially across studies, and was overall inadequate. Cognitive, behavioral, and affective findings implicated in PHA included health-related attentional and memory recall biases, a narrow health concept, threat confirming thought patterns, use of safety-seeking behaviors, and biased explicit and implicit affective processing of health-related information among other observations. There is initial evidence supporting a potential overestimation of interoceptive stimuli in those with PHA. Neuroendocrine, electrophysiology, and brain imaging research in PHA are particularly in their early stages. LIMITATIONS Included articles evaluated PHA categorically, suggesting that sub-threshold and dimensional health anxiety considerations are not contextualized. CONCLUSIONS Within an integrated cognitive-behavioral-affective and predictive processing formulation, we theorize that sub-optimal illness and health concepts, altered interoceptive modeling, biased illness-based predictions and attention, and aberrant prediction error learning are mechanisms relevant to PHA requiring more research. Comprehensively investigating the pathophysiology of PHA offers the potential to identify adjunctive diagnostic biomarkers and catalyze new biologically-informed treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Guthrie
- Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Integrated Brain Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sara Paredes-Echeverri
- Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Integrated Brain Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cristina Bleier
- Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Integrated Brain Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Caitlin Adams
- Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Integrated Brain Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel J Millstein
- Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Integrated Brain Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica Ranford
- Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Integrated Brain Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Occupational Therapy, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David L Perez
- Functional Neurological Disorder Unit, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Integrated Brain Medicine, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Chen Z, Itier RJ. No association between error-related ERPs and trait anxiety in a nonclinical sample: Convergence across analytical methods including mass-univariate statistics. Psychophysiology 2024:e14645. [PMID: 38978166 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14645] [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: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Enhanced error monitoring, as indexed by increased amplitude of the error-related negativity (ERN) event-related potential (ERP) component, has been suggested to reflect a vulnerability neuro-marker of anxiety disorders. Another error-related ERP component is the error positivity (Pe), which reflects late-stage error processing. The associations between heightened ERN and Pe amplitudes and anxiety levels in the nonclinical population have been inconsistent. In this preregistered study, we examined the association between anxiety, ERN, and Pe, using different analytical methods (mass-univariate analyses, MUAs and conventional analyses), self-reported anxiety scales (STAI and STICSA), and trial numbers (all correct trials and equal numbers of correct and error trials). In a sample of 82 healthy adults, both conventional and MUAs demonstrated a robust enhancement of the ERN and Pe to errors relative to the correct-response ERPs. However, the mass-univariate approach additionally unveiled a wider array of electrodes and a longer effect duration for this error enhancement. Across the analytic methods, the results showed a lack of consistent correlation between trait anxiety and error-related ERPs. Findings were not modulated by trial numbers, analyses, or anxiety scales. The present results suggest a lack of enhancement of error monitoring by anxious traits in individuals with subclinical anxiety and those with clinical anxiety but without a clinical diagnosis. Importantly, the absence of such correlation questions the validity of the ERN as a neural marker for anxiety disorders. Future studies that investigate neuro-markers of anxiety may explore alternative task designs and employ robust statistics to provide a more comprehensive understanding of anxiety vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zelin Chen
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Roxane J Itier
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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Möde L, Borgolte A, Ghaneirad E, Roy M, Sinke C, Szycik GR, Bleich S, Wiswede D. Cognitive control in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: a study with event-related potentials. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1180827. [PMID: 37599885 PMCID: PMC10436303 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1180827] [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: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Little is known about cognitive control in adults with high-functioning forms of autism spectrum disorder because previous research focused on children and adolescents. Cognitive control is crucial to monitor and readjust behavior after errors to select contextually appropriate reactions. The congruency effect and conflict adaptation are measures of cognitive control. Post-error slowing, error-related negativity and error positivity provide insight into behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of error processing. In children and adolescent with autism spectrum disorder deficits in cognitive control and error processing have been shown by changes in post-error slowing, error-related negativity and error positivity in the flanker task. Methods We performed a modified Eriksen flanker task in 17 adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder and 17 healthy controls. As behavioral measures of cognitive control and error processing, we included reaction times and error rates to calculate congruency effects, conflict adaptation, and post-error slowing. Event-related potentials namely error-related negativity and error positivity were measured to assess error-related brain activity. Results Both groups of participants showed the expected congruency effects demonstrated by faster and more accurate responses in congruent compared to incongruent trials. Healthy controls exhibited conflict adaptation as they obtained performance benefits after incongruent trials whereas patients with autism spectrum disorder did not. The expected slowing in reaction times after errors was observed in both groups of participants. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder demonstrated enhanced electrophysiological error-processing compared to healthy controls indicated by increased error-related negativity and error positivity difference amplitudes. Discussion Our findings show that adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder do not show the expected upregulation of cognitive control in response to conflicts. This finding implies that previous experiences may have a reduced influence on current behavior in these patients which possibly contributes to less flexible behavior. Nevertheless, we observed intact behavioral reactions after errors indicating that adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder can flexibly adjust behavior in response to changed environmental demands when necessary. The enhancement of electrophysiological error-processing indicates that adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder demonstrate an extraordinary reactivity toward errors reflecting increased performance monitoring in this subpopulation of autism spectrum disorder patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Möde
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Anna Borgolte
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Erfan Ghaneirad
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Mandy Roy
- Asklepios, Psychiatric Hospital Ochsenzoll, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christopher Sinke
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gregor R. Szycik
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Stefan Bleich
- Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Center of Systems Neuroscience, Hannover, Germany
| | - Daniel Wiswede
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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4
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Jansen M, Van der Does AJW, De Rover M, De Bruijn ERA, Hamstra DA. Hormonal status effects on the electrophysiological correlates of performance monitoring in women. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 149:106006. [PMID: 36566721 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.106006] [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: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Fluctuations in ovarian hormones are thought to play a role in the increased prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in women. Error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) are two putative electrophysiological biomarkers for these internalizing disorders. We investigated whether female hormonal status, specifically menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptive (OC) use, impact ERN and Pe. Additionally, we examined whether the relationship between the ERN and negative affect (NA) was moderated by hormonal status and tested whether the ERN mediated the relation between ovarian hormones and NA. Participants were healthy, pre-menopausal women who were naturally cycling (NC) or using OCs. Using a counterbalanced within-subject design, all participants performed a speeded-choice reaction-time task twice while undergoing electroencephalography measurements. NC women (N = 42) performed this task during the early follicular and midluteal phase (when estrogen and progesterone are both low and both high, respectively), while OC users (N = 42) performed the task during active OC use and during their pill-free week. Estradiol and progesterone levels were assessed in saliva. Comparing the two cycle phases within NC women revealed no differences in the (Δ)ERN, (Δ)Pe or NA. We did observe a negative relation between phase-related changes in the ΔERN and changes in NA. Mediation analysis additionally showed that phase-related changes in estradiol were indirectly and negatively related to NA through a reduction of ΔERN amplitudes. When comparing active OC users with NC women, we observed increased ΔPe- but not (Δ)ERN amplitudes in the former group. No evidence was found for moderating effects of menstrual cycle phase or OC use on the relation between the ERN and NA. These findings suggest that hormonal status may impact the neural correlates of performance monitoring and error sensitivity, and that this could be a potential mechanism through which ovarian hormones influence mood.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Jansen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - A J W Van der Does
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - M De Rover
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - E R A De Bruijn
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - D A Hamstra
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
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Riesel A, Härpfer K, Thoma L, Kathmann N, Klawohn J. Associations of neural error-processing with symptoms and traits in a dimensional sample recruited across the obsessive-compulsive spectrum. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14164. [PMID: 36030541 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The error-related negativity (ERN), a neural response to errors, has been associated with several forms of psychopathology and assumed to represent a neural risk marker for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders. Yet, it is still unknown which specific symptoms or traits best explain ERN variation. This study investigated performance-monitoring in participants (N = 100) recruited across a spectrum of obsessive-compulsive characteristics (n = 26 patients with OCD; n = 74 healthy participants including n = 24 with low, n = 24 with medium, and n = 26 with high OC-characteristics). Several compulsivity- and anxiety-associated characteristics were assessed and submitted to exploratory principal axis factor analysis. Associations of raw measures and derived factors with ERN and correct-related negativity (CRN) were examined. Patients with OCD showed increased ERN amplitudes compared to healthy participants. The ERN was associated with a variety of traits related to anxiety and negative affect. Factor analysis results revealed a most prominent association of the ERN with a composite measure of anxiety and neuroticism, whereas the CRN was specifically associated with compulsivity. Results support differential associations for the ERN and CRN and demonstrate that a dimensional recruitment approach and use of composite measures can improve our understanding of characteristics underlying variation in neural performance monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Riesel
- Department of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kai Härpfer
- Department of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lars Thoma
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Norbert Kathmann
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Klawohn
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Medicine, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Gilbert K, Sudit E, Fox NA, Barch DM, Luby JL. Childhood behavioral inhibition and overcontrol: Relationships with cognitive functioning, error monitoring, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2022; 50:1629-1642. [PMID: 35852701 PMCID: PMC9906714 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-00953-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders are common childhood psychiatric disorders. Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a widely studied risk factor for anxiety. Less is known about overcontrol, a related behavioral phenotype characterized by concern for errors, perfectionism, and inflexibility and also associated with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both BI and overcontrol show associations with aberrant cognitive control and neural error responding (via the error-related negativity; ERN) yet it is unknown whether each imparts differential risk. Understanding whether overcontrol demonstrates independent associations from BI with cognitive functioning, neural error monitoring, and childhood anxiety and obsessive-compulsive presentations could aid in identifying a novel mechanistic treatment target. We assessed BI, overcontrol, cognitive functioning and psychopathology in a cross-sectional sample of 5-6 year old children (N = 126). Children completed an electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess the ERN. Overcontrol was associated with worse cognitive shifting, worse inhibitory control and higher anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, beyond BI. BI was associated with worse cognitive shifting, better inhibitory control and higher anxiety symptoms, beyond overcontrol. When assessed simultaneously, only overcontrol demonstrated a significant relationship with a blunted ERN. Moreover, overcontrol mediated (cross-sectionally) the well-established relationship between ERN and anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. BI and overcontrol impart differential risk for child cognitive functioning and anxiety while overcontrol demonstrates additional risk for aberrant neural error monitoring, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive presentations. Overcontrol may also be a mechanistic pathway between the ERN and transdiagnostic anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Overcontrol may be a target warranted for early-childhood intervention in anxiety and OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Gilbert
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Ella Sudit
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joan L Luby
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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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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Vishwanathan A, Kashyap H, Reddy RP, Philip M, Thippeswamy H, Desai G. Neurocognition and Metacognition in Anxiety Disorders. Indian J Psychol Med 2022; 44:558-566. [PMID: 36339691 PMCID: PMC9615456 DOI: 10.1177/02537176211072408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurocognitive deficits are noted in anxiety disorders (ADs), albeit with several inconsistencies. The relationship between neurocognition and metacognition may have potential implications for understanding cognitive dysfunction but is poorly understood in ADs. This study aimed to examine the relationship between neurocognition and metacognition in ADs, with a cross-sectional design. METHODS The sample included ADs (n = 25) and nonclinical (n = 25) groups matched on age, gender, and education. Neurocognition was assessed using tests for intelligence, attention, working memory, fluency, flexibility, set-shifting, inhibition, planning, and memory; and metacognition using Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) and Metacognitive Awareness and Regulation Scale (MARS). RESULTS Compared to comparison/normative scores, the anxiety group showed significantly poorer performance on zoo map test (low demand trial; P = 0.007), rule shift cards 1 (P ≤ 0.001), rule shift cards 2 (P ≤ 0.001), and logical memory immediate recall (P ≤ 0.001) and delayed recall (P ≤ 0.001); greater negative beliefs about worry (P = 0.005), and poorer metacognitive awareness and regulation (P = 0.01). Greater cognitive self-consciousness was correlated with better planning (Spearman's rho = -0.509, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS Individuals with ADs show neurocognitive difficulties in planning, set-shifting, and logical memory, dysfunctional metacognition, and reduced metacognitive awareness and regulation. Cognitive self-consciousness is linked to better planning. The interrelationships between neurocognition and metacognition may have potential implications for clarifying inconsistent findings and designing novel cognitive interventions in ADs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Himani Kashyap
- Dept. of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Mariamma Philip
- Dept. of Biostatistics, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Geetha Desai
- Dept. of Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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Grützmann R, Klawohn J, Elsner B, Reuter B, Kaufmann C, Riesel A, Bey K, Heinzel S, Kathmann N. Error-related activity of the sensorimotor network contributes to the prediction of response to cognitive-behavioral therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103216. [PMID: 36208547 PMCID: PMC9668595 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although cognitive behavioral therapy is a highly effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yielding large symptom reductions on the group level, individual treatment response varies considerably. Identification of treatment response predictors may provide important information for maximizing individual treatment response and thus achieving efficient treatment resource allocation. Here, we investigated the predictive value of previously identified biomarkers of OCD, namely the error-related activity of the supplementary motor area (SMA) and the sensorimotor network (SMN, postcentral gyrus/precuneus). METHODS Seventy-two participants with a primary diagnosis of OCD underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while performing a flanker task prior to receiving routine-care CBT. RESULTS Error-related BOLD response of the SMN significantly contributed to the prediction of treatment response beyond the variance accounted for by clinical and sociodemographic variables. Stronger error-related SMN activity at baseline was associated with a higher likelihood of treatment response. CONCLUSIONS The present results illustrate that the inclusion of error-related SMN activity can significantly increase treatment response prediction quality in OCD. Stronger error-related activity of the SMN may reflect the ability to activate symptom-relevant processing networks and may thus facilitate response to exposure-based CBT interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Grützmann
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany; MSB Medical School Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany.
| | - Julia Klawohn
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany; MSB Medical School Berlin, Department of Medicine, Germany
| | - Björn Elsner
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany
| | - Benedikt Reuter
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany; MSB Medical School Berlin, Department of Medicine, Germany
| | | | - Anja Riesel
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany; Universität Hamburg, Department of Psychology, Germany
| | - Katharina Bey
- University Hospital Bonn, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany
| | - Stephan Heinzel
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany; Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology, Germany
| | - Norbert Kathmann
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Germany
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Knowles KA, Jakes KS, Olatunji BO. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Illness Anxiety: Examining Commonalities and Comorbidity. J Cogn Psychother 2022; 36:JCP-2022-0027.R1. [PMID: 36002282 DOI: 10.1891/jcp-2022-0027] [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: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and illness anxiety disorder (IAD) often co-occur. Cognitive-behavioral models of both disorders overlap and include maladaptive attentional processes, misinterpretation of thoughts and physical sensations, and engagement in repetitive behaviors in an attempt to reduce associated distress. Given commonalities in their presentation and their common co-occurrence, it is important to understand how illness anxiety affects the presentation and treatment of OCD. In this article, theoretical conceptualizations of OCD and IAD and their comorbid presentation are outlined, and assessment and differential diagnosis of these conditions are discussed. Despite shared cognitive vulnerabilities and behavioral patterns, well-validated symptom measures, along with careful functional analysis, can be used to distinguish between OCD, IAD, and comorbid presentations. Best practices for the cognitive-behavioral treatment of these co-occurring conditions are also presented, with suggestions based on both the empirical literature and detailed case studies. Finally, recommendations for future research on co-occurring OCD and IAD and their treatment are explored.
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Härpfer K, Carsten HP, Löwisch K, Westermann N, Riesel A. Disentangling the effects of trait and state worry on error-related brain activity: Results from a randomized controlled trial using worry manipulations. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14055. [PMID: 35353909 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Enhanced amplitudes of the error-related negativity (ERN) have been suggested to be a transdiagnostic neural risk marker for internalizing psychopathology. Previous studies propose worry to be an underlying mechanism driving the association between enhanced ERN and anxiety. The present preregistered study focused on disentangling possible effects of trait and state worry on the ERN by utilizing a cross sectional observational and a longitudinal randomized controlled experimental design. To this end, we examined the ERN of n = 90 students during a flanker task (T0), which were then randomly assigned to one of three groups (worry induction, worry reduction, passive control group). Following the intervention, participants performed another flanker task (T1) to determine potential alterations of their ERN. Manipulation checks revealed that compared to the control group, state worry increased in the induction but also in the reduction group. ERN amplitudes did not vary as a function of state worry. An association of trait worry with larger ERN amplitudes was only observed in females. Furthermore, we found larger ERN amplitudes in participants with a current or lifetime diagnosis of internalizing disorders. In summary, our findings suggest that the ERN seems to be insensitive to variations in state worry, but that an elevated ERN is associated with the trait-like tendency to worry and internalizing psychopathology, which is consistent with the notion that the ERN likely represents a trait-like neural risk associated with anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Härpfer
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Kim Löwisch
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nele Westermann
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anja Riesel
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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12
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Watson D, Levin-Aspenson HF, Waszczuk MA, Conway CC, Dalgleish T, Dretsch MN, Eaton NR, Forbes MK, Forbush KT, Hobbs KA, Michelini G, Nelson BD, Sellbom M, Slade T, South SC, Sunderland M, Waldman I, Witthöft M, Wright AGC, Kotov R, Krueger RF. Validity and utility of Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP): III. Emotional dysfunction superspectrum. World Psychiatry 2022; 21:26-54. [PMID: 35015357 PMCID: PMC8751579 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) is a quantitative nosological system that addresses shortcomings of traditional mental disorder diagnoses, including arbitrary boundaries between psychopathology and normality, frequent disorder co-occurrence, substantial heterogeneity within disorders, and diagnostic unreliability over time and across clinicians. This paper reviews evidence on the validity and utility of the internalizing and somatoform spectra of HiTOP, which together provide support for an emotional dysfunction superspectrum. These spectra are composed of homogeneous symptom and maladaptive trait dimensions currently subsumed within multiple diagnostic classes, including depressive, anxiety, trauma-related, eating, bipolar, and somatic symptom disorders, as well as sexual dysfunction and aspects of personality disorders. Dimensions falling within the emotional dysfunction superspectrum are broadly linked to individual differences in negative affect/neuroticism. Extensive evidence establishes that dimensions falling within the superspectrum share genetic diatheses, environmental risk factors, cognitive and affective difficulties, neural substrates and biomarkers, childhood temperamental antecedents, and treatment response. The structure of these validators mirrors the quantitative structure of the superspectrum, with some correlates more specific to internalizing or somatoform conditions, and others common to both, thereby underlining the hierarchical structure of the domain. Compared to traditional diagnoses, the internalizing and somatoform spectra demonstrated substantially improved utility: greater reliability, larger explanatory and predictive power, and greater clinical applicability. Validated measures are currently available to implement the HiTOP system in practice, which can make diagnostic classification more useful, both in research and in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Watson
- Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
| | | | - Monika A Waszczuk
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - Tim Dalgleish
- Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael N Dretsch
- US Army Medical Research Directorate - West, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, USA
| | - Nicholas R Eaton
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Miriam K Forbes
- Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kelsie T Forbush
- Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Kelsey A Hobbs
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Giorgia Michelini
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Brady D Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Martin Sellbom
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Tim Slade
- Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Susan C South
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Matthew Sunderland
- Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Irwin Waldman
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Michael Witthöft
- Department for Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Aidan G C Wright
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Roman Kotov
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Robert F Krueger
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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13
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Mistakes that matter: An event-related potential study on obsessive-compulsive symptoms and social performance monitoring in different responsibility contexts. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 20:684-697. [PMID: 32372323 PMCID: PMC7394925 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00796-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Mistakes that affect others often are linked to increased feelings of responsibility and guilt. This especially holds for individuals high in obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), who are characterized by inflated feelings of responsibility and a fear of causing harm to others. This event-related potential study investigated individual differences in OCS in social performance monitoring with a focus on the role of responsibility for other’s harm and the error-related negativity (ERN). Healthy volunteers low (N = 27) or high (N = 24) in OCS performed a Flanker task in the presence of a gender-matched peer in three conditions. Mistakes could either have negative monetary consequences for 1) oneself, 2) the other, or 3) no one. Results showed enhanced ERNs for mistakes that harmed others instead of the self for individuals high in OCS, whereas individuals low in OCS showed decreased amplitudes specifically for mistakes affecting no one versus oneself. Amplitudes of the error positivity but not the ERN also were larger in the high OCS group. These findings indicate that high OCS are associated with enhanced performance monitoring in a social responsibility context, when mistakes harm others instead of the self, and demonstrate the importance of integrating the social context in performance monitoring research as a way to shed more light on obsessive-compulsive symptomatology.
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14
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Hoy CW, Steiner SC, Knight RT. Single-trial modeling separates multiple overlapping prediction errors during reward processing in human EEG. Commun Biol 2021; 4:910. [PMID: 34302057 PMCID: PMC8302587 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02426-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning signals during reinforcement learning and cognitive control rely on valenced reward prediction errors (RPEs) and non-valenced salience prediction errors (PEs) driven by surprise magnitude. A core debate in reward learning focuses on whether valenced and non-valenced PEs can be isolated in the human electroencephalogram (EEG). We combine behavioral modeling and single-trial EEG regression to disentangle sequential PEs in an interval timing task dissociating outcome valence, magnitude, and probability. Multiple regression across temporal, spatial, and frequency dimensions characterized a spatio-tempo-spectral cascade from early valenced RPE value to non-valenced RPE magnitude, followed by outcome probability indexed by a late frontal positivity. Separating negative and positive outcomes revealed the valenced RPE value effect is an artifact of overlap between two non-valenced RPE magnitude responses: frontal theta feedback-related negativity on losses and posterior delta reward positivity on wins. These results reconcile longstanding debates on the sequence of components representing reward and salience PEs in the human EEG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin W Hoy
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Sheila C Steiner
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Robert T Knight
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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15
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Hsieh MT, Lu H, Lin CI, Sun TH, Chen YR, Cheng CH. Effects of Trait Anxiety on Error Processing and Post-error Adjustments: An Event-Related Potential Study With Stop-Signal Task. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:650838. [PMID: 34239426 PMCID: PMC8258103 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.650838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to use event-related potentials with the stop-signal task to investigate the effects of trait anxiety on inhibitory control, error monitoring, and post-error adjustments. The stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) was used to evaluate the behavioral competence of inhibitory control. Electrophysiological signals of error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) were used to study error perception and error awareness, respectively. Post-error slowing (PES) was applied to examine the behavioral adjustments after making errors. The results showed that SSRT and PES did not differ significantly between individuals with high trait anxiety (HTA) and those with low trait anxiety (LTA). However, individuals with HTA demonstrated reduced ERN amplitudes and prolonged Pe latencies than those with LTA. Prolonged Pe latencies were also significantly associated with poorer post-error adjustments. In conclusion, HTA led to reduced cortical responses to error monitoring. Furthermore, inefficient conscious awareness of errors might lead to maladaptive post-error adjustments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Tien Hsieh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Neural Dynamics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hsinjie Lu
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Neural Dynamics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chia-I Lin
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Neural Dynamics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Han Sun
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Neural Dynamics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ru Chen
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Neural Dynamics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hsiung Cheng
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Neural Dynamics, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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16
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Michelini G, Palumbo IM, DeYoung CG, Latzman RD, Kotov R. Linking RDoC and HiTOP: A new interface for advancing psychiatric nosology and neuroscience. Clin Psychol Rev 2021; 86:102025. [PMID: 33798996 PMCID: PMC8165014 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) represent major dimensional frameworks proposing two alternative approaches to accelerate progress in the way psychopathology is studied, classified, and treated. RDoC is a research framework rooted in neuroscience aiming to further the understanding of transdiagnostic biobehavioral systems underlying psychopathology and ultimately inform future classifications. HiTOP is a dimensional classification system, derived from the observed covariation among symptoms of psychopathology and maladaptive traits, which seeks to provide more informative research and treatment targets (i.e., dimensional constructs and clinical assessments) than traditional diagnostic categories. This article argues that the complementary strengths of RDoC and HiTOP can be leveraged in order to achieve their respective goals. RDoC's biobehavioral framework may help elucidate the underpinnings of the clinical dimensions included in HiTOP, whereas HiTOP may provide psychometrically robust clinical targets for RDoC-informed research. We present a comprehensive mapping between dimensions included in RDoC (constructs and subconstructs) and HiTOP (spectra and subfactors) based on narrative review of the empirical literature. The resulting RDoC-HiTOP interface sheds light on the biobehavioral correlates of clinical dimensions and provides a broad set of dimensional clinical targets for etiological and neuroscientific research. We conclude with future directions and practical recommendations for using this interface to advance clinical neuroscience and psychiatric nosology. Ultimately, we envision that this RDoC-HiTOP interface has the potential to inform the development of a unified, dimensional, and biobehaviorally-grounded psychiatric nosology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Michelini
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, United States of America.
| | - Isabella M Palumbo
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America
| | - Colin G DeYoung
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States of America
| | - Robert D Latzman
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America
| | - Roman Kotov
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11790, United States of America
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17
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Tobias MR, Ito TA. Anxiety increases sensitivity to errors and negative feedback over time. Biol Psychol 2021; 162:108092. [PMID: 33865907 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is characterized by sensitivity to negative external and internal information, apparent both in symptoms (e.g., hypervigilance and worry) and neural performance monitoring measures (i.e., feedback- and error-related negativity (FRN and ERN)). Here we examine whether anxiety is associated with persistent neural sensitivity to negative performance markers reflected in both the FRN and ERN (n = 273). Higher anxiety was associated with larger responses to both negative feedback and errors as the task progressed compared to those with lower anxiety particularly in women, suggesting that anxiety makes reactions to negative cues more persistent. Similar hypotheses were investigated for depression, which is associated with similar negative cognitive biases and deficits in reward-related processing, but results were mixed. Together, the findings identify variation over time-in-task as an overlooked dimension by which FRN and ERN may serve as a biomarker of anxiety but suggest that depression is not consistently related to performance monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret R Tobias
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States.
| | - Tiffany A Ito
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States
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18
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Effects of adaptive and non-adaptive three-week executive control training on interference control: Evidence from the N2, CRN, and ERN. Int J Psychophysiol 2021; 162:8-21. [PMID: 33476706 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The current pilot study investigated if interference control can be improved by a three-week at-home training comprising a flanker and a n-back task in healthy adults, thus exploring the training's suitability for future clinical application, i.e. as a treatment augmentation for psychological disorders. As training gains are assumed to be modulated by the amount of mismatch between task demands and brain resources, an adaptive and a non-adaptive training were contrasted in separate experiments. In the adaptive training, task difficulty was continuously adapted to participants' performance. In the non-adaptive training procedure, task difficulty remained stable on the lowest difficulty level. As deficits in interference control in psychological disorders often predominantly manifest on the electrophysiological level, the impact of the training procedures on medio-frontal negativities (N2, CRN, ERN) was investigated in addition to behavioral measures. The adaptive training led to significant improvements in interference control, as reflected in reduced response times and error rates in incompatible trials. This was accompanied by specific and complementary changes in medio-frontal negativities: After the adaptive training the N2 in incompatible trials was larger and the CRN in incompatible trials was reduced. The non-adaptive training procedure led to generally faster response times but also an increased error rate, indicating a speed-accuracy trade-off. This was accompanied by global changes to medio-frontal negativities irrespective of compatibility, possibly indicating task disengagement. Taken together, the current studies demonstrate that an adaptive training procedure can improve interference control thereby opening up possible clinical applications.
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19
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Frota Lisbôa Pereira de Souza AM. Electroencephalographic Correlates of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 49:169-199. [PMID: 33590459 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2020_200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This chapter reviews EEG research in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), focusing on Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) such as the Contingent Negative Variation, N2, Error-Related Negativity, the feedback Error-Related Negativity and the Readiness Potential and their neural bases. The functional significance, utility and correlation of these ERPs with OCD symptoms will be discussed, alongside novel theories for integrating the research findings. I will consider hypotheses including goal-directed behaviour, overreliance on habits, dissociations between action and knowledge, and excessive intolerance of uncertainty in the context of EEG studies, thus providing a comprehensive framework of the electroencephalographic literature concerning OCD.
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20
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Abstract
In this chapter, I address the concept of endophenotypes for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Endophenotypes are objective and heritable quantitative traits hypothesized to be more biologically tractable than distal clinical phenotypes. This approach has been adopted to gain a better understanding of psychiatric conditions in general. It is theorized that endophenotypes will particularly assist in clarifying both the diagnostic status and aetiological origins of complex neuropsychiatric conditions such as OCD. At the cognitive level, separable constructs of relevance for OCD have been identified. The prevailing model for OCD assumes the development of abnormalities within fronto-striatal neural circuits leading to impairment of executive functions and their neuropsychological subcomponents. Here, I address whether this model can guide towards the identification of endophenotypes for this condition and discuss possible implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde M Vaghi
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK.
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21
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Seow TXF, Benoit E, Dempsey C, Jennings M, Maxwell A, McDonough M, Gillan CM. A dimensional investigation of error-related negativity (ERN) and self-reported psychiatric symptoms. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 158:340-348. [PMID: 33080287 PMCID: PMC7612131 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Alterations in error processing are implicated in a range of DSM-defined psychiatric disorders. For instance, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalised anxiety disorder show enhanced electrophysiological responses to errors-i.e. error-related negativity (ERN)-while others like schizophrenia have an attenuated ERN. However, as diagnostic categories in psychiatry are heterogeneous and also highly intercorrelated, the precise mapping of ERN enhancements/impairments is unclear. To address this, we recorded electroencephalograms (EEG) from 196 participants who performed the Flanker task and collected scores on 9 questionnaires assessing psychiatric symptoms to test if a dimensional framework could reveal specific transdiagnostic clinical manifestations of error processing dysfunctions. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found non-significant associations between ERN amplitude and symptom severity of OCD, trait anxiety, depression, social anxiety, impulsivity, eating disorders, alcohol addiction, schizotypy and apathy. A transdiagnostic approach did nothing to improve signal; there were non-significant associations between all three transdiagnostic dimensions (anxious-depression, compulsive behaviour and intrusive thought, and social withdrawal) and ERN magnitude. In these same individuals, we replicated a previously published transdiagnostic association between goal-directed learning and compulsive behaviour and intrusive thought. Possible explanations discussed are (i) that associations between the ERN and psychopathology might be smaller than previously assumed, (ii) that these associations might depend on a greater level of symptom severity than other transdiagnostic cognitive biomarkers, or (iii) that task parameters, such as the ratio of compatible to incompatible trials, might be crucial for ensuring the sensitivity of the ERN to clinical phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- T X F Seow
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - E Benoit
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - C Dempsey
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - M Jennings
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - A Maxwell
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - M McDonough
- St. Patrick's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - C M Gillan
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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22
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Lee KFA, Fox AM, Notebaert L. The effects of anxiety, depressive, and obsessive-compulsive subclinical symptoms on performance monitoring. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 158:362-369. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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23
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Härpfer K, Carsten HP, Spychalski D, Kathmann N, Riesel A. Were we erring? The impact of worry and arousal on error-related negativity in a non-clinical sample. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13661. [PMID: 32804403 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The monitoring of one's own actions allows humans to adjust to a changing and complex world. Previous neuroscientific research found overactive action monitoring and increased sensitivity to errors to be associated with anxiety and it is assumed to contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety symptoms. A largely shared decomposition of anxiety differentiates two dimensions: anxious apprehension (i.e., worry) and anxious arousal (i.e., physiological hyperarousal). Alterations in neural correlates of error monitoring have been more closely linked to anxious apprehension compared to anxious arousal. This study examined the relationship between anxiety dimensions and electrophysiological correlates of action monitoring (i.e., error-related negativity, ERN, and correct-response negativity, CRN). A total of 135 non-clinical participants performed a flanker task while their electroencephalogram was recorded. We recruited participants with converging and diverging anxiety dimension profiles (i.e., above or below median in anxious apprehension and anxious arousal or above median in one and below in the other dimension). This grouping strategy facilitates disentangling possible interactions and allows the investigation of the isolated effect of each anxiety dimension. Regression analyses did not reveal a significant main or interaction effect of anxiety dimensions on ERN or CRN, irrespective of gender. In addition, Bayesian statistical analyzes yielded evidence for the absence of an association between both anxiety dimensions and ERN and CRN. Altogether, our results suggest that the association of anxiety dimensions, particularly anxious apprehension, and action monitoring might be smaller in non-clinical samples as previous studies indicate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Härpfer
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Daniel Spychalski
- Department of Psychology, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Norbert Kathmann
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Riesel
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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24
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Fontenelle LF, Oldenhof E, Eduarda Moreira-de-Oliveira M, Abramowitz JS, Antony MM, Cath D, Carter A, Dougherty D, Ferrão YA, Figee M, Harrison BJ, Hoexter M, Soo Kwon J, Küelz A, Lazaro L, Lochner C, Marazziti D, Mataix-Cols D, McKay D, Miguel EC, Morein-Zamir S, Moritz S, Nestadt G, O'Connor K, Pallanti S, Purdon C, Rauch S, Richter P, Rotge JY, Shavitt RG, Soriano-Mas C, Starcevic V, Stein DJ, Steketee G, Storch EA, Taylor S, van den Heuvel OA, Veale D, Woods DW, Verdejo-Garcia A, Yücel M. A transdiagnostic perspective of constructs underlying obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: An international Delphi consensus study. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2020; 54:719-731. [PMID: 32364439 DOI: 10.1177/0004867420912327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Research Domain Criteria seeks to bridge knowledge from neuroscience with clinical practice by promoting research into valid neurocognitive phenotypes and dimensions, irrespective of symptoms and diagnoses as currently conceptualized. While the Research Domain Criteria offers a vision of future research and practice, its 39 functional constructs need refinement to better target new phenotyping efforts. This study aimed to determine which Research Domain Criteria constructs are most relevant to understanding obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, based on a consensus between experts in the field of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. METHODS Based on a modified Delphi method, 46 experts were recruited from Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Over three rounds, experts had the opportunity to review their opinion in light of feedback from the previous round, which included how their response compared to other experts and a summary of comments given. RESULTS Thirty-four experts completed round one, of whom 28 (82%) completed round two and 24 (71%) completed round three. At the final round, four constructs were endorsed by ⩾75% of experts as 'primary constructs' and therefore central to understanding obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Of these constructs, one came from the Positive Valence System (Habit), two from the Cognitive Control System (Response Selection/Inhibition and Performance Monitoring) and the final construct was an additional item suggested by experts (Compulsivity). CONCLUSION This study identified four Research Domain Criteria constructs that, according to experts, cut across different obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. These constructs represent key areas for future investigation, and may have potential implications for clinical practice in terms of diagnostic processes and therapeutic management of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo F Fontenelle
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,D'Or Institute for Research and Education, D'Or São Luiz Network, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Erin Oldenhof
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Maria Eduarda Moreira-de-Oliveira
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education, D'Or São Luiz Network, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jonathan S Abramowitz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Martin M Antony
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Danielle Cath
- RGOc and Department of Psychiatry, Rijksuniversity Groningen, UMC Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Specialized Trainings, Mental Health Services Drenthe, Assen, The Netherlands
| | - Adrian Carter
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Darin Dougherty
- Division of Neurotherapeutics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.,Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ygor A Ferrão
- Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Martijn Figee
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Ben J Harrison
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marcelo Hoexter
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jun Soo Kwon
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Anne Küelz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Luísa Lazaro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christine Lochner
- SU/UCT MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Donatella Marazziti
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - David Mataix-Cols
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dean McKay
- Department of Psychology, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Euripedes C Miguel
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sharon Morein-Zamir
- School of Psychology and Sports Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gerald Nestadt
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kieron O'Connor
- Research Center of the Montreal University Institute of Mental Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Stefano Pallanti
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA.,Institute of Neuroscience, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Christine Purdon
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Scott Rauch
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peggy Richter
- Anxiety Disorders Centre, Sunnybrook Health Care Sciences, Toronto, Canada and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jean-Yves Rotge
- Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Department of Psychiatry, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle, ICM-A-IHU, Sorbonne Université, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Roseli G Shavitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carles Soriano-Mas
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, Mental Health Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERSAM) and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vladan Starcevic
- Department of Psychiatry, Nepean Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, Nepean Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Gail Steketee
- School of Social Work, Boston University, Boston, USA
| | - Eric A Storch
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TC, USA
| | - Steven Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Odile A van den Heuvel
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - David Veale
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Douglas W Woods
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.,Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Antonio Verdejo-Garcia
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Murat Yücel
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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25
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Banica I, Sandre A, Shields GS, Slavich GM, Weinberg A. The error-related negativity (ERN) moderates the association between interpersonal stress and anxiety symptoms six months later. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 153:27-36. [PMID: 32277956 PMCID: PMC7335004 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are often preceded by interpersonal stress; however, most individuals who experience stress do not develop anxiety, making it difficult to predict who is most susceptible to stress. One proposed trans-diagnostic neural risk marker for anxiety is the error-related negativity (ERN), a negative deflection in the event-related potential waveform occurring within 100 ms of error commission. The present study sought to investigate whether interpersonal stress experienced over the course of a year interacts with ERN magnitude to prospectively predict anxiety symptoms. A sample of 57 emerging adults performed an arrow flanker task to elicit the ERN at the start of the academic school year (time one). Toward the end of the academic year (time two), participants reported on past-year interpersonal stress and anxiety symptoms. Stress interacted with ERN magnitude to predict anxiety symptoms, whereby, for individuals with an enhanced ERN at time one, greater interpersonal stress over the course of a year was significantly associated with increased anxiety symptoms at time two, even controlling for anxiety symptoms at time one. These findings suggest that enhanced performance monitoring may render individuals more susceptible to the adverse effects of interpersonal stress, thereby increasing risk for heightened anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iulia Banica
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1G1, Canada
| | - Aislinn Sandre
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1G1, Canada
| | - Grant S Shields
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - George M Slavich
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Anna Weinberg
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1G1, Canada.
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26
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Abstract
Event-related potentials (ERPs) are direct measures of brain activity that can be leveraged for clinically meaningful research. They can relate robustly both to continuous measures of individual difference and to categorical diagnoses in ways that clarify similarities and distinctions between apparently related disorders and traits. ERPs can be linked to genetic risk, can act as moderators of developmental trajectories and responses to stress, and can be leveraged to identify those at greater risk for psychopathology, especially when used in combination with other neural and self-report measures. ERPs can inform models of the development of, and risk for, psychopathology. Finally, ERPs can be used as targets for existing and novel interventions and prevention efforts. We provide concrete examples for each of these possibilities by focusing on programmatic research on the error-related negativity and anxiety, and thus show that ERPs are poised to make greater contributions toward the identification, prediction, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Hajcak
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA; .,Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA
| | - Julia Klawohn
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA; .,Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA
| | - Alexandria Meyer
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA
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27
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Riesel A. The erring brain: Error-related negativity as an endophenotype for OCD-A review and meta-analysis. Psychophysiology 2020; 56:e13348. [PMID: 30838682 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex and heterogeneous disorder that is associated with high personal and societal costs. Feelings of doubt, worry, and repetitive behavior, key symptoms of OCD, have been linked to hyperactive error signals in the brain. The error-related negativity (ERN) represents a validated marker of error processing in the ERP. Increased ERN amplitudes in OCD have been reported very robustly over the last 20 years. This article integrates results from 38 studies analyzing the ERN in OCD, using a quantitative meta-analysis. Meta-regressions were used to examine potential moderators such as task type, symptom severity, age, and sample size. The meta-analysis reveals a robust increase of ERN in OCD patients compared to healthy participants in response-conflict tasks (SMD -0.55) that is not modulated by symptom severity and age. No increase in ERN in OCD was observed in tasks that do not induce response conflict (SMD -0.10). In addition to the meta-analysis, the current article reviews evidence supporting that increased ERN amplitudes in OCD fulfill central criteria for an endophenotype. Further, the specificity of increased ERN amplitudes for OCD and its suitability as a potential transdiagnostic endophenotype is discussed. Finally, the clinical utility and clinical applications are examined. Overall, the evidence that increased ERN amplitudes represent a promising endophenotype indicating vulnerability for OCD is compelling. Furthermore, alterations in ERN are not limited to OCD and may constitute a transdiagnostic endophenotype. Altered neural error signals might serve as a diagnostic or predictive marker and represent a promising target for interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Riesel
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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28
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Ruchensky JR, Bauer EA, MacNamara A. Intolerance of uncertainty, depression and the error-related negativity. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 153:45-52. [PMID: 32330538 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Prior work has yielded contradictory findings regarding the association between depression and the error-related negativity (ERN), an event-related potential thought to reflect individual variation in sensitivity to internal threat (i.e., errors), and the error positivity (Pe), which is thought to reflect more elaborative, conscious processing of errors. One possibility is that variation in transdiagnostic dimensional constructs related to threat processing might help explain inconsistencies in the relationship between depression and the ERN and Pe. Here, we used a large, unselected sample (N = 100) to determine whether variation in intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a transdiagnostic trait dimension that is implicated in both depression and anxiety, might moderate associations between depressive symptomatology and error processing. Results showed that greater levels of depressive symptomatology were associated with larger ΔERNs (error minus correct trials) when IU was low, but were unrelated to ΔERN when IU was high; main effects of depression and IU on ΔERN were not observed. The Pe was not associated with IU or depression. Additionally, IU, but not depression, was associated with faster response times on error and correct trials. Overall, results suggest that error processing may differ for individuals with elevated depression with versus without elevated IU. Moreover, prior failures to observe associations between depression and the ERN might stem from failure to account for related transdiagnostic constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared R Ruchensky
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America.
| | - Elizabeth A Bauer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
| | - Annmarie MacNamara
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
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29
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Jansen M, Overgaauw S, De Bruijn ERA. Social Cognition and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Review of Subdomains of Social Functioning. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:118. [PMID: 32231594 PMCID: PMC7082418 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Disturbances in social cognitive processes such as the ability to infer others' mental states importantly contribute to social and functional impairments in psychiatric disorders. Yet, despite established social, emotional, and cognitive problems, the role of social cognition in obsessive-compulsive disorder is largely overlooked. The current review provides a first comprehensive overview of social (neuro)cognitive disturbances in adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Results of our review indicate various social cognitive alterations. Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder show deficits in the recognition of affective social cues, specifically facial expressions of disgust, and more general deficits in theory of mind/mentalizing. Additionally, patients show heightened affective reactions and altered neural responding to emotions of self and others, as well as poor emotion regulation skills, which may contribute to poor social functioning of patients. However, the discrepancies in findings and scarcity of studies make it difficult to draw firm conclusions with regard to the specificity of social cognitive disturbances. The review offers directions for future research and highlights the need to investigate obsessive-compulsive disorder from an interactive social neurocognitive perspective in addition to the prevalent passive spectator perspective to advance our understanding of this intricate and burdensome disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrthe Jansen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Sandy Overgaauw
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Ellen R A De Bruijn
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
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30
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de Bruijn ERA, Jansen M, Overgaauw S. Enhanced error-related brain activations for mistakes that harm others: ERP evidence from a novel social performance-monitoring paradigm. Neuroimage 2020; 204:116238. [PMID: 31585173 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Our mistakes often have negative consequences for ourselves, but may also harm the people around us. Continuous monitoring of our performance is therefore crucial for both our own and others' well-being. Here, we investigated how modulations in responsibility for other's harm affects electrophysiological correlates of performance-monitoring, viz. the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe). Healthy participants (N = 27) performed a novel social performance-monitoring paradigm in two responsibility contexts. Mistakes made in the harmful context resulted in a negative consequence for a co-actor, i.e., hearing a loud aversive sound, while errors in the non-harmful context were followed by a soft non-aversive sound. Although participants themselves did not receive auditory feedback in either context, they did experience harmful mistakes as more distressing and reported higher effort to perform well in the harmful context. ERN amplitudes were enhanced for harmful compared to non-harmful mistakes. Pe amplitudes were unaffected. The present study shows that performing in a potentially harmful social context amplifies early automatic performance-monitoring processes and increases the impact of the resulting harmful mistakes. These outcomes not only further our theoretical knowledge of social performance monitoring, but also demonstrate a novel and useful paradigm to investigate aberrant responsibility attitudes in various clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen R A de Bruijn
- Leiden University, Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Myrthe Jansen
- Leiden University, Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sandy Overgaauw
- Leiden University, Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
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31
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Neither wrong nor right: Theta and delta power increase during performance monitoring under conditions of uncertainty. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 146:225-239. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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32
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Riesel A, Klawohn J, Grützmann R, Kaufmann C, Heinzel S, Bey K, Lennertz L, Wagner M, Kathmann N. Error-related brain activity as a transdiagnostic endophenotype for obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and substance use disorder. Psychol Med 2019; 49:1207-1217. [PMID: 30744714 PMCID: PMC6498788 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719000199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increased neural error-signals have been observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and inconsistently in depression. Reduced neural error-signals have been observed in substance use disorders (SUD). Thus, alterations in error-monitoring are proposed as a transdiagnostic endophenotype. To strengthen this notion, data from unaffected individuals with a family history for the respective disorders are needed. METHODS The error-related negativity (ERN) as a neural indicator of error-monitoring was measured during a flanker task from 117 OCD patients, 50 unaffected first-degree relatives of OCD patients, and 130 healthy comparison participants. Family history information indicated, that 76 healthy controls were free of a family history for psychopathology, whereas the remaining had first-degree relatives with depression (n = 28), anxiety (n = 27), and/or SUD (n = 27). RESULTS Increased ERN amplitudes were found in OCD patients and unaffected first-degree relatives of OCD patients. In addition, unaffected first-degree relatives of individuals with anxiety disorders were also characterized by increased ERN amplitudes, whereas relatives of individuals with SUD showed reduced amplitudes. CONCLUSIONS Alterations in neural error-signals in unaffected first-degree relatives with a family history of OCD, anxiety, or SUD support the utility of the ERN as a transdiagnostic endophenotype. Reduced neural error-signals may indicate vulnerability for under-controlled behavior and risk for substance use, whereas a harm- or error-avoidant response style and vulnerability for OCD and anxiety appears to be associated with increased ERN. This adds to findings suggesting a common neurobiological substrate across psychiatric disorders involving the anterior cingulate cortex and deficits in cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Riesel
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Klawohn
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Departments of Biomedical Sciences and Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Rosa Grützmann
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Kaufmann
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Heinzel
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Freie University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Bey
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Leonhard Lennertz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Norbert Kathmann
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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33
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Cavanagh JF, Bismark AW, Frank MJ, Allen JJB. Multiple Dissociations Between Comorbid Depression and Anxiety on Reward and Punishment Processing: Evidence From Computationally Informed EEG. COMPUTATIONAL PSYCHIATRY (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2019; 3:1-17. [PMID: 31149639 PMCID: PMC6515849 DOI: 10.1162/cpsy_a_00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In this report, we provide the first evidence that mood and anxiety dimensions are associated with unique aspects of EEG responses to reward and punishment, respectively. We reanalyzed data from our prior publication of a categorical depiction of depression to address more sophisticated dimensional hypotheses. Highly symptomatic depressed individuals (N = 46) completed a probabilistic learning task with concurrent EEG. Measures of anxiety and depression symptomatology were significantly correlated with each other; however, only anxiety predicted better avoidance learning due to a tighter coupling of negative prediction error signaling with punishment-specific EEG features. In contrast, depression predicted a smaller reward-related EEG feature, but this did not affect prediction error coupling or the ability to learn from reward. We suggest that this reward-related alteration reflects motivational or hedonic aspects of reward and not a diminishment in the ability to represent the information content of reinforcements. These findings compel further research into the domain-specific neural systems underlying dimensional aspects of psychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Cavanagh
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | | | - Michael J Frank
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - John J B Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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34
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Voegler R, Peterburs J, Lemke H, Ocklenburg S, Liepelt R, Straube T. Electrophysiological correlates of performance monitoring under social observation in patients with social anxiety disorder and healthy controls. Biol Psychol 2018; 132:71-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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