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Beaurenaut M, Kovarski K, Destais C, Mennella R, Grèzes J. Spontaneous instrumental approach-avoidance learning in social contexts in autism. Mol Autism 2024; 15:33. [PMID: 39085896 PMCID: PMC11293119 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-024-00610-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are characterized by atypicalities in social interactions, compared to Typically Developing individuals (TD). The social motivation theory posits that these difficulties stem from diminished anticipation, reception, and/or learning from social rewards. Although learning from socioemotional outcomes is core to the theory, studies to date have been sparse and inconsistent. This possibly arises from a combination of theoretical, methodological and sample-related issues. Here, we assessed participants' ability to develop a spontaneous preference for actions that lead to desirable socioemotional outcomes (approaching/avoiding of happy/angry individuals, respectively), in an ecologically valid social scenario. We expected that learning abilities would be impaired in ASC individuals, particularly in response to affiliative social feedback. METHOD We ran an online social reinforcement learning task, on two large online cohorts with (n = 274) and without (n = 290) ASC, matched for gender, age and education. Participants had to indicate where they would sit in a waiting room. Each seat was associated with different probabilities of approaching/avoiding emotional individuals. Importantly, the task was implicit, as participants were not instructed to learn, and emotional expressions were never mentioned. We applied both categorical analyses contrasting the ASC and TD groups and dimensional factor analysis on affective questionnaires. RESULTS Contrary to our hypothesis, participants showed spontaneous learning from socioemotional outcomes, regardless of their diagnostic group. Yet, when accounting for dimensional variations in autistic traits, as well as depression and anxiety, two main findings emerged among females who failed to develop explicit learning strategies: (1) autism severity in ASC correlated with reduced learning to approach happy individuals; (2) anxiety-depression severity across both ASC and TD participants correlated with reduced learning to approach/avoid happy/angry individuals, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Implicit spontaneous learning from socioemotional outcomes is not generally impaired in autism but may be specifically associated with autism severity in females with ASC, when they do not have an explicit strategy for adapting to their social environment. Clinical diagnosis and intervention ought to take into account individual differences in their full complexity, including the presence of co-morbid anxiety and depression, when dealing with social atypicalities in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Beaurenaut
- Laboratoire sur les Interactions Cognition, Action, Émotion (LICAÉ), Université Paris Nanterre, 200 avenue de La République, Nanterre Cedex, 92001, France.
| | - Klara Kovarski
- Sorbonne Université, INSPE, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Psychologie du Développement et de l'Éducation de l'enfant (LaPsyDÉ), Université Paris Cité, CNRS, 46 rue Saint-Jacques, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Constance Destais
- Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory (LNC2), Inserm U960, Department of Cognitive Studies, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, 29 rue d'Ulm, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Rocco Mennella
- Laboratoire sur les Interactions Cognition, Action, Émotion (LICAÉ), Université Paris Nanterre, 200 avenue de La République, Nanterre Cedex, 92001, France
- Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory (LNC2), Inserm U960, Department of Cognitive Studies, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, 29 rue d'Ulm, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Julie Grèzes
- Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory (LNC2), Inserm U960, Department of Cognitive Studies, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, 29 rue d'Ulm, Paris, 75005, France.
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Moosavi J, Resch A, Lecchi A, Sokolov AN, Fallgatter AJ, Pavlova MA. Reading language of the eyes in female depression. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae253. [PMID: 38990517 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Aberrations in non-verbal social cognition have been reported to coincide with major depressive disorder. Yet little is known about the role of the eyes. To fill this gap, the present study explores whether and, if so, how reading language of the eyes is altered in depression. For this purpose, patients and person-by-person matched typically developing individuals were administered the Emotions in Masked Faces task and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, modified, both of which contained a comparable amount of visual information available. For achieving group homogeneity, we set a focus on females as major depressive disorder displays a gender-specific profile. The findings show that facial masks selectively affect inferring emotions: recognition of sadness and anger are more heavily compromised in major depressive disorder as compared with typically developing controls, whereas the recognition of fear, happiness, and neutral expressions remains unhindered. Disgust, the forgotten emotion of psychiatry, is the least recognizable emotion in both groups. On the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test patients exhibit lower accuracy on positive expressions than their typically developing peers, but do not differ on negative items. In both depressive and typically developing individuals, the ability to recognize emotions behind a mask and performance on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test are linked to each other in processing speed, but not recognition accuracy. The outcome provides a blueprint for understanding the complexities of reading language of the eyes within and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Moosavi
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Annika Resch
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alessandro Lecchi
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina A Pavlova
- Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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Zotev V, McQuaid JR, Robertson-Benta CR, Hittson AK, Wick TV, Ling JM, van der Horn HJ, Mayer AR. Validation of real-time fMRI neurofeedback procedure for cognitive training using counterbalanced active-sham study design. Neuroimage 2024; 290:120575. [PMID: 38479461 PMCID: PMC11060147 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Investigation of neural mechanisms of real-time functional MRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) training requires an efficient study control approach. A common rtfMRI-nf study design involves an experimental group, receiving active rtfMRI-nf, and a control group, provided with sham rtfMRI-nf. We report the first study in which rtfMRI-nf procedure is controlled through counterbalancing training runs with active and sham rtfMRI-nf for each participant. Healthy volunteers (n = 18) used rtfMRI-nf to upregulate fMRI activity of an individually defined target region in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) while performing tasks that involved mental generation of a random numerical sequence and serial summation of numbers in the sequence. Sham rtfMRI-nf was provided based on fMRI activity of a different brain region, not involved in these tasks. The experimental procedure included two training runs with the active rtfMRI-nf and two runs with the sham rtfMRI-nf, in a randomized order. The participants achieved significantly higher fMRI activation of the left DLPFC target region during the active rtfMRI-nf conditions compared to the sham rtfMRI-nf conditions. fMRI functional connectivity of the left DLPFC target region with the nodes of the central executive network was significantly enhanced during the active rtfMRI-nf conditions relative to the sham conditions. fMRI connectivity of the target region with the nodes of the default mode network was similarly enhanced. fMRI connectivity changes between the active and sham conditions exhibited meaningful associations with individual performance measures on the Working Memory Multimodal Attention Task, the Approach-Avoidance Task, and the Trail Making Test. Our results demonstrate that the counterbalanced active-sham study design can be efficiently used to investigate mechanisms of active rtfMRI-nf in direct comparison to those of sham rtfMRI-nf. Further studies with larger group sizes are needed to confirm the reported findings and evaluate clinical utility of this study control approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vadim Zotev
- The Mind Research Network/LBRI, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
| | | | | | - Anne K Hittson
- The Mind Research Network/LBRI, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Tracey V Wick
- The Mind Research Network/LBRI, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Josef M Ling
- The Mind Research Network/LBRI, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Andrew R Mayer
- The Mind Research Network/LBRI, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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de Pinho LG, Silva C, Fonseca C, Morgado B, Lopes M, Moritz S, Jelinek L, Schneider BC. A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of metacognitive training for older adults with depression (MCT-Silver) in Portugal: study protocol. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1167860. [PMID: 38022953 PMCID: PMC10644621 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1167860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders in later life. Although psychological interventions are recommended by treatment guidelines, most older adults with depression remain untreated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Portuguese version of Metacognitive Training for Depression in later life (MCT-Silver). Methods This is a study protocol of an observer-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of MCT-Silver with a treatment as usual (TAU) control group among older adults (age 65 years and older) with depressive symptoms according to the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale. Participants will be tested at three assessment time points (baseline, immediately following the intervention [8 weeks], and 3 months after the intervention). The primary outcome is change in self-rated depression symptoms assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Secondary outcomes include clinician-rated depression, self-esteem, dysfunctional beliefs, metacognitive beliefs, ruminations, attitudes toward aging and quality of life. A self-designed subjective appraisal rating scale consisting of 21-items will be used to assess participant acceptance of MCT-Silver. Discussion MCT-Silver is an innovative intervention, which aims to reduce dysfunctional thoughts as well as depression-related behaviors and coping strategies through the metacognitive perspective. Until now, the training has only been tested in Germany. It is expected that after 8 weeks of treatment and 3 months later, the experimental group will demonstrate significant reductions in depressive symptoms, metacognitive beliefs, dysfunctional attitudes and ruminative responses compared to the TAU group. Moreover, quality of life, self-esteem, and attitudes towards aging will be significantly improved in MCT-Silver compared to the TAU group. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05640492.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Guedes de Pinho
- Department of Nursing, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Évora, Portugal
| | - Celso Silva
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Évora, Portugal
- Higher School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Beja, Beja, Portugal
| | - César Fonseca
- Department of Nursing, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Évora, Portugal
| | - Bruno Morgado
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
- Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal
| | - Manuel Lopes
- Department of Nursing, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Évora, Portugal
| | - Steffen Moritz
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lena Jelinek
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Grèzes J, Risch N, Courtet P, Olié E, Mennella R. Depression and approach-avoidance decisions to emotional displays: The role of anhedonia. Behav Res Ther 2023; 164:104306. [PMID: 37043847 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Depression is linked to dysfunctional appetitive and aversive motivational systems and effort-based decision-making, yet whether such deficits extend to social decisions remains unclear. Participants (23 non-depressed, 48 depressed - 24 with a past history of suicide attempt) completed a social decision-making task consisting in freely choosing whether to approach or avoid individuals displaying happy or angry expressions. Occasionally, participants had to make a further effort (change button press) to obtain the desired outcome. All participants preferentially avoided anger on their first choice. Yet, depressed patients less often chose to approach happy individuals, as a function of anhedonia severity. Depressed patients were also less inclined than controls to change their response when the anticipated outcome of their first choice was undesirable (approach angry and avoid happy). Again, such effect correlated with anhedonia severity. Our results support that both altered valuation and willingness to exert effort impact approach-avoidance decisions in social contexts in depression. On this basis, we propose a new integrating framework for reconciling different hypotheses on the effect of depression and anhedonia on motivational responses to emotional stimuli.
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Schneider BC, Veckenstedt R, Karamatskos E, Pinho LG, Morgado B, Fonseca C, Moritz S, Jelinek L. Negative cognitive beliefs, positive metacognitive beliefs, and rumination as mediators of metacognitive training for depression in older adults (MCT-Silver). Front Psychol 2023; 14:1153377. [PMID: 37034960 PMCID: PMC10074596 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1153377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Metacognitive Training for Depression in older adults (MCT-Silver; www.uke.de/mct-silver) is a cognitive-behavioral based group intervention that aims at reducing depression by targeting (meta)cognitive beliefs and rumination. In the present study, it was examined whether negative cognitive beliefs, positive metacognitive beliefs and/or rumination may be implicated as mediators of MCT-Silver's effects on depression. Materials and methods We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing MCT-Silver to an active control intervention (cognitive remediation) including 66 older adults (60 years and older) with complete baseline data. Clinician-rated (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) and self-reported (Beck Depression Inventory-II) depression, negative cognitive beliefs (Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale-18B), positive metacognitive beliefs (positive beliefs subscale; Metacognition Questionnaire-30) and rumination (10-item Ruminative Response Scale) were assessed before (pre) and after 8 weeks of treatment (post), as well as 3 months later (follow-up). It was examined whether change in depression (pre- to follow-up) was mediated by change in negative cognitive beliefs, positive metacognitive beliefs and/or rumination (pre- to post-assessment). Results Mediation results differed for self-reported vs. clinician-rated depression. The effect of MCT-Silver on reduction in clinician-rated depression was mediated by a reduction in self-reported rumination, whereas reduction in self-reported depression was mediated by a reduction in negative cognitive beliefs. Positive metacognitive beliefs were not a significant mediator for either outcome. Conclusion The current study provides initial evidence for the roles of negative cognitive beliefs and rumination in the treatment of depression in later life with MCT-Silver. Given the divergence of findings and lack of causal precedence, mechanisms of change for MCT-Silver cannot yet be equivocally identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke C. Schneider
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Brooke C. Schneider,
| | - Ruth Veckenstedt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Evangelos Karamatskos
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lara Guedes Pinho
- Nursing Department, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | | | - César Fonseca
- Nursing Department, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lena Jelinek
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Rahamim O, Azoulay R, Keshet H, Shahar G, Gilboa-Schechtman E. Apprehensions and Aspirations in Social Anxiety and Depression. Int J Cogn Ther 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s41811-022-00150-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Kubon J, Romagnano V, Sokolov AN, Fallgatter AJ, Braun C, Pavlova MA. Neural circuits underpinning face tuning in male depression. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:3827-3839. [PMID: 35989312 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading bodies and faces is essential for efficient social interactions, though it may be thought-provoking for individuals with depression. Yet aberrations in the face sensitivity and underwriting neural circuits are not well understood, in particular, in male depression. Here, we use cutting-edge analyses of time course and dynamic topography of gamma oscillatory neuromagnetic cortical activity during administration of a task with Arcimboldo-like images. No difference in face tuning was found between individuals with depression and their neurotypical peers. Furthermore, this behavioral outcome nicely dovetails with magnetoencephalographic data: at early processing stages, the gamma oscillatory response to images resembling a face was rather similar in patients and controls. These bursts originated primarily from the right medioventral occipital cortex and lateral occipital cortex. At later processing stages, however, its topography altered remarkably in depression with profound engagement of the frontal circuits. Yet the primary difference in depressive individuals as compared with their neurotypical peers occurred over the left middle temporal cortices, a part of the social brain, engaged in feature integration and meaning retrieval. The outcome suggests compensatory recruitment of neural resources in male depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Kubon
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Valentina Romagnano
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Braun
- MEG Center, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Otfried Müller Str. 47, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina A Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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9
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A mental state Knowledge–aware and Contrastive Network for early stress and depression detection on social media. Inf Process Manag 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ipm.2022.102961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Saito T, Almaraz SM, Hugenberg K. Happy = Human: A Feeling of Belonging Modulates the “Expression-to-Mind” Effect. SOCIAL COGNITION 2022. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2022.40.3.213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Past research has demonstrated a link between facial expressions and mind perception, yet why expressions, especially happy expressions, influence mind attribution remains unclear. Conducting four studies, we addressed this issue. In Study 1, we investigated whether the valence or behavioral intention (i.e., approach or avoidance) implied by different emotions affected the minds ascribed to expressers. Happy (positive valence and approach intention) targets were ascribed more sophisticated minds than were targets displaying neutral, angry (negative-approach), or fearful (negative-avoidance) expressions, suggesting emotional valence was relevant to mind attribution but apparent behavioral intentions were not. We replicated this effect using both Black and White targets (Study 2) and another face database (Study 3). In Study 4, we conducted path analyses to examine attractiveness and expectations of social acceptance as potential mediators of the effect. Our findings suggest that signals of social acceptance are crucial to the effect emotional expressions have on mind perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiki Saito
- Waseda University, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
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11
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Cui D, Liu L, Li Y. Association Between Children's Empathy and Depression: The Moderating Role of Social Preference. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2022; 54:857-869. [PMID: 34982305 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-021-01312-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Although empathy is typically an adaptive characteristic of children, extreme empathy alone or in combination with a negative environment may contribute to a risk of depression. The present study comprehensively investigated the associations between the three constructs of empathy and depression in children, as well as the potential moderating effect of peer relationships (i.e., social preference) on this association. A total of 1223 children (mean age = 10.50 ± .93 years) completed questionnaires on empathy and depression, and social preference was nominated by their peers. Cognitive empathy and positive empathy exerted a positive quadratic effect on depression, while negative empathy had a positive linear association with depression. For children with a low social preference, all three empathy constructs were positively quadratically correlated with depression, extremely high and low empathy were associated with increased depression, and moderate empathy was associated with the lowest level of depression. For children with a high social preference, higher positive empathy was associated with lower depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Cui
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Lisha Liu
- Center for Teacher Education Research, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanfang Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
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Woody ML, Ladouceur CD, Borrero E, Wang YS, Silk JS. Avoidance Bias to Angry Faces Predicts the Development of Depressive Symptoms among Adolescent Girls. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2022; 50:1657-1669. [PMID: 35870037 PMCID: PMC9308032 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-00948-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Interpersonal-motivational models posit that heightened avoidance of aversive social stimuli and diminished approach of appetitive social stimuli increases social withdrawal and reduces positive social interactions, thereby increasing risk for future social anxiety and depression. The current study examined if approach-avoidance biases toward angry and happy faces, measured during the Approach Avoidance Task (AAT), would be associated with the development of adolescent depressive and social anxiety symptoms. At baseline, participants included 129 never-depressed adolescent girls (ages 11-13), two-thirds of whom were at high-risk for internalizing problems due to shy/fearful temperament. Girls reported their depressive and social anxiety symptoms every 6 months for 24 months and completed the AAT at baseline and 24-mo follow-up. Heightened avoidance bias toward angry faces at baseline predicted increases in depressive symptoms across the follow-up, even after accounting for temperament and pubertal status. In contrast, girls with greater depression and social anxiety symptoms at 24-mo follow-up exhibited less avoidance bias for angry faces at the same time point. Findings suggest that avoidance behaviors (i.e., avoiding people or settings associated with angry faces, which are often perceived as hostile, critical, or rejecting) may be a risk factor for depression, above and beyond risk imparted by temperament or advances in puberty. However, with increasing internalizing symptoms, it may become more difficult for adolescents to maintain avoidance for aversive social stimuli, and without the introduction of more adaptive emotion regulation strategies, these biases may continue to increase and maintain risk for internalizing problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary L Woody
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.
| | - Cecile D Ladouceur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Elisa Borrero
- Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
| | - Yuqi S Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Jennifer S Silk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
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13
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Sex differences in anxiety and depression: circuits and mechanisms. Nat Rev Neurosci 2021; 22:674-684. [PMID: 34545241 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-021-00513-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological sex differences in anxiety disorders and major depression are well characterized. Yet the circuits and mechanisms that contribute to these differences are understudied, because preclinical studies have historically excluded female rodents. This oversight is beginning to be addressed, and recent studies that include male and female rodents are identifying sex differences in neurobiological processes that underlie features of these disorders, including conflict anxiety, fear processing, arousal, social avoidance, learned helplessness and anhedonia. These findings allow us to conceptualize various types of sex differences in the brain, which in turn have broader implications for considering sex as a biological variable. Importantly, comparing the sexes could aid in the discovery of novel therapeutics.
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Mo F, Gu J, Zhao K, Fu X. Confusion Effects of Facial Expression Recognition in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder and Healthy Controls. Front Psychol 2021; 12:703888. [PMID: 34712167 PMCID: PMC8546352 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.703888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial expression recognition plays a crucial role in understanding the emotion of people, as well as in social interaction. Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have been repeatedly reported to be impaired in recognizing facial expressions. This study aimed to investigate the confusion effects between two facial expressions that presented different emotions and to compare the difference of confusion effect for each emotion pair between patients with MDD and healthy controls. Participants were asked to judge the emotion category of each facial expression in a two-alternative forced choice paradigm. Six basic emotions (i.e., happiness, fear, sadness, anger, surprise, and disgust) were examined in pairs, resulting in 15 emotion combinations. Results showed that patients with MDD were impaired in the recognition of all basic facial expressions except for the happy expression. Moreover, patients with MDD were more inclined to confuse a negative emotion (i.e., anger and disgust) with another emotion as compared to healthy controls. These findings highlight the importance that patients with MDD show a deficit of sensitivity in distinguishing specific two facial expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Mo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjin Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolan Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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15
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Bomyea J, Choi SH, Sweet A, Stein M, Paulus M, Taylor C. Neural Changes in Reward Processing Following Approach Avoidance Training for Depression. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:nsab107. [PMID: 34643736 PMCID: PMC8881638 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered approach motivation is hypothesized to be critical for the maintenance of depression. Computer-administered approach-avoidance training programs to increase approach action tendencies toward positive stimuli produce beneficial outcomes. However, there have been few studies examining neural changes following approach-avoidance training. Participants with Major Depressive Disorder were randomized to an Approach Avoidance Training (AAT) manipulation intended to increase approach tendencies for positive social cues (n=13) or a control procedure (n=15). We examined changes in neural activation (primary outcome) and connectivity patterns using Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation during a social reward anticipation task (exploratory). A laboratory-based social affiliation task was also administered following the manipulation to measure affect during anticipation of real-world social activity. Individuals in the AAT group demonstrated increased activation in reward processing regions during social reward anticipation relative to the control group from pre to post-training. Following training, connectivity patterns across reward regions were observed in the full sample and connectivity between the medial PFC and caudate was associated with anticipatory positive affect before the social interaction; preliminary evidence of differential connectivity patterns between the two groups also emerged. Results support models whereby modifying approach-oriented behavioral tendencies with computerized training leads to alterations in reward circuitry. (NCT02330744).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Bomyea
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92037, USA
| | - Soo-Hee Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, SNU-MRC, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Alison Sweet
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92037, USA
| | - Murray Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92037, USA
- School of Public Health, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Psychiatry Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Martin Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK 74136, USA
| | - Charles Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92037, USA
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16
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Abplanalp SJ, Mote J, Uhlman AC, Weizenbaum E, Alvi T, Tabak BA, Fulford D. Parsing social motivation: development and validation of a self-report measure of social effort. J Ment Health 2021; 31:366-373. [PMID: 34304675 DOI: 10.1080/09638237.2021.1952948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reduced efforts to form and maintain social bonds can exist in the context of a sufficient desire for social connection. Thus, social impairment common across many psychiatric conditions may often reflect failures in social effort exertion, despite normative levels of social liking and wanting. Although there are many questionnaires available that assess sociability, desire, or lack thereof for connection and perceived social support, there is no current self-report assessment of the behavioral outputs of social motivation. AIMS We aimed to develop and validate a measure of the social effort in college students and the general population. METHODS College students (n = 981) and a broader sample of adults via Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk; n = 506) participated in the study. RESULTS We identified two factors that represented content related to general social effort and social effort in adherence with social norms; we named the measure the Social Effort and Conscientiousness Scale (SEACS). Results suggest the SEACS is a reliable and valid measure of social effort. CONCLUSIONS Lower scores on the SEACS were associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, highlighting the scale's potential utility in clinical populations. We include a discussion of possible applications of the SEACS, including its further use and application in psychopathology research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Abplanalp
- Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jasmine Mote
- Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anne C Uhlman
- Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emma Weizenbaum
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Talha Alvi
- Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, University Park, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin A Tabak
- Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, University Park, TX, USA
| | - Daniel Fulford
- Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
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17
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Lukas CA, Eskofier B, Berking M. A Gamified Smartphone-Based Intervention for Depression: Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. JMIR Ment Health 2021; 8:e16643. [PMID: 34283037 PMCID: PMC8335612 DOI: 10.2196/16643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Available smartphone-based interventions for depression predominantly use evidence-based strategies from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), but patient engagement and reported effect sizes are small. Recently, studies have demonstrated that smartphone-based interventions combining CBT with gamified approach-avoidance bias modification training (AAMT) can foster patient engagement and reduce symptoms of several mental health problems. OBJECTIVE Based on these findings, we developed a gamified smartphone-based intervention, mentalis Phoenix (MT-Phoenix), and hypothesized the program would both engage patients and produce preliminary evidence for the reduction of depressive symptoms. METHODS To test this hypothesis, we evaluated MT-Phoenix in a randomized controlled pilot trial including 77 individuals with elevated depression scores (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores ≥5). Participants were either instructed to train for 14 days with MT-Phoenix or assigned to a waitlist control condition. Engagement with the intervention was measured by assessing usage data. The primary outcome was reduction in depressive symptom severity at postassessment. RESULTS Data from this pilot trial shows that participants in the intervention group used the smartphone-based intervention for 46% of all days (6.4/14) and reported a significantly greater reduction of depressive symptoms than did participants in the control condition (F1,74=19.34; P=.001), with a large effect size (d=1.02). Effects were sustained at a 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS A gamified smartphone-based intervention combining CBT with AAMT may foster patient engagement and effectively target depressive symptoms. Future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention in a phase 3 trial using clinical samples. Moreover, the intervention should be compared to active control conditions. TRIAL REGISTRATION German Clinical Trial Registry DRKS00012769; https://tinyurl.com/47mw8du7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Aljoscha Lukas
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Bjoern Eskofier
- Department of Computer Science, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Matthias Berking
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
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18
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Kubon J, Sokolov AN, Popp R, Fallgatter AJ, Pavlova MA. Face Tuning in Depression. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:2574-2585. [PMID: 33350440 PMCID: PMC7799219 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The latest COVID-19 pandemic reveals that unexpected changes elevate depression bringing people apart, but also calling for social sharing. Yet the impact of depression on social cognition and functioning is not well understood. Assessment of social cognition is crucial not only for a better understanding of major depressive disorder (MDD), but also for screening, intervention, and remediation. Here by applying a novel experimental tool, a Face-n-Food task comprising a set of images bordering on the Giuseppe Arcimboldo style, we assessed the face tuning in patients with MDD and person-by-person matched controls. The key benefit of these images is that single components do not trigger face processing. Contrary to common beliefs, the outcome indicates that individuals with depression express intact face responsiveness. Yet, while in depression face sensitivity is tied with perceptual organization, in typical development, it is knotted with social cognition capabilities. Face tuning in depression, therefore, may rely upon altered behavioral strategies and underwriting brain mechanisms. To exclude a possible camouflaging effect of female social skills, we examined gender impact. Neither in depression nor in typical individuals had females excelled in face tuning. The outcome sheds light on the origins of the face sensitivity and alterations in social functioning in depression and mental well-being at large. Aberrant social functioning in depression is likely to be the result of deeply-rooted maladaptive strategies rather than of poor sensitivity to social signals. This has implications for mental well-being under the current pandemic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Kubon
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rebecca Popp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders (DZNE), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina A Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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19
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Bachmann J, Zabicki A, Gradl S, Kurz J, Munzert J, Troje NF, Krueger B. Does co-presence affect the way we perceive and respond to emotional interactions? Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:923-936. [PMID: 33427949 PMCID: PMC7943523 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-06020-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This study compared how two virtual display conditions of human body expressions influenced explicit and implicit dimensions of emotion perception and response behavior in women and men. Two avatars displayed emotional interactions (angry, sad, affectionate, happy) in a "pictorial" condition depicting the emotional interactive partners on a screen within a virtual environment and a "visual" condition allowing participants to share space with the avatars, thereby enhancing co-presence and agency. Subsequently to stimulus presentation, explicit valence perception and response tendency (i.e. the explicit tendency to avoid or approach the situation) were assessed on rating scales. Implicit responses, i.e. postural and autonomic responses towards the observed interactions were measured by means of postural displacement and changes in skin conductance. Results showed that self-reported presence differed between pictorial and visual conditions, however, it was not correlated with skin conductance responses. Valence perception was only marginally influenced by the virtual condition and not at all by explicit response behavior. There were gender-mediated effects on postural response tendencies as well as gender differences in explicit response behavior but not in valence perception. Exploratory analyses revealed a link between valence perception and preferred behavioral response in women but not in men. We conclude that the display condition seems to influence automatic motivational tendencies but not higher level cognitive evaluations. Moreover, intragroup differences in explicit and implicit response behavior highlight the importance of individual factors beyond gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Bachmann
- NeuroMotor Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Adam Zabicki
- NeuroMotor Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Stefan Gradl
- Machine Learning and Data Analysis Lab, Faculty of Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johannes Kurz
- NeuroMotor Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Jörn Munzert
- NeuroMotor Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Philipps University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Nikolaus F Troje
- BioMotionLab, Department of Biology and Centre for Vision Research, York University Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Britta Krueger
- NeuroMotor Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
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20
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Lukas CA, Berking M. Blending group-based psychoeducation with a smartphone intervention for the reduction of depressive symptoms: results of a randomized controlled pilot study. Pilot Feasibility Stud 2021; 7:57. [PMID: 33627198 PMCID: PMC7903741 DOI: 10.1186/s40814-021-00799-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Given their ubiquity and technological facilities, smartphone-based interventions (SBIs) hold potential to support the cost-effective dissemination of evidence-based treatments for depression. As technologically enriched, blended approach–avoidance modification trainings (AAMTs) have recently been shown effective for symptom reduction in various mental health problems, we developed a blended SBI combining group-based psychoeducation and 14 days of app training utilizing principles from AAMT to reduce depressive symptoms. Methods In this pilot trial, N = 16 individuals with heightened depression scores were randomized to either an intervention group using the mentalis Phoenix app or a wait list control condition. As outcomes, we descriptively explored usability of the app, engagement with the intervention, and possible reductions of depressive symptoms. Results Data analyses suggest that the SBI tested in this pilot trial possesses high usability, is frequently engaged with, and reduces depressive symptoms in participants in the intervention group when compared to wait list controls. Conclusions This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that an SBI utilizing AAMT can reduce depressive symptoms. Future studies should replicate these findings using larger samples and disentangle possible mechanisms of change. Trial registration DRKS-ID: DRKS00021613 (retrospectively registered). Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40814-021-00799-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Aljoscha Lukas
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.
| | - Matthias Berking
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
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21
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Harlé KM, Simmons AN, Bomyea J, Spadoni AD, Taylor CT. Higher affective congruency in the approach-avoidance task is associated with insular deactivation to dynamic facial expressions. Neuropsychologia 2020; 151:107734. [PMID: 33358774 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Individuals exhibit a natural bias to approach positive social cues (e.g., smiling face) and to avoid negative ones, which may be altered in psychiatric conditions. Computerized approach/avoidance training to promote affectively congruent behavior has proven useful in modulating such biases. Here, we investigate how exposure to a higher rate of congruency impacts neural processing of social-affective cues. While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), twenty-four individuals completed two versions of the approach-avoidance task (AAT), in which they had to approach or avoid dynamic facial expressions of either happiness or disgust. In the high congruency condition, congruent responses (i.e. approaching happy faces, avoiding disgusted faces) were more frequent. The balanced condition had equal amounts of congruent and incongruent responses. Processing of congruent approach-avoidance actions towards social cues was associated with lower recruitment of the right anterior insula in the congruency-intensive relative to the balanced condition. Differential activation between the high congruency and balanced condition in the right hippocampus was negatively related to individuals' trait avoidance tendency. These findings are consistent with reduced affective neural processing of social cues when being exposed to congruent AAT contexts. These neural foci could be important targets when assessing the effectiveness of affective congruency training protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia M Harlé
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Alan N Simmons
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jessica Bomyea
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Andrea D Spadoni
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Charles T Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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22
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Wiesenfeller J, Flasbeck V, Brown EC, Brüne M. Approach and Avoidance Behavior in Female Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:588874. [PMID: 33335479 PMCID: PMC7736178 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.588874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is portrayed by unstable relationships, fears of abandonment and heightened sensitivity to social rejection. Research has shown that these characteristics may lead to inappropriate social behavior including altered approach-avoidance behavior. However, it has remained unclear how social exclusion may affect approach-avoidance behavior in patients with BPD. Design We assessed social approach-avoidance behavior and the impact of social exclusion in a sample of 38 patients with BPD and 40 healthy control participants. Methods We used an explicit joystick-based approach-avoidance task (AAT) after playing a virtual ball-tossing game (Cyberball), which simulates the exclusion of the participant by two other players. In the AAT, participants were required to push or pull emotional stimuli, more specifically happy and angry facial expressions, with either direct or averted gaze direction. Results Patients with BPD approached happy stimuli less and showed overall less differential approach-avoidance behavior toward individuals expressing positive or negative facial emotions compared to healthy participants, who showed more approach behavior for happy compared to angry facial expressions. Moreover, borderline symptom severity correlated inversely with the AAT score for happy facial expressions and positively with subjective unpleasantness during social exclusion as well as rejection sensitivity. However, social exclusion did not influence approach-avoidance tendencies. Conclusion Patients with BPD showed altered approach-avoidance behavior, which might affect social interactions in the patient’s everyday lives and may therefore impede social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Wiesenfeller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Preventive Medicine, Division of Social Neuropsychiatry and Evolutionary Medicine, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Vera Flasbeck
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Preventive Medicine, Division of Social Neuropsychiatry and Evolutionary Medicine, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Elliot C Brown
- Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition, Nuthetal, Germany.,Neuroscience Research Center, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Brüne
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Preventive Medicine, Division of Social Neuropsychiatry and Evolutionary Medicine, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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23
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Guhn A, Merkel L, Hübner L, Dziobek I, Sterzer P, Köhler S. Understanding versus feeling the emotions of others: How persistent and recurrent depression affect empathy. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 130:120-127. [PMID: 32805521 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Empathy refers to the ability to understand the emotions of others. It encompasses a cognitive component of decoding a mental state, and an affective component that relates to an emotional response. Deficits in empathy have been associated with social dysfunction in depression. It is further assumed that impairments are aggravated when depression takes a chronic course. Existing evidence in the literature, however, is scarce and heterogeneous. The present study investigated empathy in patients with persistent and recurrent depression as well as in healthy controls (N = 102). Empathy measurements included both self-report (Interpersonal Reactivity Index, IRI) as well as a laboratory task (Multifaceted Empathy Task, MET). A mixed model analyses of covariance, which accounted for differences in executive functioning, found no evidence for impaired cognitive empathy in depression. All three groups performed equally well in understanding mental states. However, both IRI and MET confirmed the hypothesis of significant deficits in affective empathy. Patients reported higher personal distress than controls, and showed lower affective responses towards positive emotions in others. There was no difference between patient groups. Childhood maltreatment was further related to reduced affective empathy. The present results contribute to our understanding of social dysfunction in depression, since loss of emotional reactivity to the feelings of others is considered to reduce the desire to engage in social interaction, thus leading to isolation and aggravation of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Guhn
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Lydia Merkel
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Laura Hübner
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology of Social Interaction, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Köhler
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
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24
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Proactive engagement of cognitive control modulates implicit approach-avoidance bias. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:998-1010. [PMID: 32761312 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00815-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Implicit social-affective biases-reflected in a propensity to approach positive and avoid negative stimuli-have been documented in humans with paradigms, such as the Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT). However, the degree to which preemptively engaging cognitive control can help to down-regulate those behavioral tendencies remains poorly understood. While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 24 healthy participants completed a cued version of the AAT, in which they responded to pictures of happy or angry faces by pulling a joystick toward themselves (approach) or pushing the joystick away (avoidance) based on the color of the stimulus frame. On some trials, they were cued to reverse the frame color/joystick action instructions. Before stimulus onset, a reverse cue was associated with deactivation of a visuo-spatial and motor planning network and subsequent slowing down in response to stimuli. During the stimulus phase, a reverse cue was associated with a) activation of cognitive control areas, including the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and right inferior parietal lobule (IPL); and b) reduced right precentral gyrus activation when having to push (avoid) a happy face. Overall, these results suggest that proactively engaging cognitive control can help fine-tune behavioral and neural adjustment to emotionally incongruent behavioral conditions.
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25
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Loijen A, Vrijsen JN, Egger JI, Becker ES, Rinck M. Biased approach-avoidance tendencies in psychopathology: A systematic review of their assessment and modification. Clin Psychol Rev 2020; 77:101825. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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26
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Early life stress is associated with reduced avoidance of threatening facial expressions. Dev Psychopathol 2019; 32:1059-1067. [PMID: 31405395 DOI: 10.1017/s095457941900110x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Early neglect or maltreatment has been associated with changes in children's processing of emotional facial expressions, including a hypersensitivity to the emotion of anger. This may facilitate the avoidance of danger in a maltreating environment. However, few studies have examined whether experiences of early life stress (ELS) are associated with atypical avoidance responses towards emotional facial expressions, or whether the effects of ELS can be observed in adult participants. The present study therefore examined the effects of ELS on adults' approach-avoidance tendencies towards angry, happy, and neutral facial expressions. Surprisingly, higher levels of ELS were associated with reduced avoidance of angry facial expressions among individuals with no evidence of mental illness. In contrast, there was no evidence of a relationship between ELS and avoidance of angry facial expressions among individuals with experience of mental illness. These novel findings suggest that ELS-related changes in social cognition can be observed years after the ELS itself occurred.
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27
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Eddy CM. What Do You Have in Mind? Measures to Assess Mental State Reasoning in Neuropsychiatric Populations. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:425. [PMID: 31354534 PMCID: PMC6636467 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interaction is closely associated with both functional capacity and well-being. Previous research has not only revealed evidence of social dysfunction in individuals with a wide range of psychiatric and neurological disorders but also generated an abundance of potential measures for assessing social cognition. This review explores the most popular measures used within neuropsychiatric populations to investigate the ability to recognize or reason about the mental states of others. Measures are also critically analyzed in terms of strengths and limitations to aid task selection in future clinical studies. The most frequently applied assessment tools use verbal, visual or audiovisual forms of presentation and assess recognition of mental states from facial features, self-rated empathy, the understanding of other's cognitive mental states such as beliefs and intentions, or the ability to combine knowledge of other's thoughts and emotions in order to understand subtle communications or socially inappropriate behavior. Key weaknesses of previous research include limited investigation of relationships with clinical symptoms, and underutilization of measures of everyday social functioning that offer a useful counterpart to traditional "lab" tasks. Future studies should aim to carefully select measures not only based on the range of skills to be assessed but also taking into account potential difficulties with interpretation and the need to gain insight into the application of social cognitive skills as well as ability per se. Some of the best measures include those with well-matched control trials (e.g., Yoni Task) or those that restrict the influence of verbal deficits (e.g., intentions comic strip task), elicit spontaneous mentalizing (e.g., Animations Task), and possess greater ecological validity (e.g., Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition). Social cognitive research within psychiatric populations will be further enhanced through the development of more closely matched control tasks, and the exploration of relationships between task performance, medication, strategy use, and broader emotional and motor functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare M. Eddy
- Research and Innovation, BSMHFT National Centre for Mental Health, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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28
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Ascheid S, Wessa M, Linke JO. Effects of valence and arousal on implicit approach/ avoidance tendencies: A fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 2019; 131:333-341. [PMID: 31153965 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
To date, it is still a matter of debate, whether valence or valence and arousal interactively foster implicit approach and avoidance tendencies, and which neural circuitries underlie these effects. To address these questions, we investigated the effects of valence and arousal on implicit approach/avoidance tendencies during fMRI in healthy volunteers (N=46). The implicit approach of positive social scenes was associated with shorter response preparation times and increased activation of the lingual, parahippocampal and fusiform gyri. Valence and arousal did not influence reaction times interactively, but we observed increased activation of prefrontal, motor, temporal, middle cingulate and parietal cortex during the approach of positive highly arousing and negative mildly arousing pictures, and the avoidance of positively mildly arousing and negative highly arousing pictures. These findings confirm the facilitation of implicit approach by positive scenes and advance our understanding regarding the neurobiological correlates of implicit approach-/avoidance biases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Ascheid
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes-Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes-Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany
| | - Julia O Linke
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes-Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany.
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29
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Kang W, Kim G, Kim H, Lee SH. The Influence of Anxiety on the Recognition of Facial Emotion Depends on the Emotion Category and Race of the Target Faces. Exp Neurobiol 2019; 28:261-269. [PMID: 31138993 PMCID: PMC6526109 DOI: 10.5607/en.2019.28.2.261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The recognition of emotional facial expressions is critical for our social interactions. While some prior studies have shown that a high anxiety level is associated with more sensitive recognition of emotion, there are also reports supporting that anxiety did not affect or reduce the sensitivity to the recognition of facial emotions. To reconcile these results, here we investigated whether the effect of individual anxiety on the recognition of facial emotions is dependent on the emotion category and the race of the target faces. We found that, first, there was a significant positive correlation between the individual anxiety level and the recognition sensitivity for angry faces but not for sad or happy faces. Second, while the correlation was significant for both low- and high-intensity angry faces during the recognition of the observer's own-race faces, there was significant correlation only for low-intensity angry faces during the recognition of other-race faces. Collectively, our results suggest that the influence of anxiety on the recognition of facial emotions is flexible depending on the characteristics of the target face stimuli including emotion category and race.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonjun Kang
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Gayoung Kim
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Hyehyeon Kim
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Sue-Hyun Lee
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.,Program of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
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30
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Becker ES, Barth A, Smits JAJ, Beisel S, Lindenmeyer J, Rinck M. Positivity-approach training for depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled trial. J Affect Disord 2019; 245:297-304. [PMID: 30439675 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Depression is highly comorbid and depressive symptoms are very common. Symptom severity adversely affects treatment outcome and later health status. Established interventions for depression leave ample room for improvement. Short interventions that target specific vulnerabilities emerge as plausible augmentation strategies. In this study, we tested the efficacy of a computerized general positivity-approach training and its effect on depressive symptoms. METHODS Patients (N = 240) with various diagnoses of mental disorders who received treatment-as-usual in an inpatient setting were randomly assigned to also receive either 4 sessions of a positivity-approach training or 4 sessions of sham training. Depression severity was assessed at baseline and post-treatment. Training data were analyzed for a subset of 111 patients. RESULTS Depressive symptoms were reduced more after positivity-approach training than after sham training. Initial depression symptom severity moderated the intervention effects, such that approach tendencies and depression symptoms were only affected positively among patients with higher levels of initial depression symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS The findings provide preliminary support for positivity-approach training as an add-on treatment option for depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eni S Becker
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, The Netherlands.
| | - Anja Barth
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Mike Rinck
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, The Netherlands.
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31
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Vrijsen JN, Fischer VS, Müller BW, Scherbaum N, Becker ES, Rinck M, Tendolkar I. Cognitive bias modification as an add-on treatment in clinical depression: Results from a placebo-controlled, single-blinded randomized control trial. J Affect Disord 2018; 238:342-350. [PMID: 29908472 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Only 60% of depressed patients respond sufficiently to treatment, so there is a dire need for novel approaches to improve treatment effects. Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) may be an effective and easily implemented computerized add-on to treatment-as-usual. Therefore, we investigated the effects of a positivity-attention training and a positivity-approach training compared to control trainings. METHODS In a blinded randomized-controlled design, 139 depressed inpatients received either the CBM Attention Dot-Probe Training (DPT) or the CBM Approach-Avoidance Training (AAT), next to treatment as usual. N = 121 finished all four training sessions. Both trainings had an active and a control condition. In both active conditions, patients were trained to preferentially process generally positive pictures over neutral pictures. Depressive symptom severity was assessed before and after CBM, and positivity bias was measured at the start and end of each session. RESULTS Clinician-rated depressive symptom severity decreased more in patients who received the active condition of the DPT or the AAT compared to patients in the control conditions. Significant change in positivity bias was found for the DPT (not the AAT), but did not mediate the effect of the training on depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that both types of CBM (i.e., DPT and AAT) may provide a fitting add-on treatment option for clinical depression. The working mechanisms and optimal dose of CBM trainings, plus their possible combination, should be examined in more detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna N Vrijsen
- Department of Psychiatry, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Pro Persona Mental Health Care, Depression Expertise Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Verena S Fischer
- LVR-Hospital Essen, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Bernhard W Müller
- LVR-Hospital Essen, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Norbert Scherbaum
- LVR-Hospital Essen, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Eni S Becker
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mike Rinck
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Indira Tendolkar
- Department of Psychiatry, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; LVR-Hospital Essen, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
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32
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Jacobus J, Taylor CT, Gray KM, Meredith LR, Porter AM, Li I, Castro N, Squeglia LM. A multi-site proof-of-concept investigation of computerized approach-avoidance training in adolescent cannabis users. Drug Alcohol Depend 2018; 187:195-204. [PMID: 29679914 PMCID: PMC6053264 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few effective treatment options exist for cannabis-using youth. This pilot study aimed to test Approach-Avoidance Training to reduce cannabis use with non-treatment-seeking adolescents. METHODS Eighty cannabis-using non-treatment-seeking adolescents (average age 19) were recruited from San Diego, California and Charleston, South Carolina, and randomized to complete either six sessions of Cannabis Approach-Avoidance Task Training (CAAT-training) designed to reduce automatic approach biases for cannabis cues or CAAT-sham training. Change in two primary outcome variables was examined: 1) cannabis approach bias and 2) percent cannabis use days over study enrollment. Change in percent alcohol use days over study enrollment was explored as a secondary outcome. RESULTS A mixed models repeated measures analysis confirmed the group by time interaction effect for approach bias failed to reach statistical significance (p = .06). Significant group by time interaction effects (ps < 0.05) predicted percent days of cannabis and alcohol use over study enrollment. Participants randomized to the avoid cannabis condition (CAAT-training) reported 7% fewer days of cannabis use compared to 0% change for sham; unexpectedly, those in the avoid cannabis condition reported 10% percent more alcohol use days compared to 3% more for sham. CONCLUSIONS Computerized cognitive bias modification paradigms may have utility in reducing adolescent cannabis use. Future work should consider developing a paradigm that addresses both cannabis and alcohol, as well as alternative computerized approaches for coping with addictive behavior in conjunction with bias modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Jacobus
- University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Charles T Taylor
- University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kevin M Gray
- Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Addiction Sciences Division, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Lindsay R Meredith
- Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Addiction Sciences Division, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Anna M Porter
- Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Addiction Sciences Division, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Irene Li
- University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Norma Castro
- University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lindsay M Squeglia
- Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Addiction Sciences Division, Charleston, SC, USA
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33
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Fleurkens P, van Minnen A, Becker ES, van Oostrom I, Speckens A, Rinck M, Vrijsen JN. Automatic approach-avoidance tendencies as a candidate intermediate phenotype for depression: Associations with childhood trauma and the 5-HTTLPR transporter polymorphism. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193787. [PMID: 29547643 PMCID: PMC5856265 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression risk genes in combination with childhood events have been associated with biased processing as an intermediate phenotype for depression. The aim of the present conceptual replication study was to investigate the role of biased automatic approach-avoidance tendencies as a candidate intermediate phenotype for depression, in the context of genes (5-HTTLPR polymorphism) and childhood trauma. A naturalistic remitted depressed patients sample (N = 209) performed an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) with facial expressions (angry, sad, happy and neutral). Childhood trauma was assessed with a questionnaire. Genotype groups were created based on allele frequency: LaLa versus S/Lg-carriers. The latter is associated with depression risk. We found that remitted S/Lg-carriers who experienced childhood trauma automatically avoided sad facial expressions relatively more than LaLa homozygotes with childhood trauma. Remitted LaLa-carriers who had not experienced childhood trauma, avoided sad faces relatively more than LaLa homozygotes with childhood trauma. We did not find a main effect of childhood trauma, nor differential avoidance of any of the other facial expressions. Although tentative, the results suggest that automatic approach-avoidance tendencies for disorder-congruent materials may be a fitting intermediate phenotype for depression. The specific pattern of tendencies, and the relation to depression, may depend on the genetic risk profile and childhood trauma, but replication is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Fleurkens
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Agnes van Minnen
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Psychotrauma Expertise Centrum (PSYTREC), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Eni S. Becker
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Iris van Oostrom
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Speckens
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mike Rinck
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Janna N. Vrijsen
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Pro Persona: Institution for Integrated Mental Health Care, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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34
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Cao Y, Dingle G, Chan GCK, Cunnington R. Low Mood Leads to Increased Empathic Distress at Seeing Others' Pain. Front Psychol 2017; 8:2024. [PMID: 29209256 PMCID: PMC5702010 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown changes in empathy in patients with depression, including an elevated level of trait personal distress. This study examined if low mood causes changes in self-reported empathic distress when seeing others in pain. To test this, we conducted an initial (n = 26) and close replication study (n = 46) in which sad mood was induced in healthy participants (overall mean age M = 21, SD = 5, range = 18–41 years). Participants viewed and rated video stimuli inferring pain experienced by other people. Results showed that participants perceived the videos depicting others’ pain (versus no-pain) to be more distressing under a sad mood compared to a neutral mood condition, implying that sadness enhances one’s emotional reactivity toward others’ distress. This supports previous depression literature suggesting an impaired emotional processing ability, and could contribute to some of the unhelpful behaviors seen in depression such as social withdrawal and avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Cao
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Genevieve Dingle
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Gary C K Chan
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ross Cunnington
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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35
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Ames-Sikora AM, Donohue MR, Tully EC. Nonlinear Associations Between Co-Rumination and Both Social Support and Depression Symptoms. THE JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 151:597-612. [PMID: 28985150 DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2017.1372345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Co-ruminating about one's problems appears to involve both beneficial self-disclosure and harmful rumination, suggesting that moderate levels may be the most adaptive. This study used nonlinear regression to determine whether moderate levels of self-reported co-rumination in relationships with a sibling, parent, friend, and romantic partner are linked to the highest levels of self-perceived social support and lowest levels of self-reported depression symptoms in 175 emerging adults (77% female; M = 19.66 years). As expected, moderate co-rumination was associated with high social support across all four relationship types, but, somewhat unexpectedly, high levels of co-rumination were also associated with high social support. As predicted, moderate levels of co-rumination with friends and siblings were associated with low levels of depression. Contrary to hypotheses, high levels of co-rumination were associated with high depression within romantic relationships. Co-rumination with a parent did not have a linear or quadratic association with depression. These findings suggest that high co-ruminating in supportive relationships and to a lesser extent low co-ruminating in unsupportive relationships are maladaptive interpersonal processes but that co-rumination's relation to depression depends on the co-ruminating partner. Psychotherapies for depression may target these maladaptive processes by supporting clients' development of balanced self-focused negative talk.
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36
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Approach and avoidance tendencies in depression and anxiety disorders. Psychiatry Res 2017; 256:475-481. [PMID: 28715782 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Revised: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is linked to increased avoidance and inhibition, whereas depression is linked to decreased approach and diminished behavioral activation. Although these notions are widely recognized, systematic investigation of approach-avoidance tendencies is lacking across these diagnostic groups. Participants (mean age = 45.6; 65.8% female) were subdivided in healthy controls (405), remitted patients (877) and currently anxious (217), depressed (154) or comorbid (154) patients. Automatic approach-avoidance tendencies in reaction to facial expression were assessed using the Approach-Avoidance-Task (AAT). Self-reported trait approach and avoidance tendencies were assessed using the BIS/BAS scale. Severity of psychopathology was assessed to examine dose-response relationships. We did not find any consistent associations of automatic approach-avoidance tendencies with psychiatric variables. In contrast, medium to large differences in BIS scores showed increased trait avoidance tendencies in all patient groups relative to healthy controls. Overall, it seems that increased trait avoidance, rather than decreased approach, is a characteristic of affective disorders. This holds for both depressed and anxious patients and more strongly so in severe and chronic patients. It underlines the importance to address trait avoidance tendencies in the treatment of affective disorders.
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37
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Paulus MP, Stein MB, Craske MG, Bookheimer S, Taylor CT, Simmons AN, Sidhu N, Young KS, Fan B. Latent variable analysis of positive and negative valence processing focused on symptom and behavioral units of analysis in mood and anxiety disorders. J Affect Disord 2017; 216:17-29. [PMID: 28131628 PMCID: PMC5471118 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.12.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 12/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mood and anxiety disorders are highly heterogeneous and their underlying pathology is complex. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach seeks to establish dimensionally and neuroscience-based descriptions of psychopathology that may inform better classification and treatment approaches. The current investigation sought to determine the latent variables underlying positive and negative valence processing in terms of symptoms and behavioral units of analysis. METHOD As part of an ongoing study, individuals with mood and anxiety problems were recruited largely from primary care clinics at UCLA (n=62) and UCSD (n=58). These participants underwent a comprehensive symptomatic and behavioral assessment. An implicit approach avoidance task and a modified dot probe detection task were used to measure positive and negative valence processing. RESULTS Principal components analysis with varimax rotation identified four symptom components, three behavioral components for the dot probe task, and two behavioral components for the implicit approach avoidance task. These components yielded two meta-components consisting of: negative valence symptoms, negative approach bias, and high sustained, selective attention; and positive valence symptoms, positive approach bias, and slow selective or sustained attention. The components did not differ between males and females, nor by age or medication status. LIMITATIONS The limitations are: (1) relatively small sample, (2) exploratory analysis strategy, (3) no test/re-test data, (4) no neural circuit analysis, and (5) limited reliability of behavioral data. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary data show that positive and negative valence processing domains load on independent dimensions. Taken together, multi-level assessment approaches combined with advanced statistical analyses may help to identify distinct positive and negative valence processes within a clinical population that cut across traditional diagnostic categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin P Paulus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
| | - Murray B Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, USA
| | - Susan Bookheimer
- Department of Psychology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, USA
| | - Charles T Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alan N Simmons
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Natasha Sidhu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Katherine S Young
- Department of Psychology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, USA
| | - Boyang Fan
- Department of Psychology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, USA
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38
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Aan Het Rot M, Enea V, Dafinoiu I, Iancu S, Taftă SA, Bărbuşelu M. Behavioural responses to facial and postural expressions of emotion: An interpersonal circumplex approach. Br J Psychol 2017; 108:797-811. [PMID: 28326547 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
While the recognition of emotional expressions has been extensively studied, the behavioural response to these expressions has not. In the interpersonal circumplex, behaviour is defined in terms of communion and agency. In this study, we examined behavioural responses to both facial and postural expressions of emotion. We presented 101 Romanian students with facial and postural stimuli involving individuals ('targets') expressing happiness, sadness, anger, or fear. Using an interpersonal grid, participants simultaneously indicated how communal (i.e., quarrelsome or agreeable) and agentic (i.e., dominant or submissive) they would be towards people displaying these expressions. Participants were agreeable-dominant towards targets showing happy facial expressions and primarily quarrelsome towards targets with angry or fearful facial expressions. Responses to targets showing sad facial expressions were neutral on both dimensions of interpersonal behaviour. Postural versus facial expressions of happiness and anger elicited similar behavioural responses. Participants responded in a quarrelsome-submissive way to fearful postural expressions and in an agreeable way to sad postural expressions. Behavioural responses to the various facial expressions were largely comparable to those previously observed in Dutch students. Observed differences may be explained from participants' cultural background. Responses to the postural expressions largely matched responses to the facial expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marije Aan Het Rot
- Department of Psychology and School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Violeta Enea
- Department of Psychology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iaşi, Romania
| | - Ion Dafinoiu
- Department of Psychology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iaşi, Romania
| | - Sorina Iancu
- Department of Psychology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iaşi, Romania
| | - Steluţa A Taftă
- Department of Psychology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iaşi, Romania
| | - Mariana Bărbuşelu
- Department of Psychology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iaşi, Romania
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Huang H, Harlé K, Movellan J, Paulus M. Using Optimal Control to Disambiguate the Effect of Depression on Sensorimotor, Motivational and Goal-Setting Functions. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167960. [PMID: 27973592 PMCID: PMC5156396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Differentiating the ability from the motivation to act is of central importance to psychiatric disorders in general and depression in particular. However, it has been difficult to develop quantitative approaches to relate depression to poor motor performance in goal-directed tasks. Here, we use an inverse optimal control approach to provide a computational framework that can be used to infer and factorize performance deficits into three components: sensorimotor speed, goal setting and motivation. Using a novel computer-simulated driving experiment, we found that (1) severity of depression is associated with both altered sensorimotor speed and motivational function; (2) moderately to severely depressed individuals show an increased distance from the stop sign indicating aversive learning affecting goal setting functions. Taken together, the inverse optimal control framework can disambiguate on an individual basis the sensorimotor from the motivational dysfunctions in depression, which may help to develop more precisely targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Huang
- Department of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Machine Perception Lab, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- * E-mail:
| | - Katia Harlé
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | | | - Martin Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California
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Reddy LF, Green MF, Wynn JK, Rinck M, Horan WP. Approaching anger in schizophrenia: What an implicit task tells you that self-report does not. Schizophr Res 2016; 176:514-519. [PMID: 27242068 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Motivational deficits are important determinants of impaired social functioning in schizophrenia, yet we know very little about their precise nature. One influential model of motivation distinguishes between approach and avoidance neurobiological systems that impact the tendency to approach rewarding and avoid threatening stimuli. The current study evaluated approach and avoidance motivational tendencies using both implicit and explicit measures. One-hundred and sixteen individuals with schizophrenia and 73 healthy controls completed the implicit Approach Avoidance Task (AAT) which provides a reaction time-based measure of approach and avoidance tendencies for happy and angry faces, and the Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation System Scale (BIS/BAS), a self-report measure of approach and avoidance tendencies. The patient sample was re-administered the AAT four weeks later to evaluate re-test reliability. At baseline, patients showed a significant tendency to approach (rather than avoid) angry faces on the AAT. This same pattern was replicated at the follow-up assessment. In contrast, on the BIS/BAS, patients reported significantly elevated BIS scores, reflecting increased avoidance of aversive, anxiety-inducing stimuli. Results suggest a discrepancy between patients' implicit behavioral tendency to approach angry faces and their self-reported avoidance of aversive stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Felice Reddy
- Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States; UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, United States.
| | - Michael F Green
- Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States; UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, United States
| | - Jonathan K Wynn
- Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States; UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, United States
| | - Mike Rinck
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - William P Horan
- Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States; UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, United States
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41
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Wang N, Li SG, Lin XX, Su YL, Qi WJ, Wang JY, Luo F. Increasing Pain Sensation Eliminates the Inhibitory Effect of Depression on Evoked Pain in Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:183. [PMID: 27733820 PMCID: PMC5039174 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although previous studies have suggested that depression may be associated with inhibition of evoked pain but facilitation of spontaneous pain, the mechanisms underlying these relationships are unclear. The present study investigated whether the difference between evoked and spontaneous pain on sensory (descending inhibition) and affective (avoidance motivation) components contributes to the divergent effects of depression on them. Depressive-like behavior was produced in male Wistar rats by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). Tone-laser conditioning and formalin-induced conditioned place avoidance (F-CPA) were used to explore avoidance motivation in evoked and spontaneous pain, respectively. Behavioral pharmacology experiments were conducted to examine descending inhibition of both evoked (thermal stimulation) and spontaneous pain behavior (formalin pain). The results revealed that the inhibitory effect of depression on evoked pain was eliminated following repeated thermal stimuli. Avoidance behavior in the tone-laser conditioning task was reduced in UCMS rats, relative to controls. However, avoidance motivation for formalin pain in the UCMS group was similar to controls. 5-HT1A receptor antagonism interfered with inhibition of pain responses over time. The present study demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of depression on evoked pain dissipates with increased nociception and that the sensory-discriminative and affective-motivational components of pain are jointly involved in the divergent effects of depression on pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Sheng-Guang Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Xiao Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Yuan-Lin Su
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Wei-Jing Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Jin-Yan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Fei Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
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Wiers CE, Wiers RW. Imaging the neural effects of cognitive bias modification training. Neuroimage 2016; 151:81-91. [PMID: 27450074 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.07.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Revised: 07/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive bias modification (CBM) was first developed as an experimental tool to examine the causal role of cognitive biases, and later developed into complementary interventions in experimental psychopathology research. CBM involves the "re-training" of implicit biases by means of multiple trials of computerized tasks, and has been demonstrated to change anxious, depressive and drug-seeking behavior, including clinically relevant effects. Recently, the field has progressed by combining CBM with neuroimaging techniques, which provides insight into neural mechanisms underlying how CBM affects implicit biases in anxiety, depression, and addiction, and potentially other pathologies. This narrative literature review summarizes the state of the art of studies on the neural effects of CBM and provides directions for future research in the field. A total of 13 published studies were found and discussed: n=9 in anxiety, n=2 in depressive behavior, and n=2 in addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinde E Wiers
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Reinout W Wiers
- Addiction Development and Psychopathology (ADAPT) Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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43
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Social functioning in major depressive disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 69:313-32. [PMID: 27395342 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 355] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2015] [Revised: 06/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Depression is associated with social risk factors, social impairments and poor social functioning. This paper gives an overview of these social aspects using the NIMH Research and Domain Criteria 'Systems for Social Processes' as a framework. In particular, it describes the bio-psycho-social interplay regarding impaired affiliation and attachment (social anhedonia, hyper-sensitivity to social rejection, competition avoidance, increased altruistic punishment), impaired social communication (impaired emotion recognition, diminished cooperativeness), impaired social perception (reduced empathy, theory-of-mind deficits) and their impact on social networks and the use of social media. It describes these dysfunctional social processes at the behavioural, neuroanatomical, neurochemical and genetic levels, and with respect to animal models of social stress. We discuss the diagnostic specificity of these social deficit constructs for depression and in relation to depression severity. Since social factors are importantly involved in the pathogenesis and the consequences of depression, such research will likely contribute to better diagnostic assessments and concepts, treatments and preventative strategies both at the diagnostic and transdiagnostic level.
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Abstract
The rapid detection of emotional signals from facial expressions is fundamental for human social interaction. The personality factor of neuroticism modulates the processing of various types of emotional facial expressions; however, its effect on the detection of emotional facial expressions remains unclear. In this study, participants with high- and low-neuroticism scores performed a visual search task to detect normal expressions of anger and happiness, and their anti-expressions within a crowd of neutral expressions. Anti-expressions contained an amount of visual changes equivalent to those found in normal expressions compared to neutral expressions, but they were usually recognized as neutral expressions. Subjective emotional ratings in response to each facial expression stimulus were also obtained. Participants with high-neuroticism showed an overall delay in the detection of target facial expressions compared to participants with low-neuroticism. Additionally, the high-neuroticism group showed higher levels of arousal to facial expressions compared to the low-neuroticism group. These data suggest that neuroticism modulates the detection of emotional facial expressions in healthy participants; high levels of neuroticism delay overall detection of facial expressions and enhance emotional arousal in response to facial expressions.
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Radke S, Seidel EM, Eickhoff SB, Gur RC, Schneider F, Habel U, Derntl B. When opportunity meets motivation: Neural engagement during social approach is linked to high approach motivation. Neuroimage 2016; 127:267-276. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2015] [Revised: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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Huang H, Movellan J, Paulus MP, Harlé KM. The Influence of Depression on Cognitive Control: Disambiguating Approach and Avoidance Tendencies. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143714. [PMID: 26605795 PMCID: PMC4659610 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysfunctions of approach and avoidance motivation play an important role in depression, which in turn may affect cognitive control, i.e., the ability to regulate thoughts and action to achieve internal goals. We use a novel experimental paradigm, i.e. a computer simulated driving-task, to study the impact of depression on cognitive control by measuring approach and avoidance actions in continuous time. In this task, 39 subjects with minimal to severe depression symptoms were instructed to use a joystick to move a virtual car as quickly as possible to a target point without crossing a stop-sign or crashing into a wall. We recorded their continuous actions on a joystick and found that depression 1) leads to further stopping distance to task target; and 2) increases the magnitude of late deceleration (avoidance) but not early acceleration (approach), which was only observed in the stop-sign condition. Taken together, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that depressed individuals have greater avoidance motivation near stopping target, but are minimally affected by approach motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Huang
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Javier Movellan
- Machine Perception Lab, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Martin P. Paulus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Katia M. Harlé
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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Radke S, Pfersmann V, Derntl B. The impact of emotional faces on social motivation in schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2015; 265:613-22. [PMID: 25724560 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-015-0589-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Impairments in emotion recognition and psychosocial functioning are a robust phenomenon in schizophrenia and may affect motivational behavior, particularly during socio-emotional interactions. To characterize potential deficits and their interplay, we assessed social motivation covering various facets, such as implicit and explicit approach-avoidance tendencies to facial expressions, in 27 patients with schizophrenia (SZP) and 27 matched healthy controls (HC). Moreover, emotion recognition abilities as well as self-reported behavioral activation and inhibition were evaluated. Compared to HC, SZP exhibited less pronounced approach-avoidance ratings to happy and angry expressions along with prolonged reactions during automatic approach-avoidance. Although deficits in emotion recognition were replicated, these were not associated with alterations in social motivation. Together with additional connections between psychopathology and several approach-avoidance processes, these results identify motivational impairments in SZP and suggest a complex relationship between different aspects of social motivation. In the context of specialized interventions aimed at improving social cognitive abilities in SZP, the link between such dynamic measures, motivational profiles and functional outcomes warrants further investigations, which can provide important leverage points for treatment. Crucially, our findings present first insights into the assessment and identification of target features of social motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Radke
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany. .,JARA - Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich/Aachen, Germany.
| | | | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.,JARA - Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich/Aachen, Germany.,Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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Challis C, Berton O. Top-Down Control of Serotonin Systems by the Prefrontal Cortex: A Path toward Restored Socioemotional Function in Depression. ACS Chem Neurosci 2015; 6:1040-54. [PMID: 25706226 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.5b00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social withdrawal, increased threat perception, and exaggerated reassurance seeking behaviors are prominent interpersonal symptoms in major depressive disorder (MDD). Altered serotonin (5-HT) systems and corticolimbic dysconnectivity have long been suspected to contribute to these symptomatic facets; however, the underlying circuits and intrinsic cellular mechanisms that control 5-HT output during socioemotional interactions remain poorly understood. We review literature that implicates a direct pathway between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) in the adaptive and pathological control of social approach-avoidance behaviors. Imaging and neuromodulation during approach-avoidance tasks in humans point to the cortical control of brainstem circuits as an essential regulator of socioemotional decisions and actions. Parallel rodent studies using viral-based connectomics and optogenetics are beginning to provide a cellular blueprint of the underlying circuitry. In these studies, manipulations of vmPFC synaptic inputs to the DRN have revealed bidirectional influences on socioaffective behaviors via direct monosynaptic excitation and indirect disynaptic inhibition of 5-HT neurons. Additionally, adverse social experiences that result in permanent avoidance biases, such as social defeat, drive long-lasting plasticity in this microcircuit, potentiating the indirect inhibition of 5-HT output. Conversely, neuromodulation of the vmPFC via deep brain stimulation (DBS) attenuates avoidance biases by restoring the direct excitatory drive of 5-HT neurons and strengthening a key subset of forebrain 5-HT projections. Better understanding the cellular organization of the vmPFC-DRN pathway and identifying molecular determinants of its neuroplasticity can open fundamentally novel avenues for the treatment of affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin Challis
- Department of Psychiatry, ‡Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Olivier Berton
- Department of Psychiatry, ‡Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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Merkl A, Neumann WJ, Huebl J, Aust S, Horn A, Krauss JK, Dziobek I, Kuhn J, Schneider GH, Bajbouj M, Kühn AA. Modulation of Beta-Band Activity in the Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex during Emotional Empathy in Treatment-Resistant Depression. Cereb Cortex 2015; 26:2626-38. [PMID: 25994959 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising approach in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). TRD is associated with problems in interpersonal relationships, which might be linked to impaired empathy. Here, we investigate the influence of DBS in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) on empathy in patients with TRD and explore the pattern of oscillatory sgACC activity during performance of the multifaceted empathy test. We recorded local field potential activity directly from sgACC via DBS electrodes in patients. Based on previous behavioral findings, we expected disrupted empathy networks. Patients showed increased empathic involvement ratings toward negative stimuli as compared with healthy subjects that were significantly reduced after 6 months of DBS. Stimulus-related oscillatory activity pattern revealed a broad desynchronization in the beta (14-35 Hz) band that was significantly larger during patients' reported emotional empathy for negative stimuli than when patients reported to have no empathy. Beta desynchronization for empathic involvement correlated with self-reported severity of depression. Our results indicate a "negativity bias" in patients that can be reduced by DBS. Moreover, direct recordings show activation of the sgACC area during emotional processing and propose that changes in beta-band oscillatory activity in the sgACC might index empathic involvement of negative emotion in TRD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Merkl
- Department of Neurology Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin
| | | | | | - Sabine Aust
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin
| | | | - Joachim K Krauss
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Jens Kuhn
- Centre of Psychiatry, Medical School Cologne, Germany
| | - Gerd-Helge Schneider
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Berlin, Germany
| | - Malek Bajbouj
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin
| | - Andrea A Kühn
- Department of Neurology Berlin School of Mind and Brain NeuroCure, Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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50
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Bartoszek G, Winer ES. Spider-fearful individuals hesitantly approach threat, whereas depressed individuals do not persistently approach reward. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2015; 46:1-7. [PMID: 25164091 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2014] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Much research documents that anxiety is related to the avoidance of threatening information. Research is also beginning to suggest that depression is related to a lack of approach toward positive information. However, many questions remain regarding the specificity and robustness of these effects. The goal of the present study was to examine specific motivational patterns differentiating between anxiety and depression. METHODS The current study used the approach-avoidance task (AAT) to further investigate these phenomena. Spider-fearful, depressed, and non-fearful/non-depressed (control) participants pulled or pushed a joystick lever in response to positive, neutral, and negative (spider and spider-unrelated) pictures. Unlike in previous AAT studies, duration times (DTs) of joystick movements were examined in addition to reaction times (RTs). RESULTS As hypothesized, in contrast to depressed and control groups, spider-fearful participants exhibited avoidance tendencies by evidencing slower RTs when pulling the joystick in response to spider versus neutral pictures. As further hypothesized, depressed participants exhibited diminished approach motivation as evidenced by their pulling positive pictures for a shorter duration than neutral pictures, in comparison to the control group. LIMITATIONS Participants in our study were from a non-clinical student sample and further research is required for generalization to spider phobia and major depressive disorder. CONCLUSION These findings inform theoretical understanding of the specific motivational tendencies of anxiety and depression, and introduce a modification of the AAT that, if incorporated in clinical settings, would increase the specificity and success of cognitive bias modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Bartoszek
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, 1007 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.
| | - E Samuel Winer
- Mississippi State University, PO Box 6161, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
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