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Guliyeva SM, Mekhtiev AA. Involvement of Dihydropyrimidinase-Related Protein 2 in Human Anxiety Regulation. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2023. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022093023010118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
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Stamatis CA, Meyerhoff J, Liu T, Hou Z, Sherman G, Curtis BL, Ungar LH, Mohr DC. The association of language style matching in text messages with mood and anxiety symptoms. PROCEDIA COMPUTER SCIENCE 2022; 206:151-161. [PMID: 36567869 PMCID: PMC9784681 DOI: 10.1016/j.procs.2022.09.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Context Impairment in social functioning is a feature and consequence of depression and anxiety disorders. For example, in depression, anhedonia and negative feelings about the self may impact relationships; in anxiety, fear of negative evaluation may interfere with getting close to others. It is unknown whether social impairment associated with depression and anxiety symptoms is reflected in day-to-day language exchanges with others, such as through reduced language style matching (LSM). Methods Over 16 weeks, we collected text message data from 458 adults and evaluated differences in LSM between people with average scores above/below the clinical cutoff for depression, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety in text message conversations. Text message sentiment scores were computed across 73 Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) categories for each participant. T-tests were used to compare LSM across two groups (average scores above/below clinical cutoff) for each of the 3 diagnostic categories (depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety), and each of the 73 LIWC categories, with correction for multiple comparisons. Results We found reduced LSM of function words (namely, prepositions [t=-2.82, p=.032], articles [t=-5.26, p<.001], and auxiliary verbs [t=-2.64, p=.046]) in people with average scores above the clinical cutoff for generalized anxiety, and reduced LSM of prepositions (t=-4.26, p<.001) and articles (t=-3.39, p=.010) in people with average scores above the clinical cutoff for social anxiety. There were no significant differences in LSM of function words between people with average scores above and below the clinical cutoff for depression. Across all symptom categories, elevated affective psychopathology was associated with being more likely to style match on formality, including netspeak (generalized anxiety, t=5.77, p<.001; social anxiety, t=4.14, p<.001; depression, t=3.13, p=.021) and informal language (generalized anxiety, t=6.65, p<.001; social anxiety, t=5.14, p>.001; depression, t=3.20, p=.020).We also observed content-specific LSM differences across the three groups. Conclusions Reduced LSM of function words among patients reporting elevated anxiety symptoms suggests that anxiety-related psychosocial difficulties may be perceptible in subtle cues from day-to-day language. Conversely, the absence of differences in the LSM of function words among people with average scores above and below the clinical cutoff for depression indicates a potentially distinct mechanism of social impairment. Implications Results point to potential markers of psychosocial difficulties in daily conversations, particularly among those experiencing heightened anxiety symptoms. Future studies may consider the degree to which LSM is associated with self-reported psychosocial impairment, with the promise of informing cognitive-behavioral mechanisms and tailoring digital interventions for social skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin A. Stamatis
- Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 750 N. Lake Shore Dr., 10th Floor Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Jonah Meyerhoff
- Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 750 N. Lake Shore Dr., 10th Floor Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Tingting Liu
- Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Technology & Translational Research Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA IRP), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Zhaoyi Hou
- Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania, 3330 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Garrick Sherman
- Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Brenda L. Curtis
- Technology & Translational Research Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA IRP), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Lyle H. Ungar
- Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania, 3330 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David C. Mohr
- Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 750 N. Lake Shore Dr., 10th Floor Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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Bashford‐Largo J, Zhang R, Mathur A, Elowsky J, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR, Blair KS, Bajaj S. Reduced cortical volume of the default mode network in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety 2022; 39:485-495. [PMID: 35312127 PMCID: PMC9246827 DOI: 10.1002/da.23252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Widespread structural alterations have been shown to be implicated in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, there have been inconsistent findings in cortical volume (CV) differences. Most structural neuroimaging studies looking at GAD used region-based approach with relatively small sample sizes, let alone be specific to adolescents with GAD. We believe this is the first study to look at CV measures using a network-based approach in a larger sample of adolescents with GAD. The goal of the current study was to focus on three different brain networks (i.e., Limbic, Frontoparietal, and Default Mode Network [DMN]) in adolescents with GAD. METHOD The study involved 81 adolescents with GAD and 112 typically developing (TD) comparison individuals matched on age (15.98 and 15.63 respective means), sex (42F/39M and 45F/67M), and IQ (101.90 and 103.94 respective means). Participants underwent structural MRI. Freesurfer was used to estimate CV (both network-specific and region-specific within networks) and region-specific sub-cortical volume measures. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA; with sex, age, IQ, and intracranial volume [ICV] as potential covariates) was used to estimate group differences. RESULTS We found significantly lower CV for the DMN in adolescents with GAD, compared with TD individuals. Adolescents with GAD also showed significantly lower hemispheric mean CV of the default-mode regions (particularly the prefrontal and temporal regions) and the hippocampus, compared with TD individuals. CONCLUSION The current findings suggest structural alterations in adolescents with GAD. These structural alterations will need to be addressed when implementing and developing treatments for patients with GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannah Bashford‐Largo
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
- Center for Brain, Biology, and BehaviorUniversity of Nebraska‐LincolnLincolnNebraskaUSA
| | - Ru Zhang
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Avantika Mathur
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of North DakotaGrand ForksNorth DakotaUSA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Inpatient Psychiatric Care UnitBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Robert James R. Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health ServicesCapital Region of DenmarkCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
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Abstract
Humans, like other animals, are fundamentally motivated to pursue rewarding outcomes and avoid aversive ones. Anxiety disorders are conceptualized, defined, and treated based on heightened sensitivity to perceived aversive outcomes, including imminent threats as well as those that are uncertain yet could occur in the future. Avoidance is the central strategy used to mitigate anticipated aversive outcomes - often at the cost of sacrificing potential rewards and hindering people from obtaining desired outcomes. It is for these reasons that people are often motivated to seek treatment. In this chapter, we consider whether and how anhedonia - the loss of interest in pursuing and/or reduced responsiveness to rewarding outcomes - may serve as a barrier to recovering from clinically impairing anxiety. Increasingly recognized as a prominent symptom in many individuals with elevated anxiety, anhedonia is not explicitly considered within prevailing theoretical models or treatment approaches of anxiety. Our goal, therefore, is to review what is known about anhedonia within the anxiety disorders and then integrate this knowledge into a functional perspective to consider how anhedonia could maintain anxiety and limit treatment response. Our overarching thesis is that anhedonia disrupts the key processes that are central to supporting anxiety recovery. We end this chapter by considering how explicitly targeting anhedonia in treatment can optimize outcomes for anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles T Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Samantha N Hoffman
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Amanda J Khan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
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Bashford-Largo J, Aloi J, Zhang R, Bajaj S, Carollo E, Elowsky J, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR, Blair KS. Reduced neural differentiation of rewards and punishment during passive avoidance learning in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety 2021; 38:794-803. [PMID: 33739566 PMCID: PMC8328882 DOI: 10.1002/da.23150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It has been proposed that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) show dysfunctional computations related to approach-avoidance decision-making. However, few studies have examined the neural basis of this impairment, particularly in adolescents with GAD. The goal of the current study was to address this gap in the literature. METHOD The study involved 51 adolescents with GAD and 51 typically developing (TD) comparison individuals matched on age (16.10 and 15.75 respective means), gender (30 F/21 M and 24 F/27 M), and IQ (103.20 and 103.18 respective means). Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a passive avoidance task. RESULTS We found a significant Group-by-Reinforcement interaction within reward-related brain regions including the caudate, putamen, mid cingulate/paracentral lobule, and superior and middle frontal gyrus. TD adolescents showed a greater differential response to reward versus punishment feedback within these regions relative to adolescents with GAD. In particular, this reflected reduced responses to rewards in the adolescents with GAD. There were no group differences in neural responses when making approach/avoidance responses. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest reduced differential responsiveness to reinforcement as a component of the pathophysiology seen in adolescents with GAD. This dysfunction likely underpins decision-making impairments that may exacerbate the participants' worry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Erin Carollo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - R. James R. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
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Disorder- and emotional context-specific neurofunctional alterations during inhibitory control in generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 30:102661. [PMID: 33866301 PMCID: PMC8060548 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
fMRI affective GO/NOGO tasks differentiates depression (MDD) from anxiety (GAD). MDD but not GAD showed impaired inhibitory control on the behavioral level. MDD exhibited decreased engagement of posterior frontal/mid-cingulate regions. The neural alterations were specific for MDD and inhibition in negative contexts. GAD showed intact inhibition and enhanced dlPFC activity relative to MDD.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) are highly debilitating and often co-morbid disorders. The disorders exhibit partly overlapping dysregulations on the behavioral and neurofunctional level. The determination of disorder-specific behavioral and neurofunctional dysregulations may therefore promote neuro-mechanistic and diagnostic specificity. In order to determine disorder-specific alterations in the domain of emotion-cognition interactions the present study examined emotional context-specific inhibitory control in treatment-naïve MDD (n = 37) and GAD (n = 35) patients and healthy controls (n = 35). On the behavioral level MDD but not GAD exhibited impaired inhibitory control irrespective of emotional context. On the neural level, MDD-specific attenuated recruitment of inferior/medial parietal, posterior frontal, and mid-cingulate regions during inhibitory control were found during the negative context. GAD exhibited a stronger engagement of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex relative to MDD. Overall the findings from the present study suggest disorder- and emotional context-specific behavioral and neurofunctional inhibitory control dysregulations in major depression and may point to a depression-specific neuropathological and diagnostic marker.
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Xu X, Dai J, Chen Y, Liu C, Xin F, Zhou X, Zhou F, Stamatakis EA, Yao S, Luo L, Huang Y, Wang J, Zou Z, Vatansever D, Kendrick KM, Zhou B, Becker B. Intrinsic connectivity of the prefrontal cortex and striato-limbic system respectively differentiate major depressive from generalized anxiety disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:791-798. [PMID: 32961541 PMCID: PMC8027677 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00868-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are highly prevalent and debilitating disorders. The high overlap on the symptomatic and neurobiological level led to ongoing debates about their diagnostic and neurobiological uniqueness. The present study aims to identify common and disorder-specific neuropathological mechanisms and treatment targets in MDD and GAD. To this end we combined categorical and dimensional disorder models with a fully data-driven intrinsic network-level analysis (intrinsic connectivity contrast, ICC) to resting-state fMRI data acquired in 108 individuals (n = 35 and n = 38 unmedicated patients with first-episode GAD, MDD, respectively, and n = 35 healthy controls). Convergent evidence from categorical and dimensional analyses revealed MDD-specific decreased whole-brain connectivity profiles of the medial prefrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex while GAD was specifically characterized by decreased whole-brain connectivity profiles of the putamen and decreased communication of this region with the amygdala. Together, findings from the present data-driven analysis suggest that intrinsic communication of frontal regions engaged in executive functions and emotion regulation represent depression-specific neurofunctional markers and treatment targets whereas dysregulated intrinsic communication of the striato-amygdala system engaged in reinforcement-based and emotional learning processes represent GAD-specific markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolei Xu
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China
| | - Jing Dai
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China ,Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, 610036 Sichuan China
| | - Yuanshu Chen
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China
| | - Congcong Liu
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China
| | - Fei Xin
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China
| | - Xinqi Zhou
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China
| | - Feng Zhou
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China
| | - Emmanuel A. Stamatakis
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, University of Cambridge, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 0SP UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Clinical Neurosciences, School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, University of Cambridge, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 0SP UK
| | - Shuxia Yao
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China
| | - Lizhu Luo
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China ,Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, 610036 Sichuan China
| | - Yulan Huang
- grid.410646.10000 0004 1808 0950Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, 610072 Sichuan China
| | - Jinyu Wang
- grid.410646.10000 0004 1808 0950Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, 610072 Sichuan China
| | - Zhili Zou
- grid.410646.10000 0004 1808 0950Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, 610072 Sichuan China
| | - Deniz Vatansever
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, China
| | - Keith M. Kendrick
- grid.54549.390000 0004 0369 4060The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 Sichuan China
| | - Bo Zhou
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, 610072, Sichuan, China.
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, Sichuan, China.
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Lavigne-Cerván R, Costa-López B, Juárez-Ruiz de Mier R, Real-Fernández M, Sánchez-Muñoz de León M, Navarro-Soria I. Consequences of COVID-19 Confinement on Anxiety, Sleep and Executive Functions of Children and Adolescents in Spain. Front Psychol 2021; 12:565516. [PMID: 33664690 PMCID: PMC7921483 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.565516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Children and adolescents are not indifferent to the dramatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to be forced to live in confinement. The change in life to which they have been abruptly subjected forces us to understand the state of their mental health in order to adequately address both their present and future needs. The present study was carried out with the intention of studying the consequences of confinement on anxiety, sleep routines and executive functioning of 1,028 children and adolescents, aged from 6 to 18 years, residing in Spain to; assess if there are differences regarding these consequences in terms of sex and age; how anxiety affects executive functioning in males and females; and to examine the possible correlations between the measured variables. For this purpose, an online questionnaire containing five sections was designed: the first section gathers information on sociodemographic and health data, while the following sections gather information from different standardized scales which measure anxiety, sleep and executive functions, whose items were adapted in order to be completed by parents, and/or legal guardians. The statistical analyzes carried out highlights significant differences in executive functioning between males and females. In turn, in regards to age, greater difficulties were detected in anxiety in the 9 to 12 age group and greater sleep disturbances between 13 and 18 year olds. On the other hand, significant differences were found in intra-sexual executive functioning depending on whether they presented greater or lesser anxiety, with executive functioning being more tendentiously maladjusted in males than in females, revealing a significantly relevant effect size (p = 0.001; ω2 = 0.27 BRIEF-2; ω2 = 0.19 BDEFS-CA; 95%). Positive correlations are obtained between state anxiety and sleep and executive functioning alterations. Finally, through Path Analysis, it is verified that state anxiety is the variable with the greatest weight within the model that would explain the alteration in the executive functioning of the present sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Lavigne-Cerván
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Malaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Borja Costa-López
- Department of Health Psychology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Marta Real-Fernández
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Ignasi Navarro-Soria
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
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Cui RS, Ruan H, Liu LY, Li XW. Involvement of noradrenergic and serotonergic systems in risk-based decisions between options of equivalent expected value in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 175:107310. [PMID: 32890758 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107310] [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: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Risk perception is an important factor that may mediate risk-based decision-making processes regulated by noradrenergic (NA) and serotonergic (5-HT) systems. Most risk-based decision-making models involve complex factors, such as risk perception or reward value, such that the final decision is the result of the interactions among these factors. However, the contribution of risk perception per se in risk decisions has remained unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we made some modifications to the classical probabilistic discounting task (PDT) to focus on the impact of risk perception and noradrenergic/serotonergic systems on decision-making behavior. Meanwhile, we conducted an elevated plus-maze (EPM) test to detect the correlation between anxiety and choice behavior. In the current study, rats had to choose between a "certain" lever that delivered a certain number of pellets and a "risky" lever that delivered eight pellets in a probabilistic manner (descending: 50%, 25%, 12.5% or ascending 12.5%, 25%, 50% of the time). The long-term rewarding values of the two levers were always identical in each block within each session. According to their baseline performances in choosing the risky lever, rats were divided into the risk-prefer group and risk-averse group. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between open arm time in EPM and risky choice for both descending order and ascending order, indicating that highly anxious rats more often preferred the safe option under risk. Pharmacological stimulation of α2-adrenergic receptors via dexmedetomidine (0.01 mg/kg) decreased the preference of probabilistic rewards in the risk-prefer group, while blocking α2 receptors by atipamezole (0.3 mg/kg) also reduced risky choices. The NA reuptake inhibitor, atomoxetine, increased the preference for risky choices in the risk-prefer group, the effect of which was attained via multiple superimposed doses. Administration of the 5-HT2A receptor agonist, DOI (0.1 mg/kg), increased risk-taking behavior in the risk-prefer group. Taken together, these results suggest that NA may be more inclined to process negative information such as loss or uncertainty in the regulation of risk-related decision making, whereas 5-HT may function primarily to increase risk-taking behavior. Our findings may help to further elucidate how noradrenergic and serotonergic systems differentially affect individuals with different risk preferences in terms of regulating risk perception in risk-related decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Si Cui
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, College of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Heng Ruan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, College of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Li-Yuan Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, College of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Xin-Wang Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, College of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, PR China.
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Dumais KM, Chernyak S, Nickerson LD, Janes AC. Sex differences in default mode and dorsal attention network engagement. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199049. [PMID: 29902249 PMCID: PMC6002059 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Focusing on sex differences is necessary to fully understand basic neurobiological processes such as the engagement of large-scale brain networks involved in attention. Prior work suggests that women show enhanced attention during tasks of reward/punishment relative to men. Yet, sex differences in the engagement of neural networks sub serving internal and external focus has been unexplored in regard to reward and punishment. Using data from a large sample (n = 190) of healthy participants from the Human Connectome Project, we investigated sex differences in default mode network (DMN), dorsal attention network (DAN), and frontal parietal network (FPN) activation during exposure to reward and punishment. To determine if sex differences are specific to valenced stimuli, we analyzed network activation during working memory. Results indicate that, relative to men, women have increased suppression of the DMN and greater activation of the DAN during exposure to reward and punishment. Given the relative roles of these networks in internal (DMN) and external (DAN) attention, this pattern of activation suggests that women have enhanced external attention to reward and punishment. In contrast, there were no sex differences in network activation during working memory, indicating that this sex difference is specific to the processing of reward and punishment. These findings suggest a neurobiological explanation for prior work showing women have greater sensitivity to reward/punishment and are more prone to psychiatric disorders characterized by enhanced attention to such stimuli. Furthermore, given the large sample from the Human Connectome Project, the current findings provide general implications for the study of sex as a biological variable in investigation of reward processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Dumais
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sergey Chernyak
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lisa D. Nickerson
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Amy C. Janes
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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White SF, Geraci M, Lewis E, Leshin J, Teng C, Averbeck B, Meffert H, Ernst M, Blair JR, Grillon C, Blair KS. Prediction Error Representation in Individuals With Generalized Anxiety Disorder During Passive Avoidance. Am J Psychiatry 2017; 174:110-117. [PMID: 27631963 PMCID: PMC5572647 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.15111410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Deficits in reinforcement-based decision making have been reported in generalized anxiety disorder. However, the pathophysiology of these deficits is largely unknown; published studies have mainly examined adolescents, and the integrity of core functional processes underpinning decision making remains undetermined. In particular, it is unclear whether the representation of reinforcement prediction error (PE) (the difference between received and expected reinforcement) is disrupted in generalized anxiety disorder. This study addresses these issues in adults with the disorder. METHOD Forty-six unmedicated individuals with generalized anxiety disorder and 32 healthy comparison subjects group-matched on IQ, gender, and age performed a passive avoidance task while undergoing functional MRI. Data analyses were performed using a computational modeling approach. RESULTS Behaviorally, individuals with generalized anxiety disorder showed impaired reinforcement-based decision making. Imaging results revealed that during feedback, individuals with generalized anxiety disorder relative to healthy subjects showed a reduced correlation between PE and activity within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, and other structures implicated in decision making. In addition, individuals with generalized anxiety disorder relative to healthy participants showed a reduced correlation between punishment PEs, but not reward PEs, and activity within the left and right lentiform nucleus/putamen. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to identify computational impairments during decision making in generalized anxiety disorder. PE signaling is significantly disrupted in individuals with the disorder and may lead to their decision-making deficits and excessive worry about everyday problems by disrupting the online updating ("reality check") of the current relationship between the expected values of current response options and the actual received rewards and punishments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Cindy Teng
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, NIMH, NIH
| | | | - Harma Meffert
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, NIMH, NIH
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12
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Campellone TR, Elis O, Mote J, Sanchez AH, Kring AM. Negative symptoms in psychometrically defined schizotypy: The role of depressive symptoms. Psychiatry Res 2016; 240:181-186. [PMID: 27111211 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Revised: 02/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
People high in schizotypy, a risk factor for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, can have negative symptoms, including diminished experience of motivation/pleasure (MAP) and emotional expressivity (EXP). Additionally, people high in schizotypy often report elevated depressive symptoms, which are also associated with diminished MAP and EXP. In this study, we examined whether negative symptoms were related to schizotypy above and beyond the presence of depressive symptoms. Thirty-one people high in schizotypy and 24 people low in schizotypy were administered the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS), an interview-based measure of MAP and EXP negative symptoms and completed a self-report measure of cognitive and somatic-affective depressive symptoms. People high in schizotypy had more MAP negative symptoms than people low in schizotypy, but we found no group differences in EXP negative symptoms. Importantly, the relationship between MAP negative symptoms and schizotypy was fully mediated by cognitive depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that depressive symptoms, specifically cognitive depressive symptoms, may be a pathway for motivation and pleasure impairment, in people at elevated risk for developing schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy R Campellone
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 3210, Tolman Hall, Berkeley 94720-1650, CA, USA.
| | - Ori Elis
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 3210, Tolman Hall, Berkeley 94720-1650, CA, USA
| | - Jasmine Mote
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 3210, Tolman Hall, Berkeley 94720-1650, CA, USA
| | - Amy H Sanchez
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 3210, Tolman Hall, Berkeley 94720-1650, CA, USA
| | - Ann M Kring
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 3210, Tolman Hall, Berkeley 94720-1650, CA, USA
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13
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Dorfman J, Rosen D, Pine D, Ernst M. Anxiety and Gender Influence Reward-Related Processes in Children and Adolescents. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2016; 26:380-90. [PMID: 26779590 PMCID: PMC4876518 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2015.0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examined the effects of pediatric anxiety and its interaction with gender on reward processes. Based on the purported greater sensitivity to risk in females than males and the propensity for risk aversion in anxiety, clinical anxiety and female gender were hypothesized to act synergistically in reducing reward sensitivity and increasing risk aversion in a pediatric population. METHODS This hypothesis was tested in two separate experiments using two independent samples. Both experiments compared clinically anxious with typically developing (TD) youth, 8-18 years. Experiment 1 used a decision-making task, the Wheel of Fortune task (WOF), to examine risk taking as a function of varying levels of risk and reward in 36 anxious and 61 TD youths. Experiment 2 used an incentive delay task, the Piñata task, to examine sensitivity to reward and motivation to work for a reward in 38 anxious and 30 TD youth. Percent bet, reaction time, and accuracy were analyzed as a function of gender and diagnostic group. RESULTS As hypothesized, anxiety was associated with reduced risk taking and sensitivity to reward. However, contrary to prediction, this effect was seen in males and not in females. These findings are consistent across both experiments. In experiment 1 (WOF), betting rate (i.e., risk taking) was significantly lower in anxious than in TD males (F[1;53] = 7.07, p = 0.01), whereas anxious females did not differ from TD females (F[1,42] = 1.2, p = 0.28). In experiment 2 (Piñata), anxiety impaired performance accuracy in males (F[1;36] = 8.39; p < 0.01) but not females (F[1;28] = 0.6; p = 0.445). CONCLUSIONS Anxiety affected reward function differently in males and females. Contrary to hypothesis, anxious females behaved similarly to TD females on both tasks. However, anxious males were significantly more risk averse and less accurate than TD males. These findings suggest that therapeutic interventions for anxiety, which use manipulations of reward processes, should consider gender for optimal outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Dorfman
- Department of Developmental and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Dana Rosen
- Department of Developmental and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Daniel Pine
- Department of Developmental and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Monique Ernst
- Department of Developmental and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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14
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Teng C, Otero M, Geraci M, Blair R, Pine DS, Grillon C, Blair KS. Abnormal decision-making in generalized anxiety disorder: Aversion of risk or stimulus-reinforcement impairment? Psychiatry Res 2016; 237:351-6. [PMID: 26822065 PMCID: PMC4988522 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
There is preliminary data indicating that patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) show impairment on decision-making tasks requiring the appropriate representation of reinforcement value. The current study aimed to extend this literature using the passive avoidance (PA) learning task, where the participant has to learn to respond to stimuli that engender reward and avoid responding to stimuli that engender punishment. Six stimuli engendering reward and six engendering punishment are presented once per block for 10 blocks of trials. Thirty-nine medication-free patients with GAD and 29 age-, IQ and gender matched healthy comparison individuals performed the task. In addition, indexes of social functioning as assessed by the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale were obtained to allow for correlational analyzes of potential relations between cognitive and social impairments. The results revealed a Group-by-Error Type-by-Block interaction; patients with GAD committed significantly more commission (passive avoidance) errors than comparison individuals in the later blocks (blocks 7,8, and 9). In addition, the extent of impairment on these blocks was associated with their functional impairment as measured by the GAF scale. These results link GAD with anomalous decision-making and indicate that a potential problem in reinforcement representation may contribute to the severity of expression of their disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Karina S. Blair
- Correspondence to: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 15K North Drive, Rm 115A, MSC 2670, Bethesda, MA 20892-2670, USA
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15
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Weinberg A, Liu H, Hajcak G, Shankman SA. Blunted neural response to rewards as a vulnerability factor for depression: Results from a family study. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2015. [PMID: 26214708 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Depressive disorders are associated with significant economic and public health burdens as well as increased morbidity. Yet, perhaps due to the heterogeneous nature of the disease, prevention and intervention efforts are only moderately efficacious. A better understanding of core mechanisms of depressive disorders might aid in the development of more targeted intervention, and perhaps help identify individuals at risk. One mechanism that may be particularly important to depressive phenotypes is reward insensitivity. Examination of neurobiological correlates of reward-processing, which should relate more directly to the neuropathology of depression, may be helpful in identifying liability for the disorder. To that end, we used a family study design to examine whether a neural response to rewards is a familial risk factor for depression in a sample of probands with a wide range of internalizing psychopathology, as well as their biological siblings. Event-related potentials were recorded during a simple forced-choice gambling paradigm, in which participants could either win or lose small amounts of money. Lower levels of positive affect in probands predicted a reduced neural response to rewards in siblings, even over and above the sibling's own level of positive and negative affect. Additionally, the neural response to rewards was familial (i.e., correlated among siblings). Combined, these analyses suggest that a blunted neural response to rewards may be useful in identifying individuals vulnerable to depressive illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Weinberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago
| | - Huiting Liu
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University
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16
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Kessel EM, Kujawa A, Hajcak Proudfit G, Klein DN. Neural reactivity to monetary rewards and losses differentiates social from generalized anxiety in children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2015; 56:792-800. [PMID: 25363803 PMCID: PMC4667724 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The relationship between reward sensitivity and pediatric anxiety is poorly understood. Evidence suggests that alterations in reward processing are more characteristic of depressive than anxiety disorders. However, some studies have reported that anxiety disorders are also associated with perturbations in reward processing. Heterogeneity in the forms of anxiety studied may account for the differences between studies. We used the feedback-negativity, an event-related potential sensitive to monetary gains versus losses (ΔFN), to examine whether different forms of youth anxiety symptoms were uniquely associated with reward sensitivity as indexed by neural reactivity to the receipt of positive and negative monetary outcomes. METHOD Participants were 390, eight- to ten-year-old children (175 females) from a large community sample. The ΔFN was measured during a monetary reward task. Self-reports of child anxiety and depression symptoms and temperamental positive emotionality (PE) were obtained. RESULTS Multiple regression analysis revealed that social anxiety and generalized anxiety symptoms were unique predictors of reward sensitivity after accounting for concurrent depressive symptoms and PE. While social anxiety was associated with a greater ΔFN, generalized anxiety was associated with a reduced ΔFN. CONCLUSIONS Different symptom dimensions of child anxiety are differentially related to alterations in reward sensitivity. This may, in part, explain inconsistent findings in the literature regarding reward processing in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen M Kessel
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook, New York, NY, USA
| | - Autumn Kujawa
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Daniel N Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook, New York, NY, USA
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Neuroticism and extraversion are associated with amygdala resting-state functional connectivity. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2015; 14:836-48. [PMID: 24352685 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-013-0224-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The personality traits neuroticism and extraversion are differentially related to socioemotional functioning and susceptibility to affective disorders. However, the neurobiology underlying this differential relationship is still poorly understood. This discrepancy could perhaps best be studied by adopting a brain connectivity approach. Whereas the amygdala has repeatedly been linked to neuroticism and extraversion, no study has yet focused on the intrinsic functional architecture of amygdala-centered networks in relation to both traits. To this end, seed-based correlation analysis was employed to reveal amygdala resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and its associations with neuroticism and extraversion in 50 healthy participants. Higher neuroticism scores were associated with increased amygdala RSFC with the precuneus, and decreased amygdala RSFC with the temporal poles, insula, and superior temporal gyrus (p < .05, cluster corrected). Conversely, higher extraversion scores were associated with increased amygdala RSFC with the putamen, temporal pole, insula, and several regions of the occipital cortex (p < .05, cluster corrected). The shifts in amygdala RSFC associated with neuroticism may relate to the less-adaptive perception and processing of self-relevant and socioemotional information that is frequently seen in neurotic individuals, whereas the amygdala RSFC pattern associated with extraversion may relate to the heightened reward sensitivity and enhanced socioemotional functioning in extraverts. We hypothesize that the variability in amygdala RSFC observed in the present study could potentially link neuroticism and extraversion to the neurobiology underlying increased susceptibility or resilience to affective disorders.
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18
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Blair KS, Geraci M, Smith BW, Hollon N, DeVido J, Otero M, Blair JR, Pine DS. Reduced dorsal anterior cingulate cortical activity during emotional regulation and top-down attentional control in generalized social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and comorbid generalized social phobia/generalized anxiety disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 72:476-82. [PMID: 22592057 PMCID: PMC3424322 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2011] [Revised: 03/13/2012] [Accepted: 04/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Generalized social phobia (GSP) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are both associated with emotion dysregulation. Research implicates dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in both explicit emotion regulation (EER) and top-down attentional control (TAC). Although studies have examined these processes in GSP or GAD, no work compares findings across the two disorders or examines functioning in cases comorbid for both disorders (GSP/GAD). Here we compare the neural correlates of EER and TAC in GSP, GAD, and GSP/GAD. METHODS Medication-free adults with GSP (EER n = 19; TAC n = 18), GAD (EER n = 17; TAC n = 17), GSP/GAD (EER n = 17; TAC n = 15), and no psychopathology (EER n = 18; TAC n = 18) participated. During EER, individuals alternatively viewed and upregulated and downregulated responses to emotional pictures. During TAC, they performed an emotional Stroop task. RESULTS For both tasks, significant group × condition interactions emerged in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and parietal cortices. Healthy adults showed significantly increased recruitment during emotion regulation, relative to emotion-picture viewing. GAD, GSP, and GSP/GAD subjects showed no such increases, with all groups differing from healthy adults but not from each other. Evidence of emotion-related disorder-specificity emerged in medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala. This disorder-specific responding varied as a function of emotion content but not emotion-regulatory demands. CONCLUSIONS GSP and GAD both involve reduced capacity for engaging emotion-regulation brain networks, whether explicitly or via TAC. A reduced ability to recruit regions implicated in top-down attention might represent a general risk factor for anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S Blair
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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19
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Aupperle RL, Paulus MP. Neural systems underlying approach and avoidance in anxiety disorders. DIALOGUES IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE 2011. [PMID: 21319496 PMCID: PMC3181993 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2010.12.4/raupperle] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Approach-avoidance conflict is an important psychological concept that has been used extensively to better understand cognition and emotion. This review focuses on neural systems involved in approach, avoidance, and conflict decision making, and how these systems overlap with implicated neural substrates of anxiety disorders. In particular, the role of amygdala, insula, ventral striatal, and prefrontal regions are discussed with respect to approach and avoidance behaviors. Three specific hypotheses underlying the dysfunction in anxiety disorders are proposed, including: (i) over-representation of avoidance valuation related to limbic overactivation; (ii) under- or over-representation of approach valuation related to attenuated or exaggerated striatal activation respectively; and (iii) insufficient integration and arbitration of approach and avoidance valuations related to attenuated orbitofrontal cortex activation. These dysfunctions can be examined experimentally using versions of existing decision-making paradigms, but may also require new translational and innovative approaches to probe approach-avoidance conflict and related neural systems in anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin L Aupperle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), California 92037-0985, USA
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20
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Dickstein DP, Finger EC, Brotman MA, Rich BA, Pine DS, Blair JR, Leibenluft E. Impaired probabilistic reversal learning in youths with mood and anxiety disorders. Psychol Med 2010; 40:1089-1100. [PMID: 19818204 PMCID: PMC3000432 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291709991462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND From an affective neuroscience perspective, our understanding of psychiatric illness may be advanced by neuropsychological test paradigms probing emotional processes. Reversal learning is one such process, whereby subjects must first acquire stimulus/reward and stimulus/punishment associations through trial and error and then reverse them. We sought to determine the specificity of previously demonstrated reversal learning impairments in youths with bipolar disorder (BD) by now comparing BD youths to those with severe mood dysregulation (SMD), major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety (ANX), and healthy controls. METHOD We administered the probabilistic response reversal (PRR) task to 165 pediatric participants aged 7-17 years with BD (n=35), SMD (n=35), ANX (n=42), MDD (n=18) and normal controls (NC; n=35). Our primary analysis compared PRR performance across all five groups matched for age, sex and IQ. RESULTS Compared to typically developing controls, probabilistic reversal learning was impaired in BD youths, with a trend in those with MDD (p=0.07). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that reversal learning deficits are present in youths with BD and possibly those with MDD. Further work is necessary to elucidate the specificity of neural mechanisms underlying such behavioral deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- D P Dickstein
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program.
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21
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Rau G, Blair KS, Berghorst L, Knopf L, Skup M, Luckenbaugh DA, Pine DS, Blair RJ, Leibenluft E. Processing of differentially valued rewards and punishments in youths with bipolar disorder or severe mood dysregulation. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2008; 18:185-96. [PMID: 18439115 PMCID: PMC2683389 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2007.0053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Youths with chronic irritability and hyperarousal (i.e., severe mood dysregulation, SMD) have reward- and punishment-processing deficits distinct from those exhibited by children with episodic symptoms of mania (i.e., narrow-phenotype bipolar disorder, BD). Additionally, youths with SMD, like those with psychopathy, have prominent reactive aggression. Therefore, we hypothesized that SMD, but not BD, youths would be impaired on a decision-making task that has identified reward- and punishment-processing deficits in individuals with psychopathy. METHODS A decision-making task was used in which BD (n = 23), SMD (n = 37), and control subjects (n = 31) were asked to choose between two images associated with different levels of reward or punishment. RESULTS No between-group differences in task performance were found. CONCLUSION These results suggest that BD, SMD, and normal youths do not differ in their ability to select between rewards and punishments of different value. Effect-size analyses suggest that this finding is not secondary to a type II error. Unlike individuals with psychopathy, neither SMD subjects nor those with BD differ from controls in their ability to select between differentially valued rewards and punishments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff Rau
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1289, USA.
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