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Brænden A, Coldevin M, Zeiner P, Stubberud J, Melinder A. Neuropsychological mechanisms of social difficulties in disruptive mood dysregulation disorder versus oppositional defiant disorder. Child Neuropsychol 2024; 30:402-424. [PMID: 37106502 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2205632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Children with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) or Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are characterized by irritability and social difficulties. However, the mechanisms underlying these disorders could be different. This study explores differences in social cognition and executive function (EF) across DMDD and ODD and the influence of these factors and their interaction on social problems in both groups. Children with DMDD (n = 53, Mage = 9.3) or ODD (n = 39, Mage = 9.6) completed neuropsychological tasks measuring social cognition (Theory of Mind and Face-Emotion Recognition) and EF (cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and working memory). Parents reported social problems. More than one-third of the children with DMDD and almost two-thirds of those with ODD showed clear difficulties with Theory of Mind. Most children with DMDD (51-64%) or ODD (67-83%) showed difficulties with EF. In children with DMDD, worse EF (β = -.36) was associated with more social problems, whereas in children with ODD, better EF (β = .44) was associated with more social problems. In those with ODD, but not in those with DMDD, the interaction between social cognition and EF contributed to the explained variance of social problems (β = -1.97). Based on the observed interaction pattern, enhanced EF may lead to increased social problems among children with ODD who also exhibit social cognition difficulties. This study suggests the existence of distinct neuropsychological mechanisms underlying the social issues observed in children with DMDD versus those with ODD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Brænden
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marit Coldevin
- Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Nic Waals Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pål Zeiner
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jan Stubberud
- Department of Research, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Annika Melinder
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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2
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Brænden A, Coldevin M, Zeiner P, Stubberud J, Melinder A. Executive function in children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder compared to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, and in children with different irritability levels. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024; 33:115-125. [PMID: 36680626 PMCID: PMC9867548 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-023-02143-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Addressing current challenges in research on disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), this study aims to compare executive function in children with DMDD, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). We also explore associations between irritability, a key DMDD characteristic, and executive function in a clinical sample regardless of diagnosis. Our sample include children (6-12 years) referred to child psychiatric clinics. Measures of daily-life (parent-reported questionnaire) and performance-based (neuropsychological tasks) executive function were applied. Identifying diagnoses, clinicians administered a standardized semi-structured diagnostic interview with parents. Irritability was assessed by parent-report. First, we compared executive function in DMDD (without ADHD/ODD), ADHD (without DMDD/ODD), ODD (without DMDD/ADHD) and DMDD + ADHD (without ODD). Second, we analyzed associations between executive function and irritability using the total sample. In daily life, children with DMDD showed clinically elevated and significantly worse emotion control scores compared to children with ADHD, and clinically elevated scores on cognitive flexibility compared to norm scores. Children with DMDD had significantly less working memory problems than those with ADHD. No differences were found between DMDD and ODD. Increased irritability was positively associated with emotional dyscontrol and cognitive inflexibility. For performance-based executive function, no diagnostic differences or associations with irritability were observed. We discuss how, in daily life, children with high irritability-levels get overwhelmed by feelings without accompanying regulatory capacities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Brænden
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Sognsveien 22, 0372, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Marit Coldevin
- Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Nic Waals Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pål Zeiner
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Sognsveien 22, 0372, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jan Stubberud
- Department of Research, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Annika Melinder
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Sognsveien 22, 0372, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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3
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Kamenish K, Robinson ESJ. Neuropsychological Effects of Antidepressants: Translational Studies. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2024; 66:101-130. [PMID: 37955824 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_446] [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] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Pharmacological treatments that improve mood were first identified serendipitously, but more than half a century later, how these drugs induce their antidepressant effects remains largely unknown. With the help of animal models, a detailed understanding of their pharmacological targets and acute and chronic effects on brain chemistry and neuronal function has been achieved, but it remains to be elucidated how these effects translate to clinical efficacy. Whilst the field has been dominated by the monoamine and neurotrophic hypotheses, the idea that the maladaptive cognitive process plays a critical role in the development and perpetuation of mood disorders has been discussed since the 1950s. Recently, studies using objective methods to quantify changes in emotional processing found acute effects with conventional antidepressants in both healthy volunteers and patients. These positive effects on emotional processing and cognition occur without a change in the subjective ratings of mood. Building from these studies, behavioural methods for animals that quantify similar cognitive affective processes have been developed. Integrating these behavioural approaches with pharmacology and targeted brain manipulations, a picture is beginning to emerge of the underlying mechanisms that may link the pharmacology of antidepressants, these neuropsychological constructs and clinical efficacy. In this chapter, we discuss findings from animal studies, experimental medicine and patients investigating the neuropsychological effects of antidepressant drugs. We discuss the possible neural circuits that contribute to these effects and discuss whether a neuropsychological model of antidepressant effects could explain the temporal differences in clinical benefits observed with conventional delayed-onset antidepressants versus rapid-acting antidepressants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Kamenish
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, UK
| | - Emma S J Robinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, UK.
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Xia L, Gu R, Lin Y, Qin J, Luo W, Luo YJ. Explaining reversal learning deficits in anxiety with electrophysiological evidence. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 164:270-280. [PMID: 37390622 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Reversal learning is a crucial aspect of behavioral flexibility that plays a significant role in environmental adaptation and development. While previous studies have established a link between anxiety and impaired reversal learning ability, the underlying mechanisms behind this association remain unclear. This study employed a probabilistic reversal learning task with electroencephalographic recording to investigate these mechanisms. Participants were divided into two groups based on their scores on Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: high trait-anxiety (HTA) and low trait-anxiety (LTA), consisting of 50 individuals in each group. The results showed that the HTA group had poorer reversal learning performance than the LTA group, including a lower tendency to shift to the new optimal option after rule reversals (reversal-shift). The study also examined event-related potentials elicited by reversals and found that although the N1 (related to attention allocation), feedback-related negativity (FRN: related to belief updating), and P3 (related to response inhibition) were all sensitive to the grouping factor, only the FRN elicited by reversal-shift mediated the relationship between anxiety and the number/reaction time of reversal-shift. From these findings, we suggest that abnormalities in belief updating may contribute to the impaired reversal learning performance observed in anxious individuals. In our opinion, this study sheds light on potential targets for interventions aimed at improving behavioral flexibility in anxious individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisheng Xia
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Ruolei Gu
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Yongling Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Jianqiang Qin
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Wenbo Luo
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Province, Dalian, 116029, China.
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; School of Social Development and Management, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, 266113, China
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Behavioral flexibility impacts on coping and emotional responses in male mice submitted to social defeat stress. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 123:110696. [PMID: 36521585 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility permits the appropriate behavioral adjustments in response to changing environmental demands. The present study aimed to evaluate if variability in baseline flexibility can enable differences in coping strategies, changes in neuroplasticity, and behavioral outcomes in responses to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). Male C57BL6 mice were submitted to the Morris Water Maze (MWM) using an extended protocol for reversal learning to assess. The animals were divided into low and high behavioral flexibility groups based on their performance on the last day of acquisition versus the four days of reversal learning. The CSDS was applied for ten consecutive days, and coping strategies were evaluated during the physical interaction on the first and last day of stress. A battery of behavioral tests to assess social and emotional behavior was conducted 24 h after the CSDS protocol. The complexity of prefrontal cortex (PFC) neuronal morphology was evaluated by the Golgi-Cox method. Animals with High Flexibility exhibited changes in their CSDS coping strategies, from active to passive coping, during the CSDS protocol. Low Flexibility mice had no alterations in the coping strategies during CSDS. After social stress, High Flexibility was associated with reduced social interaction with an aggressive Swiss mouse, higher latency to immobility in the tail suspension test, and reduced latency to self-care in the sucrose splash test. High Flexibility mice also displayed higher dendritic complexity on pyramidal neurons from the prelimbic and infralimbic prefrontal cortex compared to Low Flexibility mice. These results suggest That High Flexibility is associated with increased neuroplasticity in cortical areas and better emotional responses related to behavioral despair and motivation. However, exposure to CSDS reversed the beneficial effects of High Flexibility in male mice. Thus, this study suggests that baseline variability in behavioral flexibility, even in inbred strains, might be associated with differences in coping strategies, PFC morphology, and behavioral responses to social stress.
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Dutcher EG, Lopez-Cruz L, Pama EAC, Lynall ME, Bevers ICR, Jones JA, Khan S, Sawiak SJ, Milton AL, Clatworthy MR, Robbins TW, Bullmore ET, Dalley JW. Early-life stress biases responding to negative feedback and increases amygdala volume and vulnerability to later-life stress. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:81. [PMID: 36882404 PMCID: PMC9992709 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02385-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-life stress (ELS) or adversity, particularly in the form of childhood neglect and abuse, is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes in adulthood. However, whether these relationships are mediated by the consequences of ELS itself or by other exposures that frequently co-occur with ELS is unclear. To address this question, we carried out a longitudinal study in rats to isolate the effects of ELS on regional brain volumes and behavioral phenotypes relevant to anxiety and depression. We used the repeated maternal separation (RMS) model of chronic ELS, and conducted behavioral measurements throughout adulthood, including of probabilistic reversal learning (PRL), responding on a progressive ratio task, sucrose preference, novelty preference, novelty reactivity, and putative anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus maze. Our behavioral assessment was combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for quantitation of regional brain volumes at three time points: immediately following RMS, young adulthood without further stress, and late adulthood with further stress. We found that RMS caused long-lasting, sexually dimorphic biased responding to negative feedback on the PRL task. RMS also slowed response time on the PRL task, but without this directly impacting task performance. RMS animals were also uniquely sensitive to a second stressor, which disproportionately impaired their performance and slowed their responding on the PRL task. MRI at the time of the adult stress revealed a larger amygdala volume in RMS animals compared with controls. These behavioral and neurobiological effects persisted well into adulthood despite a lack of effects on conventional tests of 'depression-like' and 'anxiety-like' behavior, and a lack of any evidence of anhedonia. Our findings indicate that ELS has long-lasting cognitive and neurobehavioral effects that interact with stress in adulthood and may have relevance for understanding the etiology of anxiety and depression in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan G Dutcher
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Laura Lopez-Cruz
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - E A Claudia Pama
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Mary-Ellen Lynall
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
- Molecular Immunity Unit, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 OQH, UK
| | - Iris C R Bevers
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525 XZ, The Netherlands
| | - Jolyon A Jones
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Shahid Khan
- GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Stephen J Sawiak
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EL, UK
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Amy L Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Menna R Clatworthy
- Molecular Immunity Unit, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 OQH, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Edward T Bullmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Jeffrey W Dalley
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK.
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Dysregulated affective arousal regulates reward-based decision making in patients with schizophrenia: an integrated study. SCHIZOPHRENIA 2022; 8:26. [PMID: 35314840 PMCID: PMC8938557 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00234-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder. Dysregulated decision-making and affective processing have been implicated in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and have significant impacts on their cognitive and social functions. However, little is known about how affective arousal influences reward-based decision-making in SZ. Taking advantage of a two-choice probabilistic gambling task and utilizing three facial expressions as affective primes (i.e., neutral, angry, and happy conditions) in each trial, we investigated how affective arousal influences reward-related choice based on behavioral, model fitting, and feedback-related negativity (FRN) data in 38 SZ and 26 healthy controls (CTRL). We also correlated our measurements with patients’ symptom severity. Compared with the CTRL group, SZ expressed blunted responses to angry facial primes. They had lower total game scores and displayed more maladaptive choice strategies (i.e., less win-stay and more lose-shift) and errors in monitoring rewards. Model fitting results revealed that the SZ group had a higher learning rate and lower choice consistency, especially in the happy condition. Brain activity data further indicated that SZ had smaller amplitudes of FRN than their controls in the angry and happy conditions. Importantly, the SZ group exhibited attenuated affective influence on decision-making, and their impairments in decision-making were only correlated with their clinical symptoms in the angry condition. Our findings imply the affective processing is dysregulated in SZ and it is selectively involved in the regulation of choice strategies, choice behaviors, and FRN in SZ, which lead to impairments in reward-related decision-making, especially in the angry condition.
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8
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McGovern HT, De Foe A, Biddell H, Leptourgos P, Corlett P, Bandara K, Hutchinson BT. Learned uncertainty: The free energy principle in anxiety. Front Psychol 2022; 13:943785. [PMID: 36248528 PMCID: PMC9559819 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.943785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Generalized anxiety disorder is among the world’s most prevalent psychiatric disorders and often manifests as persistent and difficult to control apprehension. Despite its prevalence, there is no integrative, formal model of how anxiety and anxiety disorders arise. Here, we offer a perspective derived from the free energy principle; one that shares similarities with established constructs such as learned helplessness. Our account is simple: anxiety can be formalized as learned uncertainty. A biological system, having had persistent uncertainty in its past, will expect uncertainty in its future, irrespective of whether uncertainty truly persists. Despite our account’s intuitive simplicity—which can be illustrated with the mere flip of a coin—it is grounded within the free energy principle and hence situates the formation of anxiety within a broader explanatory framework of biological self-organization and self-evidencing. We conclude that, through conceptualizing anxiety within a framework of working generative models, our perspective might afford novel approaches in the clinical treatment of anxiety and its key symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. T. McGovern
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Alexander De Foe
- School of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Hannah Biddell
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Pantelis Leptourgos
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Philip Corlett
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Kavindu Bandara
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Brendan T. Hutchinson
- Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- *Correspondence: Brendan T. Hutchinson,
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9
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Eckstein MK, Master SL, Dahl RE, Wilbrecht L, Collins AGE. Reinforcement learning and Bayesian inference provide complementary models for the unique advantage of adolescents in stochastic reversal. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 55:101106. [PMID: 35537273 PMCID: PMC9108470 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
During adolescence, youth venture out, explore the wider world, and are challenged to learn how to navigate novel and uncertain environments. We investigated how performance changes across adolescent development in a stochastic, volatile reversal-learning task that uniquely taxes the balance of persistence and flexibility. In a sample of 291 participants aged 8-30, we found that in the mid-teen years, adolescents outperformed both younger and older participants. We developed two independent cognitive models, based on Reinforcement learning (RL) and Bayesian inference (BI). The RL parameter for learning from negative outcomes and the BI parameters specifying participants' mental models were closest to optimal in mid-teen adolescents, suggesting a central role in adolescent cognitive processing. By contrast, persistence and noise parameters improved monotonically with age. We distilled the insights of RL and BI using principal component analysis and found that three shared components interacted to form the adolescent performance peak: adult-like behavioral quality, child-like time scales, and developmentally-unique processing of positive feedback. This research highlights adolescence as a neurodevelopmental window that can create performance advantages in volatile and uncertain environments. It also shows how detailed insights can be gleaned by using cognitive models in new ways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ronald E Dahl
- Institute of Human Development, 2121 Berkeley Way West, USA
| | - Linda Wilbrecht
- Department of Psychology, 2121 Berkeley Way West, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, 175 Li Ka Shing Center, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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How Can Animal Models Inform the Understanding of Cognitive Inflexibility in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa? J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11092594. [PMID: 35566718 PMCID: PMC9105411 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11092594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Deficits in cognitive flexibility are consistently seen in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). This type of cognitive impairment is thought to be associated with the persistence of AN because it leads to deeply ingrained patterns of thought and behaviour that are highly resistant to change. Neurobiological drivers of cognitive inflexibility have some commonalities with the abnormal brain functional outcomes described in patients with AN, including disrupted prefrontal cortical function, and dysregulated dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitter systems. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) model recapitulates the key features of AN in human patients, including rapid weight loss caused by self-starvation and hyperactivity, supporting its application in investigating the cognitive and neurobiological causes of pathological weight loss. The aim of this review is to describe the relationship between AN, neural function and cognitive flexibility in human patients, and to highlight how new techniques in behavioural neuroscience can improve the utility of animal models of AN to inform the development of novel therapeutics.
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Phasic Dopamine Changes and Hebbian Mechanisms during Probabilistic Reversal Learning in Striatal Circuits: A Computational Study. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073452. [PMID: 35408811 PMCID: PMC8998230 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility is essential to modify our behavior in a non-stationary environment and is often explored by reversal learning tasks. The basal ganglia (BG) dopaminergic system, under a top-down control of the pre-frontal cortex, is known to be involved in flexible action selection through reinforcement learning. However, how adaptive dopamine changes regulate this process and learning mechanisms for training the striatal synapses remain open questions. The current study uses a neurocomputational model of the BG, based on dopamine-dependent direct (Go) and indirect (NoGo) pathways, to investigate reinforcement learning in a probabilistic environment through a task that associates different stimuli to different actions. Here, we investigated: the efficacy of several versions of the Hebb rule, based on covariance between pre- and post-synaptic neurons, as well as the required control in phasic dopamine changes crucial to achieving a proper reversal learning. Furthermore, an original mechanism for modulating the phasic dopamine changes is proposed, assuming that the expected reward probability is coded by the activity of the winner Go neuron before a reward/punishment takes place. Simulations show that this original formulation for an automatic phasic dopamine control allows the achievement of a good flexible reversal even in difficult conditions. The current outcomes may contribute to understanding the mechanisms for active control of dopamine changes during flexible behavior. In perspective, it may be applied in neuropsychiatric or neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s or schizophrenia, in which reinforcement learning is impaired.
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12
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Brænden A, Zeiner P, Coldevin M, Stubberud J, Melinder A. Underlying mechanisms of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder in children: A systematic review by means of research domain criteria. JCPP ADVANCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Brænden
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway
| | - Pål Zeiner
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Research Unit, Department of Research and Innovation Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine University of Oslo Oslo Norway
| | - Marit Coldevin
- Nic Waals Institute Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital Oslo Norway
- Department of Research Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital Oslo Norway
| | - Jan Stubberud
- Department of Research Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital Oslo Norway
- Department of Psychology University of Oslo Oslo Norway
| | - Annika Melinder
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway
- Department of Psychology University of Oslo Oslo Norway
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13
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Relationship between cognitive flexibility and subsequent course of mood symptoms and suicidal ideation in young adults with childhood-onset bipolar disorder. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 31:299-312. [PMID: 33392723 PMCID: PMC8253874 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-020-01688-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Neurocognitive deficits, such as cognitive flexibility impairments, are common in bipolar disorder (BD) and predict poor academic, occupational, and functional outcomes. However, the association between neurocognition and illness trajectory is not well understood, especially across developmental transitions. This study examined cognitive flexibility and subsequent mood symptom and suicidal ideation (SI) course in young adults with childhood-onset BD-I (with distinct mood episodes) vs. BD-not otherwise specified (BD-NOS) vs. typically-developing controls (TDCs). Sample included 93 young adults (ages 18-30) with prospectively verified childhood-onset DSM-IV BD-I (n = 34) or BD-NOS (n = 15) and TDCs (n = 44). Participants completed cross-sectional neuropsychological tasks and clinical measures. Then participants with BD completed longitudinal assessments of mood symptoms and SI at 6-month intervals (M = 39.18 ± 16.57 months of follow-up data). Analyses included ANOVAs, independent-samples t tests, chi-square analyses, and multiple linear regressions. Participants with BD-I had significant deficits in cognitive flexibility and executive functioning vs. BD-NOS and TDCs, and impaired spatial working memory vs. TDCs only. Two significant BD subtype-by-cognitive flexibility interactions revealed that cognitive flexibility deficits were associated with subsequent percentage of time depressed and with SI in BD-I but not BD-NOS, regardless of other neurocognitive factors (full-scale IQ, executive functioning, spatial working memory) and clinical factors (current and prior mood and SI symptoms, age of BD onset, global functioning, psychiatric medications, comorbidity). Thus, cognitive flexibility may be an important etiological brain/behavior mechanism, prognostic indicator, and intervention target for childhood-onset BD-I, as this deficit appears to endure into young adulthood and is associated with worse prognosis for subsequent depression and SI.
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14
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Eckstein MK, Master SL, Xia L, Dahl RE, Wilbrecht L, Collins AGE. The interpretation of computational model parameters depends on the context. eLife 2022; 11:75474. [PMID: 36331872 PMCID: PMC9635876 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Reinforcement Learning (RL) models have revolutionized the cognitive and brain sciences, promising to explain behavior from simple conditioning to complex problem solving, to shed light on developmental and individual differences, and to anchor cognitive processes in specific brain mechanisms. However, the RL literature increasingly reveals contradictory results, which might cast doubt on these claims. We hypothesized that many contradictions arise from two commonly-held assumptions about computational model parameters that are actually often invalid: That parameters generalize between contexts (e.g. tasks, models) and that they capture interpretable (i.e. unique, distinctive) neurocognitive processes. To test this, we asked 291 participants aged 8–30 years to complete three learning tasks in one experimental session, and fitted RL models to each. We found that some parameters (exploration / decision noise) showed significant generalization: they followed similar developmental trajectories, and were reciprocally predictive between tasks. Still, generalization was significantly below the methodological ceiling. Furthermore, other parameters (learning rates, forgetting) did not show evidence of generalization, and sometimes even opposite developmental trajectories. Interpretability was low for all parameters. We conclude that the systematic study of context factors (e.g. reward stochasticity; task volatility) will be necessary to enhance the generalizability and interpretability of computational cognitive models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah L Master
- Department of Psychology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States,Department of Psychology, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Liyu Xia
- Department of Psychology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States,Department of Mathematics, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Ronald E Dahl
- Institute of Human Development, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Linda Wilbrecht
- Department of Psychology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Anne GE Collins
- Department of Psychology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
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15
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Ostlund B, Myruski S, Buss K, Pérez-Edgar KE. The centrality of temperament to the research domain criteria (RDoC): The earliest building blocks of psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:1584-1598. [PMID: 34365985 PMCID: PMC10039756 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421000511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The research domain criteria (RDoC) is an innovative approach designed to explore dimensions of human behavior. The aim of this approach is to move beyond the limits of psychiatric categories in the hope of aligning the identification of psychological health and dysfunction with clinical neuroscience. Despite its contributions to adult psychopathology research, RDoC undervalues ontogenetic development, which circumscribes our understanding of the etiologies, trajectories, and maintaining mechanisms of psychopathology risk. In this paper, we argue that integrating temperament research into the RDoC framework will advance our understanding of the mechanistic origins of psychopathology beginning in infancy. In illustrating this approach, we propose the incorporation of core principles of temperament theories into a new "life span considerations" subsection as one option for infusing development into the RDoC matrix. In doing so, researchers and clinicians may ultimately have the tools necessary to support emotional development and reduce a young child's likelihood of psychological dysfunction beginning in the first years of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Ostlund
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, US
| | - Sarah Myruski
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, US
| | - Kristin Buss
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, US
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, US
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16
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Cortical hemodynamic mechanisms of reversal learning using high-resolution functional near-infrared spectroscopy: A pilot study. Neurophysiol Clin 2021; 51:409-424. [PMID: 34481708 DOI: 10.1016/j.neucli.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Reversal learning is widely used to analyze cognitive flexibility and characterize behavioral abnormalities associated with impulsivity and disinhibition. Recent studies using fMRI have focused on regions involved in reversal learning with negative and positive reinforcers. Although the frontal cortex has been consistently implicated in reversal learning, few studies have focused on whether reward and punishment may have different effects on lateral frontal structures in these tasks. METHODS During this pilot study on eight healthy subjects, we used functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) to characterize brain activity dynamics and differentiate the involvement of frontal structures in learning driven by reward and punishment. RESULTS We observed functional hemispheric asymmetries between punishment and reward processing by fNIRS following reversal of a learned rule. Moreover, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were activated under the reward condition only, whereas the orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) was significantly activated under the punishment condition, with a tendency towards activation for the right cortical hemisphere (r-DLPFC and r-IFG). Our results are compatible with the suggestion that the DLPFC is involved in the detection of contingency change. We propose a new representation for reward and punishment, with left lateralization for the reward process. CONCLUSIONS The results of this pilot study provide insights into the indirect neural mechanisms of reversal learning and behavioral flexibility and confirm the use of fNIRS imaging in reversal-learning tasks as a translational strategy, particularly in subjects who cannot undergo fMRI recordings.
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17
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Xia L, Xu P, Yang Z, Gu R, Zhang D. Impaired probabilistic reversal learning in anxiety: Evidence from behavioral and ERP findings. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 31:102751. [PMID: 34242887 PMCID: PMC8271162 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
High and low anxious participants finish a probabilistic reversal learning task. High anxious participants showed a worse performance and less likely to lose-shift. Feedback-related negativity (FRN) was correlated with the frequency of lose-shift. High anxious participants showed a smaller FRN in response to lose-shift. Anxious people’s reversal learning is affected by impaired sensitivity to losses.
Background Reversal learning reflects an individual’s capacity to adapt to a dynamic environment with changing stimulus–reward contingencies. This study focuses on the potential influence of anxiety on reversal learning skills. Methods We asked 40 participants with a high level of trait anxiety (HTA) and 40 counterparts with a low anxiety level (LTA) to finish a probabilistic reversal learning task with event-related potential (ERP) recording, during which stimulus–reward contingencies are reversed after players have learned the optimal choice. Results We found that compared to their LTA counterparts, the HTA participants showed worse learning performance and were less likely to make lose-shift choices. The FRN amplitude might help interpret these behavioral results, which is suggested to be associated with punishment sensitivity and was positively correlated with the number of lose-shift in this study. Seeing that anxiety level predicted the FRN amplitude for lose-shift, we explain that anxious individuals’ inflexible behavioral responses to losses are due to their impaired sensitivity to negative feedback. Conclusions A higher level of anxiety is associated with weaker reversal learning performance, possibly because of abnormal sensitivity to negative outcomes. These findings have implications for the understanding of behavioral symptoms in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisheng Xia
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Pengfei Xu
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Center for Emotion and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518057, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Research Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnologies, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ziyan Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Dandan Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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18
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Dickstein DP, Barthelemy CM, Jenkins GA, DeYoung LLA, Gilbert AC, Radoeva P, Kim KL, MacPherson HA. This Is Your Brain on Irritability: A Clinician's Guide to Understanding How We Know What We Know Now, and What We Need to Know in the Future, About Irritability in Children and Adolescents. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 2021; 30:649-666. [PMID: 34053692 DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2021.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Irritability is a common reason why children and adolescents are brought for psychiatric care. Although research is advancing what is known about the underlying brain and behavior mechanisms of irritability, clinicians often are shut out of that research. This article explains some of these research methods, providing brief summaries of what is known about brain/behavior mechanisms in disorders involving irritability, including bipolar disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. Greater access to these methods may help clinicians now and in the future, with such mechanisms translated into improved care, as occurs in the treatment of childhood leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Dickstein
- PediMIND Program, Mclean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, USA; Simches Center of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
| | - Christine M Barthelemy
- PediMIND Program, Mclean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, USA; Simches Center of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | - Gracie A Jenkins
- PediMIND Program, Mclean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, USA; Simches Center of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | - Lena L A DeYoung
- PediMIND Program, Mclean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, USA; Simches Center of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | - Anna C Gilbert
- Division of Child Psychiatry, Brown University (Prior PediMIND Program Members)
| | - Petya Radoeva
- Division of Child Psychiatry, Brown University (Prior PediMIND Program Members)
| | - Kerri L Kim
- Division of Child Psychiatry, Brown University (Prior PediMIND Program Members)
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19
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Bart CP, Titone MK, Ng TH, Nusslock R, Alloy LB. Neural reward circuit dysfunction as a risk factor for bipolar spectrum disorders and substance use disorders: A review and integration. Clin Psychol Rev 2021; 87:102035. [PMID: 34020138 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Bipolar spectrum disorders (BSDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with neural reward dysfunction. However, it is unclear what pattern of neural reward function underlies pre-existing vulnerability to BSDs and SUDs, or whether neural reward function explains their high co-occurrence. The current paper provides an overview of the separate literatures on neural reward sensitivity in BSDs and SUDs. We provide a systematic review of 35 studies relevant to identifying neural reward function vulnerability to BSDs and SUDs. These studies include those examining neural reward processing on a monetary reward task with prospective designs predicting initial onset of SUDs, familial risk studies that examine unaffected offspring or first-degree relatives of family members with BSDs or SUDs, and studies that examine individuals with BSDs or SUDs who are not currently in an episode of the disorder. Findings from the review highlight that aberrant responding and connectivity across neural regions associated with reward and cognitive control confers risk for the development of BSDs and SUDs. Discussion focuses on limitations of the extant literature. We conclude with an integration and theoretical model for understanding how aberrant neural reward responding may constitute a vulnerability to the development of both BSDs and SUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne P Bart
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Madison K Titone
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Tommy H Ng
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Robin Nusslock
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
| | - Lauren B Alloy
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America.
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20
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Vaughn-Coaxum RA, Weisz JR. Leveraging the developmental science of psychosocial risk to strengthen youth psychotherapy. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:670-683. [PMID: 33719995 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420002035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
More than 50 years of randomized clinical trials for youth psychotherapies have resulted in moderate effect sizes for treatments targeting the most common mental health problems in children and adolescents (i.e., anxiety, depression, conduct problems, and attention disorders). Despite having psychotherapies that are effective for many children, there has been a dearth of progress in identifying the contextual factors that likely influence who will respond to a given psychotherapy, and under what conditions. The developmental psychopathology evidence base consistently demonstrates that psychosocial risk exposures (e.g., childhood adversities, interpersonal stressors, family dysfunction) significantly influence the onset and course of youth psychopathology. However, the developmental psychopathology framework remains to be well integrated into treatment development and psychotherapy research. We argue that advances in basic developmental psychopathology research carry promising implications for the design and content of youth psychotherapies. Research probing the effects of psychosocial risks on youth development can enrich efforts to identify contextual factors in psychotherapy effectiveness and to personalize treatment. In this article we review empirically supported and hypothesized influences of individual- and family-level risk factors on youth psychotherapy outcomes, and we propose a framework for leveraging developmental psychopathology to strengthen psychotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Vaughn-Coaxum
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - John R Weisz
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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21
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Haim-Nachum S, Levy-Gigi E. To Be or Not to Be Flexible: Selective impairments as a means to differentiate between depression and PTSD symptoms. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 136:366-373. [PMID: 33639329 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
During the course of their lives, most individuals experience at least one potentially traumatic event. For some individuals this experience may result in them developing depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The aim of the present study was to test the interactive effect of traumatic exposure and impaired cognitive flexibility on the tendency to develop either depression or PTSD symptoms. Eighty-two college students (M age = 25.32, SD age = 4.09) were assessed for exposure to traumatic events, depressive and PTSD symptoms. In addition, they completed a performance-based learning paradigm to evaluate the unique patterns of cognitive flexibility, defined as reduced and enhanced updating of prior knowledge in the face of new information. We predicted and found that for individuals with reduced updating, greater exposure to trauma was associated with elevated depressive symptoms. Contrary to our prediction, for individuals with enhanced updating, greater exposure was associated with elevated PTSD symptoms. While cognitive flexibility is traditionally associated with adaptive outcomes, our results illuminate the important role of a delicate updating balance to adaptively cope with aversive life events. The findings highlight the possible different roles of cognitive flexibility in the development of psychopathology and may serve as a first step toward developing tailored prevention and treatment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Einat Levy-Gigi
- School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel; The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel.
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22
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Vaughn-Coaxum RA, Merranko J, Birmaher B, Dickstein DP, Hafeman D, Levenson JC, Liao F, Gill MK, Hower H, Goldstein BI, Strober M, Ryan ND, Diler R, Keller MB, Yen S, Weinstock LM, Axelson D, Goldstein TR. Longitudinal course of depressive symptom severity among youths with bipolar disorders: Moderating influences of sustained attention and history of child maltreatment. J Affect Disord 2021; 282:261-271. [PMID: 33418377 PMCID: PMC8073228 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pediatric bipolar disorders are often characterized by disruptions in cognitive functioning, and exposure to child maltreatment (e.g., physical and sexual abuse) is associated with a significantly poorer course of illness. Although clinical and developmental research has shown maltreatment to be robustly associated with poorer cognitive functioning, it is unclear whether maltreatment and cognitive function jointly influence the clinical course of bipolar symptoms. METHODS This secondary analysis examined moderating effects of lifetime childhood physical and sexual abuse, and cognitive disruptions (sustained attention, affective information processing), on longitudinal ratings of depression symptom severity in youths from the Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth (COBY) study, examined from intake (M = 12.24 years) through age 22 (N = 198; 43.9% female; Mean age of bipolar onset = 8.85 years). RESULTS A significant moderating effect was detected for sustained attention and maltreatment history. In the context of lower sustained attention, maltreatment exposure was associated with higher depression symptom severity during childhood, but not late adolescence. There was no association between maltreatment and symptom severity in the context of higher sustained attention, and no association between attention and depression symptom severity for non-maltreated youths. LIMITATIONS Depression symptom ratings at each assessment were subject to retrospective recall bias despite the longitudinal design. Cognitive assessments were administered at different ages across youths. CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms in pediatric bipolar may be jointly moderated by impairments in attention and exposure to maltreatment. Assessment of these risks, particularly in childhood, may be beneficial for considering risk of recurrence or chronicity of depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Vaughn-Coaxum
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States.
| | - John Merranko
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Boris Birmaher
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Daniel P Dickstein
- Simches Center of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, United States
| | - Danella Hafeman
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Jessica C Levenson
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
| | - Fangzi Liao
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Mary Kay Gill
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Heather Hower
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, United States; Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health, United States; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, United States
| | - Benjamin I Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Canada
| | - Michael Strober
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, United States
| | - Neal D Ryan
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Rasim Diler
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Martin B Keller
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, United States
| | - Shirley Yen
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, United States; Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, United States
| | - Lauren M Weinstock
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, United States
| | - David Axelson
- Department of Psychiatry, Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University, United States
| | - Tina R Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Bellefield Towers, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
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23
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Hesp C, Smith R, Parr T, Allen M, Friston KJ, Ramstead MJD. Deeply Felt Affect: The Emergence of Valence in Deep Active Inference. Neural Comput 2021; 33:398-446. [PMID: 33253028 PMCID: PMC8594962 DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_01341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The positive-negative axis of emotional valence has long been recognized as fundamental to adaptive behavior, but its origin and underlying function have largely eluded formal theorizing and computational modeling. Using deep active inference, a hierarchical inference scheme that rests on inverting a model of how sensory data are generated, we develop a principled Bayesian model of emotional valence. This formulation asserts that agents infer their valence state based on the expected precision of their action model-an internal estimate of overall model fitness ("subjective fitness"). This index of subjective fitness can be estimated within any environment and exploits the domain generality of second-order beliefs (beliefs about beliefs). We show how maintaining internal valence representations allows the ensuing affective agent to optimize confidence in action selection preemptively. Valence representations can in turn be optimized by leveraging the (Bayes-optimal) updating term for subjective fitness, which we label affective charge (AC). AC tracks changes in fitness estimates and lends a sign to otherwise unsigned divergences between predictions and outcomes. We simulate the resulting affective inference by subjecting an in silico affective agent to a T-maze paradigm requiring context learning, followed by context reversal. This formulation of affective inference offers a principled account of the link between affect, (mental) action, and implicit metacognition. It characterizes how a deep biological system can infer its affective state and reduce uncertainty about such inferences through internal action (i.e., top-down modulation of priors that underwrite confidence). Thus, we demonstrate the potential of active inference to provide a formal and computationally tractable account of affect. Our demonstration of the face validity and potential utility of this formulation represents the first step within a larger research program. Next, this model can be leveraged to test the hypothesized role of valence by fitting the model to behavioral and neuronal responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper Hesp
- Department of Psychology and Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands; Institute for Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, 1012 GC Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Ryan Smith
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK 74136, U.S.A.
| | - Thomas Parr
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Micah Allen
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark; Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus 8200, Denmark; and Cambridge Psychiatry, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 8AH, U.K.
| | - Karl J Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Maxwell J D Ramstead
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.; Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Culture, Mind, and Brain Program, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0G4, QC, Canada
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24
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Bryce CA, Floresco SB. Central CRF and acute stress differentially modulate probabilistic reversal learning in male and female rats. Behav Brain Res 2020; 397:112929. [PMID: 32998044 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress can have variable and sometimes sex-dependent effects on different executive functions, including cognitive flexibility, some of which may be mediated by increased corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). Previous studies on the effects of stress and CRF on cognitive flexibility have used procedures entailing deterministic rewards, yet how they may alter behavior when outcomes are probabilistic is unclear. The present study examined how acute stress and increased CRF activity alters probabilistic reversal learning (PRL) in male and female rats. Rats learned to discriminate between a 'correct' lever rewarded on 80 % of trials, and an "incorrect" lever delivering reward on 20 % of trials, with reward contingencies reversed after 8 consecutive correct choices. Separate groups received either intracerebroventricular infusions of CRF (3 μg) or restraint stress prior to a PRL session. Experiments examined how these manipulations affected learning when given prior to a one-day acquisition test or during performance in well-trained rats. Exogenous CRF, and to a lesser extent acute stress, impaired motivation across sexes, slowing deliberation times and increasing the number of trials omitted, particularly following a switch in reward contingencies. Neither manipulation significantly altered errors or reversal performance. However, increased CRF activity reduced negative feedback sensitivity. Across manipulations, females showed increased omissions and choice latencies, and were less sensitive to feedback than males. These results reveal the complexity with which stress, CRF, sex, and experience interact to alter aspects of motivation and probabilistic reinforcement learning and provide insight into how CRF activity may contribute to symptoms of stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney A Bryce
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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25
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Psychological mechanisms and functions of 5-HT and SSRIs in potential therapeutic change: Lessons from the serotonergic modulation of action selection, learning, affect, and social cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:138-167. [PMID: 32931805 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Uncertainty regarding which psychological mechanisms are fundamental in mediating SSRI treatment outcomes and wide-ranging variability in their efficacy has raised more questions than it has solved. Since subjective mood states are an abstract scientific construct, only available through self-report in humans, and likely involving input from multiple top-down and bottom-up signals, it has been difficult to model at what level SSRIs interact with this process. Converging translational evidence indicates a role for serotonin in modulating context-dependent parameters of action selection, affect, and social cognition; and concurrently supporting learning mechanisms, which promote adaptability and behavioural flexibility. We examine the theoretical basis, ecological validity, and interaction of these constructs and how they may or may not exert a clinical benefit. Specifically, we bridge crucial gaps between disparate lines of research, particularly findings from animal models and human clinical trials, which often seem to present irreconcilable differences. In determining how SSRIs exert their effects, our approach examines the endogenous functions of 5-HT neurons, how 5-HT manipulations affect behaviour in different contexts, and how their therapeutic effects may be exerted in humans - which may illuminate issues of translational models, hierarchical mechanisms, idiographic variables, and social cognition.
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26
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Reed EJ, Uddenberg S, Suthaharan P, Mathys CD, Taylor JR, Groman SM, Corlett PR. Paranoia as a deficit in non-social belief updating. eLife 2020; 9:56345. [PMID: 32452769 PMCID: PMC7326495 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Paranoia is the belief that harm is intended by others. It may arise from selective pressures to infer and avoid social threats, particularly in ambiguous or changing circumstances. We propose that uncertainty may be sufficient to elicit learning differences in paranoid individuals, without social threat. We used reversal learning behavior and computational modeling to estimate belief updating across individuals with and without mental illness, online participants, and rats chronically exposed to methamphetamine, an elicitor of paranoia in humans. Paranoia is associated with a stronger prior on volatility, accompanied by elevated sensitivity to perceived changes in the task environment. Methamphetamine exposure in rats recapitulates this impaired uncertainty-driven belief updating and rigid anticipation of a volatile environment. Our work provides evidence of fundamental, domain-general learning differences in paranoid individuals. This paradigm enables further assessment of the interplay between uncertainty and belief-updating across individuals and species. Everyone has had fleeting concerns that others might be against them at some point in their lives. Sometimes these concerns can escalate into paranoia and become debilitating. Paranoia is a common symptom in serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia. It can cause extreme distress and is linked with an increased risk of violence towards oneself or others. Understanding what happens in the brains of people experiencing paranoia might lead to better ways to treat or manage it. Some experts argue that paranoia is caused by errors in the way people assess social situations. An alternative idea is that paranoia stems from the way the brain forms and updates beliefs about the world. Now, Reed et al. show that both people with paranoia and rats exposed to a paranoia-inducing substance expect the world will change frequently, change their minds often, and have a harder time learning in response to changing circumstances. In the experiments, human volunteers with and without psychiatric disorders played a game where the best choices change. Then, the participants completed a survey to assess their level of paranoia. People with higher levels of paranoia predicted more changes would occur and made less predictable choices. In a second set of experiments, rats were put in a cage with three holes where they sometimes received sugar rewards. Some of the rats received methamphetamine, a drug that causes paranoia in humans. Rats given the drug also expected the location of the sugar reward would change often. The drugged animals had harder time learning and adapting to changing circumstances. The experiments suggest that brain processes found in both rats, which are less social than humans, and humans contribute to paranoia. This suggests paranoia may make it harder to update beliefs. This may help scientists understand what causes paranoia and develop therapies or drugs that can reduce paranoia. This information may also help scientists understand why during societal crises like wars or natural disasters humans are prone to believing conspiracies. This is particularly important now as the world grapples with climate change and a global pandemic. Reed et al. note paranoia may impede the coordination of collaborative solutions to these challenging situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin J Reed
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Yale MD-PhD Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Stefan Uddenberg
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Praveen Suthaharan
- Department of Psychiatry, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University, New Have, United States
| | - Christoph D Mathys
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.,Translational Neuromodeling Unit (TNU), Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University, New Have, United States
| | - Stephanie Mary Groman
- Department of Psychiatry, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University, New Have, United States
| | - Philip R Corlett
- Department of Psychiatry, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University, New Have, United States
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Jager A, Dam SA, Van Der Mierden S, Oomen CA, Arias-Vasquez A, Buitelaar JK, Kozicz T, Glennon JC. Modulation of cognitive flexibility by reward and punishment in BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice. Behav Brain Res 2020; 378:112294. [PMID: 31626850 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Learning from feedback is one of the key mechanisms within cognitive flexibility, which is needed to react swiftly to constantly changing environments. The motivation to change behavior is highly dependent on the expectancy of positive (reward) or negative (punishment) feedback. Individuals with conduct disorder (CD) with high callous unemotional traits show decreased sensitivity to negative feedback and increased reward seeking. Previous studies have modeled traits associated with CD (i.e. heightened aggression and anti-social behavior) in BALB/cJ mice (compared to the BALB/cByJ mouse as controls). Based on these findings, we hypothesized reduced negative feedback-related cognitive flexibility to be present in BALB/cJ mice. The effect of negative feedback and reward sensitivity on cognitive flexibility in BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice was examined in a reversal learning paradigm. BALB/cJ mice were more flexible in the acquisition of new contingencies under rewarding conditions compared to BALB/cByJ mice, while the presence of an aversive punishing stimulus decreased their learning performance. Additionally, BALB/cJ mice needed more correction trials to reach the reversal learning criterion. This was accompanied by a higher rate of perseverance, which could represent impaired error detection. The addition of a second punishment enhanced punishment sensitivity in BALB/cJ mice. In contrast, the performance of the BALB/cByJ mice was not affected by additional negative feedback. Taken together, the BALB/cJ can be considered to be less sensitive to learn from negative feedback and therefore may be a useful model to further characterize molecular and neural underpinnings of callous unemotional traits in CD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Jager
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sarita A Dam
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Stevie Van Der Mierden
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Charlotte A Oomen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Alejandro Arias-Vasquez
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tamas Kozicz
- Department of Anatomy, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Geert Grooteplein 27, 6525 EZ Nijmegen Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, 299-79 Woodlake Dr, Rochester, MN 55904, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Gilbertson T, Humphries M, Steele JD. Maladaptive striatal plasticity and abnormal reward-learning in cervical dystonia. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 50:3191-3204. [PMID: 30955204 PMCID: PMC6900037 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
In monogenetic generalized forms of dystonia, in vitro neurophysiological recordings have demonstrated direct evidence for abnormal plasticity at the level of the cortico-striatal synapse. It is unclear whether similar abnormalities contribute to the pathophysiology of cervical dystonia, the most common type of focal dystonia. We investigated whether abnormal cortico-striatal synaptic plasticity contributes to abnormal reward-learning behavior in patients with focal dystonia. Forty patients and 40 controls performed a reward gain and loss avoidance reversal learning task. Participant's behavior was fitted to a computational model of the basal ganglia incorporating detailed cortico-striatal synaptic learning rules. Model comparisons were performed to assess the ability of four hypothesized receptor specific abnormalities of cortico-striatal long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD): increased or decreased D1:LTP/LTD and increased or decreased D2: LTP/LTD to explain abnormal behavior in patients. Patients were selectively impaired in the post-reversal phase of the reward task. Individual learning rates in the reward reversal task correlated with the severity of the patient's motor symptoms. A model of the striatum with decreased D2:LTP/ LTD best explained the patient's behavior, suggesting excessive D2 cortico-striatal synaptic depotentiation could underpin biased reward-learning in patients with cervical dystonia. Reversal learning impairment in cervical dystonia may be a behavioral correlate of D2-specific abnormalities in cortico-striatal synaptic plasticity. Reinforcement learning tasks with computational modeling could allow the identification of molecular targets for novel treatments based on their ability to restore normal reward-learning behavior in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Gilbertson
- Department of NeurologyNinewells Hospital & Medical SchoolDundeeUK
- Division of Imaging Science and TechnologyMedical SchoolUniversity of DundeeDundeeUK
| | - Mark Humphries
- Division of Neuroscience & Experimental PsychologyUniversity of ManchesterManchesterUK
- School of PsychologyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - J. Douglas Steele
- Division of Imaging Science and TechnologyMedical SchoolUniversity of DundeeDundeeUK
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29
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Saperia S, Da Silva S, Siddiqui I, Agid O, Daskalakis ZJ, Ravindran A, Voineskos AN, Zakzanis KK, Remington G, Foussias G. Reward-driven decision-making impairments in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2019; 206:277-283. [PMID: 30442476 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to use feedback to guide optimal decision-making is essential for goal-directed behaviour. While impairments in feedback-driven decision-making have been associated with schizophrenia and depression, this has been examined primarily in the context of binary probabilistic choice paradigms. In real-world decision-making, however, individuals must make choices when there are more than two competing options that vary in the frequency and magnitude of potential rewards and losses. Thus, the current study examined win-stay/lose-shift (WSLS) behaviour on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) in order to evaluate the influence of immediate rewards and losses in guiding real-world decision-making in patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. Fifty-one patients with schizophrenia, 43 patients with major depressive disorder, and 51 healthy controls completed the IGT, as well as a series of clinical and cognitive measures. WSLS was assessed by quantifying trial-by-trial behaviour following rewards and losses on the IGT. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that patients with schizophrenia demonstrated intact lose-shift behaviour, but significantly reduced win-stay rates compared to healthy controls. In contrast, no WSLS impairments emerged in the depressed group. Win-stay impairments in the schizophrenia group were significantly related to deficits in motivation and cognition. Patients with schizophrenia exhibit impaired reward-driven decision-making in the context of multiple choices with concurrent rewards and losses, and this appears to be driven by a reduced propensity for advantageous win-stay behaviour. With the importance of reward learning and decision-making in generating goal-directed behaviour, these findings suggest a potential mechanism contributing to the motivation deficits seen in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Saperia
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Susana Da Silva
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ishraq Siddiqui
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ofer Agid
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Z Jeff Daskalakis
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Arun Ravindran
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Aristotle N Voineskos
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Gary Remington
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - George Foussias
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Roberts BZ, Young JW, He YV, Cope ZA, Shilling PD, Feifel D. Oxytocin improves probabilistic reversal learning but not effortful motivation in Brown Norway rats. Neuropharmacology 2019; 150:15-26. [PMID: 30844406 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Deficits in cognition and motivation are common and debilitating aspects of psychiatric disorders, yet still go largely untreated. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is a potential novel therapeutic for deficits in social cognition and motivation in psychiatric patients. However, the effects of OT on clinically relevant domains of non-social cognition and motivation remain under studied. The present study investigated the effects of acute and chronic (21-day) administration of subcutaneous OT (0.04, 0.2, and 1 mg/kg) in cross-species translatable operant paradigms of reward learning and effortful motivation in male and female Brown Norway (BN) rats (n = 8-10/group). Reward learning was assessed using the probabilistic reversal learning task (PRLT) and effortful motivation was measured using the progressive ratio breakpoint task (PRBT). As predicted, BN rats exhibited baseline deficits in the detection of reversals of reward contingency in the PRLT relative to Long Evans (LE) rats. The two strains performed equally in the PRBT. Thirty minutes after a single OT injection (1 mg/kg), measures of both initial probabilistic learning (trials to first criterion) and subsequent reversal learning (contingency switches) were significantly improved to levels comparable with LE rats. The OT effect on switches persisted in male, but not female, BN rats 30 min, 24 h, and 6 days after long-term OT administration, suggesting the induction of neuroplastic changes. OT did not affect effortful motivation at any time-point. The beneficial effects of OT on reward learning in the absence of increased effortful motivation support the development of OT as a novel therapeutic to improve cognitive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Z Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA; VISN-22 Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Yinong V He
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Zackary A Cope
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Paul D Shilling
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - David Feifel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA; Department of Psychiatry, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
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31
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Urošević S, Halverson T, Youngstrom EA, Luciana M. Probabilistic reinforcement learning abnormalities and their correlates in adolescent bipolar disorders. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 127:807-817. [PMID: 30431289 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Theoretical models of bipolar disorders (BD) posit core deficits in reward system function. However, specifying which among the multiple reward system's neurobehavioral processes are abnormal in BD is necessary to develop appropriately targeted interventions. Research on probabilistic-reinforcement learning deficits in BD is limited, particularly during adolescence, a period of significant neurodevelopmental changes in the reward system. The present study investigated probabilistic-reinforcement learning, using a probabilistic selection task (PST), and its correlates, using self-reported reward/threat sensitivities and cognitive tasks, in 104 adolescents with and without BD. Compared with healthy peers, adolescents with BD were less likely to persist with their choices based on prior positive feedback (i.e., lower win-stay rates) in the PST's acquisition phase. Across groups, a greater win-stay rate appeared to be a more efficient learning strategy-associated with fewer acquisition trials and better testing phase performance. Win-stay rates were also related to verbal learning indices, but not self-reported reward/threat sensitivities. Finally, lower win-stay rates had significant incremental validity in predicting a BD diagnosis, after accounting for effects of current symptoms, reward sensitivities, verbal learning, and IQ. The present findings support multiple dysfunctional processes of the reward system in adolescent BD that require additional examinations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Snežana Urošević
- Mental Health Service Line, Psychology Services, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System
| | - Tate Halverson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
| | - Eric A Youngstrom
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
| | - Monica Luciana
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
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32
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Skandali N, Rowe JB, Voon V, Deakin JB, Cardinal RN, Cormack F, Passamonti L, Bevan-Jones WR, Regenthal R, Chamberlain SR, Robbins TW, Sahakian BJ. Dissociable effects of acute SSRI (escitalopram) on executive, learning and emotional functions in healthy humans. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:2645-2651. [PMID: 30305705 PMCID: PMC6224451 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0229-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Serotonin is implicated in multiple executive functions including goal-directed learning, cognitive flexibility, response inhibition and emotional regulation. These functions are impaired in several psychiatric disorders, such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We tested the cognitive effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram, using an acute and clinically relevant dose (20 mg), in 66 healthy male and female volunteers in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants performed a cognitive test battery including a probabilistic and reversal learning task, the CANTAB intra-dimensional/extra-dimensional shift test of cognitive flexibility, a response inhibition task with interleaved stop-signal and No-Go trials and tasks measuring emotional processing. We showed that acute escitalopram administration impaired learning and cognitive flexibility, but improved the ability to inhibit responses in stop-signal trials while leaving unaffected acute emotional processing. Our findings suggest a dissociation of effects of acute escitalopram on cognitive functions, possibly mediated by differential modulation of brain serotonin levels in distinct functional neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolina Skandali
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
| | - James B Rowe
- Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Valerie Voon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julia B Deakin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rudolf N Cardinal
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Ralf Regenthal
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Rudolf-Boehm-Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Leipzig University, Medical Faculty, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Samuel R Chamberlain
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Szekely A, Rajaram S, Mohanty A. Memory for dangers past: threat contexts produce more consistent learning than do non-threatening contexts. Cogn Emot 2018; 33:1031-1040. [PMID: 30092707 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2018.1507998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
In earlier work we showed that individuals learn the spatial regularities within contexts and use this knowledge to guide detection of threatening targets embedded in these contexts. While it is highly adaptive for humans to use contextual learning to detect threats, it is equally adaptive for individuals to flexibly readjust behaviour when contexts once associated with threatening stimuli begin to be associated with benign stimuli, and vice versa. Here, we presented face targets varying in salience (threatening or non-threatening) in new or old spatial configurations (contexts) and changed the target salience (threatening to non-threatening and vice versa) halfway through the experiment to examine if contextual learning changes with the change in target salience. Detection of threatening targets was faster in old than new configurations and this learning persisted even after the target changed to non-threatening. However, the same pattern was not seen when the targets changed from non-threatening to threatening. Overall, our findings show that threat detection is driven not only by stimulus properties as theorised traditionally but also by the learning of contexts in which threatening stimuli appear, highlighting the importance of top-down factors in threat detection. Further, learning of contexts associated with threatening targets is robust and speeds detection of non-threatening targets subsequently presented in the same context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akos Szekely
- a Department of Psychology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , NY , USA
| | - Suparna Rajaram
- a Department of Psychology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , NY , USA
| | - Aprajita Mohanty
- a Department of Psychology , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , NY , USA
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Zhang F, Xiao L, Gu R. Does Gender Matter in the Relationship between Anxiety and Decision-Making? Front Psychol 2017; 8:2231. [PMID: 29312077 PMCID: PMC5742200 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an ongoing debate about whether and how anxiety level affects behavioral performance in risk and/or ambiguous decision-making. According to the literature, we suggest that gender difference might be a confounding factor that has contributed to heterogeneous findings in previous studies. To examine this idea, 135 students who participated in this study were divided into six groups according to their gender (male/female) and trait anxiety level (high/medium/low; measured by the Trait form of Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). All groups finished the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) for ambiguous decision-making, and the Game of Dice Task (GDT) for risk decision-making. Behavioral results revealed that the IGT but not the GDT showed an interaction between anxiety and gender. Specifically, men outperformed women in the IGT, but only when their trait anxiety levels were low. Meanwhile, the GDT showed a main effect of anxiety grouping, such that low anxious participants were more risk-seeking than their medium anxious counterparts. These findings indicate that gender selectively modulates the influence of anxiety on ambiguous decision-making, but not risk decision-making. The theoretical and practical implications of the current findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenghua Zhang
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
- Key Laboratory of Psychology and Cognition Science of Jiangxi, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Leifeng Xiao
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral 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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35
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Trait anxiety and probabilistic learning: Behavioral and electrophysiological findings. Biol Psychol 2017; 132:17-26. [PMID: 29100909 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is a negative emotion that affects various aspects of people's daily life. To explain why individuals with high anxiety tend to make suboptimal decisions, we suggest that their learning ability might play an important role. Regarding that anxiety modulates both outcome expectation and attention allocation, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the function of feedback learning should be sensitive to individual level of anxiety. However, previous studies that directly examined this hypothesis were scarce. In this study, forty-two Chinese participants were assigned to a high-trait anxiety (HTA) group or a low-trait anxiety (LTA) group according to their scores in the Trait form of Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T). Both groups finished a reward learning task in which two options were associated with different winning probabilities. The event-related potential (ERP) elicited by outcome feedback during the task was recorded and analyzed. Behavioral results revealed that, when the winning probability was 80% for one option and 20% for another, the HTA group chose the 80% winning option less often than the LTA group at the initial stage (i.e., first 20 trials) of the task, but there was no between-group difference in total number of choice. In addition, HTA participants took more time to make decisions in the 80/20 condition than in the 50/50 condition, but this effect was insignificant in the LTA group. ERP results indicated that anxiety affects learning in two ways. First, compared to their LTA counterparts, HTA participants showed a smaller feedback-related negativity (FRN) in response to negative feedback, indicating the impact of anxiety on outcome expectation. Second, HTA participants showed a larger P3 component in the 80/20 condition than in the 50/50 condition, indicating the impact of anxiety on attention allocation. Accordingly, we suggest that individuals' ability of feedback learning could be negatively modulated by anxiety.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Persistent depressive symptoms in children and adolescents are considered a risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) later in life. Previous research has shown alterations in white matter microstructure in pediatric MDD but discrepancies exist as to the specific tracts affected. The current study aimed to improve upon previous methodology and address the question whether previous findings of lower fractional anisotropy (FA) replicate in a sample of children with persistent depressive disorder characterized by mild but more chronic symptoms of depression. METHODS White matter microstructure was examined in 25 boys with persistent depressive disorder and 25 typically developing children. Tract specific analysis implemented with the Diffusion Tensor Imaging - ToolKit (DTI-TK) was used to probe fractional anisotropy (FA) in eleven major white matter tracts. RESULTS Clusters within the left uncinate, inferior fronto-occipital and cerebrospinal tracts showed lower FA in the clinical group. FA in the left uncinate showed a negative association with self-reported symptoms of depression. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate lower FA in several white matter tracts in children with persistent depressive disorder. These findings support the contention that early onset depression is associated with altered white matter microstructure, which may contribute to the maintenance and recurrence of symptoms.
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Feiss A, Johnson SL, Peckham A, Blair J. Valence specific response reversal deficits and risk for mania. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-017-9633-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Naiberg MR, Hatch JK, Selkirk B, Fiksenbaum L, Yang V, Black S, Kertes PJ, Goldstein BI. Retinal photography: A window into the cardiovascular-brain link in adolescent bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord 2017; 218:227-237. [PMID: 28477501 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.04.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The burden of cardiovascular disease in bipolar disorder (BD) exceeds what can be explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), lifestyle, and/or medications. Moreover, neurocognitive deficits are a core feature of BD, and are also related to CVRFs. We examined retinal vascular photography, a proxy for cerebral microvasculature, in relation to CVRFs, peripheral microvascular function, and neurocognition among BD adolescents. METHODS Subjects were 30 adolescents with BD and 32 healthy controls (HC). Retinal photography was conducted using a Topcon TRC 50 DX, Type IA camera, following pupil dilation. Retinal arteriolar and venular caliber was measured, from which the arterio-venular ratio (AVR) was computed. All measures were conducted masked to participant diagnosis. Peripheral arterial tonometry measured endothelial function. Neurocognition was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Tests Automated Battery. RESULTS AVR was not significantly different between groups (Cohen's d=0.18, p=0.103). Higher diastolic blood pressure (BP) was associated with lower (worse) AVR in BD (r=-0.441, p=0.015) but not HC (r=-0.192, p=0.293). Similarly, in the BD group only, higher (better) endothelial function was associated with higher AVR (r=0.375, p=0.041). Hierarchical regression models confirmed that, independent of covariates, retinal vascular caliber was significantly associated with diastolic BP and endothelial function in BD. Within the BD group, mood scores were significantly negatively correlated with AVR (β=-0.451, p=0.044). LIMITATIONS This study's limitations include a small sample size, a cross-sectional study design, and a heterogeneous sample. CONCLUSION Retinal photography may offer unique insights regarding the cardiovascular and neurocognitive burden of BD. Larger longitudinal studies are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie R Naiberg
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Toronto, Canada; Univeristy of Toronto, Department of Neurology, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jessica K Hatch
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Toronto, Canada; Univeristy of Toronto, Department of Neurology, Toronto, Canada
| | - Beth Selkirk
- The John and Liz Tory Eye Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, Toronto, Canada; Univeristy of Toronto, Department of Neurology, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lisa Fiksenbaum
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder, Toronto, Canada; Univeristy of Toronto, Department of Neurology, Toronto, Canada
| | - Victor Yang
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Department of Neurosurgery, Toronto, Canada; Univeristy of Toronto, Department of Neurology, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sandra Black
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Department of Neurosurgery, Toronto, Canada; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Medicine (Neurology), Toronto, Canada; Univeristy of Toronto, Department of Neurology, Toronto, Canada
| | - Peter J Kertes
- The John and Liz Tory Eye Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, Toronto, Canada; Univeristy of Toronto, Department of Neurology, Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin I Goldstein
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder, Toronto, Canada; University of Toronto, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Toronto, Canada; Univeristy of Toronto, Department of Neurology, Toronto, Canada.
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Barch DM, Carter CS, Gold JM, Johnson SL, Kring AM, MacDonald AW, Pizzagalli DA, Ragland JD, Silverstein SM, Strauss ME. Explicit and implicit reinforcement learning across the psychosis spectrum. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 126:694-711. [PMID: 28406662 PMCID: PMC5503766 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Motivational and hedonic impairments are core features of a variety of types of psychopathology. An important aspect of motivational function is reinforcement learning (RL), including implicit (i.e., outside of conscious awareness) and explicit (i.e., including explicit representations about potential reward associations) learning, as well as both positive reinforcement (learning about actions that lead to reward) and punishment (learning to avoid actions that lead to loss). Here we present data from paradigms designed to assess both positive and negative components of both implicit and explicit RL, examine performance on each of these tasks among individuals with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder with psychosis, and examine their relative relationships to specific symptom domains transdiagnostically. None of the diagnostic groups differed significantly from controls on the implicit RL tasks in either bias toward a rewarded response or bias away from a punished response. However, on the explicit RL task, both the individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder performed significantly worse than controls, but the individuals with bipolar did not. Worse performance on the explicit RL task, but not the implicit RL task, was related to worse motivation and pleasure symptoms across all diagnostic categories. Performance on explicit RL, but not implicit RL, was related to working memory, which accounted for some of the diagnostic group differences. However, working memory did not account for the relationship of explicit RL to motivation and pleasure symptoms. These findings suggest transdiagnostic relationships across the spectrum of psychotic disorders between motivation and pleasure impairments and explicit RL. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Amodeo DA, Grospe G, Zang H, Dwivedi Y, Ragozzino ME. Cognitive flexibility impairment and reduced frontal cortex BDNF expression in the ouabain model of mania. Neuroscience 2017; 345:229-242. [PMID: 27267245 PMCID: PMC5136525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.05.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Central infusion of the Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitor, ouabain in rats serves as an animal model of mania because it leads to hyperactivity, as well as reproduces ion dysregulation and reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels similar to that observed in bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is also associated with cognitive inflexibility and working memory deficits. It is unknown whether ouabain treatment in rats leads to similar cognitive flexibility and working memory deficits. The present study examined the effects of an intracerebral ventricular infusion of ouabain in rats on spontaneous alternation, probabilistic reversal learning and BDNF expression levels in the frontal cortex. Ouabain treatment significantly increased locomotor activity, but did not affect alternation performance in a Y-maze. Ouabain treatment selectively impaired reversal learning in a spatial discrimination task using an 80/20 probabilistic reinforcement procedure. The reversal learning deficit in ouabain-treated rats resulted from an impaired ability to maintain a new choice pattern (increased regressive errors). Ouabain treatment also decreased sensitivity to negative feedback during the initial phase of reversal learning. Expression of BDNF mRNA and protein levels was downregulated in the frontal cortex which also negatively correlated with regressive errors. These findings suggest that the ouabain model of mania may be useful in understanding the neuropathophysiology that contributes to cognitive flexibility deficits and test potential treatments to alleviate cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dionisio A Amodeo
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
| | - Gena Grospe
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
| | - Hui Zang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
| | - Yogesh Dwivedi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35209, United States
| | - Michael E Ragozzino
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, United States.
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Irritability in child and adolescent psychopathology: An integrative review for ICD-11. Clin Psychol Rev 2017; 53:29-45. [PMID: 28192774 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2016] [Revised: 01/02/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In preparation for the World Health Organization's development of the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) chapter on Mental and Behavioral Disorders, this article reviews the literature pertaining to severe irritability in child and adolescent psychopathology. First, research on severe mood dysregulation suggests that youth with irritability and temper outbursts, among other features of hyperactivity and arousal, demonstrate cross-sectional correlates and developmental outcomes that distinguish them from youth with bipolar disorder. Second, other evidence points to an irritable dimension of Oppositional Defiant Disorder symptomatology, which is uniquely associated with concurrent and subsequent internalizing problems. In contrast to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (5th ed.) Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, our review of the literature supports a different solution: a subtype, Oppositional Defiant Disorder with chronic irritability/anger (proposal included in Appendix). This solution is more consistent with the available evidence and is a better fit with global public health considerations such as harm/benefit potential, clinical utility, and cross-cultural applicability. Implications for assessment, treatment, and research are discussed.
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Abstract
Depression is one of the most common but poorly understood psychiatric conditions. Although drug treatments and psychological therapies are effective in some patients, many do not achieve full remission and some patients receive no apparent benefit. Developing new improved treatments requires a better understanding of the aetiology of symptoms and evaluation of novel therapeutic targets in pre-clinical studies. Recent developments in our understanding of the basic cognitive processes that may contribute to the development of depression and its treatment offer new opportunities for both clinical and pre-clinical research. This chapter discusses the clinical evidence supporting a cognitive neuropsychological model of depression and antidepressant efficacy, and how this information may be usefully translated to pre-clinical investigation. Studies using neuropsychological tests in depressed patients and at risk populations have revealed basic negative emotional biases and disrupted reward and punishment processing, which may also impact on non-affective cognition. These affective biases are sensitive to antidepressant treatments with early onset effects observed, suggesting an important role in recovery. This clinical work into affective biases has also facilitated back-translation to animals and the development of assays to study affective biases in rodents. These animal studies suggest that, similar to humans, rodents in putative negative affective states exhibit negative affective biases on decision-making and memory tasks. Antidepressant treatments also induce positive biases in these rodent tasks, supporting the translational validity of this approach. Although still in the early stages of development and validation, affective biases in depression have the potential to offer new insights into the clinical condition, as well as facilitating the development of more translational approaches for pre-clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S J Robinson
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 4PX, UK.
| | - J P Roiser
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR, UK
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Milienne-Petiot M, Kesby JP, Graves M, van Enkhuizen J, Semenova S, Minassian A, Markou A, Geyer MA, Young JW. The effects of reduced dopamine transporter function and chronic lithium on motivation, probabilistic learning, and neurochemistry in mice: Modeling bipolar mania. Neuropharmacology 2016; 113:260-270. [PMID: 27732870 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bipolar disorder (BD) mania patients exhibit poor cognition and reward-seeking/hypermotivation, negatively impacting a patient's quality of life. Current treatments (e.g., lithium), do not treat such deficits. Treatment development has been limited due to a poor understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying these behaviors. Here, we investigated putative mechanisms underlying cognition and reward-seeking/motivational changes relevant to BD mania patients using two validated mouse models and neurochemical analyses. METHODS The effects of reducing dopamine transporter (DAT) functioning via genetic (knockdown vs. wild-type littermates), or pharmacological (GBR12909- vs. vehicle-treated C57BL/6J mice) means were assessed in the probabilistic reversal learning task (PRLT), and progressive ratio breakpoint (PRB) test, during either water or chronic lithium treatment. These tasks quantify reward learning and effortful motivation, respectively. Neurochemistry was performed on brain samples of DAT mutants ± chronic lithium using high performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS Reduced DAT functioning increased reversals in the PRLT, an effect partially attenuated by chronic lithium. Chronic lithium alone slowed PRLT acquisition. Reduced DAT functioning increased motivation (PRB), an effect attenuated by lithium in GBR12909-treated mice. Neurochemical analyses revealed that DAT knockdown mice exhibited elevated homovanillic acid levels, but that lithium had no effect on these elevated levels. CONCLUSIONS Reducing DAT functioning recreates many aspects of BD mania including hypermotivation and improved reversal learning (switching), as well as elevated homovanillic acid levels. Chronic lithium only exerted main effects, impairing learning and elevating norepinephrine and serotonin levels of mice, not specifically treating the underlying mechanisms identified in these models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Milienne-Petiot
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA; Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - James P Kesby
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
| | - Mary Graves
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
| | - Jordy van Enkhuizen
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA; Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Svetlana Semenova
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
| | - Arpi Minassian
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
| | - Athina Markou
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
| | - Mark A Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
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Reversal-learning deficits in childhood-onset bipolar disorder across the transition from childhood to young adulthood. J Affect Disord 2016; 203:46-54. [PMID: 27280962 PMCID: PMC4975956 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.046] [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: 12/19/2015] [Revised: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental illness that can have high costs for youths (<18 years old) and adults. Relative to healthy controls (HC), individuals with BD often show impaired attention, working memory, executive function, and cognitive flexibility (the ability to adapt to changing reward/punishment contingencies). In our study of youths and young adults with BD, we investigated 1) how cognitive flexibility varies developmentally in BD, and 2) whether it is independent of other executive function deficits associated with BD. METHODS We measured errors on a reversal-learning task, as well as spatial working memory and other executive function, among participants with BD (N=75) and HC (N=130), 7-27 years old. Regression analyses focused on the effects of diagnosis on reversal-learning errors, controlling for age, gender, IQ, spatial span, and executive function. Similar analyses examined non-reversal errors to rule out general task impairment. RESULTS Participants with BD, regardless of age, gender, or cognitive ability, showed more errors than HC on the response reversal stages of the cognitive flexibility task. However, participants with BD did not show more errors on non-reversal stages, even when controlling for other variables. LIMITATIONS Study limitations include the cross-sectional, rather than longitudinal, design; inability to measure non-linear age effects; and inclusion of medicated participants and those with psychiatric comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with BD show a specific impairment in reversing a previously rewarded response, which persists across the transition from childhood to young adulthood. Tailored interventions targeting this deficit may be effective throughout this developmentally turbulent time.
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Gruber J, Van Meter A, Gilbert KE, Youngstrom EA, Youngstrom JK, Feeny NC, Findling RL. Positive Emotion Specificity and Mood Symptoms in an Adolescent Outpatient Sample. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2016; 41:393-405. [PMID: 28529394 DOI: 10.1007/s10608-016-9796-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Research on positive emotion disturbance has gained increasing attention, yet it is not clear which specific positive emotions are affected by mood symptoms, particularly during the critical period of adolescence. This is especially pertinent for identifying potential endophenotypic markers associated with mood disorder onset and course. The present study examined self-reported discrete positive and negative emotions in association with clinician-rated manic and depressive mood symptoms in a clinically and demographically diverse group of 401 outpatient adolescents between 11-18 years of age. Results indicated that higher self reported joy and contempt were associated with increased symptoms of mania, after controlling for symptoms of depression. Low levels of joy and high sadness uniquely predicted symptoms of depression, after controlling for symptoms of mania. Results were independent of age, ethnicity, gender and bipolar diagnosis. These findings extend work on specific emotions implicated in mood pathology in adulthood, and provide insights into associations between emotions associated with goal driven behavior with manic and depressive mood symptom severity in adolescence. In particular, joy was the only emotion associated with both depressive and manic symptoms across adolescent psychopathology, highlighting the importance of understanding positive emotion disturbance during adolescent development.
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Affiliation(s)
- June Gruber
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
| | | | | | - Eric A Youngstrom
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Psychology
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Abstract
Depression is one of the most common but poorly understood psychiatric conditions. Although drug treatments and psychological therapies are effective in some patients, many do not achieve full remission and some patients receive no apparent benefit. Developing new improved treatments requires a better understanding of the aetiology of symptoms and evaluation of novel therapeutic targets in pre-clinical studies. Recent developments in our understanding of the basic cognitive processes that may contribute to the development of depression and its treatment offer new opportunities for both clinical and pre-clinical research. This chapter discusses the clinical evidence supporting a cognitive neuropsychological model of depression and antidepressant efficacy, and how this information may be usefully translated to pre-clinical investigation. Studies using neuropsychological tests in depressed patients and at risk populations have revealed basic negative emotional biases and disrupted reward and punishment processing, which may also impact on non-affective cognition. These affective biases are sensitive to antidepressant treatments with early onset effects observed, suggesting an important role in recovery. This clinical work into affective biases has also facilitated back-translation to animals and the development of assays to study affective biases in rodents. These animal studies suggest that, similar to humans, rodents in putative negative affective states exhibit negative affective biases on decision-making and memory tasks. Antidepressant treatments also induce positive biases in these rodent tasks, supporting the translational validity of this approach. Although still in the early stages of development and validation, affective biases in depression have the potential to offer new insights into the clinical condition, as well as facilitating the development of more translational approaches for pre-clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S J Robinson
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 4PX, UK.
| | - J P Roiser
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR, UK
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Dickstein DP, Axelson D, Weissman AB, Yen S, Hunt JI, Goldstein BI, Goldstein TR, Liao F, Gill MK, Hower H, Frazier TW, Diler RS, Youngstrom EA, Fristad MA, Arnold LE, Findling RL, Horwitz SM, Kowatch RA, Ryan ND, Strober M, Birmaher B, Keller MB. Cognitive flexibility and performance in children and adolescents with threshold and sub-threshold bipolar disorder. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2016; 25:625-38. [PMID: 26438382 PMCID: PMC5040213 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-015-0769-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Greater understanding of cognitive function in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD) is of critical importance to improve our ability to design targeted treatments to help with real-world impairment, including academic performance. We sought to evaluate cognitive performance among children with either BD type I, II, or "not otherwise specified" (NOS) participating in multi-site Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth study compared to typically developing controls (TDC) without psychopathology. In particular, we sought to test the hypothesis that BD-I and BD-II youths with full threshold episodes of mania or hypomania would have cognitive deficits, including in reversal learning, vs. those BD-NOS participants with sub-threshold episodes and TDCs. N = 175 participants (BD-I = 81, BD-II = 11, BD-NOS = 28, TDC = 55) completed Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Testing Battery (CANTAB) tasks. A priori analyses of the simple reversal stage of the CANTAB intra-/extra-dimensional shift task showed that aggregated BD-I/II participants required significantly more trials to complete the task than either BD-NOS participants with sub-syndromal manic/hypomanic symptoms or than TDCs. BD participants across sub-types had impairments in sustained attention and information processing for emotionally valenced words. Our results align with prior findings showing that BD-I/II youths with distinct episodes have specific alterations in reversal learning. More broadly, our study suggests that further work is necessary to see the interaction between neurocognitive performance and longitudinal illness course. Additional work is required to identify the neural underpinnings of these differences as targets for potential novel treatments, such as cognitive remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Dickstein
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Division of Child-Family Psychiatry, Bradley Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, East Providence, RI, USA.
- PediMIND Program, Bradley Hospital, 1011 Veterans Memorial Parkway, East Providence, RI, 02915, USA.
| | - David Axelson
- Department of Psychiatry, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Alexandra B Weissman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Division of Child-Family Psychiatry, Bradley Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, East Providence, RI, USA
| | - Shirley Yen
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior/Butler Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jeffrey I Hunt
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Division of Child-Family Psychiatry, Bradley Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, East Providence, RI, USA
| | - Benjamin I Goldstein
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto Medical Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Tina R Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Fangzi Liao
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mary Kay Gill
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Heather Hower
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior/Butler Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Thomas W Frazier
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Autism, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Rasim S Diler
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Eric A Youngstrom
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Mary A Fristad
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - L Eugene Arnold
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Robert L Findling
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sarah M Horwitz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Robert A Kowatch
- Department of Psychiatry, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Neal D Ryan
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael Strober
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Boris Birmaher
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Trait “pessimism” is associated with increased sensitivity to negative feedback in rats. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2016; 16:516-26. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-016-0410-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Urošević S, Youngstrom EA, Collins P, Jensen JB, Luciana M. Associations of age with reward delay discounting and response inhibition in adolescents with bipolar disorders. J Affect Disord 2016; 190:649-656. [PMID: 26590512 PMCID: PMC4684973 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Revised: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Bipolar disorders' (BD) onset before age 18 is a potential marker for a more severe illness course. Adolescence is also a period of significant normative maturation of inhibitory control and reward-relevant decision-making processes, such as decreased delay discounting (i.e., decreased preference for smaller, immediate versus larger, delayed rewards). Adults with BD exhibit elevated delay discounting rates. Very little is known about developmental changes in delay discounting in adolescents with BD, or about associations between inhibitory control and delay discounting in BD. The present study addresses these questions. METHODS The sample included 78 participants, ages 13 to 23, with BD or without history of mental illness. Group differences and group by age interaction effects on delay discounting (32 BD, 32 controls with valid responses), probability discounting (34 BD, 37 controls) and inhibitory control indices (34 BD, 38 controls) were assessed. RESULTS Among healthy controls, less discounting of delayed rewards was associated with older age, whereas adolescents with BD did not show age-related associations. There were no group differences in probability discounting or inhibitory control. LIMITATIONS The cross-sectional nature of the study cannot fully rule out the less likely interpretation of group differences in cohort effects. CONCLUSIONS The lack of age-related improvement in delay tolerance in BD suggests disrupted development of executive control processes within reward contexts, which in turn may contribute to understanding more severe course of pediatric onset BD. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine delay discounting in relation to maturation of neural reward systems among adolescents with BD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snežana Urošević
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA.
| | | | - Paul Collins
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota—Twin Cities
| | | | - Monica Luciana
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota—Twin Cities
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Baker PM, Oh SE, Kidder KS, Mizumori SJY. Ongoing behavioral state information signaled in the lateral habenula guides choice flexibility in freely moving rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:295. [PMID: 26582981 PMCID: PMC4631824 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) plays a role in a wide variety of behaviors ranging from maternal care, to sleep, to various forms of cognition. One prominent theory with ample supporting evidence is that the LHb serves to relay basal ganglia and limbic signals about negative outcomes to midbrain monoaminergic systems. This makes it likely that the LHb is critically involved in behavioral flexibility as all of these systems have been shown to contribute when flexible behavior is required. Behavioral flexibility is commonly examined across species and is impaired in various neuropsychiatric conditions including autism, depression, addiction, and schizophrenia; conditions in which the LHb is thought to play a role. Therefore, a thorough examination of the role of the LHb in behavioral flexibility serves multiple functions including understanding possible connections with neuropsychiatric illnesses and additional insight into its role in cognition in general. Here, we assess the LHb’s role in behavioral flexibility through comparisons of the roles its afferent and efferent pathways are known to play. Additionally, we provide new evidence supporting the LHb contributions to behavioral flexibility through organization of specific goal directed actions under cognitively demanding conditions. Specifically, in the first experiment, a majority of neurons recorded from the LHb were found to correlate with velocity on a spatial navigation task and did not change significantly when reward outcomes were manipulated. Additionally, measurements of local field potential (LFP) in the theta band revealed significant changes in power relative to velocity and reward location. In a second set of experiments, inactivation of the LHb with the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonists baclofen and muscimol led to an impairment in a spatial/response based repeated probabilistic reversal learning task. Control experiments revealed that this impairment was likely due to the demands of repeated switching behaviors as rats were unimpaired on initial discrimination acquisition or retention of probabilistic learning. Taken together, these novel findings compliment other work discussed supporting a role for the LHb in action selection when cognitive or emotional demands are increased. Finally, we discuss future mechanisms by which a superior understanding of the LHb can be obtained through additional examination of behavioral flexibility tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip M Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sujean E Oh
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kevan S Kidder
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington Seattle, WA, USA
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