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Karpov G, Lin MH, Headley DB, Baker TE. Oscillatory correlates of threat imminence during virtual navigation. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14551. [PMID: 38516942 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The Predatory Imminence Continuum Theory proposes that defensive behaviors depend on the proximity of a threat. While the neural mechanisms underlying this proposal are well studied in animal models, it remains poorly understood in humans. To address this issue, we recorded EEG from 24 (15 female) young adults engaged in a first-person virtual reality Risk-Reward interaction task. On each trial, participants were placed in a virtual room and presented with either a threat or reward conditioned stimulus (CS) in the same room location (proximal) or different room location (distal). Behaviorally, all participants learned to avoid the threat-CS, with most using the optimal behavior to actively avoid the proximal threat-CS (88% accuracy) and passively avoid the distal threat-CS (69% accuracy). Similarly, participants learned to actively approach the distal reward-CS (82% accuracy) and to remain passive to the proximal reward-CS (72% accuracy). At an electrophysiological level, we observed a general increase in theta power (4-8 Hz) over the right posterior channel P8 across all conditions, with the proximal threat-CS evoking the largest theta response. By contrast, distal cues induced two bursts of gamma (30-60 Hz) power over midline-parietal channel Pz (200 msec post-cue) and right frontal channel Fp2 (300 msec post-cue). Interestingly, the first burst of gamma power was sensitive to the distal threat-CS and the second burst at channel Fp2 was sensitive to the distal reward-CS. Together, these findings demonstrate that oscillatory processes differentiate between the spatial proximity information during threat and reward encoding, likely optimizing the selection of the appropriate behavioral response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galit Karpov
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers State University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Mei-Heng Lin
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers State University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Drew B Headley
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers State University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Travis E Baker
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers State University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
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Brain activity during pursuit and goal-conflict threat avoidance in major depressive disorder. PERSONALITY NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 5:e9. [PMID: 36105154 PMCID: PMC9428662 DOI: 10.1017/pen.2022.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Threat avoidance is a prominent symptom of affective disorders, yet its biological basis remains poorly understood. Here, we used a validated task, the Joystick Operated Runway Task (JORT), combined with fMRI, to explore whether abnormal function in neural circuits responsible for avoidance underlies these symptoms. Eighteen individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 17 unaffected controls underwent the task, which involved using physical effort to avoid threatening stimuli, paired with mild electric shocks on certain trials. Activity during anticipation and avoidance of threats was explored and compared between groups. Anticipation of aversive stimuli was associated with significant activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, superior frontal gyrus, and striatum, while active avoidance of aversive stimuli was associated with activity in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and prefrontal cortex. There were no significant group differences in neural activity or behavioral performance on the JORT; however, participants with depression reported more dread while being chased on the task. The JORT effectively identified neural systems involved in avoidance and anticipation of aversive stimuli. However, the absence of significant differences in behavioral performance and activation between depressed and non-depressed groups suggests that MDD is not associated with abnormal function in these networks. Future research should investigate the basis of passive avoidance in major depression. Further, the JORT should be explored in patients with anxiety disorders, where threat avoidance may be a more prominent characteristic of the disorder.
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Threat-sensitivity in affective disorders: A case-control study. J Affect Disord 2020; 266:595-602. [PMID: 32056932 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with major depression but differ in their symptom profiles and pharmacological responses. Threat-sensitivity may explain such differences, yet research on its relationship to specific disorders is lacking. METHODS One-hundred patients (71 women) and 35 healthy controls (23 women) were recruited. Thirty-five had Panic Disorder (PD), 32 had Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and 33 Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Threat-sensitivity was measured via behaviour (Joystick Operated Runway Task; JORT) and self-report (Fear Survey Schedule; FSS). RESULTS Behavioural sensitivity to simple threat was higher in females compared to males (p = .03). Self-reported sensitivity to simple threat (FSS Tissue Damage Fear) was higher in PD patients compared to other groups (p ≤ .007) and in GAD patients compared to controls (p = .02). Behavioural sensitivity to complex threat was higher in females than males (p = .03) and a group by sex interaction (p = .01) indicated that this difference was largest in PD patients. Self-reported sensitivity to complex threat (FSS Social Fear) was higher in all patients compared to controls (p ≤ .001). Females scored higher than males on FSS Tissue Damage Fear and FSS Social Fear). CONCLUSIONS Our findings oppose the simple/complex threat dichotomy, instead suggesting elevated sensitivity to physical threat differentiates anxiety disorders from MDD, whereas elevated sensitivity to social threat is associated with both anxiety disorders and MDD.
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Abstract
The natural world presents a myriad of dangers that can threaten an organism's survival. This diversity of threats is matched by a set of universal and species specific defensive behaviors which are often subsumed under the emotions of fear and anxiety. A major issue in the field of affective science, however, is that these emotions are often conflated and scientists fail to reflect the ecological conditions that gave rise to them. I attempt to clarify these semantic issues by describing the link between ethologically defined defensive strategies and fear. This in turn, provides a clearer differentiation between fears, the contexts that evoke them and how they are organized within defensive survival circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program at the California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Kirlic N, Young J, Aupperle RL. Animal to human translational paradigms relevant for approach avoidance conflict decision making. Behav Res Ther 2017; 96:14-29. [PMID: 28495358 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Avoidance behavior in clinical anxiety disorders is often a decision made in response to approach-avoidance conflict, resulting in a sacrifice of potential rewards to avoid potential negative affective consequences. Animal research has a long history of relying on paradigms related to approach-avoidance conflict to model anxiety-relevant behavior. This approach includes punishment-based conflict, exploratory, and social interaction tasks. There has been a recent surge of interest in the translation of paradigms from animal to human, in efforts to increase generalization of findings and support the development of more effective mental health treatments. This article briefly reviews animal tests related to approach-avoidance conflict and results from lesion and pharmacologic studies utilizing these tests. We then provide a description of translational human paradigms that have been developed to tap into related constructs, summarizing behavioral and neuroimaging findings. Similarities and differences in findings from analogous animal and human paradigms are discussed. Lastly, we highlight opportunities for future research and paradigm development that will support the clinical utility of this translational work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namik Kirlic
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK 74136, United States.
| | - Jared Young
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States.
| | - Robin L Aupperle
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK 74136, United States; School of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, 800 S Tucker Dr, Tulsa, OK 74104, United States.
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Vollmer LL, Strawn JR, Sah R. Acid-base dysregulation and chemosensory mechanisms in panic disorder: a translational update. Transl Psychiatry 2015; 5:e572. [PMID: 26080089 PMCID: PMC4471296 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.67] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2014] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Panic disorder (PD), a complex anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent panic attacks, represents a poorly understood psychiatric condition which is associated with significant morbidity and an increased risk of suicide attempts and completed suicide. Recently however, neuroimaging and panic provocation challenge studies have provided insights into the pathoetiology of panic phenomena and have begun to elucidate potential neural mechanisms that may underlie panic attacks. In this regard, accumulating evidence suggests that acidosis may be a contributing factor in induction of panic. Challenge studies in patients with PD reveal that panic attacks may be reliably provoked by agents that lead to acid-base dysbalance such as CO2 inhalation and sodium lactate infusion. Chemosensory mechanisms that translate pH into panic-relevant fear, autonomic, and respiratory responses are therefore of high relevance to the understanding of panic pathophysiology. Herein, we provide a current update on clinical and preclinical studies supporting how acid-base imbalance and diverse chemosensory mechanisms may be associated with PD and discuss future implications of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- L L Vollmer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - J R Strawn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA,Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - R Sah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA,Veterens' Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, 2170 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA. E-mail:
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Markett S, Montag C, Reuter M. In favor of behavior: on the importance of experimental paradigms in testing predictions from Gray's revised reinforcement sensitivity theory. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:184. [PMID: 25324737 PMCID: PMC4179727 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Markett
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany ; Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Martin Reuter
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany ; Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany
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Perkins AM, Ettinger U, Weaver K, Schmechtig A, Schrantee A, Morrison PD, Sapara A, Kumari V, Williams SCR, Corr PJ. Advancing the defensive explanation for anxiety disorders: lorazepam effects on human defense are systematically modulated by personality and threat-type. Transl Psychiatry 2013; 3:e246. [PMID: 23591970 PMCID: PMC3641407 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2013.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2012] [Revised: 02/04/2013] [Accepted: 02/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinically effective drugs against human anxiety and fear systematically alter the innate defensive behavior of rodents, suggesting that in humans these emotions reflect defensive adaptations. Compelling experimental human evidence for this theory is yet to be obtained. We report the clearest test to date by investigating the effects of 1 and 2 mg of the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam on the intensity of threat-avoidance behavior in 40 healthy adult volunteers (20 females). We found lorazepam modulated the intensity of participants' threat-avoidance behavior in a dose-dependent manner. However, the pattern of effects depended upon two factors: type of threat-avoidance behavior and theoretically relevant measures of personality. In the case of flight behavior (one-way active avoidance), lorazepam increased intensity in low scorers on the Fear Survey Schedule tissue-damage fear but reduced it in high scorers. Conversely, in the case of risk-assessment behavior (two-way active avoidance), lorazepam reduced intensity in low scorers on the Spielberger trait anxiety but increased it in high scorers. Anti-anxiety drugs do not systematically affect rodent flight behavior; therefore, we interpret this new finding as suggesting that lorazepam has a broader effect on defense in humans than in rodents, perhaps by modulating general perceptions of threat intensity. The different patterning of lorazepam effects on the two behaviors implies that human perceptions of threat intensity are nevertheless distributed across two different neural streams, which influence effects observed on one-way or two-way active avoidance demanded by the situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Perkins
- King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
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Corr PJ, McNaughton N. Neuroscience and approach/avoidance personality traits: a two stage (valuation-motivation) approach. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36:2339-54. [PMID: 23041073 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2010] [Revised: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 09/26/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Many personality theories link specific traits to the sensitivities of the neural systems that control approach and avoidance. But there is no consensus on the nature of these systems. Here we combine recent advances in economics and neuroscience to provide a more solid foundation for a neuroscience of approach/avoidance personality. We propose a two-stage integration of valuation (loss/gain) sensitivities with motivational (approach/avoidance/conflict) sensitivities. Our key conclusions are: (1) that valuation of appetitive and aversive events (e.g. gain and loss as studied by behavioural economists) is an independent perceptual input stage--with the economic phenomenon of loss aversion resulting from greater negative valuation sensitivity compared to positive valuation sensitivity; (2) that valuation of an appetitive stimulus then interacts with a contingency of presentation or omission to generate a motivational 'attractor' or 'repulsor', respectively (vice versa for an aversive stimulus); (3) the resultant behavioural tendencies to approach or avoid have distinct sensitivities to those of the valuation systems; (4) while attractors and repulsors can reinforce new responses they also, more usually, elicit innate or previously conditioned responses and so the perception/valuation-motivation/action complex is best characterised as acting as a 'reinforcer' not a 'reinforcement'; and (5) approach-avoidance conflict must be viewed as activating a third motivation system that is distinct from the basic approach and avoidance systems. We provide examples of methods of assessing each of the constructs within approach-avoidance theories and of linking these constructs to personality measures. We sketch a preliminary five-element reinforcer sensitivity theory (RST-5) as a first step in the integration of existing specific approach-avoidance theories into a coherent neuroscience of personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J Corr
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
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Graeff FG. New perspective on the pathophysiology of panic: merging serotonin and opioids in the periaqueductal gray. Braz J Med Biol Res 2012; 45:366-75. [PMID: 22437485 PMCID: PMC3854168 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2012007500036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2012] [Accepted: 03/08/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Panic disorder patients are vulnerable to recurrent panic attacks. Two neurochemical hypotheses have been proposed to explain this susceptibility. The first assumes that panic patients have deficient serotonergic inhibition of neurons localized in the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain that organize defensive reactions to cope with proximal threats and of sympathomotor control areas of the rostral ventrolateral medulla that generate most of the neurovegetative symptoms of the panic attack. The second suggests that endogenous opioids buffer normal subjects from the behavioral and physiological manifestations of the panic attack, and their deficit brings about heightened suffocation sensitivity and separation anxiety in panic patients, making them more vulnerable to panic attacks. Experimental results obtained in rats performing one-way escape in the elevated T-maze, an animal model of panic, indicate that the inhibitory action of serotonin on defense is connected with activation of endogenous opioids in the periaqueductal gray. This allows reconciliation of the serotonergic and opioidergic hypotheses of panic pathophysiology, the periaqueductal gray being the fulcrum of serotonin-opioid interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- F G Graeff
- Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brasil.
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