1
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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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2
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Zhang J, Wang J, Wang Y, Zhang D, Li H, Lei Y. Sleep deprivation increases the generalization of perceptual and concept-based fear: An fNIRS study. J Anxiety Disord 2024; 105:102892. [PMID: 38889495 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102892] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Insufficient sleep can initiate or exacerbate anxiety by triggering excessive fear generalization. In this study, a de novo paradigm was developed and used to examine the neural mechanisms governing the effects of sleep deprivation on processing perceptual and concept-based fear generalizations. A between-subject design was adopted, wherein a control group (who had a typical night's sleep) and a one-night sleep deprivation group completed a fear acquisition task at 9:00 PM on the first day and underwent a generalization test the following morning at 7:00 AM. In the fear acquisition task, navy blue and olive green were used as perceptual cues (P+ and P-, respectively), while animals and furniture items were used as conceptual cues (C+ and C-, respectively). Generalization was tested for four novel generalized categories (C+P+, C+P-, C-P+, and C-P-). Shock expectancy ratings, skin conductance responses, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy were recorded during the fear acquisition and generalization processes. Compared with the group who had a typical night's sleep, the sleep deprived group showed higher shock expectancy ratings (especially for P+ and C-), increased oxygenated hemoglobin in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and increased activation in the triangular inferior frontal gyrus during the generalization test. These findings suggest that sleep deprivation increases the generalization of threat memories, thus providing insights into the overgeneralization characteristics of anxiety and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Jinxia Wang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China
| | - Hong Li
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Yi Lei
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China.
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3
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Devignes Q, Ren B, Clancy KJ, Howell K, Pollmann Y, Martinez-Sanchez L, Beard C, Kumar P, Rosso IM. Trauma-related intrusive memories and anterior hippocampus structural covariance: an ecological momentary assessment study in posttraumatic stress disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:74. [PMID: 38307849 PMCID: PMC10837434 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02795-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Trauma-related intrusive memories (TR-IMs) are hallmark symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but their neural correlates remain partly unknown. Given its role in autobiographical memory, the hippocampus may play a critical role in TR-IM neurophysiology. The anterior and posterior hippocampi are known to have partially distinct functions, including during retrieval of autobiographical memories. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between TR-IM frequency and the anterior and posterior hippocampi morphology in PTSD. Ninety-three trauma-exposed adults completed daily ecological momentary assessments for fourteen days to capture their TR-IM frequency. Participants then underwent anatomical magnetic resonance imaging to obtain measures of anterior and posterior hippocampal volumes. Partial least squares analysis was applied to identify a structural covariance network that differentiated the anterior and posterior hippocampi. Poisson regression models examined the relationship of TR-IM frequency with anterior and posterior hippocampal volumes and the resulting structural covariance network. Results revealed no significant relationship of TR-IM frequency with hippocampal volumes. However, TR-IM frequency was significantly negatively correlated with the expression of a structural covariance pattern specifically associated with the anterior hippocampus volume. This association remained significant after accounting for the severity of PTSD symptoms other than intrusion symptoms. The network included the bilateral inferior temporal gyri, superior frontal gyri, precuneus, and fusiform gyri. These novel findings indicate that higher TR-IM frequency in individuals with PTSD is associated with lower structural covariance between the anterior hippocampus and other brain regions involved in autobiographical memory, shedding light on the neural correlates underlying this core symptom of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Devignes
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Boyu Ren
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Psychiatric Biostatistics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kevin J Clancy
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kristin Howell
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Yara Pollmann
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | | | - Courtney Beard
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Poornima Kumar
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Isabelle M Rosso
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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4
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Rosas-Vidal LE, Naskar S, Mayo LM, Perini I, Altemus M, Engelbrektsson H, Jagasia P, Heilig M, Patel S. PREFRONTAL CORRELATES OF FEAR GENERALIZATION DURING ENDOCANNABINOID DEPLETION. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.30.577847. [PMID: 38352388 PMCID: PMC10862899 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.30.577847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Maladaptive fear generalization is one of the hallmarks of trauma-related disorders. The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is crucial for modulating anxiety, fear, and stress adaptation but its role in balancing fear discrimination versus generalization is not known. To address this, we used a combination of plasma endocannabinoid measurement and neuroimaging from a childhood maltreatment exposed and non-exposed mixed population combined with human and rodent fear conditioning models. Here we show that 2-AG levels are inversely associated with fear generalization at the behavioral level in both mice and humans. In mice, 2-AG depletion increases the proportion of neurons, and the similarity between neuronal representations, of threat-predictive and neutral stimuli within prelimbic prefrontal cortex ensembles. In humans, increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortical-amygdala resting state connectivity is inversely correlated with fear generalization. These data provide convergent cross-species evidence that 2-AG is a key regulator of fear generalization and suggest 2-AG deficiency could represent a trauma-related disorder susceptibility endophenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis E Rosas-Vidal
- Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Chicago, IL
| | - Saptarnab Naskar
- Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Chicago, IL
| | - Leah M Mayo
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, Department of Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Linköping University, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Irene Perini
- Linköping University, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Megan Altemus
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nashville, TN
| | - Hilda Engelbrektsson
- Linköping University, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Puja Jagasia
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nashville, TN
| | - Markus Heilig
- Linköping University, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Sachin Patel
- Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Chicago, IL
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Hornstein E, Leschak CJ, Parrish MH, Byrne-Haltom KE, Fanselow MS, Craske MG, Eisenberger NI. Social support and fear-inhibition: an examination of underlying neural mechanisms. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae002. [PMID: 38217103 PMCID: PMC10868130 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent work has demonstrated that reminders of those we are closest to have a unique combination of effects on fear learning and represent a new category of fear inhibitors, termed prepared fear suppressors. Notably, social-support-figure images have been shown to resist becoming associated with fear, suppress conditional-fear-responding and lead to long-term fear reduction. Due to the novelty of this category, understanding the underlying neural mechanisms that support these unique abilities of social-support-reminders has yet to be investigated. Here, we examined the neural correlates that enable social-support-reminders to resist becoming associated with fear during a retardation-of-acquisition test. We found that social-support-figure-images (vs stranger-images) were less readily associated with fear, replicating prior work, and that this effect was associated with decreased amygdala activity and increased ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) activity for social-support-figure-images (vs stranger-images), suggesting that social-support-engagement of the VMPFC and consequent inhibition of the amygdala may contribute to unique their inhibitory effects. Connectivity analyses supported this interpretation, showing greater connectivity between the VMPFC and left amygdala for social-support-figure-images (vs stranger-images).
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Affiliation(s)
- E.A Hornstein
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - C J Leschak
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - M H Parrish
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - K E Byrne-Haltom
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - M S Fanselow
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - M G Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - N I Eisenberger
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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6
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Popovich C, Grau AS, Shih CH, Chidiac NT, Zhou A, Wang X, Xie H. Changes in fear-associated learning task brain activation over the COVID-19 pandemic period: a preliminary longitudinal analysis. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1239697. [PMID: 38076693 PMCID: PMC10699136 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1239697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound impacts on people worldwide. Previous studies have shown that fear learning, extinction, recall, and contextual information processing involve the activation of emotion and sensory brain systems, which can be modified. However, it remains unclear whether brain functions associated with these processes have been altered over the pandemic period. Methods We compared pre- and peri-pandemic brain activation during a fear-associated learning task (FALT) using previously collected data. The participants were divided into two groups: the pandemic group (n = 16), who completed a baseline FALT before the pandemic and repeated the task during the pandemic, and the non-pandemic group (n = 77), who completed both sessions before the pandemic began. Results Compared with the non-pandemic group, the pandemic group exhibited significant decreases in brain activation from baseline to follow-up assessments, including activation in the brainstem during early fear learning, the posterior thalamus/hippocampus during late extinction, and the occipital pole during late recall phases for contextual processing. Furthermore, activations associated with retrieving safety cues were reduced in the posterior cingulate, premotor, and calcarine cortices during the early recall phase, and activations associated with retrieving dangerous cues decreased in the occipital pole during the late recall phase. Additionally, correlations between decreased activation and elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms were observed. Conclusion These findings suggest that activations associated with processing low arousal contextual information, safety cues, and extinguished fear cues decreased during the pandemic. These changes in brain activation may have contributed to the increase in mental health disturbances observed during this time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Popovich
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Aaron S. Grau
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Chia-Hao Shih
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Neejad T. Chidiac
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Adrian Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Hong Xie
- Department of Neurosciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
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7
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Brouillard A, Davignon LM, Turcotte AM, Marin MF. Morphologic alterations of the fear circuitry: the role of sex hormones and oral contraceptives. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1228504. [PMID: 38027091 PMCID: PMC10661904 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1228504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Endogenous sex hormones and oral contraceptives (OCs) have been shown to influence key regions implicated in fear processing. While OC use has been found to impact brain morphology, methodological challenges remain to be addressed, such as avoiding selection bias between OC users and non-users, as well as examining potential lasting effects of OC intake. Objective We investigated the current and lasting effects of OC use, as well as the interplay between the current hormonal milieu and history of hormonal contraception use on structural correlates of the fear circuitry. We also examined the role of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones within this network. Methods We recruited healthy adults aged 23-35 who identified as women currently using (n = 62) or having used (n = 37) solely combined OCs, women who never used any hormonal contraceptives (n = 40), or men (n = 41). Salivary endogenous sex hormones and current users' salivary ethinyl estradiol (EE) were assessed using liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging, we extracted surface-based gray matter volumes (GMVs) and cortical thickness (CT) for regions of interest of the fear circuitry. Exploratory whole-brain analyses were conducted with surface-based and voxel-based morphometry methods. Results Compared to men, all three groups of women exhibited a larger GMV of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, while only current users showed a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Irrespective of the menstrual cycle phase, never users exhibited a thicker right anterior insular cortex than past users. While associations with endogenous sex hormones remain unclear, we showed that EE dosage in current users had a greater influence on brain anatomy compared to salivary EE levels and progestin androgenicity, with lower doses being associated with smaller cortical GMVs. Discussion Our results highlight a sex difference for the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex GMV (a fear-promoting region), as well as a reduced CT of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (a fear-inhibiting region) specific to current OC use. Precisely, this finding was driven by lower EE doses. These findings may represent structural vulnerabilities to anxiety and stress-related disorders. We showed little evidence of durable anatomical effects, suggesting that OC intake can (reversibly) affect fear-related brain morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Brouillard
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lisa-Marie Davignon
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Marie-France Marin
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Li L, Sun Y, Qin H, Zhou J, Yang X, Li A, Zhang J, Zhang Y. A scientometric analysis and visualization of kinesiophobia research from 2002 to 2022: A review. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e35872. [PMID: 37932995 PMCID: PMC10627652 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000035872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Kinesiophobia is an excessive, irrational, debilitating fear of physical movement and activity caused by a sense of vulnerability to pain or re-injury, which can have a direct impact on physical functioning and mental well-being of patients. This paper aims to provide reliable support for future in-depth research on kinesiophobia through scientometrics and historical review. Studies on kinesiophobia published from 2002 to 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to conduct bibliometric analysis of the included studies and map knowledge domains. Keywords were manually clustered, and the results were analyzed and summarized in combination with a literature review. A total of 4157 original research articles and reviews were included. Research on kinesiophobia is developing steadily and has received more attention from scholars in recent years. There are regional differences in the distribution of research. Chronic pain is the focus of research in this field. A multidisciplinary model of pain neuroscience education combined with physical therapy based on cognitive-behavioral therapy and the introduction and development of virtual reality may be the frontier of research. There is a large space for the study of kinesiophobia. In the future, to improve regional academic exchanges and cooperation, more attention should be given to the clinical applicability and translation of scientific work, which will be conducive to improving the quality of life and physical and mental health outcomes of kinesiophobia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linzhang Li
- Wenjiang People’s Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yan Sun
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China
- The Philippines Women’s University, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
- School of Nursing, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Hua Qin
- Wenjiang People’s Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China
| | - Jun Zhou
- Wenjiang People’s Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaojuan Yang
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Aiying Li
- Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China
- School of Nursing, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China
- School of Nursing, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China
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Sawalma AS, Kiefer CM, Boers F, Shah NJ, Khudeish N, Neuner I, Herzallah MM, Dammers J. The effects of trauma on feedback processing: an MEG study. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1172549. [PMID: 38027493 PMCID: PMC10651751 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1172549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The cognitive impact of psychological trauma can manifest as a range of post-traumatic stress symptoms that are often attributed to impairments in learning from positive and negative outcomes, aka reinforcement learning. Research on the impact of trauma on reinforcement learning has mainly been inconclusive. This study aimed to circumscribe the impact of psychological trauma on reinforcement learning in the context of neural response in time and frequency domains. Two groups of participants were tested - those who had experienced psychological trauma and a control group who had not - while they performed a probabilistic classification task that dissociates learning from positive and negative feedback during a magnetoencephalography (MEG) examination. While the exposure to trauma did not exhibit any effects on learning accuracy or response time for positive or negative feedback, MEG cortical activity was modulated in response to positive feedback. In particular, the medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortices (mOFC and lOFC) exhibited increased activity, while the insular and supramarginal cortices showed decreased activity during positive feedback presentation. Furthermore, when receiving negative feedback, the trauma group displayed higher activity in the medial portion of the superior frontal cortex. The timing of these activity changes occurred between 160 and 600 ms post feedback presentation. Analysis of the time-frequency domain revealed heightened activity in theta and alpha frequency bands (4-10 Hz) in the lOFC in the trauma group. Moreover, dividing the two groups according to their learning performance, the activity for the non-learner subgroup was found to be lower in lOFC and higher in the supramarginal cortex. These differences were found in the trauma group only. The results highlight the localization and neural dynamics of feedback processing that could be affected by exposure to psychological trauma. This approach and associated findings provide a novel framework for understanding the cognitive correlates of psychological trauma in relation to neural dynamics in the space, time, and frequency domains. Subsequent work will focus on the stratification of cognitive and neural correlates as a function of various symptoms of psychological trauma. Clinically, the study findings and approach open the possibility for neuromodulation interventions that synchronize cognitive and psychological constructs for individualized treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulrahman S. Sawalma
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Palestinian Neuroscience Initiative, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine
| | - Christian M. Kiefer
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Frank Boers
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - N. Jon Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-11), Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA)-Brain – Translational Medicine, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Nibal Khudeish
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Irene Neuner
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA)-Brain – Translational Medicine, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Mohammad M. Herzallah
- Palestinian Neuroscience Initiative, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Jürgen Dammers
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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10
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Ebrahimi C, Garbusow M, Sebold M, Chen K, Smolka MN, Huys QJ, Zimmermann US, Schlagenhauf F, Heinz A. Elevated Amygdala Responses During De Novo Pavlovian Conditioning in Alcohol Use Disorder Are Associated With Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer and Relapse Latency. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 3:803-813. [PMID: 37881557 PMCID: PMC10593898 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.02.003] [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: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Contemporary learning theories of drug addiction ascribe a key role to Pavlovian learning mechanisms in the development, maintenance, and relapse of addiction. In fact, cue-reactivity research has demonstrated the power of alcohol-associated cues to activate the brain's reward system, which has been linked to craving and subsequent relapse. However, whether de novo Pavlovian conditioning is altered in alcohol use disorder (AUD) has rarely been investigated. Methods To characterize de novo Pavlovian conditioning in AUD, 62 detoxified patients with AUD and 63 matched healthy control participants completed a Pavlovian learning task as part of a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer paradigm during a functional magnetic resonance imaging session. Patients were followed up for 12 months to assess drinking behavior and relapse status. Results While patients and healthy controls did not differ in their ability to explicitly acquire the contingencies between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, patients with AUD displayed significantly stronger amygdala responses toward Pavlovian cues, an effect primarily driven by stronger blood oxygen level-dependent differentiation during learning from reward compared with punishment. Moreover, in patients compared with controls, differential amygdala responses during conditioning were positively related to the ability of Pavlovian stimuli to influence ongoing instrumental choice behavior measured during a subsequent Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer test. Finally, patients who relapsed within the 12-month follow-up period showed an inverse association between amygdala activity during conditioning and relapse latency. Conclusions We provide evidence of altered neural correlates of de novo Pavlovian conditioning in patients with AUD, especially for appetitive stimuli. Thus, heightened processing of Pavlovian cues might constitute a behaviorally relevant mechanism in alcohol addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Ebrahimi
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maria Garbusow
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miriam Sebold
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Berlin, Germany
- Technische Hochschule Aschaffenburg, University of Applied Sciences, Aschaffenburg, Germany
| | - Ke Chen
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael N. Smolka
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Quentin J.M. Huys
- Applied Computational Psychiatry Laboratory, Division of Psychiatry, Mental Health Neuroscience Department, University College London, London, England, United Kingdom
- Applied Computational Psychiatry Laboratory, Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, England, United Kingdom
- Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Ulrich S. Zimmermann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Addiction Medicine and Psychotherapy, kbo Isar-Amper Klinikum Region München, Haar, Germany
| | - Florian Schlagenhauf
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Berlin, Germany
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
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11
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O'Suilleabhain P, Berry DS, Lundervold DA, Turner TH, Tovar M, Louis ED. Stigma and Social Avoidance in Adults with Essential Tremor. Mov Disord Clin Pract 2023; 10:1317-1323. [PMID: 37772281 PMCID: PMC10525055 DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.13774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background People with essential tremor (ET) can be subject to stigma, and some adopt avoidance behaviors. Characteristics associated with ET stigma and the relationship between perceived stigma and social dysfunction have not been studied. Objectives To discern predictors of perceived stigma and social dysfunction in ET, and to identify potentially treatable psychological factors associated with social dysfunction. Methods We surveyed ET patients (n = 158) on recalled stigma incidents and social dysfunction related to tremor, as well as clinical and demographic characteristics including tremor severity, and psychological constructs including anxiety, depression, mindfulness, resilience, and narcissism. Results Worse tremor severity (Standardized beta [SB] 1.4, P < 0.001) especially among younger participants (interaction of age and tremor severity SB -0.9, P < 0.001) and presence of vocal tremor (SB 0.7, P = 0.002) predict perceived stigma. 53/157 (33.8%) participants met criteria for social dysfunction, employing maladaptive avoidance strategies. Scores for perceived stigma (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.2, P = 0.002), depression (OR 1.5, P = 0.004) and stigma psychological distress (OR 1.2, P = 0.001) as well as sex (OR 4.3 for females, P = 0.045) predicted social dysfunction. Conclusions Depression and stigma psychological distress contribute to social dysfunction related to ET stigma. Treating these psychological factors may mitigate social avoidance behaviors prevalent among susceptible individuals: those who most perceive ET stigma, i.e. relatively younger patients with worse tremor or with vocal tremor, and in particular females who are more prone to social dysfunction than males with the same degree of perceived stigma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diane S. Berry
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Duane A. Lundervold
- Department of Psychological ScienceUniversity of Central MissouriWarrensburgMissouriUSA
| | - Travis H. Turner
- Department of NeurologyMedical University of South CarolinaCharlestonSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Madeline Tovar
- Medical School, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Elan D. Louis
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
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12
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Li Y, Zhi W, Qi B, Wang L, Hu X. Update on neurobiological mechanisms of fear: illuminating the direction of mechanism exploration and treatment development of trauma and fear-related disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1216524. [PMID: 37600761 PMCID: PMC10433239 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1216524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear refers to an adaptive response in the face of danger, and the formed fear memory acts as a warning when the individual faces a dangerous situation again, which is of great significance to the survival of humans and animals. Excessive fear response caused by abnormal fear memory can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders. Fear memory has been studied for a long time, which is of a certain guiding effect on the treatment of fear-related disorders. With continuous technological innovations, the study of fear has gradually shifted from the level of brain regions to deeper neural (micro) circuits between brain regions and even within single brain regions, as well as molecular mechanisms. This article briefly outlines the basic knowledge of fear memory and reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of fear extinction and relapse, which aims to provide new insights for future basic research on fear emotions and new ideas for treating trauma and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Zhi
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Qi
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Lifeng Wang
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangjun Hu
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
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13
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Battaglia MR, Di Fazio C, Battaglia S. Activated Tryptophan-Kynurenine metabolic system in the human brain is associated with learned fear. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1217090. [PMID: 37575966 PMCID: PMC10416643 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1217090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rita Battaglia
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola, Bologna, Italy
| | - Chiara Di Fazio
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Simone Battaglia
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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14
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Fossati G, Kiss-Bodolay D, Prados J, Chéreau R, Husi E, Cadilhac C, Gomez L, Silva BA, Dayer A, Holtmaat A. Bimodal modulation of L1 interneuron activity in anterior cingulate cortex during fear conditioning. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1138358. [PMID: 37334059 PMCID: PMC10272719 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1138358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a crucial role in encoding, consolidating and retrieving memories related to emotionally salient experiences, such as aversive and rewarding events. Various studies have highlighted its importance for fear memory processing, but its circuit mechanisms are still poorly understood. Cortical layer 1 (L1) of the ACC might be a particularly important site of signal integration, since it is a major entry point for long-range inputs, which is tightly controlled by local inhibition. Many L1 interneurons express the ionotropic serotonin receptor 3a (5HT3aR), which has been implicated in post-traumatic stress disorder and in models of anxiety. Hence, unraveling the response dynamics of L1 interneurons and subtypes thereof during fear memory processing may provide important insights into the microcircuit organization regulating this process. Here, using 2-photon laser scanning microscopy of genetically encoded calcium indicators through microprisms in awake mice, we longitudinally monitored over days the activity of L1 interneurons in the ACC in a tone-cued fear conditioning paradigm. We observed that tones elicited responses in a substantial fraction of the imaged neurons, which were significantly modulated in a bidirectional manner after the tone was associated to an aversive stimulus. A subpopulation of these neurons, the neurogliaform cells (NGCs), displayed a net increase in tone-evoked responses following fear conditioning. Together, these results suggest that different subpopulations of L1 interneurons may exert distinct functions in the ACC circuitry regulating fear learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuliana Fossati
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Neuro Center, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniel Kiss-Bodolay
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Lemanic Neuroscience Doctoral School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Prados
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ronan Chéreau
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Elodie Husi
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christelle Cadilhac
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lucia Gomez
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bianca A. Silva
- Neuro Center, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Alexandre Dayer
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anthony Holtmaat
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, and Neurocenter, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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15
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Lam CL, Wong CH, Junghöfer M, Roesmann K. Implicit threat learning involves the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100357. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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16
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Feng P, Becker B, Zhou F, Feng T, Chen Z. Sleep deprivation altered encoding of basolateral amygdala on fear acquisition. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2655-2668. [PMID: 35699604 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac233] [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: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep deprivation (SD) may lead to the development of fear- and anxiety-related emotional disorders. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of SD on fear acquisition are unclear. Here, we tested whether and how SD influences the behavioral and neural manifestations of fear acquisition. We found that subjective fear ratings and objective fear indices (skin conductance response [SCR]) in the SD group were greater than those in the control group during fear acquisition, suggesting that SD facilitated fear acquisition (nSD = 18 and ncontrol = 23 for self-reported rating analysis; nSD = 10 and ncontrol = 10 for SCR analysis). Neuroimaging data showed that the SD group exhibited stronger activity in the left basolateral amygdala (BLA) and left superficial amygdala (SFA). Moreover, the left BLA activity, which positively correlated with the objective fear indices, significantly mediated the effect of SD on fear acquisition. Together, the present findings indicate that SD facilitates fear acquisition by augmenting threat-specific encoding in the BLA, which may be a potential biomarker of the risk of developing fear-related disorders under traumatic and distressing situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Feng
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Tingyong Feng
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhiyi Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
- Department of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400000, China
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17
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Allen M. Intégration des lignes directrices de pratique clinique sur la douleur chronique et des observations de la neuro-imagerie non invasive. CANADIAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN MEDECIN DE FAMILLE CANADIEN 2023; 69:162-163. [PMID: 36944510 PMCID: PMC10030134 DOI: 10.46747/cfp.6903162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maureen Allen
- Médecin de famille à Antigonish (N.-É.) et professeure adjointe aux Départements de médecine d’urgence et de médecine familiale à la Faculté de médecine de l’Université Dalhousie à Halifax (N.-É.)
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18
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Cognitive Neuroscience of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Psychiatr Clin North Am 2023; 46:53-67. [PMID: 36740355 DOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2022.11.001] [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] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive neuroscientific research has the ability to yield important insights into the complex neurobiological processes underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This article provides an updated review of neuroimaging studies in seven neurocognitive domains. Findings from the literature are discussed in the context of obsessive-compulsive phenomenology and treatment. Expanding our knowledge of the neural mechanisms involved in OCD could help optimize treatment outcomes and guide the development of novel interventions.
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19
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Lokshina Y, Sheynin J, Vogt GS, Liberzon I. Fear Extinction Learning in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:257-270. [PMID: 37535308 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in fear extinction processes have been implicated in the genesis and maintenance of debilitating psychopathologies, including Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD, classified as a trauma- and stressor-related disorder, is characterized by four symptom clusters: intrusive recollections of trauma, avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, alterations in cognition and mood, and hyperarousal. One of the key pathological feature associated with the persistence of these symptoms is impaired fear extinction, as delineated in multiple studies employing Pavlovian fear-conditioning paradigms. These paradigms, comprising fear acquisition, extinction, extinction recall, and fear renewal phases, have illuminated the neurobiological substrates of PTSD. Dysfunctions in the neural circuits that mediate these fear learning and extinction processes can result in failure to extinguish fear responses and retain extinction memory, giving rise to enduring experience of fear and anxiety. The protective avoidance behaviors observed in individuals with PTSD further exacerbate intrusive symptoms and pose challenges to effective treatment strategies. A comprehensive analysis of fear conditioning and extinction processes, along with the underlying neurobiology, could significantly enhance our understanding of PTSD pathophysiology. This chapter delineates the role of fear extinction processes in PTSD, investigates the underlying neurobiological substrates, and underscores the therapeutic implications, while also identifying future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana Lokshina
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Jony Sheynin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Gregory S Vogt
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA.
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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20
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Wang YX, Yin B. A new understanding of the cognitive reappraisal technique: an extension based on the schema theory. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1174585. [PMID: 37138662 PMCID: PMC10149752 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1174585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive reappraisal is a widely utilized emotion regulation strategy that involves altering the personal meaning of an emotional event to enhance attention to emotional responses. Despite its common use, individual differences in cognitive reappraisal techniques and the spontaneous recovery, renewal, and reinstatement of negative responses across varying contexts may limit its effectiveness. Furthermore, detached reappraisal could cause distress for clients. According to Gross's theory, cognitive reappraisal is an effortless process that can occur spontaneously. When guided language triggers cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy in laboratory or counseling settings, clients experience improved emotional states, but this induced strategy may not necessarily guide them in regulating emotions in similar future situations. Therefore, effectively applying cognitive reappraisal techniques in clinical practice to help clients alleviate emotional distress in daily life remains a significant concern. Exploring the mechanism of cognitive reappraisal reveals that reconstructing stimulus meaning is akin to extinction learning, which entails fostering cognitive contingency that the original stimulus provoking negative emotions will no longer result in negative outcomes in the current context. However, extinction learning is a new learning process rather than an elimination process. The activation of new learning relies on the presentation of critical cues, with contextual cues often playing a vital role, such as a safe laboratory or consulting room environment. We propose a new understanding of cognitive reappraisal based on the schema theory and the dual-system theory, emphasizing the significance of environmental interaction and feedback in constructing new experiences and updating schemata. This approach ultimately enriches the schema during training and integrates the new schema into long-term memory. Bottom-up behavioral experiences as schema enrichment training provide the foundation for top-down regulation to function. This method can assist clients in activating more suitable schemata probabilistically when encountering stimuli in real life, forming stable emotions, and achieving transfer and application across diverse contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Xin Wang
- Laboratory of Learning and Behavioral Sciences, School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Bin Yin
- Laboratory of Learning and Behavioral Sciences, School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Department of Applied Psychology, School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- *Correspondence: Bin Yin,
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21
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Doubliez A, Nio E, Senovilla-Sanz F, Spatharioti V, Apps R, Timmann D, Lawrenson CL. The cerebellum and fear extinction: evidence from rodent and human studies. Front Syst Neurosci 2023; 17:1166166. [PMID: 37152612 PMCID: PMC10160380 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2023.1166166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of the cerebellum in emotional control has gained increasing interest, with studies showing it is involved in fear learning and memory in both humans and rodents. This review will focus on the contributions of the cerebellum to the extinction of learned fear responses. Extinction of fearful memories is critical for adaptive behaviour, and is clinically relevant to anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, in which deficits in extinction processes are thought to occur. We present evidence that supports cerebellar involvement in fear extinction, from rodent studies that investigate molecular mechanisms and functional connectivity with other brain regions of the known fear extinction network, to fMRI studies in humans. This evidence is considered in relation to the theoretical framework that the cerebellum is involved in the formation and updating of internal models of the inner and outer world by detecting errors between predicted and actual outcomes. In the case of fear conditioning, these internal models are thought to predict the occurrence of an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US), and when the aversive US is unexpectedly omitted during extinction learning the cerebellum uses prediction errors to update the internal model. Differences between human and rodent studies are highlighted to help inform future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Doubliez
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Enzo Nio
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Fernando Senovilla-Sanz
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Vasiliki Spatharioti
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Apps
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Dagmar Timmann
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Charlotte L. Lawrenson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Charlotte L. Lawrenson,
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Singh S, Topolnik L. Inhibitory circuits in fear memory and fear-related disorders. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1122314. [PMID: 37035504 PMCID: PMC10076544 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1122314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear learning and memory rely on dynamic interactions between the excitatory and inhibitory neuronal populations that make up the prefrontal cortical, amygdala, and hippocampal circuits. Whereas inhibition of excitatory principal cells (PCs) by GABAergic neurons restrains their excitation, inhibition of GABAergic neurons promotes the excitation of PCs through a process called disinhibition. Specifically, GABAergic interneurons that express parvalbumin (PV+) and somatostatin (SOM+) provide inhibition to different subcellular domains of PCs, whereas those that express the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP+) facilitate disinhibition of PCs by inhibiting PV+ and SOM+ interneurons. Importantly, although the main connectivity motifs and the underlying network functions of PV+, SOM+, and VIP+ interneurons are replicated across cortical and limbic areas, these inhibitory populations play region-specific roles in fear learning and memory. Here, we provide an overview of the fear processing in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex based on the evidence obtained in human and animal studies. Moreover, focusing on recent findings obtained using genetically defined imaging and intervention strategies, we discuss the population-specific functions of PV+, SOM+, and VIP+ interneurons in fear circuits. Last, we review current insights that integrate the region-specific inhibitory and disinhibitory network patterns into fear memory acquisition and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Neuroscience Axis, CRCHUQ, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Lisa Topolnik
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Neuroscience Axis, CRCHUQ, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Lisa Topolnik
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23
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Becker CR, Milad MR. Contemporary Approaches Toward Neuromodulation of Fear Extinction and Its Underlying Neural Circuits. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:353-387. [PMID: 37658219 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Neuroscience and neuroimaging research have now identified brain nodes that are involved in the acquisition, storage, and expression of conditioned fear and its extinction. These brain regions include the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), amygdala, insular cortex, and hippocampus. Psychiatric neuroimaging research shows that functional dysregulation of these brain regions might contribute to the etiology and symptomatology of various psychopathologies, including anxiety disorders and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Barad et al. Biol Psychiatry 60:322-328, 2006; Greco and Liberzon Neuropsychopharmacology 41:320-334, 2015; Milad et al. Biol Psychiatry 62:1191-1194, 2007a, Biol Psychiatry 62:446-454, b; Maren and Quirk Nat Rev Neurosci 5:844-852, 2004; Milad and Quirk Annu Rev Psychol 63:129, 2012; Phelps et al. Neuron 43:897-905, 2004; Shin and Liberzon Neuropsychopharmacology 35:169-191, 2009). Combined, these findings indicate that targeting the activation of these nodes and modulating their functional interactions might offer an opportunity to further our understanding of how fear and threat responses are formed and regulated in the human brain, which could lead to enhancing the efficacy of current treatments or creating novel treatments for PTSD and other psychiatric disorders (Marin et al. Depress Anxiety 31:269-278, 2014; Milad et al. Behav Res Ther 62:17-23, 2014). Device-based neuromodulation techniques provide a promising means for directly changing or regulating activity in the fear extinction network by targeting functionally connected brain regions via stimulation patterns (Raij et al. Biol Psychiatry 84:129-137, 2018; Marković et al. Front Hum Neurosci 15:138, 2021). In the past ten years, notable advancements in the precision, safety, comfort, accessibility, and control of administration have been made to the established device-based neuromodulation techniques to improve their efficacy. In this chapter we discuss ten years of progress surrounding device-based neuromodulation techniques-Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST), Transcranial Focused Ultrasound (TUS), Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), and Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES)-as research and clinical tools for enhancing fear extinction and treating PTSD symptoms. Additionally, we consider the emerging research, current limitations, and possible future directions for these techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia R Becker
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Christian C, Levinson CA. An integrated review of fear and avoidance learning in anxiety disorders and application to eating disorders. NEW IDEAS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2022.100964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Craske MG, Sandman CF, Stein MB. How can neurobiology of fear extinction inform treatment? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 143:104923. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Controllable and Uncontrollable Stress Differentially Impact Fear Conditioned Alterations in Sleep and Neuroimmune Signaling in Mice. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12091320. [PMID: 36143359 PMCID: PMC9506236 DOI: 10.3390/life12091320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress induces neuroinflammation and disrupts sleep, which together can promote a number of stress-related disorders. Fear memories associated with stress can resurface and reproduce symptoms. Our previous studies have demonstrated sleep outcomes can be modified by stressor controllability following stress and fear memory recall. However, it is unknown how stressor controllability alters neuroinflammatory signaling and its association with sleep following fear memory recall. Mice were implanted with telemetry transmitters and experienced escapable or inescapable footshock and then were re-exposed to the shuttlebox context one week later. Gene expression was assessed with Nanostring® panels using RNA extracted from the basolateral amygdala and hippocampus. Freezing and temperature were examined as behavioral measures of fear. Increased sleep after escapable stress was associated with a down-regulation in neuro-inflammatory and neuro-degenerative related genes, while decreased sleep after inescapable stress was associated with an up-regulation in these genes. Behavioral measures of fear were virtually identical. Sleep and neuroimmune responses appear to be integrated during fear conditioning and reproduced by fear memory recall. The established roles of disrupted sleep and neuroinflammation in stress-related disorders indicate that these differences may serve as informative indices of how fear memory can lead to psychopathology.
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Behavioral and neural responses during fear conditioning and extinction in a large transdiagnostic sample. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 35:103060. [PMID: 35679785 PMCID: PMC9189200 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral and neural responses during Pavlovian fear learning were examined in a large sample of healthy and individuals with anxiety and depression. Latent profile models to threat were derived from behavioral and neural data. Demographic, cognitive, and psychological variables did not robustly characterize latent profiles. Neuroimaging data did not evidence functional role of amygdala in fear learning. Human fear learning recruited a distributed network of regions involved in interoceptive, cognitive, motivational, and psychomotor processes.
Background Dysregulation of fear learning has been associated with psychiatric disorders that have altered positive and negative valence domain function. While amygdala-insula-prefrontal circuitry is considered important for fear learning, there have been inconsistencies in neural findings in healthy and clinical human samples. This study aimed to delineate the neural substrates and behavioral responses during fear learning in a large, transdiagnostic sample with predominantly depressive and/or anxious dysfunction. Methods Two-hundred and eighty-two individuals (52 healthy participants; 230 participants with depression and/or anxiety-related problems) from the Tulsa 1000 study, an ongoing, naturalistic longitudinal study based on a dimensional psychopathological framework, completed a Pavlovian fear learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Linear mixed-effects analyses examined condition-by-time effects on brain activation (CS+, CS- across familiarization, conditioning, and extinction trials). A data-driven latent profile analysis (LPA) examined distinct patterns of behavioral and neural responses to threat across fear conditioning and extinction, while logistic regression analyses evaluated cognitive-affective predictors of latent profiles. Results Whole-brain analyses revealed a condition-by-time interaction in the anterior insula, postcentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and cerebellum but not amygdala. The LPA identified distinct latent profiles across subjective and neural levels of measurement. Anterior insula profiles were characterized by marginal differences in age and state anxiety. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that human fear learning recruits a distributed network of regions involved in interoceptive, cognitive, motivational, and psychomotor processes. Data-driven analyses identified distinct profiles of subjective and neural responses during fear learning that transcended clinical diagnoses, but no robust relationships to demographic or cognitive-affective variable were identified.
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Neural alterations of emotion processing in atypical trajectories of psychotic-like experiences. NPJ SCHIZOPHRENIA 2022; 8:40. [PMID: 35853901 PMCID: PMC9261083 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00250-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the neural bases of facial emotion processing before the onset of clinical psychotic symptoms in youth belonging to well-defined developmental trajectories of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). A unique sample of 86 youths was recruited from a population-based sample of over 3800 adolescents who had been followed from 13 to 17 years of age. Three groups were identified based on validated developmental trajectories: a control trajectory with low and decreasing PLEs, and two atypical trajectories with moderate to elevated baseline PLEs that subsequently decreased or increased. All had functional magnetic resonance imaging data collected during a facial emotion processing task. Functional activation and connectivity data were analyzed for different contrasts. The increasing PLE trajectory displayed more positive psychotic symptoms while the decreasing trajectory exhibited more negative symptoms relative to the control group. During face processing, both atypical trajectories displayed decreased activations of the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), while the increasing trajectory displayed a negative signal in the precentral gyrus. The increasing PLE trajectory also displayed impaired connectivity between the amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum, and between the IFG, precuneus, and temporal regions, while the decreasing trajectory exhibited reduced connectivity between the amygdala and visual regions during emotion processing. Both atypical PLE trajectories displayed alterations in brain regions involved in attention salience. While the increasing trajectory with more positive symptoms exhibited dysconnectivity in areas that influence emotion salience and face perception, the decreasing trajectory with more negative symptoms had impairments in visual information integration areas. These group-specific features might account for the differential symptom expression.
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Wen Z, Seo J, Pace-Schott EF, Milad MR. Abnormal dynamic functional connectivity during fear extinction learning in PTSD and anxiety disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2216-2224. [PMID: 35145227 PMCID: PMC9126814 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01462-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Examining the neural circuits of fear/threat extinction advanced our mechanistic understanding of several psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders (AX) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More is needed to understand the interplay of large-scale neural networks during fear extinction in these disorders. We used dynamic functional connectivity (FC) to study how FC might be perturbed during conditioned fear extinction in individuals with AX or PTSD. We analyzed neuroimaging data from 338 individuals that underwent a two-day fear conditioning and extinction paradigm. The sample included healthy controls (HC), trauma-exposed non-PTSD controls, and patients diagnosed with AX or PTSD. Dynamic FC during extinction learning gradually increased in the HC group but not in patient groups. The lack of FC change in patients was predominantly observed within and between the default mode, frontoparietal control, and somatomotor networks. The AX and PTSD groups showed impairments in different, yet partially overlapping connections especially involving the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Extinction-induced FC predicted ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation and FC during extinction memory recall only in the HC group. FC impairments during extinction learning correlated with fear- and anxiety-related clinical measures. These findings suggest that relative to controls, individuals with AX or PTSD exhibited widespread abnormal FC in higher-order cognitive and attention networks during extinction learning and failed to establish a link between neural signatures during extinction learning and memory retrieval. This failure might underlie abnormal processes related to the conscious awareness, attention allocation, and sensory processes during extinction learning and retrieval in fear- and anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenfu Wen
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeehye Seo
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Edward F Pace-Schott
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- The Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
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Labrenz F, Spisák T, Ernst TM, Gomes CA, Quick HH, Axmacher N, Elsenbruch S, Timmann D. Temporal dynamics of fMRI signal changes during conditioned interoceptive pain-related fear and safety acquisition and extinction. Behav Brain Res 2022; 427:113868. [PMID: 35364111 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Associative learning and memory mechanisms drive interoceptive signaling along the gut-brain axis, thus shaping affective-emotional reactions and behavior. Specifically, learning to predict potentially harmful, visceral pain is assumed to succeed within very few trials. However, the temporal dynamics of cerebellar and cerebral fMRI signal changes underlying early acquisition and extinction of learned fear signals and the concomitant evolvement of safety learning remain incompletely understood. 3T fMRI data of healthy individuals from three studies were uniformly processed across the whole brain and the cerebellum including an advanced normalizing method of the cerebellum. All studies employed differential delay conditioning (N=94) with one visual cue (CS+) being repeatedly paired with visceral pain as unconditioned stimulus (US) while a second cue remained unpaired (CS-). During subsequent extinction (N=51), all CS were presented without US. Behavioral results revealed increased CS+-aversiveness and CS--pleasantness after conditioning and diminished valence ratings for both CS following extinction. During early acquisition, the CS- induced linearly increasing neural activation in the insula, midcingulate cortex, hippocampus, precuneus as well as cerebral and cerebellar somatomotor regions. The comparison between acquisition and extinction phases yielded a CS--induced linear increase in the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus during early acquisition, while there was no evidence for linear fMRI signal changes for the CS+ during acquisition and for both CS during extinction. Based on theoretical accounts of discrimination and temporal difference learning, these results suggest a gradual evolvement of learned safety cues that engage emotional arousal, memory, and cortical modulatory networks. As safety signals are presumably more difficult to learn and to discriminate from learned threat cues, the underlying temporal dynamics may reflect enhanced salience and prediction processing as well as increasing demands for attentional resources and the integration of multisensory information. Maladaptive responses to learned safety signals are a clinically relevant phenotype in multiple conditions, including chronic visceral pain, and can be exceptionally resistant to modification or extinction. Through sustained hypervigilance, safety seeking constitutes one key component in pain and stress-related avoidance behavior, calling for future studies targeting the mechanisms of safety learning and extinction to advance current cognitive-behavioral treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Labrenz
- Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
| | - Tamás Spisák
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Thomas M Ernst
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Carlos A Gomes
- Department of Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Harald H Quick
- High-Field and Hybrid Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; Erwin L. Hahn Institute for MR Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nikolai Axmacher
- Department of Neuropsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sigrid Elsenbruch
- Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Dagmar Timmann
- Department of Neurology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Namkung H, Thomas KL, Hall J, Sawa A. Parsing neural circuits of fear learning and extinction across basic and clinical neuroscience: Towards better translation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104502. [PMID: 34921863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decades, studies of fear learning and extinction have advanced our understanding of the neurobiology of threat and safety learning. Animal studies can provide mechanistic/causal insights into human brain regions and their functional connectivity involved in fear learning and extinction. Findings in humans, conversely, may further enrich our understanding of neural circuits in animals by providing macroscopic insights at the level of brain-wide networks. Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement in translation between basic and clinical research on fear learning and extinction. Through the lens of neural circuits, in this article, we aim to review the current knowledge of fear learning and extinction in both animals and humans, and to propose strategies to fill in the current knowledge gap for the purpose of enhancing clinical benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Namkung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kerrie L Thomas
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
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Craske M, Treanor M, Zbozinek T, Vervliet B. Optimizing exposure therapy with an inhibitory retrieval approach and the OptEx Nexus. Behav Res Ther 2022; 152:104069. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Harmelech T, Roth Y, Tendler A. Deep TMS H7 Coil: Features, Applications & Future. Expert Rev Med Devices 2021; 18:1133-1144. [PMID: 34878347 DOI: 10.1080/17434440.2021.2013803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses magnetic pulses to induce electrical current in the underlying neuronal tissue. A variety of TMS coils exist on the market, differing primarily in configuration, orientation, and flexibility of the wire windings of the coil. Deep TMSTM utilizes H-Coils, flexible coils with different configurations for stimulating different brain regions implicated in different neuropsychiatric disorders. The H7 Coil, designed to target primarily the medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, is FDA-cleared for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It was chosen as the focus of this review since it recently showed promise in various neuropsychiatric populations in addition to growing understanding of its mechanism of action (MOA). AREAS COVERED Here we assembled all peer-reviewed publications on the H7 Coil to showcase its efficacy in: (a) various OCD patient populations (e.g., different degrees of symptom severity, treatment resistance, comorbidities) (b) other neuropsychiatric populations (e.g., addiction, major depressive disorder and autism spectrum disorder). EXPERT OPINION While substantial evidence pertaining to the H7 Coil's efficacy as well as its MOA has accumulated, much work remains. In the final section of this review, we highlight areas of ongoing and future research that will further elucidate the coil's MOA as well as its full efficacy potential.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yiftach Roth
- BrainsWay Ltd.,Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Aron Tendler
- BrainsWay Ltd.,Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.,Advanced Mental Health Care Inc, FL, USA
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Rosenberg BM, Taschereau-Dumouchel V, Lau H, Young KS, Nusslock R, Zinbarg RE, Craske MG. A Multivoxel Pattern Analysis of Anhedonia During Fear Extinction: Implications for Safety Learning. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 8:417-425. [PMID: 34954395 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pavlovian learning processes are central to the etiology and treatment of anxiety disorders. Anhedonia and related perturbations in reward processes have been implicated in Pavlovian learning. Associations between anhedonia symptoms and neural indices of Pavlovian learning can inform transdiagnostic associations among depressive and anxiety disorders. METHODS Participants ages 18 to 19 years (67% female) completed a fear extinction (n = 254) and recall (n = 249) paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Symptom dimensions of general distress (common to anxiety and depression), fears (more specific to anxiety), and anhedonia-apprehension (more specific to depression) were evaluated. We trained whole-brain multivoxel pattern decoders for anhedonia-apprehension during extinction and extinction recall and tested the decoders' ability to predict anhedonia-apprehension in an external validation sample. Specificity analyses examined effects covarying for general distress and fears. Decoding was repeated within canonical brain networks to highlight candidate neurocircuitry underlying whole-brain effects. RESULTS Whole-brain decoder training succeeded during both tasks. Prediction of anhedonia-apprehension in the external validation sample was successful for extinction (R2 = 0.047; r = 0.276, p = .002) but not extinction recall (R2 < 0.001, r = -0.063, p = .492). The extinction decoder remained significantly associated with anhedonia-apprehension covarying for fears and general distress (t121 = 3.209, p = .002). Exploratory results highlighted activity in the cognitive control, default mode, limbic, salience, and visual networks related to these effects. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that patterns of brain activity during extinction, particularly in the cognitive control, default mode, limbic, salience, and visual networks, can be predictive of anhedonia symptoms. Future research should examine associations between anhedonia and extinction, including studies of exposure therapy or positive affect treatments among anhedonic individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Rosenberg
- Department of Psychology, College of Life Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
| | - Vincent Taschereau-Dumouchel
- Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, University of Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hakwan Lau
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Katherine S Young
- Social, Genetic and Development Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robin Nusslock
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Richard E Zinbarg
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Family Institute at Northwestern University, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychology, College of Life Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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Wen Z, Hammoud MZ, Scott JC, Jimmy J, Brown L, Marin MF, Asnaani A, Gur RC, Foa EB, Milad MR. Impact of exogenous estradiol on task-based and resting-state neural signature during and after fear extinction in healthy women. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2278-2287. [PMID: 34493827 PMCID: PMC8581031 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01158-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fluctuations of endogenous estrogen modulates fear extinction, but the influence of exogenous estradiol is less studied. Moreover, little focus has been placed on the impact of estradiol on broad network connectivity beyond the fear extinction circuit. Here, we examined the effect of acute exogenous estradiol administration on fear extinction-induced brain activation, whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) during the fear extinction task and post-extinction resting-state. Ninety healthy women (57 using oral contraceptives [OC], 33 naturally cycling [NC]) were fear conditioned on day 1. They ingested an estradiol or placebo pill prior to extinction learning on day 2 (double-blind design). Extinction memory was assessed on day 3. Task-based functional MRI data were ascertained on days 2 and 3 and resting-state data were collected post-extinction on day 2 and pre-recall on day 3. Estradiol administration significantly modulated the neural signature associated with fear extinction learning and memory, consistent with prior studies. Importantly, estradiol administration induced significant changes in FC within multiple networks, including the default mode and somatomotor networks during extinction learning, post-extinction, and during extinction memory recall. Exploratory analyses revealed that estradiol impacted ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activation and FC differently in the NC and OC women. The data implicate a more diffused and significant effect of acute estradiol administration on multiple networks. Such an effect might be beneficial to modulating attention and conscious processes in addition to engaging neural processes associated with emotional learning and memory consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenfu Wen
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mira Z Hammoud
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - J Cobb Scott
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- VISN4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jagan Jimmy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lily Brown
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marie-France Marin
- Departement of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Research Center of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anu Asnaani
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Ruben C Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Edna B Foa
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- The Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
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Klein AS, Dolensek N, Weiand C, Gogolla N. Fear balance is maintained by bodily feedback to the insular cortex in mice. Science 2021; 374:1010-1015. [PMID: 34793231 DOI: 10.1126/science.abj8817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra S Klein
- Circuits for Emotion Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.,International Max-Planck Research School for Molecular Life Sciences, Munich, Germany
| | - Nate Dolensek
- Circuits for Emotion Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Caroline Weiand
- Circuits for Emotion Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.,International Max-Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Nadine Gogolla
- Circuits for Emotion Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
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Bryant RA, Erlinger M, Felmingham K, Klimova A, Williams LM, Malhi G, Forbes D, Korgaonkar MS. Reappraisal-related neural predictors of treatment response to cognitive behavior therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychol Med 2021; 51:2454-2464. [PMID: 32366351 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720001129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) is the frontline treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one-third of patients are treatment non-responders. To identify neural markers of treatment response to TF-CBT when participants are reappraising aversive material. METHODS This study assessed PTSD patients (n = 37) prior to TF-CBT during functional magnetic brain resonance imaging (fMRI) when they reappraised or watched traumatic images. Patients then underwent nine sessions of TF-CBT, and were then assessed for symptom severity on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. FMRI responses for cognitive reappraisal and emotional reactivity contrasts of traumatic images were correlated with the reduction of PTSD severity from pretreatment to post-treatment. RESULTS Symptom improvement was associated with decreased activation of the left amygdala during reappraisal, but increased activation of bilateral amygdala and hippocampus during emotional reactivity prior to treatment. Lower connectivity of the left amygdala to the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, and right insula, and that between the left hippocampus and right amygdala were also associated with symptom improvement. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide evidence that optimal treatment response to TF-CBT involves the capacity to engage emotional networks during emotional processing, and also to reduce the engagement of these networks when down-regulating emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Bryant
- University of New South Wales, School, Sydney, Australia
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, Westmead, Australia
| | - May Erlinger
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, Westmead, Australia
| | - Kim Felmingham
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Klimova
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, Westmead, Australia
| | - Leanne M Williams
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, San Francisco, USA
- Sierra-Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) VA Palo Alto Health Care System, San Francisco, USA
| | - Gin Malhi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - David Forbes
- Phoenix Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mayuresh S Korgaonkar
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, Westmead, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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38
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Coelho CM, Zsido AN, Suttiwan P, Clasen M. Super-natural fears. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:406-414. [PMID: 34186152 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Supernatural fears, although common, are not as well-understood as natural fears and phobias (e.g., social, blood, and animal phobias) which are prepared by evolution, such that they are easily acquired through direct experience and relatively immune to cognitive mediation. In contrast, supernatural fears do not involve direct experience but seem to be related to sensory or cognitive biases in the interpretation of stimuli as well as culturally driven cognitions and beliefs. In this multidisciplinary synthesis and collaborative review, we claim that supernatural beliefs are "super natural." That is, they occur spontaneously and are easy to acquire, possibly because such beliefs rest on intuitive concepts such as mind-body dualism and animism, and may inspire fear in believers as well as non-believers. As suggested by psychological and neuroscientific evidence, they tap into an evolutionarily prepared fear of potential impending dangers or unknown objects and have their roots in "prepared fears" as well as "cognitively prepared beliefs," making fear of supernatural agents a fruitful research avenue for social, anthropological, and psychological inquires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Coelho
- Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; University Institute of Maia, Maia, Portugal; Center for Psychology at University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Andras N Zsido
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, Pécs, 7622, Hungary
| | - Panrapee Suttiwan
- Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; Life Di Center, Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
| | - Mathias Clasen
- School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
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Neurocircuitry of Contingency Awareness in Pavlovian Fear Conditioning. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:1039-1053. [PMID: 33990933 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00909-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
In Pavlovian fear conditioning, contingency awareness provides an indicator of explicit fear learning. A less studied aspect of fear-based psychopathologies and their treatment, awareness of learned fear is a common cause of distress in persons with such conditions and is a focus of their treatment. The present work is a substudy of a broader fear-conditioning fMRI study. Following fear conditioning, we identified a subset of individuals who did not exhibit explicit awareness of the CS-US contingency. This prompted an exploratory analysis of differences in "aware" versus "unaware" individuals after fear conditioning. Self-reported expectancies of the CS-US contingency obtained immediately following fear conditioning were used to differentiate the two groups. Results corrected for multiple comparisons indicated significantly greater BOLD signal in the bilateral dlPFC, right vmPFC, bilateral vlPFC, left insula, left hippocampus, and bilateral amygdala for the CS+>CS- contrast in the aware group compared with the unaware group (all p values ≤ 0.004). PPI analysis with a left hippocampal seed indicated stronger coupling with the dlPFC and vmPFC in the aware group compared with the unaware group (all p values ≤ 0.002). Our findings add to our current knowledge of the networks involved in explicit learning and awareness of conditioned fear, with important clinical implications.
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Ferland-Beckham C, Chaby LE, Daskalakis NP, Knox D, Liberzon I, Lim MM, McIntyre C, Perrine SA, Risbrough VB, Sabban EL, Jeromin A, Haas M. Systematic Review and Methodological Considerations for the Use of Single Prolonged Stress and Fear Extinction Retention in Rodents. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:652636. [PMID: 34054443 PMCID: PMC8162789 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.652636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event that can lead to lifelong burden that increases mortality and adverse health outcomes. Yet, no new treatments have reached the market in two decades. Thus, screening potential interventions for PTSD is of high priority. Animal models often serve as a critical translational tool to bring new therapeutics from bench to bedside. However, the lack of concordance of some human clinical trial outcomes with preclinical animal efficacy findings has led to a questioning of the methods of how animal studies are conducted and translational validity established. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to determine methodological variability in studies that applied a prominent animal model of trauma-like stress, single prolonged stress (SPS). The SPS model has been utilized to evaluate a myriad of PTSD-relevant outcomes including extinction retention. Rodents exposed to SPS express an extinction retention deficit, a phenotype identified in humans with PTSD, in which fear memory is aberrantly retained after fear memory extinction. The current systematic review examines methodological variation across all phases of the SPS paradigm, as well as strategies for behavioral coding, data processing, statistical approach, and the depiction of data. Solutions for key challenges and sources of variation within these domains are discussed. In response to methodological variation in SPS studies, an expert panel was convened to generate methodological considerations to guide researchers in the application of SPS and the evaluation of extinction retention as a test for a PTSD-like phenotype. Many of these guidelines are applicable to all rodent paradigms developed to model trauma effects or learned fear processes relevant to PTSD, and not limited to SPS. Efforts toward optimizing preclinical model application are essential for enhancing the reproducibility and translational validity of preclinical findings, and should be conducted for all preclinical psychiatric research models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren E Chaby
- Cohen Veterans Bioscience, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Nikolaos P Daskalakis
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Dayan Knox
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, United States
| | - Miranda M Lim
- Departments of Neurology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Medicine, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States.,Sleep Disorders Clinic, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Christa McIntyre
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
| | - Shane A Perrine
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States.,Research Service, John. D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Victoria B Risbrough
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.,Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Esther L Sabban
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
| | | | - Magali Haas
- Cohen Veterans Bioscience, New York City, NY, United States
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Lamoureux-Tremblay V, Chauret M, Muckle G, Maheu F, Suffren S, Jacobson SW, Jacobson JL, Ayotte P, Lepore F, Saint-Amour D. Altered functional activations of prefrontal brain areas during emotional processing of fear in Inuit adolescents exposed to environmental contaminants. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2021; 85:106973. [PMID: 33741477 PMCID: PMC8137647 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2021.106973] [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: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to mercury, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been associated with emotional dysregulation, but their neuronal correlates have yet to be examined. Inuit from Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada) face internalizing problems and are among the most exposed individuals to these environmental contaminants in the world. The aim of this study was to examine the link between pre- and postnatal exposure to these contaminants and brain fear-circuitry in Inuit adolescents. Facial expression stimuli were presented to participants (mean age = 18.3 years) in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Fear conditioning and extinction tasks included neutral faces as the conditioned threat and safety cues and a fearful face paired with a shrieking scream as the unconditioned stimulus. Functional MRI data were gathered at the conditioning phase (n = 71) and at the extinction phase (n = 62). Mercury, lead and PCB 153 concentrations were measured in blood samples at birth (cord blood) and at the time of the adolescent testing to estimate pre- and postnatal exposure, respectively. For each time point, exposures were categorized in tertiles (low, moderate and high exposed groups). Mixed analyses of variance were conducted for each contaminant of interest controlling for sex, age, socioeconomic status, drug/alcohol use, food insecurity and contaminant co-exposure. Results revealed greater differential activation during the conditioning phase in the right orbitofrontal cortex in participants with moderate and high concentrations of cord blood PCB 153 compared to those in the low exposure group. During the extinction phase, the high prenatal mercury exposed group showed a lower differential activation in the right and left anterior cingulate cortex compared to those in the low-exposed group; whereas there was a higher differential activation in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the high postnatal lead exposed group compared to the moderate- and low-exposed groups. Our study is the first to show alterations in the prefrontal brain areas in fear conditioning and extinction tasks in relation to environmental contaminant exposures. The observed brain correlates may advance our understanding of the emotional problems associated with environmental chemical toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mélissa Chauret
- Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Gina Muckle
- Centre de Recherche du CHUQ de Québec-Université Laval, École de Psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Françoise Maheu
- Research Centre of CHU Ste-Justine, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sabrina Suffren
- Research Centre of CHU Ste-Justine, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sandra W Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
| | - Joseph L Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
| | - Pierre Ayotte
- Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Franco Lepore
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Dave Saint-Amour
- Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Research Centre of CHU Ste-Justine, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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42
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Finnegan SL, Harrison OK, Harmer CJ, Herigstad M, Rahman NM, Reinecke A, Pattinson KTS. Breathlessness in COPD: linking symptom clusters with brain activity. Eur Respir J 2021; 58:13993003.04099-2020. [PMID: 33875493 PMCID: PMC8607925 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.04099-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Background Current models of breathlessness often fail to explain disparities between patients' experiences of breathlessness and objective measures of lung function. While a mechanistic understanding of this discordance has thus far remained elusive, factors such as mood, attention and expectation have all been implicated as important modulators of breathlessness. Therefore, we have developed a model to better understand the relationships between these factors using unsupervised machine learning techniques. Subsequently we examined how expectation-related brain activity differed between these symptom-defined clusters of participants. Methods A cohort of 91 participants with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) underwent functional brain imaging, self-report questionnaires and clinical measures of respiratory function. Unsupervised machine learning techniques of exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical cluster modelling were used to model brain–behaviour–breathlessness links. Results We successfully stratified participants across four key factors corresponding to mood, symptom burden and two capability measures. Two key groups resulted from this stratification, corresponding to high and low symptom burden. Compared with the high symptom burden group, the low symptom burden group demonstrated significantly greater brain activity within the anterior insula, a key region thought to be involved in monitoring internal bodily sensations (interoception). Conclusions This is the largest functional neuroimaging study of COPD to date, and is the first to provide a clear model linking brain, behaviour and breathlessness expectation. Furthermore, it was possible to stratify participants into groups, which then revealed differences in brain activity patterns. Together, these findings highlight the value of multimodal models of breathlessness in identifying behavioural phenotypes and for advancing understanding of differences in breathlessness burden. Towards individualised treatments for chronic breathlessness with functional neuroimaging: revealing the factors underlying the breathlessness experience in COPDhttps://bit.ly/3a8fXPt
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Finnegan
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging and Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Olivia K Harrison
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging and Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Catherine J Harmer
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Health NHS foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Mari Herigstad
- Department of Biosciences and Chemistry, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
| | - Najib M Rahman
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea Reinecke
- School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Department of Psychiatry, Medical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford Health NHS foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Kyle T S Pattinson
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging and Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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43
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Thompson K, Nahmias E, Fani N, Kvaran T, Turner J, Tone E. The Prisoner's Dilemma paradigm provides a neurobiological framework for the social decision cascade. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248006. [PMID: 33735226 PMCID: PMC7971531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To function during social interactions, we must be able to consider and coordinate our actions with other people's perspectives. This process unfolds from decision-making, to anticipation of that decision's consequences, to feedback about those consequences, in what can be described as a "cascade" of three phases. The iterated Prisoner's Dilemma (iPD) task, an economic-exchange game used to illustrate how people achieve stable cooperation over repeated interactions, provides a framework for examining this "social decision cascade". In the present study, we examined neural activity associated with the three phases of the cascade, which can be isolated during iPD game rounds. While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 31 adult participants made a) decisions about whether to cooperate with a co-player for a monetary reward, b) anticipated the co-player's decision, and then c) learned the co-player's decision. Across all three phases, participants recruited the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), regions implicated in numerous facets of social reasoning such as perspective-taking and the judgement of intentions. Additionally, a common distributed neural network underlies both decision-making and feedback appraisal; however, differences were identified in the magnitude of recruitment between both phases. Furthermore, there was limited evidence that anticipation following the decision to defect evoked a neural signature that is distinct from the signature of anticipation following the decision to cooperate. This study is the first to delineate the neural substrates of the entire social decision cascade in the context of the iPD game.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalil Thompson
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Eddy Nahmias
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Trevor Kvaran
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jessica Turner
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Erin Tone
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
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44
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Taylor WW, Imhoff BR, Sathi ZS, Liu WY, Garza KM, Dias BG. Contributions of glucocorticoid receptors in cortical astrocytes to memory recall. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 28:126-133. [PMID: 33723032 PMCID: PMC7970741 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053041.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Dysfunctions in memory recall lead to pathological fear; a hallmark of trauma-related disorders, like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both, heightened recall of an association between a cue and trauma, as well as impoverished recall that a previously trauma-related cue is no longer a threat, result in a debilitating fear toward the cue. Glucocorticoid-mediated action via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) influences memory recall. This literature has primarily focused on GRs expressed in neurons or ignored cell-type specific contributions. To ask how GR action in nonneuronal cells influences memory recall, we combined auditory fear conditioning in mice and the knockout of GRs in astrocytes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a brain region implicated in memory recall. We found that knocking out GRs in astrocytes of the PFC disrupted memory recall. Specifically, we found that knocking out GRs in astrocytes in the PFC (AstroGRKO) after fear conditioning resulted in higher levels of freezing to the CS+ tone when compared with controls (AstroGRintact). While we did not find any differences in extinction of fear toward the CS+ between these groups, AstroGRKO female but not male mice showed impaired recall of extinction training. These results suggest that GRs in cortical astrocytes contribute to memory recall. These data demonstrate the need to examine GR action in cortical astrocytes to elucidate the basic neurobiology underlying memory recall and potential mechanisms that underlie female-specific biases in the incidence of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- William W Taylor
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90007, USA.,Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics Program, Division of Research on Children, Youth, and Families, The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90027, USA
| | - Barry R Imhoff
- Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
| | - Zakia Sultana Sathi
- Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
| | - Wei Y Liu
- Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics Program, Division of Research on Children, Youth, and Families, The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90027, USA
| | - Kristie M Garza
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.,Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
| | - Brian G Dias
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90007, USA.,Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics Program, Division of Research on Children, Youth, and Families, The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90027, USA.,Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90027, USA
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45
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Javanbakht A, Grasser LR, Madaboosi S, Chowdury A, Liberzon I, Diwadkar VA. The Neurocircuitry Underlying Additive Effects of Safety Instruction on Extinction Learning. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 14:576247. [PMID: 33510623 PMCID: PMC7835842 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.576247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Extinction learning is the dominant laboratory model for exposure therapy, a treatment involving both experience of safety near the feared object, and safety instructions relayed by a therapist. While the experiential aspect of extinction learning is well researched, less is known about instructed extinction learning and its neurocircuitry. Here, in 14 healthy participants we examined the neural correlates of, and the network interactions evoked by instructed extinction learning. Following fear conditioning to two CS+ stimuli, participants were instructed about the absence of the aversive unconditioned stimulus (US) for one of the CS+s (instructed CS; CS+I) but not the second CS+ (uninstructed CS+; CS+U). Early during extinction learning, greater activation was observed for the CS+I > CS+U contrast in regions including the vmPFC, dmPFC, vlPFC, and right parahippocampus. Subsequently, psychophysiological interaction (PPI) was applied to investigate functional connectivity of a seed in the vmPFC. This analyses revealed significant modulation of the dmPFC, parahippocampus, amygdala, and insula. Our findings suggest that the addition of cognitive instruction yields greater activation of emotion regulation and reappraisal networks during extinction learning. This work is a step in advancing laboratory paradigms that more accurately model exposure therapy and identifies regions which may be potential targets for neuromodulation to enhance psychotherapy effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Javanbakht
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Lana Ruvolo Grasser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Shantanu Madaboosi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Asadur Chowdury
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University Central Texas, Killeen, TX, United States
| | - Vaibhav A. Diwadkar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
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Sweeten BL, Adkins AM, Wellman LL, Sanford LD. Group II metabotropic glutamate receptor activation in the basolateral amygdala mediates individual differences in stress-induced changes in rapid eye movement sleep. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 104:110014. [PMID: 32534177 PMCID: PMC7483570 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/3s) have been implicated in stress and trauma related disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by flashbacks, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. While many people are exposed to trauma in their lifetime, only a small percentage go on to develop PTSD, indicating individual differences in stress and emotional processing. Wistar strain rats display directionally different rapid-eye movement sleep (REM) responses to footshock stress, with resilient rats having no change or an increase in REM and vulnerable rats having a significant reduction in REM compared to baseline. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) is key in regulating individual differences in stress-induced alterations in sleep. Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/3s) negatively modulate glutamate and are implicated in fear, fear memory, and sleep. The current study evaluated the effect of mGluR2/3 agonist LY379268 (LY37) in BLA on stress and fear memory induced changes in sleep, EEG spectra, behavioral fear expression and physiological stress. These data indicate that vulnerable rats treated with LY37 have an attenuation of the REM reductions generally seen in vulnerable rats. Furthermore, LY37 altered EEG spectra in the delta (0.5-4.5 Hz) and theta (5-9.5 Hz) frequency. LY37 did not impact behavioral fear expression or physiological stress. Therefore, mGluR2/3s within BLA are implicated in regulating individual differences in sleep responses to fear- and stress-related memories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Larry D. Sanford
- Corresponding authors at: Sleep Research Laboratory, Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Inflammatory Diseases, Department of Pathology and Anatomy, Eastern Virginia Medical School, P.O. Box 1980, Norfolk, VA 23507,
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47
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Cheng TW, Mills KL, Miranda Dominguez O, Zeithamova D, Perrone A, Sturgeon D, Feldstein Ewing SW, Fisher PA, Pfeifer JH, Fair DA, Mackiewicz Seghete KL. Characterizing the impact of adversity, abuse, and neglect on adolescent amygdala resting-state functional connectivity. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 47:100894. [PMID: 33385788 PMCID: PMC7786040 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Characterizing typologies of childhood adversity may inform the development of risk profiles and corresponding interventions aimed at mitigating its lifelong consequences. A neurobiological grounding of these typologies requires systematic comparisons of neural structure and function among individuals with different exposure histories. Using seed-to-whole brain analyses, this study examined associations between childhood adversity and amygdala resting-state functional connectivity (rs-fc) in adolescents aged 11–19 years across three independent studies (N = 223; 127 adversity group) in both general and dimensional models of adversity (comparing abuse and neglect). In a general model, adversity was associated with altered amygdala rs-fc with clusters within the left anterior lateral prefrontal cortex. In a dimensional model, abuse was associated with altered amygdala rs-fc within the orbitofrontal cortex, dorsal precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex/anterior mid-cingulate cortex, as well as within the dorsal attention, visual, and somatomotor networks. Neglect was associated with altered amygdala rs-fc with the hippocampus, supplementary motor cortex, temporoparietal junction, and regions within the dorsal attention network. Both general and dimensional models revealed unique regions, potentially reflecting pathways by which distinct histories of adversity may influence adolescent behavior, cognition, and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa W Cheng
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States.
| | - Kathryn L Mills
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Oscar Miranda Dominguez
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Dagmar Zeithamova
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Anders Perrone
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Darrick Sturgeon
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | | | - Philip A Fisher
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Jennifer H Pfeifer
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Damien A Fair
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States; Institute of Child Development, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Kristen L Mackiewicz Seghete
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
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48
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Sperl MFJ, Wroblewski A, Mueller M, Straube B, Mueller EM. Learning dynamics of electrophysiological brain signals during human fear conditioning. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117569. [PMID: 33221446 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrophysiological studies in rodents allow recording neural activity during threats with high temporal and spatial precision. Although fMRI has helped translate insights about the anatomy of underlying brain circuits to humans, the temporal dynamics of neural fear processes remain opaque and require EEG. To date, studies on electrophysiological brain signals in humans have helped to elucidate underlying perceptual and attentional processes, but have widely ignored how fear memory traces evolve over time. The low signal-to-noise ratio of EEG demands aggregations across high numbers of trials, which will wash out transient neurobiological processes that are induced by learning and prone to habituation. Here, our goal was to unravel the plasticity and temporal emergence of EEG responses during fear conditioning. To this end, we developed a new sequential-set fear conditioning paradigm that comprises three successive acquisition and extinction phases, each with a novel CS+/CS- set. Each set consists of two different neutral faces on different background colors which serve as CS+ and CS-, respectively. Thereby, this design provides sufficient trials for EEG analyses while tripling the relative amount of trials that tap into more transient neurobiological processes. Consistent with prior studies on ERP components, data-driven topographic EEG analyses revealed that ERP amplitudes were potentiated during time periods from 33-60 ms, 108-200 ms, and 468-820 ms indicating that fear conditioning prioritizes early sensory processing in the brain, but also facilitates neural responding during later attentional and evaluative stages. Importantly, averaging across the three CS+/CS- sets allowed us to probe the temporal evolution of neural processes: Responses during each of the three time windows gradually increased from early to late fear conditioning, while long-latency (460-730 ms) electrocortical responses diminished throughout fear extinction. Our novel paradigm demonstrates how short-, mid-, and long-latency EEG responses change during fear conditioning and extinction, findings that enlighten the learning curve of neurophysiological responses to threat in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias F J Sperl
- Department of Psychology, Personality Psychology and Assessment, University of Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
| | - Adrian Wroblewski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Translational Neuroimaging Marburg, University of Marburg, 35039 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Madeleine Mueller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Translational Neuroimaging Marburg, University of Marburg, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Benjamin Straube
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Translational Neuroimaging Marburg, University of Marburg, 35039 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Erik M Mueller
- Department of Psychology, Personality Psychology and Assessment, University of Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany.
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49
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Koh MT, Gallagher M. Using internal memory representations in associative learning to study hallucination-like phenomenon. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 175:107319. [PMID: 33010386 PMCID: PMC7655598 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Studies of Pavlovian conditioning have enriched our understanding of how relations among events can adaptively guide behavior through the formation and use of internal mental representations. In this review, we illustrate how internal representations flexibly integrate new updated information in reinforcer revaluation to influence relationships to impact actions and outcomes. We highlight representation-mediated learning to show the similarities in properties and functions between internally generated and directly activated representations, and how normal perception of internal representations could contribute to hallucinations. Converging evidence emerges from recent behavioral and neural activation studies using animal models of schizophrenia as well as clinical studies in patients to support increased tendencies in these populations to evoke internal representations from prior associative experience that approximate hallucination-like percepts. The heightened propensity is dependent on dopaminergic activation which is known to be sensitive to hippocampal overexcitability, a condition that has been observed in patients with psychosis. This presents a network that overlaps with cognitive neural circuits and offers a fresh approach for the development of therapeutic interventions targeting psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Teng Koh
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, USA.
| | - Michela Gallagher
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, USA
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50
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Sjouwerman R, Scharfenort R, Lonsdorf TB. Individual differences in fear acquisition: multivariate analyses of different emotional negativity scales, physiological responding, subjective measures, and neural activation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15283. [PMID: 32943701 PMCID: PMC7498611 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72007-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Negative emotionality is a well-established and stable risk factor for affective disorders. Individual differences in negative emotionality have been linked to associative learning processes which can be captured experimentally by computing CS-discrimination values in fear conditioning paradigms. Literature suffers from underpowered samples, suboptimal methods, and an isolated focus on single questionnaires and single outcome measures. First, the specific and shared variance across three commonly employed questionnaires [STAI-T, NEO-FFI-Neuroticism, Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) Scale] in relation to CS-discrimination during fear-acquisition in multiple analysis units (ratings, skin conductance, startle) is addressed (NStudy1 = 356). A specific significant negative association between STAI-T and CS-discrimination in SCRs and between IU and CS-discrimination in startle responding was identified in multimodal and dimensional analyses, but also between latent factors negative emotionality and fear learning, which capture shared variance across questionnaires/scales and across outcome measures. Second, STAI-T was positively associated with CS-discrimination in a number of brain areas linked to conditioned fear (amygdala, putamen, thalamus), but not to SCRs or ratings (NStudy2 = 113). Importantly, we replicate potential sampling biases between fMRI and behavioral studies regarding anxiety levels. Future studies are needed to target wide sampling distributions for STAI-T and verify whether current findings are generalizable to other samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Sjouwerman
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Robert Scharfenort
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tina B Lonsdorf
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
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