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Richter T, Stahi S, Mirovsky G, Hel-Or H, Okon-Singer H. Disorder-specific versus transdiagnostic cognitive mechanisms in anxiety and depression: Machine-learning-based prediction of symptom severity. J Affect Disord 2024; 354:473-482. [PMID: 38479515 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.035] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Psychiatric evaluation of anxiety and depression is currently based on self-reported symptoms and their classification into discrete disorders. Yet the substantial overlap between these disorders as well as their within-disorder heterogeneity may contribute to the mediocre success rates of treatments. The proposed research examines a new framework for diagnosis that is based on alterations in underlying cognitive mechanisms. In line with the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach, the current study directly compares disorder-specific and transdiagnostic cognitive patterns in predicting the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms. METHODS The sample included 237 individuals exhibiting differing levels of anxiety and depression symptoms, as measured by the STAI-T and BDI-II. Random Forest regressors were used to analyze their performance on a battery of six computerized cognitive-behavioral tests targeting selective and spatial attention, expectancy, interpretation, memory, and cognitive control biases. RESULTS Unique anxiety-specific biases were found, as well as shared anxious-depressed bias patterns. These cognitive biases exhibited relatively high fitting rates when predicting symptom severity (questionnaire scores common range 0-60, MAE = 6.03, RMSE = 7.53). Interpretation and expectancy biases exhibited the highest association with symptoms, above all other individual biases. LIMITATIONS Although internal validation methods were applied, models may suffer from potential overfitting due to sample size limitations. CONCLUSION In the context of the ongoing dispute regarding symptom-centered versus transdiagnostic approaches, the current study provides a unique comparison of these two views, yielding a novel intermediate approach. The results support the use of mechanism-based dimensional diagnosis for adding precision and objectivity to future psychiatric evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thalia Richter
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel Haifa, Israel.
| | - Shahar Stahi
- Department of Computer Science, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel Haifa, Israel
| | - Gal Mirovsky
- Department of Computer Science, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel Haifa, Israel
| | - Hagit Hel-Or
- Department of Computer Science, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel Haifa, Israel
| | - Hadas Okon-Singer
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel Haifa, Israel; The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), University of Haifa, Mount Carmel Haifa, Israel
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Chouinard-Gaouette L, Blanchette I. An investigation of the mechanisms underlying the link between abstract reasoning and intrusive memories: A trauma analogue study. Conscious Cogn 2024; 117:103609. [PMID: 38029701 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103609] [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: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Potentially traumatic events elicit intrusive memories to which some individuals are more vulnerable than others. Lower abstract reasoning capacity has been related to more intrusive memories. A more perceptual processing style when encoding the event may mediate this link. Another potential mechanism is lower attentional control, resulting in greater attentional bias toward trauma-related content. We examined both of these possibilities using a trauma-analogue paradigm. One hundred and twenty participants completed abstract reasoning tasks. Then, 90 participants watched a negative video, and 30 participants watched a neutral video. The level of perceptual processing (P1) and attentional bias (RT) towards trauma-related stimuli were measured with a pictorial Stroop task while recording EEG. Intrusive memories were recorded for 5 days. Abstract reasoning was not associated with intrusive memories. However, lower abstract reasoning tended to be associated with more perceptual processing (greater P1 amplitude) following the negative video. More perceptual processing also tended to be related to more intrusive memories for younger participants. A more pronounced attentional bias was related to more intrusive memories, but only for women. Unexpectedly, also for women, better verbal reasoning was linked to a more pronounced attentional bias. Results are compared to existing studies and future implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Chouinard-Gaouette
- Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Québec G9A 5H7, Canada.
| | - Isabelle Blanchette
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, 2325, rue des Bibliothèques, Québec, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada.
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Carlson JM, Fang L, Coughtry-Carpenter C, Foley J. Reliability of attention bias and attention bias variability to climate change images in the dot-probe task. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1021858. [PMID: 36710831 PMCID: PMC9878553 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1021858] [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: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century, which is perhaps why information about climate change has been found to capture observers' attention. One of the most common ways of assessing individual differences in attentional processing of climate change information is through the use of reaction time difference scores. However, reaction time-based difference scores have come under scrutiny for their low reliability. Given that a primary goal of the field is to link individual differences in attention processing to participant variables (e.g., environmental attitudes), we assessed the reliability of reaction time-based measures of attention processing of climate change information utilizing an existing dataset with three variations of the dot-probe task. Across all three samples, difference score-based measures of attentional bias were generally uncorrelated across task blocks (r = -0.25 to 0.31). We also assessed the reliability of newer attention bias variability measures that are thought to capture dynamic shifts in attention toward and away from salient information. Although these measures were initially found to be correlated across task blocks (r = 0.17-0.67), they also tended to be highly correlated with general reaction time variability (r = 0.49-0.83). When controlling for general reaction time variability, the correlations across task blocks for attention bias variability were much weaker and generally nonsignificant (r = -0.25 to 0.33). Furthermore, these measures were unrelated to pro-environmental disposition indicating poor predictive validity. In short, reaction time-based measures of attentional processing (including difference score and variability-based approaches) have unacceptably low levels of reliability and are therefore unsuitable for capturing individual differences in attentional bias to climate change information.
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Aday JS, Fang L, Carlson JM. Eye-size effects in the dot-probe task: Greater sclera exposure predicts delayed disengagement from fearful faces. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0285839. [PMID: 37195990 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Fearful facial expressions are nonverbal and biologically salient signals of potential threat that automatically hold, capture, and direct observers' attention. They are characterized by enlarged eye whites and dilated pupils, and fearful eyes alone are sufficient to capture attention. The morphological properties of the eye region, such as sclera exposure, are thought to play an important role in nonverbal communication. Specifically, increased sclera exposure associated with fearful expressions has been shown to moderate how observers' shift their attention toward the direction of another's gaze. Yet, the extent to which variability in sclera exposure possibly impacts the capture and hold of attention by fearful faces is untested. To address this, a sample of 249 adults completed a dot-probe task of selective attention with fearful and neutral faces. The results suggested that (1) fearful faces were prioritized over neutral faces (i.e., they captured and held attention), (2) greater sclera exposure at target locations facilitated reaction times, and (3) attention was held by greater sclera exposure of fearful faces at task irrelevant locations resulting in delayed disengagement. Collectively, the results indicate that fearful facial expressions and sclera exposure modulate spatial attention through independent and interactive mechanisms. Sclera exposure appears to be an important facilitator of nonverbal communication and perhaps represents an understudied variable in social cognition more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S Aday
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Lin Fang
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Joshua M Carlson
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, United States of America
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The questionable validity of attention bias variability: Evidence from two conceptually unrelated cognitive tasks. JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS REPORTS 2022; 10:100411. [PMID: 36684713 PMCID: PMC9851093 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Attention bias variability is thought to measure fluctuations in attention towards and away from threat-related information and is elevated in affective disorders. However, recent evidence suggests that attention bias variability may quantify general reaction time variability rather than attention bias behavior per se. Methods The current study calculated "attention bias variability" from two conceptually unrelated cognitive tasks: the dot-probe task (measuring attentional bias) and the arrow flanker task (measuring cognitive control). Results Attention bias variability measures were correlated across these unrelated tasks. Yet, when general reaction time variability was controlled, attention bias variability across tasks was no longer correlated. In addition, the reliability of attention bias variability measures decreased when controlling for general reaction time variability. Finally, although attention bias variability calculated from the dot-probe task initially correlated with anxious symptoms, this association was no longer significant when controlling for general reaction time variability. Limitations Our sample was comprised of high trait anxious individuals. Replication in clinical samples is warranted. Conclusions These findings collectively provide strong empirical evidence that attention bias variability is not a valid measure of attention-related behavior, but reflective of general reaction time variability more broadly.
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Moskal KR, Dvorak RD, Burr EK, El Helou G, Cora JL, De Leon AN, Leary AV. Attention bias and alcohol craving: Differential effects via biological sex and mood. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:1580-1591. [PMID: 36029302 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14894] [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: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attentional bias (AB) has been linked to alcohol use, mood, and alcohol craving, with key differences across different types of mood and biological sex. However, further exploration of the role of AB across these alcohol variables is needed. The current study examined the relationship between mood and AB as predictors of alcohol craving using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Exploratory analysis examined these effects as a function of biological sex. METHODS Participants (n = 69) from a Midwestern University carried a mobile device for 15 days and provided ratings of momentary mood (positive mood, anxious mood, and sad mood), alcohol craving, and AB. Data were analyzed using a two-level multilevel regression model, with associations between craving, mood, and AB examined at both the momentary and between-subjects levels. RESULTS Across assessments, positive and negative moods were positively associated with momentary craving, with AB found to operate differently between men and women. At the within-subjects level, increases in positive mood among men strengthened the AB-craving association, while women showed stronger AB-craving associations when positive mood decreased. At the between-subjects level, trait-like sadness led to positive AB-craving associations for men, however, this was the opposite for women. Similarly, AB-craving associations were positive and robust for men with trait-like positive mood but again the opposite was observed for women. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the importance and nuances of biological sex in the context of mood, AB, and craving. Interventions targeting AB and/or emotion regulation may yield different outcomes for men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie R Moskal
- Department of Psychology, The University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Robert D Dvorak
- Department of Psychology, The University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Emily K Burr
- Department of Psychology, The University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | | | - Jessica L Cora
- Department of Psychology, The University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Ardhys N De Leon
- Department of Psychology, The University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Angelina V Leary
- Department of Psychology, The University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
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Attentional bias to threat and gray matter volume morphology in high anxious individuals. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:600-609. [PMID: 34755317 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00968-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In a sample of highly anxious individuals, the relationship between gray matter volume brain morphology and attentional bias to threat was assessed. Participants performed a dot-probe task of attentional bias to threat and gray matter volume was acquired from whole brain structural T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans. The results replicate previous findings in unselected samples that elevated attentional bias to threat is linked to greater gray matter volume in the middle frontal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus. In addition, we provide novel evidence that elevated attentional bias to threat is associated with greater gray matter volume in the inferior frontal gyrus, insula, cerebellum, and other distributed regions. Lastly, exploratory analyses provide initial evidence that distinct subregions of the right posterior parietal cortex may contribute to attentional bias in a sex-specific manner. Our results illuminate how differences in gray matter volume morphology relate to attentional bias to threat in anxious individuals. This knowledge could inform neurocognitive models of anxiety-related attentional bias to threat.
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Strand N, Fang L, Carlson JM. Sex Differences in Anxiety: An Investigation of the Moderating Role of Sex in Performance Monitoring and Attentional Bias to Threat in High Trait Anxious Individuals. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:627589. [PMID: 34093149 PMCID: PMC8172782 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.627589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are more predominant in women than men, however there is a lack of understanding as to what neurocognitive mechanisms drive this sex difference. Recent investigation has found a potential moderating role of sex in the relationship between anxiety and the error related negativity (ERN)—a component of error-monitoring that is prevalent in high anxiety individuals—such that females display a positive relationship between anxiety/worry and ERN amplitude. We strove to further explore the influence of sex on the relationship between trait anxiety and performance monitoring, specifically with ERN, as well as extend this work to include another hallmark of anxiety, attentional bias to threat. To meet this end, participants performed the flanker and dot-probe tasks, respectively. We did not find a significant difference in the relationship between attention bias scores and anxiety for female vs. males participants. Furthermore, ΔERN amplitudes were greater in males compared to females, and males had more positive CRN amplitudes than females. There were no significant associations between ERN or ΔERN with anxiety in both male and female participants. However, there was a significant relationship between CRN amplitudes and trait anxiety in male but not female participants. Given these results, the effect of sex on the relationship between components of performance monitoring—namely the CRN and ERN—and anxiety may be more nuanced than the current understanding. Our study was limited to detecting medium to large sized moderation effects. Our findings may be important for future meta-analysis on sex differences in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Strand
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, United States
| | - Lin Fang
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, United States
| | - Joshua M Carlson
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, United States
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The stability and reliability of attentional bias measures in the dot-probe task: Evidence from both traditional mean bias scores and trial-level bias scores. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2020; 44:657-669. [PMID: 33551518 DOI: 10.1007/s11031-020-09834-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
A new method of calculating attentional bias from the dot-probe task measures fluctuations in bias towards and away from emotional stimuli over time using trial level bias score metrics. We assessed the stability and reliability of traditional attentional bias scores and trial level bias score measures of attentional bias across time in two five-block dot-probe task experiments in non-clinical samples. In experiments 1 and 2, both traditional attentional bias scores and trial level bias score measures of attentional bias did not habituate/decrease across time. In general, trial level bias score metrics (i.e., attention bias variability as well as the mean biases toward and away from threat) were more reliable than the traditional attention bias measure. This pattern was observed across both experiments. The traditional bias score, however, did improve in reliability in the later blocks of the fearful face dot-probe task. Although trial level bias score measures did not habituate and were more reliable across blocks, these measures did not correlate with state or trait anxiety. On the other hand, trial level bias score measures were strongly correlated with general reaction time variability-and after controlling for this effect no longer superior in reliability in comparison to the traditional attention bias measure. We conclude that general response variability should be removed from trial level bias score measures to ensure that they truly reflect attention bias variability.
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10
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Doi H, Shinohara K. Low Salivary Testosterone Level Is Associated With Efficient Attention Holding by Self Face in Women. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:261. [PMID: 31849621 PMCID: PMC6895659 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Capacity to recognize one’s own face (hereinafter referred to as self face) is a fundamental component of various domains of social cognition such as empathy in humans. Previous research has demonstrated that a high level of androgen suppresses empathic behavior and social brain function. Taking these into consideration, we hypothesized that people with high androgen level show reduced response to self face. The present study examined this hypothesis by investigating the association between attentiveness towards self face, as assessed by a psychophysiological experiment, and salivary testosterone concentration. The attentional responses to self face was measured by a modified Go/NoGo task. In this task, self face or unfamiliar other’s face was presented simultaneously with Go or NoGo signal. In go trials, participants had to divert their attention from the face to a peripheral target. The reaction time (RT) for peripheral target detection in each condition was measured. In addition to behavioral data, saliva samples were collected to assay salivary testosterone concentration. The index of potency of self face to hold viewer’s attention that was computed based on RT data was regressed against salivary testosterone concentration in men and women separately. The analyses revealed that self face holds visuospatial attention more effectively in women with low than high salivary testosterone level, but no such trend was observed in men. This pattern of results indicates that low testosterone level is associated with a pronounced response to self face as we hypothesized and raises the possibility that multiple aspects of self-face processing are under the influence of endocrinological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirokazu Doi
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Shinohara
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
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Carlson JM, Lehman BR, Thompson JL. Climate change images produce an attentional bias associated with pro-environmental disposition. Cogn Process 2019; 20:385-390. [PMID: 30671678 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-019-00902-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Humans have developed mechanisms to prioritize certain sensory input(s). Emotionally salient stimuli automatically capture observers' attention at the cost of less salient information. This prioritized processing is called attentional bias. Images of climate change have been found to elicit emotional responses. Yet, to date, there is no research assessing the extent to which climate change-relevant images produce an attentional bias. In a sample of college students (N = 39), we found that (1) climate change-related images capture attention and that (2) this attentional bias is related to individual differences in environmental disposition. Thus, images of climate change are salient-attention grabbing-signals related to pro-environmental orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Carlson
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI, 49855, USA.
| | - Betsy R Lehman
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI, 49855, USA
| | - Jessica L Thompson
- Department of Communication and Performance Studies, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
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