1
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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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2
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Carlson JM, Fang L, Koster EH, Andrzejewski JA, Gilbertson H, Elwell KA, Zuidema TR. Neuroplastic changes in anterior cingulate cortex gray matter volume and functional connectivity following attention bias modification in high trait anxious individuals. Biol Psychol 2022; 172:108353. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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3
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Carlson JM. A systematic review of event-related potentials as outcome measures of attention bias modification. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13801. [PMID: 33682161 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Attention bias modification (ABM) was initially developed with the goal of reducing attentional bias to threat-and subsequently anxious symptoms-in individuals with heightened anxiety. Although controversial, ABM appears to be generally effective in achieving this goal. Yet, the primary outcome measure of ABM (i.e., the reaction time-based differences score) has poor reliability and temporal resolution, which limits the inferences that can be drawn. In contrast, event-related potentials (ERPs) have superior reliability as well as temporal resolution and may therefore be better outcome measures of ABM. In this review, I systematically assess the research using ERPs as outcome measures in ABM protocols. I focus on the extent to which the ERPs modified by ABM represent earlier or later stages of information processing. In addition, I explore the extent to which ABM produces near and/or far transfer of learning effects on ERP measures. The reviewed literature suggests that ERPs are promising outcome measures of ABM. ABM modulates the effects of affective stimuli on posterior visually evoked ERPs (i.e., P1) as well as ERPs at anterior electrodes (i.e., P2, N2, and ERN). Based on the state of the field, several directions for future research are identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Carlson
- Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
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4
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Hori H, Itoh M, Lin M, Yoshida F, Niwa M, Hakamata Y, Matsui M, Kunugi H, Kim Y. Childhood maltreatment history and attention bias variability in healthy adult women: role of inflammation and the BDNF Val66Met genotype. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:122. [PMID: 33574220 PMCID: PMC7878504 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01247-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment has been associated with greater attention bias to emotional information, but the findings are controversial. Recently, a novel index of attention bias, i.e., attention bias variability (ABV), has been developed to better capture trauma-related attentional dysfunction. However, ABV in relation to childhood trauma has not been studied. Here, we examined the association of childhood maltreatment history with attention bias/ABV in 128 healthy adult women. Different types of childhood maltreatment were assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Attention bias/ABV was measured by the dot-probe task. Possible mechanisms whereby childhood maltreatment affects attention bias/ABV were also explored, focusing on blood proinflammatory markers and the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. We observed a significant positive correlation between childhood emotional abuse and ABV (P = 0.002). Serum high-sensitivity tumor necrosis factor-α levels were significantly positively correlated with ABV (P < 0.001), but not with childhood maltreatment. Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test showed a significant tendency toward greater ABV with increasing numbers of the BDNF Met alleles (P = 0.021). A two-way analysis of variance further revealed that the genotype-by-emotional abuse interaction for ABV was significant (P = 0.022); individuals with the Val/Met and Met/Met genotypes exhibited even greater ABV when childhood emotional abuse was present. These results indicate that childhood emotional abuse can have a long-term negative impact on emotional attention control. Increased inflammation may be involved in the mechanism of ABV, possibly independently of childhood maltreatment. The BDNF Met allele may dose-dependently increase ABV by interacting with childhood emotional abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Hori
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Mariko Itoh
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan ,grid.39158.360000 0001 2173 7691Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Mingming Lin
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fuyuko Yoshida
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Madoka Niwa
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuko Hakamata
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan ,grid.411731.10000 0004 0531 3030Department of Clinical Psychology, International University of Health and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mie Matsui
- grid.9707.90000 0001 2308 3329Department of Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Liberal Arts and Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kunugi
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan ,grid.264706.10000 0000 9239 9995Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiharu Kim
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
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5
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Tian T, Li J, Zhang G, Wang J, Liu D, Wan C, Fang J, Wu D, Zhou Y, Zhu W. Effects of childhood trauma experience and BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on brain plasticity relate to emotion regulation. Behav Brain Res 2020; 398:112949. [PMID: 33053385 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism may modulate the link between childhood trauma experience and psychopathology by altering trophic signaling on neuroplasticity. However, few multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) researches have investigated this gene-environment interaction on both structural and functional plasticity, thereby advancing knowledge about the etiology, prevention, and customized therapeutic directions of mental disease in individuals with childhood trauma experience. We recruited a large non-clinical sample of young adults that completed Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), behavioral scores, multimodal MRI scans, and genotyping. Morphometric similarity network (MSN) and independent component analysis were adopted to quantify brain structural and functional changes. Gene-environment-brain-behavior relationships were identified by multiple regression and mediation effect analysis. CTQ score was positively associated with depression and anxiety scores. We found interactions on MSN in sensorimotor, temporal, and orbitofrontal cortex. For intra-network connectivity, significant interaction was noted in clusters within sensorimotor network. For inter-network connectivity, connectivity between dorsal attention network and salience network showed an interactive effect. For mean connectivity strength of each network, we found a main effect of CTQ score on self-reference network that was an outstanding mediator supporting the relationship between CTQ score and anxiety. Our findings demonstrate that childhood trauma and the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism are associated with brain plasticity involving emotion regulation, structurally and functionally, which may contribute to understanding psychotic mechanisms and predicting differential susceptibility. Imaging genetics may be useful as biomarkers to provide early assessment and guide cognitive interventions to avoid or decrease the risk of developing psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Tian
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Jia Li
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Guiling Zhang
- Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Dong Liu
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Changhua Wan
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Jicheng Fang
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Di Wu
- Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Yiran Zhou
- Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Wenzhen Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China.
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6
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Gellner AK, Voelter J, Schmidt U, Beins EC, Stein V, Philipsen A, Hurlemann R. Molecular and neurocircuitry mechanisms of social avoidance. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 78:1163-1189. [PMID: 32997200 PMCID: PMC7904739 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03649-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Humans and animals live in social relationships shaped by actions of approach and avoidance. Both are crucial for normal physical and mental development, survival, and well-being. Active withdrawal from social interaction is often induced by the perception of threat or unpleasant social experience and relies on adaptive mechanisms within neuronal networks associated with social behavior. In case of confrontation with overly strong or persistent stressors and/or dispositions of the affected individual, maladaptive processes in the neuronal circuitries and its associated transmitters and modulators lead to pathological social avoidance. This review focuses on active, fear-driven social avoidance, affected circuits within the mesocorticolimbic system and associated regions and a selection of molecular modulators that promise translational potential. A comprehensive review of human research in this field is followed by a reflection on animal studies that offer a broader and often more detailed range of analytical methodologies. Finally, we take a critical look at challenges that could be addressed in future translational research on fear-driven social avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Kathrin Gellner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jella Voelter
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 7, 26160, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schmidt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry Und Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Eva Carolina Beins
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Valentin Stein
- Institute of Physiology II, University Hospital Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexandra Philipsen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - René Hurlemann
- Division of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany. .,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 7, 26160, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany. .,Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
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7
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Andrzejewski JA, Carlson JM. Electrocortical responses associated with attention bias to fearful facial expressions and auditory distress signals. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 151:94-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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8
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McKay NS, Moreau D, Henare DT, Kirk IJ. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met genotype does not influence the grey or white matter structures underlying recognition memory. Neuroimage 2019; 197:1-12. [PMID: 30954706 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.03.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the gene coding for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has previously been associated with a reduction in recognition memory performance. While previous findings have highlighted that this SNP contributes to recognition memory, little is known about its influence on subprocesses of recognition, familiarity and recollection. Previous research has reported reduced hippocampal volume and decreased fractional anisotropy in carriers of the Met allele across a range of white matter tracts, including those networks that may support recognition memory. Here, in a sample of 61 healthy young adults, we used a source memory task to measure accuracy on each recognition subprocess, in order to determine whether the Val66Met SNP (rs6265) influences these equally. Additionally, we compared grey matter volume between these groups for structures that underpin familiarity and recollection separately. Finally, we used probabilistic tractography to reconstruct tracts that subserve each of these two recognition systems. Behaviourally, we found group differences on the familiarity measure, but not on recollection. However, we did not find any group difference on grey- or white-matter structures. Together, these results suggest a functional influence of the Val66Met SNP that is independent of coarse structural changes, and nuance previous research highlighting the relationship between BDNF, brain structure, and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole S McKay
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - David Moreau
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Dion T Henare
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ian J Kirk
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand; Brain Research New Zealand, New Zealand
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9
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Touroutoglou A, Dickerson BC. Cingulate-centered large-scale networks: Normal functions, aging, and neurodegenerative disease. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2019; 166:113-127. [PMID: 31731908 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-64196-0.00008-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In this chapter, we review evidence from structural and functional neuroimaging in humans to consider the role of the cingulate cortex subregions (i.e., subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, anterior midcingulate cortex, and dorsal posterior cingulate cortex) as major hubs anchoring multiple large-scale brain networks. We begin with a review of evidence from intrinsic functional connectivity and diffusion tensor imaging studies to show how connections within and between cingulate-centered networks contribute to processing and integrating signals related to autonomic, affective, executive, and memory functions. We then consider how variability in cingulate-centered networks could contribute to a range of aging outcomes, including typical aging and unusually successful aging (dubbed "superaging"), as well as early neurodegenerative dementias, including frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Touroutoglou
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Bradford C Dickerson
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States.
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10
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Amygdala-orbitofrontal structural and functional connectivity in females with anxiety disorders, with and without a history of conduct disorder. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1101. [PMID: 29348532 PMCID: PMC5773614 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19569-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Conduct disorder (CD) and anxiety disorders (ADs) are often comorbid and both are characterized by hyper-sensitivity to threat, and reduced structural and functional connectivity between the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Previous studies of CD have not taken account of ADs nor directly compared connectivity in the two disorders. We examined three groups of young women: 23 presenting CD and lifetime AD; 30 presenting lifetime AD and not CD; and 17 with neither disorder (ND). Participants completed clinical assessments and diffusion-weighted and resting-state functional MRI scans. The uncinate fasciculus was reconstructed using tractography and manual dissection, and structural measures extracted. Correlations of resting-state activity between amygdala and OFC seeds were computed. The CD + AD and AD groups showed similarly reduced structural integrity of the left uncinate compared to ND, even after adjusting for IQ, psychiatric comorbidity, and childhood maltreatment. Uncinate integrity was associated with harm avoidance traits among AD-only women, and with the interaction of poor anger control and anxiety symptoms among CD + AD women. Groups did not differ in functional connectivity. Reduced uncinate integrity observed in CD + AD and AD-only women may reflect deficient emotion regulation in response to threat, common to both disorders, while other neural mechanisms determine the behavioral response.
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11
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Aday J, Carlson JM. Structural MRI-based measures of neuroplasticity in an extended amygdala network as a target for attention bias modification treatment outcome. Med Hypotheses 2017; 109:6-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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Mechanisms for attentional modulation by threatening emotions of fear, anger, and disgust. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2017; 17:198-210. [PMID: 27761806 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-016-0473-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Appropriately attending to threatening environmental stimuli is evolutionarily adaptive and crucial for survival. This study revealed that nonconscious attentional modulation of disgust has different behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) patterns, as compared to fear and anger. To facilitate its evolutionary purpose of avoidance, disgust first diverts rather than attracts attention. Accordingly, the N1 was smaller in a validly than in an invalidly disgust-cued condition. Furthermore, the frontal P3a for disgust, anger, and fear was found to be larger in the valid than in the invalid condition, which was interpreted as an involuntary switching of attention toward threat-related events to mobilize cognitive resources for action or defense. On the contrary, the parietal P3b only occurred at the conscious level; the enhanced P3b indicated that more cognitive resources were being allocated toward the task-relevant but previously less attended location, to ensure the effective achievement of task goals. In addition, group comparisons between individuals with low and high disgust sensitivity showed that the ERP differences between the disgust and the anger/fear conditions at the unconscious level may be attributed only to individuals with high disgust sensitivity. These findings, together with previous knowledge of the effects of fear and anger on attention, strengthen our confidence in the two-stage scheme of attentional modulation by threats, which consists of an early stage of bottom-up response scaling of sensory processing (reflected by the P1 and N1) and a later stage of top-down integration and regulation of emotion and behavior (reflected by the P3).
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13
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Anxiety-related experience-dependent white matter structural differences in adolescence: A monozygotic twin difference approach. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8749. [PMID: 28821748 PMCID: PMC5562810 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08107-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety is linked to deficits in structural and functional connectivity between limbic structures and pre-frontal cortices. We employed a monozygotic (MZ) twin difference design to examine the relationship between structural characteristics of the uncinate fasciculus (UF) measured by Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and anxiety symptoms in a sample of N = 100 monozygotic (genetically identical), adolescent twins. The MZ difference design allowed us focus on environmental factors that vary within twin pairs while controlling for genetic and environmental factors shared by twin pairs. Twins aged 13-18 years reported on symptoms of generalized anxiety and social phobia prior to participating in a neuroimaging visit. Regions of interest from the JHU ICBM atlas, including uncinate fasciculus and sagittal stratum as a control tract, were registered to the study template. We incorporated multiple diffusion tensor measures to characterize the white matter differences. Within twin pairs, the more anxious twin exhibited decreased fractional anisotropy (t = -2.22, p = 0.032) and axial diffusivity (t = -2.38, p = 0.022) in the left UF compared to the less anxious twin, controlling for age and gender. This study demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of adopting the MZ twin design for DTI measures in neuroimaging research.
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14
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Savage JE, Sawyers C, Roberson-Nay R, Hettema JM. The genetics of anxiety-related negative valence system traits. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2017; 174:156-177. [PMID: 27196537 PMCID: PMC5349709 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
NIMH's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) domain of negative valence systems (NVS) captures constructs of negative affect such as fear and distress traditionally subsumed under the various internalizing disorders. Through its aims to capture dimensional measures that cut across diagnostic categories and are linked to underlying neurobiological systems, a large number of phenotypic constructs have been proposed as potential research targets. Since "genes" represent a central "unit of analysis" in the RDoC matrix, it is important for studies going forward to apply what is known about the genetics of these phenotypes as well as fill in the gaps of existing knowledge. This article reviews the extant genetic epidemiological data (twin studies, heritability) and molecular genetic association findings for a broad range of putative NVS phenotypic measures. We find that scant genetic epidemiological data is available for experimentally derived measures such as attentional bias, peripheral physiology, or brain-based measures of threat response. The molecular genetic basis of NVS phenotypes is in its infancy, since most studies have focused on a small number of candidate genes selected for putative association to anxiety disorders (ADs). Thus, more research is required to provide a firm understanding of the genetic aspects of anxiety-related NVS constructs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne E. Savage
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
| | - Chelsea Sawyers
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
| | - Roxann Roberson-Nay
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA,Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
| | - John M. Hettema
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA,Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
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15
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Carlson JM, Rubin D, Mujica-Parodi LR. Lost emotion: Disrupted brain-based tracking of dynamic affective episodes in anxiety and depression. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2017; 260:37-48. [PMID: 28013067 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2016.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In our day-to-day lives we are confronted with dynamic sensory inputs that elicit a continuously evolving emotional response. Insight into the brain basis of the dynamic nature of emotional reactivity may be critical for understanding chronic symptoms of anxiety and depression. Here, individuals with generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and healthy controls watched a video with dynamic affective content while fMRI activity was recorded. Across all participants there was a large-scale tracking of affective content in emotion processing regions and the default mode network. Anxious and depressed individuals displayed less brain-based coupling within these regions and the extent of this uncoupling correlated with variability in emotional numbing. Thus, abnormal neural tracking of affective information during dynamic emotional episodes appears to represent a disconnection between affective cues in the environment and an individual's response to these cues-providing a putative neural basis for context insensitive affective reactivity and emotional numbing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Carlson
- Department of Psychology, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA.
| | - Denis Rubin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Lilianne R Mujica-Parodi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, USA; Department of Radiology, A. A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
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16
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17
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Bas-Hoogendam JM, Blackford JU, Brühl AB, Blair KS, van der Wee NJ, Westenberg PM. Neurobiological candidate endophenotypes of social anxiety disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 71:362-378. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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18
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Weber MA, Morrow KA, Rizer WS, Kangas KJ, Carlson JM. Sustained, not habituated, activity in the human amygdala: A pilot fMRI dot-probe study of attentional bias to fearful faces. COGENT PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2016.1259881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Millicent A. Weber
- Department of Psychology, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
| | - Kelly A. Morrow
- Department of Psychology, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
| | - Will S. Rizer
- Department of Psychology, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
| | - Keara J. Kangas
- Department of Psychology, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
| | - Joshua M. Carlson
- Department of Psychology, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
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Keedwell PA, Doidge AN, Meyer M, Lawrence N, Lawrence AD, Jones DK. Subgenual Cingulum Microstructure Supports Control of Emotional Conflict. Cereb Cortex 2016; 26:2850-62. [PMID: 27048427 PMCID: PMC4869815 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with specific difficulties in attentional disengagement from negatively valenced material. Diffusion MRI studies have demonstrated altered white matter microstructure in the subgenual cingulum bundle (CB) in individuals with MDD, though the functional significance of these alterations has not been examined formally. This study explored whether individual differences in selective attention to negatively valenced stimuli are related to interindividual differences in subgenual CB microstructure. Forty-six individuals (21 with remitted MDD, 25 never depressed) completed an emotional Stroop task, using happy and angry distractor faces overlaid by pleasant or unpleasant target words and a control gender-based Stroop task. CBs were reconstructed in 38 individuals using diffusion-weighted imaging and tractography, and mean fractional anisotropy (FA) computed for the subgenual, retrosplenial, and parahippocampal subdivisions. No significant correlations were found between FA and performance in the control gender-based Stroop task in any CB region. However, the degree of interference produced by angry face distractors on time to identify pleasant words (emotional conflict) correlated selectively with FA in the subgenual CB (r = -0.53; P = 0.01). Higher FA was associated with reduced interference, irrespective of a diagnosis of MDD, suggesting that subgenual CB microstructure is functionally relevant for regulating attentional bias toward negative interpersonal stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A. Keedwell
- MRC Centre for Psychiatric Genetics and Genomics
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute
- Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Amie N. Doidge
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute
- School of Psychology and Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Devon, UK
| | - Marcel Meyer
- School of Psychology and Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Experimental Psychology and Methods, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Andrew D. Lawrence
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute
- School of Psychology and Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Derek K. Jones
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute
- School of Psychology and Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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Taschereau-Dumouchel V, Hétu S, Bagramian A, Labrecque A, Racine M, Chagnon YC, Jackson PL. BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism Is Associated with Self-Reported Empathy. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149911. [PMID: 26901829 PMCID: PMC4764204 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy is an important driver of human social behaviors and presents genetic roots that have been studied in neuroimaging using the intermediate phenotype approach. Notably, the Val66Met polymorphism of the Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene has been identified as a potential target in neuroimaging studies based on its influence on emotion perception and social cognition, but its impact on self-reported empathy has never been documented. Using a neurogenetic approach, we investigated the association between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and self-reported empathy (Davis' Interpersonal Reactivity Index; IRI) in a sample of 110 young adults. Our results indicate that the BDNF genotype is significantly associated with the linear combination of the four facets of the IRI, one of the most widely used self-reported empathy questionnaire. Crucially, the effect of BDNF Val66Met goes beyond the variance explained by two polymorphisms of the oxytocin transporter gene previously associated with empathy and its neural underpinnings (OXTR rs53576 and rs2254298). These results represent the first evidence suggesting a link between the BDNF gene and self-reported empathy and warrant further studies of this polymorphism due to its potential clinical significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Taschereau-Dumouchel
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), Québec, Québec, Canada
- Centre de recherche de l’institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec (CRIUSMQ), Québec, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Sébastien Hétu
- Human Neuroimaging Laboratory, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Anaït Bagramian
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Marion Racine
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Yvon C. Chagnon
- Centre de recherche de l’institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec (CRIUSMQ), Québec, Québec, Canada
- Département de Psychiatrie et des Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Philip L. Jackson
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), Québec, Québec, Canada
- Centre de recherche de l’institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec (CRIUSMQ), Québec, Québec, Canada
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Carlson JM. Facilitated orienting underlies fearful face-enhanced gaze cueing of spatial location. COGENT PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2016.1147120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M. Carlson
- Department of Psychology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette 49855, MI, USA
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Carlson JM, Torrence RD, Vander Hyde MR. Beware the eyes behind the mask: The capture and hold of selective attention by backward masked fearful eyes. MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-016-9542-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Dretsch MN, Williams K, Emmerich T, Crynen G, Ait-Ghezala G, Chaytow H, Mathura V, Crawford FC, Iverson GL. Brain-derived neurotropic factor polymorphisms, traumatic stress, mild traumatic brain injury, and combat exposure contribute to postdeployment traumatic stress. Brain Behav 2016; 6:e00392. [PMID: 27110438 PMCID: PMC4834940 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In addition to experiencing traumatic events while deployed in a combat environment, there are other factors that contribute to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military service members. This study explored the contribution of genetics, childhood environment, prior trauma, psychological, cognitive, and deployment factors to the development of traumatic stress following deployment. METHODS Both pre- and postdeployment data on 231 of 458 soldiers were analyzed. Postdeployment assessments occurred within 30 days from returning stateside and included a battery of psychological health, medical history, and demographic questionnaires; neurocognitive tests; and blood serum for the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2), apolipoprotein E (APOE), and brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) genes. RESULTS Soldiers who screened positive for traumatic stress at postdeployment had significantly higher scores in depression (d = 1.91), anxiety (d = 1.61), poor sleep quality (d = 0.92), postconcussion symptoms (d = 2.21), alcohol use (d = 0.63), traumatic life events (d = 0.42), and combat exposure (d = 0.91). BDNF Val66 Met genotype was significantly associated with risk for sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and screening positive for traumatic stress. Predeployment traumatic stress, greater combat exposure and sustaining an mTBI while deployed, and the BDNF Met/Met genotype accounted for 22% of the variance of postdeployment PTSD scores (R (2) = 0.22, P < 0.001). However, predeployment traumatic stress, alone, accounted for 17% of the postdeployment PTSD scores. CONCLUSION These findings suggest predeployment traumatic stress, genetic, and environmental factors have unique contributions to the development of combat-related traumatic stress in military service members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael N Dretsch
- U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory 6901 Farrel Road Fort Rucker Alabama 22206; National Intrepid Center of Excellence Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 4860 South Palmer Road Bethesda Maryland 20889; Human Dimension Division (HDD) Headquarters Army Training and Doctrine Command (HQ TRADOC) 950 Jefferson Ave Fort Eustis Virginia 23604
| | - Kathy Williams
- National Intrepid Center of Excellence Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 4860 South Palmer Road Bethesda Maryland 20889
| | - Tanja Emmerich
- Roskamp Institute 2040 Whitfield Ave Sarasota Florida 34243
| | - Gogce Crynen
- Roskamp Institute 2040 Whitfield Ave Sarasota Florida 34243
| | | | - Helena Chaytow
- Roskamp Institute 2040 Whitfield Ave Sarasota Florida 34243
| | - Venkat Mathura
- Roskamp Institute 2040 Whitfield Ave Sarasota Florida 34243
| | | | - Grant L Iverson
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts; Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston Massachusetts; Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program Boston Massachusetts; Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center Bethesda Maryland; Center for Health and Rehabilitation Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Harvard Medical School 79/96 Thirteenth Street Charlestown Navy Yard Charlestown Massachusetts 02129
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Left medial orbitofrontal cortex volume correlates with skydive-elicited euphoric experience. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:4269-4279. [PMID: 26547313 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1139-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The medial orbitofrontal cortex has been linked to the experience of positive affect. Greater medial orbitofrontal cortex volume is associated with greater expression of positive affect and reduced medial orbital frontal cortex volume is associated with blunted positive affect. However, little is known about the experience of euphoria, or extreme joy, and how this state may relate to variability in medial orbitofrontal cortex structure. To test the hypothesis that variability in euphoric experience correlates with the volume of the medial orbitofrontal cortex, we measured individuals' (N = 31) level of self-reported euphoria in response to a highly anticipated first time skydive and measured orbitofrontal cortical volumes with structural magnetic resonance imaging. Skydiving elicited a large increase in self-reported euphoria. Participants' euphoric experience was predicted by the volume of their left medial orbitofrontal cortex such that, the greater the volume, the greater the euphoria. Further analyses indicated that the left medial orbitofrontal cortex and amygdalo-hippocampal complex independently explain variability in euphoric experience and that medial orbitofrontal cortex volume, in conjunction with other structures within the mOFC-centered corticolimbic circuit, can be used to predict individuals' euphoric experience.
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Galvin C, Lee FS, Ninan I. Alteration of the Centromedial Amygdala Glutamatergic Synapses by the BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:2269-77. [PMID: 25786582 PMCID: PMC4613621 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Revised: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Fear expression is mediated by an activation of the centromedial amygdala (CEm), the major output nucleus of the amygdaloid complex. Consistently, fear extinction is associated with an increased synaptic inhibition as well as a suppression of the excitability of the CEm neurons. However, little is known about the role of CEm glutamatergic synapses in fear regulation and anxiety-like behaviors. The BDNF Val66Met, a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the human BDNF gene, impairs fear extinction and leads to anxiety-like symptoms. To determine whether the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism affects the CEm excitatory synapses, we examined basal glutamatergic synaptic transmission and plasticity in the CEm neurons of BDNF Val66Met knock-in (BDNF(Met/Met)) mice. The BDNF Val66Met single-nucleotide polymorphism exerted an opposite effect on non-NMDA and NMDA receptor transmission with a potentiation of the former and a suppression of the latter. In addition, the decay time of NMDA currents was decreased in BDNF(Met/Met) mice, suggesting a modification of NMDA receptor subunit composition. Unlike the wild-type mice that exhibited a potentiation of non-NMDA receptor transmission following fear conditioning and a depotentiation upon fear extinction, BDNF(Met/Met) mice failed to show this experience-dependent synaptic plasticity in the CEm neurons. Our results suggest that the elevated non-NMDA receptor transmission, the suppression of NMDA receptor transmission, and an impairment of synaptic plasticity in the CEm neurons might contribute to the fear extinction deficit and increased anxiety-like symptoms in BDNF Val66Met carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Galvin
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Francis S Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ipe Ninan
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA,Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, 540 1 Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA, Tel: +1 347 535 0710, Fax: +1 212 263 0723, E-mail:
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Emotion regulation and trait anxiety are predicted by the microstructure of fibers between amygdala and prefrontal cortex. J Neurosci 2015; 35:6020-7. [PMID: 25878275 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3659-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging revealed that trait anxiety predicts the microstructural properties of a prespecified fiber tract between the amygdala and the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex. Besides this particular pathway, it is likely that other pathways are also affected. We investigated white matter differences in persons featuring an anxious or a nonanxious personality, taking into account all potential pathway connections between amygdala and anxiety-related regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Diffusion-weighted images, measures of trait anxiety and of reappraisal use (an effective emotion-regulation style), were collected in 48 females. With probabilistic tractography, pathways between the amygdala and the dorsolateral PFC, dorsomedial PFC, ventromedial PFC, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were delineated. The resulting network showed a direct ventral connection between amygdala and PFC and a second limbic connection following the fornix and the anterior limb of the internal capsule. Reappraisal use predicted the microstructure of pathways to all calculated PFC regions in the left hemisphere, indicating stronger pathways for persons with high reappraisal use. Trait anxiety predicted the microstructure in pathways to the ventromedial PFC and OFC, indexing weaker connections in trait-anxious persons. These effects appeared in the right hemisphere, supporting lateralization and top-down inhibition theories of emotion processing. Whereas a specific microstructure is associated with an anxious personality, a different structure subserves emotion regulation. Both are part of a broad fiber tract network between amygdala and PFC.
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Chong CD, Schwedt TJ. Migraine affects white-matter tract integrity: A diffusion-tensor imaging study. Cephalalgia 2015; 35:1162-71. [PMID: 25712998 DOI: 10.1177/0333102415573513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Accepted: 01/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Specific white-matter tract alterations in migraine remain to be elucidated. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), this study investigated whether the integrity of white-matter tracts that underlie regions of the "pain matrix" is altered in migraine and interrogated whether the number of years lived with migraine modifies fibertract structure. METHODS Global probabilistic tractography was used to assess the anterior thalamic radiations, the corticospinal tracts and the inferior longitudinal fasciculi in 23 adults with migraine and 18 healthy controls. RESULTS Migraine patients show greater mean diffusivity (MD) in the left and right anterior thalamic radiations, the left corticospinal tract, and the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus tract. Migraine patients also show greater radial diffusivity (RD) in the left anterior thalamic radiations, the left corticospinal tract as well as the left and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus tracts. No group fractional anisotropy (FA) differences were identified for any tracts. Migraineurs showed a positive correlation between years lived with migraine and MD in the right anterior thalamic radiations (r = 0.517; p = 0.012) and the left corticospinal tract (r = 0.468; p = 0.024). CONCLUSION Results indicate that white-matter integrity is altered in migraine and that longer migraine history is positively correlated with greater alterations in tract integrity.
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Circuit-wide structural and functional measures predict ventromedial prefrontal cortex fear generalization: implications for generalized anxiety disorder. J Neurosci 2014; 34:4043-53. [PMID: 24623781 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3372-13.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) plays a critical role in a number of evaluative processes, including risk assessment. Impaired discrimination between threat and safety is considered a hallmark of clinical anxiety. Here, we investigated the circuit-wide structural and functional mechanisms underlying vmPFC threat-safety assessment in humans. We tested patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 32, female) and healthy controls (n = 25, age-matched female) on a task that assessed the generalization of conditioned threat during fMRI scanning. The task consisted of seven rectangles of graded widths presented on a screen; only the midsize one was paired with mild electric shock [conditioned stimulus (CS)], while the others, safety cues, systematically varied in width by ±20, 40, and 60% [generalization stimuli (GS)] compared with the CS. We derived an index reflecting vmPFC functioning from the BOLD reactivity on a continuum of threat (CS) to safety (GS least similar to CS); patients with GAD showed less discrimination between threat and safety cues, compared with healthy controls (Greenberg et al., 2013b). Using structural, functional (i.e., resting-state), and diffusion MRI, we measured vmPFC thickness, vmPFC functional connectivity, and vmPFC structural connectivity within the corticolimbic systems. The results demonstrate that all three factors predict individual variability of vmPFC threat assessment in an independent fashion. Moreover, these neural features are also linked to GAD, most likely via an vmPFC fear generalization. Our results strongly suggest that vmPFC threat processing is closely associated with broader corticolimbic circuit anomalies, which may synergistically contribute to clinical anxiety.
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Carlson JM, Reinke KS. Attending to the fear in your eyes: Facilitated orienting and delayed disengagement. Cogn Emot 2014; 28:1398-406. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2014.885410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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