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Agarwal K, Joseph PV, Zhang R, Schwandt ML, Ramchandani VA, Diazgranados N, Goldman D, Momenan R. Early life stress and body-mass-index modulate brain connectivity in alcohol use disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:43. [PMID: 38245501 PMCID: PMC10799859 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02756-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) significantly increases susceptibility to alcohol use disorder (AUD) by affecting the interplay between the executive and the salience networks (SNs). The link between AUD and higher body-mass index (BMI) is known, but we lack understanding of how BMI impacts the relationship between ELS and brain connectivity in individuals with AUD. To bridge this gap, we investigated the main and interaction effects of ELS and BMI on brain connectivity in individuals with AUD compared to non-AUD participants (n = 77 sex-matched individuals per group). All participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, revealing intriguing positive functional connectivity between SN seeds and brain regions involved in somatosensory processing, motor coordination and executive control. Examining the relationship of brain connectivity with ELS and BMI, we observed positive associations with the correlations of SN seeds, right anterior insula (RAIns) and supramarginal gyrus (SMG) with clusters in motor [occipital cortex, supplementary motor cortex]; anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) with clusters in frontal, or executive, control regions (middle frontal gyrus; MFG, precentral gyrus) that reportedly are involved in processing of emotionally salient stimuli (all |β | > 0.001, |p | < 0.05). Interestingly, a negative association of the interaction effect of ELS events and BMI measures with the functional connectivity of SN seeds ACC with decision-making (MFG, precentral gyrus), RAIns and RSMG with visuo-motor control regions (occipital cortex and supplementary motor cortex) (all |β | = -0.001, |p | < 0.05). These findings emphasize the moderating effect of BMI on ELS-associated SN seed brain connectivity in AUD. Understanding the neural mechanisms linking BMI, ELS and AUD can guide targeted interventions for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khushbu Agarwal
- Section of Sensory Science and Metabolism, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Paule V Joseph
- Section of Sensory Science and Metabolism, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Rui Zhang
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Melanie L Schwandt
- Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Vijay A Ramchandani
- Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Nancy Diazgranados
- Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - David Goldman
- Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Reza Momenan
- Clinical NeuroImaging Research Core, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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Gillard J, Werner-Seidler A, Dalgleish T, Stretton J. Script-driven imagery of socially salient autobiographical memories in major depressive disorder. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14577. [PMID: 37666926 PMCID: PMC10477266 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41486-7] [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: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cues of social rejection and affiliation represent proximal risk and protective factors in the onset and maintenance of depression. Such cues are thought to activate an evolutionarily primed neuro-cognitive alarm system, alerting the agent to the benefits of inclusion or the risk of social exclusion within social hierarchies focused on ensuring continued access to resources. In tandem, autobiographical memory is thought to be over-general and negatively biased in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) which can contribute to maintenance and relapse. How memories of social rejection and affiliation are experienced and processed in MDD remains unexplored. Eighteen participants with recurrent and chronic MDD and 18 never-depressed controls listened to and vividly revisited autobiographical social experiences in an ecologically valid script-driven imagery paradigm using naturalistic memory narratives in an fMRI paradigm. Memories of Social Inclusion and Social Rejection broadly activated a common network of regions including the bilateral insula, thalamus and pre/postcentral gyrus across both groups. However, having a diagnosis of MDD was associated with an increased activation of the right middle frontal gyrus irrespective of memory type. Changes in positive affect were associated with activity in the dorsal ACC in the MDD group and in the insular cortex of the Control group. Our findings add to the evidence for complex representations for both positive and negative social signals in MDD and suggest neural sensitivity in MDD towards any socially salient information as opposed to selective sensitivity towards negative social experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tim Dalgleish
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Jason Stretton
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.
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3
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Agarwal K, Joseph P, Zhang R, Schwandt M, Ramchandani V, Diazgranados N, Goldman D, Momenan R. Early Life Stress and Body-Mass Index Modulate Brain Connectivity in Alcohol Use Disorder. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3150110. [PMID: 37502837 PMCID: PMC10371145 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3150110/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) significantly increases susceptibility to alcohol use disorder (AUD) by affecting the interplay between executive and salience networks (SN). The link between AUD and higher body-mass index (BMI) is known, but we lack understanding of how BMI impacts the relationship between ELS and brain connectivity in individuals with AUD. To bridge this gap, we investigated the effects of ELS on brain connectivity in AUD participants, taking into account differences in BMI. The cohort included 401 individuals with AUD, with approximately 60% having a BMI ≥ 25. Within the overall cohort, 123 participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, revealing intriguing anticorrelations between SN seeds and brain regions involved in somatosensory processing, motor coordination, and executive control as an effect of ELS. Examining the relationship between ELS-driven brain connectivity and BMI, we observed negative correlations in connectivity among low BMI (≤ 24.9) vs. high BMI (≥ 25) individuals. For example, the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG) seed exhibited decreased connectivity with emotion regulation and decision-making regions, including the right occipital cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus clusters (all |β| < -0.03, |p| < 0.05). Additionally, the right SMG seed showed reduced connectivity with impulse control and executive function regions, such as the left postcentral/middle frontal gyrus cluster (β = 0.04, p = 0.02). These findings highlight the role of ELS-induced alterations in SN seed connectivity, influenced by BMI, in the neurobiology of AUD. Understanding the neural mechanisms linking obesity, AUD, and ELS can guide targeted interventions for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rui Zhang
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
| | - Melanie Schwandt
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism / National Institutes of Health
| | | | | | | | - Reza Momenan
- National Institute On Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
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4
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Bauer EP. Sex differences in fear responses: Neural circuits. Neuropharmacology 2023; 222:109298. [PMID: 36328063 PMCID: PMC11267399 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Women have increased vulnerability to PTSD and anxiety disorders compared to men. Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders is critical for identifying risk factors and developing appropriate sex-specific interventions. Despite the clear clinical relevance of an examination of sex differences in fear responses, the vast majority of pre-clinical research on fear learning and memory formation has exclusively used male animals. This review highlights sex differences in context and cued fear conditioning, fear extinction and fear generalization with a focus on the neural circuits underlying these behaviors in rodents. There are mixed reports of behavioral sex differences in context and cued fear conditioning paradigms, which can depend upon the behavioral indices of fear. However, there is greater evidence of differential activation of the hippocampus, amygdalar nuclei and the prefrontal cortical regions in male and female rodents during context and cued fear conditioning. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a sexually dimorphic structure, is of particular interest as it differentially contributes to fear responses in males and females. In addition, while the influence of the estrous cycle on different phases of fear conditioning is delineated, the clearest modulatory effect of estrogen is on fear extinction processes. Examining the variability in neural responses and behavior in both sexes should increase our understanding of how that variability contributes to the neurobiology of affective disorders. This article is part of the Special Issue on 'Fear, anxiety and PTSD'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth P Bauer
- Departments of Biology and Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States.
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5
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Tomasino B, Maggioni E, Bonivento C, Nobile M, D'Agostini S, Arrigoni F, Fabbro F, Brambilla P. Effects of age and gender on neural correlates of emotion imagery. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4116-4127. [PMID: 35548890 PMCID: PMC9374878 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mental imagery is part of people's own internal processing and plays an important role in everyday life, cognition and pathology. The neural network supporting mental imagery is bottom‐up modulated by the imagery content. Here, we examined the complex associations of gender and age with the neural mechanisms underlying emotion imagery. We assessed the brain circuits involved in emotion mental imagery (vs. action imagery), controlled by a letter detection task on the same stimuli, chosen to ensure attention to the stimuli and to discourage imagery, in 91 men and women aged 14–65 years using fMRI. In women, compared with men, emotion imagery significantly increased activation within the right putamen, which is involved in emotional processing. Increasing age, significantly decreased mental imagery‐related activation in the left insula and cingulate cortex, areas involved in awareness of ones' internal states, and it significantly decreased emotion verbs‐related activation in the left putamen, which is part of the limbic system. This finding suggests a top‐down mechanism by which gender and age, in interaction with bottom‐up effect of type of stimulus, or directly, can modulate the brain mechanisms underlying mental imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Tomasino
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "Eugenio Medea", Polo FVG, Pasian di Prato, Italy
| | - Eleonora Maggioni
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Carolina Bonivento
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "Eugenio Medea", Polo FVG, Pasian di Prato, Italy
| | - Maria Nobile
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "Eugenio Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Serena D'Agostini
- SOC Neuroradiologia, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale, ASU FC, Udine, Italy
| | - Filippo Arrigoni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "Eugenio Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Franco Fabbro
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, DILL, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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6
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Nicholson AA, Rabellino D, Densmore M, Frewen PA, Steryl D, Scharnowski F, Théberge J, Neufeld RWJ, Schmahl C, Jetly R, Lanius RA. Differential mechanisms of posterior cingulate cortex downregulation and symptom decreases in posttraumatic stress disorder and healthy individuals using real-time fMRI neurofeedback. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e2441. [PMID: 34921746 PMCID: PMC8785646 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intrinsic connectivity networks, including the default mode network (DMN), are frequently disrupted in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is the main hub of the posterior DMN, where the therapeutic regulation of this region with real-time fMRI neurofeedback (NFB) has yet to be explored. METHODS We investigated PCC downregulation while processing trauma/stressful words over 3 NFB training runs and a transfer run without NFB (total n = 29, PTSD n = 14, healthy controls n = 15). We also examined the predictive accuracy of machine learning models in classifying PTSD versus healthy controls during NFB training. RESULTS Both the PTSD and healthy control groups demonstrated reduced reliving symptoms in response to trauma/stressful stimuli, where the PTSD group additionally showed reduced symptoms of distress. We found that both groups were able to downregulate the PCC with similar success over NFB training and in the transfer run, although downregulation was associated with unique within-group decreases in activation within the bilateral dmPFC, bilateral postcentral gyrus, right amygdala/hippocampus, cingulate cortex, and bilateral temporal pole/gyri. By contrast, downregulation was associated with increased activation in the right dlPFC among healthy controls as compared to PTSD. During PCC downregulation, right dlPFC activation was negatively correlated to PTSD symptom severity scores and difficulties in emotion regulation. Finally, machine learning algorithms were able to classify PTSD versus healthy participants based on brain activation during NFB training with 80% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to investigate PCC downregulation with real-time fMRI NFB in both PTSD and healthy controls. Our results reveal acute decreases in symptoms over training and provide converging evidence for EEG-NFB targeting brain networks linked to the PCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Nicholson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela Rabellino
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria Densmore
- Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul A Frewen
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Steryl
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Frank Scharnowski
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jean Théberge
- Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Joseph's Healthcare, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Richard W J Neufeld
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christian Schmahl
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Canadian Forces, Health Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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7
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Wiingaard Uldall S, Lundell H, Baaré WFC, Roman Siebner H, Rostrup E, Carlsson J. White matter diffusivity and its correlations to state measures of psychopathology in male refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder. Neuroimage Clin 2021; 33:102929. [PMID: 34998125 PMCID: PMC8741622 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogenous condition and the underlying neurobiology is still poorly understood. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that PTSD is associated with microstructural changes in white matter (WM) fibre tracts that connect regions involved in emotional processing, memory, attention, and language. Furthermore, we examined how different response patterns to individualized trauma-provoking stimuli related to underlying WM microstructure. Sixty-nine trauma-affected male refugees with PTSD (N = 38) or without PTSD (N = 31) underwent clinical assessments and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) of the whole brain at 3 Tesla. Diffusion tensor metrics were computed from DWI data and used to characterize regional white-matter microstructure. An automated tract segmentation method was used to extract diffusion tensor metrics from subject-based reconstructions of tract segments (ROI), including uncinate fasciculus (UF), cingulum bundle (CB), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) in three subdivisions (SLF I - III), and fibre bundles connecting orbito-frontal cortex to striatum (OF-ST). Outside the scanner we obtained measures of immediate (state) arousal, avoidance and dissociation symptoms assessed in response to auditory exposure to a personal traumatic memory. Using mean FA of the middle part of each ROI, mixed ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between group, ROI and hemisphere. Post-hoc comparisons showed that, relative to refugees without PTSD, refugees with PTSD had lower FA in right CB, left SLF-I, bilateral OF-ST and bilateral SLF-II. Mean FA scaled negatively with avoidance in right CB while mean FA in bilateral UF scaled positively with individual scores reflecting dissociation symptoms. The results support a pathophysiological model of PTSD that implicates limbic structures, prefrontal cortex and striatum. The results also emphasize the need to consider PTSD's multifaceted manifestations when searching for functional-structural relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigurd Wiingaard Uldall
- Competence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry (CTP), Mental Health Centre, Ballerup, Denmark; Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Henrik Lundell
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - William F C Baaré
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hartwig Roman Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department for Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Egill Rostrup
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research and Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, Mental Health Centre, Glostrup, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Jessica Carlsson
- Competence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry (CTP), Mental Health Centre, Ballerup, Denmark; Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research and Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, Mental Health Centre, Glostrup, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
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8
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von Suchodoletz A, Hepach R. Cultural values shape the expression of self-evaluative social emotions. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13169. [PMID: 34162979 PMCID: PMC8222260 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92652-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Social emotions are key to everyday social life and therefore shaped by cultural values in their expression. Prior research has focused on facial expressions of emotions. What is less clear, however, is the extent to which cultural values shape other modalities of emotional expression. In the present study, we applied a novel paradigm using depth sensor imaging technology to capture changes in participants’ body posture in real time. We aimed to (1) identify the nuances in the postural expression that are thought to characterize social emotions and (2) assess how individual differences in cultural values impact the postural expression of emotions. Participants in two separate studies were 132 undergraduate college students whose upper-body postural expansion was recorded after they recalled emotion episodes. Positive emotions elevated participants’ upper-body posture whereas negative emotions resulted in lowered upper-body posture. The effects on changes in upper-body posture were moderated by participants’ self-ratings of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of individualism and collectivism. The findings provide initial evidence of the nuances in the way cultural values influence the postural expression of emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje von Suchodoletz
- Department of Psychology, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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9
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Kaspersen K, Hol G, Jepsen EKK. Negative affective responses to positive events and stimuli in patients with complex dissociative disorders: a mixed-methods pilot study. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2021; 12:1976954. [PMID: 34721820 PMCID: PMC8555534 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2021.1976954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research suggests that individuals exposed to (childhood) trauma are not only unable to experience pleasure, known as hedonic deficit (HD), but also experience 'negative affective responses to positive events', known as negative affective interference (NAI). The clinical relevance and prognostic features of NAI have increasingly been recognized. To date, no studies have focused on NAI in patients with complex dissociative disorders (CDDs) who were abused early in life. OBJECTIVE In this pilot study, we quantitatively and qualitatively investigated how NAI is related to trauma-related symptoms and how this phenomenon can be understood in a selected group of adult CDD patients. METHOD CDD patients (N = 25) referred to an inpatient dissociation-focused treatment programme completed the Hedonic Deficit & Interference Scale (HDIS), and measures of trauma-related symptoms and interpersonal functioning, as well as a qualitative questionnaire addressing possible inner conflicts and phobias with respect to the experience of positive events. A convergent mixed-methods design was used to obtain different but complementary data on NAI to gain a more complete understanding of the phenomenon. RESULTS The quantitative analyses showed a significant relationship between NAI and trauma-related symptoms and interpersonal functioning. NAI seems to be more strongly associated with these symptoms than HD. The qualitative analysis revealed three themes - fear, shame, and aggressive 'parts' - preventing positive emotions, which provided a possible interpretation of the quantitative results. The integrated findings were discussed in light of theories of structural dissociation of the personality and attachment. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that NAI is related to a spectrum of trauma-related symptoms and interpersonal functioning in patients with a CDD to a larger degree than HD and that different dissociative identities are involved. Studies of the relationship between changes in HDIS (particularly the NAI subscale) and changes in trauma-related symptoms and interpersonal functioning following treatment are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaja Kaspersen
- Department for Trauma Treatment, Modum Bad Clinical Center, Vikersund, Norway
| | - Gorm Hol
- Independent scholar, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ellen K K Jepsen
- Department for Trauma Treatment, Modum Bad Clinical Center, Vikersund, Norway.,Research Institute, Modum Bad, Vikersund, Norway
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10
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Does Social Content Influence the Subjective Evaluation of Affective Pictures? SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 23:e6. [PMID: 32460951 DOI: 10.1017/sjp.2020.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This study explored the effect of the perceived social content of affective pictures on the subjective evaluation of affective valence and arousal. For this purpose, we established three categories of social content (pictures without people, with one person and with two or more people). A sample of 161 subjects rated 200 pictures varying in affective valence (unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant), arousal and social content. Results of two-factor analysis of variance, F(4, 157) = 71.7, p < .001, ηp2 = .31, showed that perceived social content influenced the ratings of affective valence, specially for unpleasant pictures, with the greatest social content (two or more people) leading subjects to rate unpleasant pictures with the lowest ratings (all pairwise comparisons' p < .001). Regarding arousal, F(4, 157) = 64.0, p < .001, ηp2 = .29), the higher the social content, the higher the arousal ratings, but only for pleasant (all pairwise comparisons' p < .007) and unpleasant (all pairwise comparisons' p < .001) pictures. Overall, this study demonstrated an effect of the perceived social content on the subjective evaluation of affective valence and arousal of emotional stimuli.
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11
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Kyeong S, Kim J, Kim J, Kim EJ, Kim HE, Kim JJ. Differences in the modulation of functional connectivity by self-talk tasks between people with low and high life satisfaction. Neuroimage 2020; 217:116929. [PMID: 32413461 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-respect is a practical way to promote life satisfaction through gratifying basic psychological needs, whereas self-criticism is associated with life dissatisfaction. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of two positive and negative self-talks on the functional connectome with respect to life satisfaction and its relationships with basic psychological needs. Forty-eight individuals with low life satisfaction (LLS, n = 24) and with high life satisfaction (HLS, n = 24) were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging at a baseline state and during and after self-respect or self-criticism tasks. Functional connectivity analysis was conducted to identify the modulatory effects of the tasks on the self-referential, default mode, and reward-motivation networks. We found that self-respect changed only the connection between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and frontoparietal network, whereas self-criticism changed almost all of the connections examined. The group x condition interaction effect of self-respect was identified only in connection between the PCC and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, while that of self-criticism was observed in various connections based on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. In respect to basic psychological needs, functional connectivity after self-criticism was significant in predicting the needs of autonomy and relatedness only in the LLS group, whereas functional connectivity after self-respect could predict the needs of autonomy and competence only in the HLS group. Overall, self-criticism produces more noticeable negative changes in the brain than the positive changes of self-respect. Individuals with low life satisfaction may be more vulnerable to be negatively affected not only by self-criticism but also self-respect than individuals with high life satisfaction. The satisfaction of basic psychological needs can play a mediating role in the effects of self-talk tasks differently concerning life satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunghyon Kyeong
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Junhyung Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Joohan Kim
- Department of Communication, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Joo Kim
- Graduate School of Education, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hesun Erin Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Jin Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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12
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Frewen P, Schroeter ML, Riva G, Cipresso P, Fairfield B, Padulo C, Kemp AH, Palaniyappan L, Owolabi M, Kusi-Mensah K, Polyakova M, Fehertoi N, D’Andrea W, Lowe L, Northoff G. Neuroimaging the consciousness of self: Review, and conceptual-methodological framework. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 112:164-212. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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13
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Uldall SW, Nielsen MØ, Carlsson J, Glenthøj B, Siebner HR, Madsen KH, Madsen CG, Leffers AM, Nejad AB, Rostrup E. Associations of neural processing of reward with posttraumatic stress disorder and secondary psychotic symptoms in trauma-affected refugees. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2020; 11:1730091. [PMID: 32194922 PMCID: PMC7067194 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2020.1730091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Psychological traumatic experiences can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Secondary psychotic symptoms are not common but may occur. Objectives: Since psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia have been related to aberrant reward processing in the striatum, using the same paradigm we investigate whether the same finding extends to psychotic and anhedonic symptoms in PTSD. Methods: A total of 70 male refugees: 18 PTSD patients with no secondary psychotic symptoms (PTSD-NSP), 21 PTSD patients with secondary psychotic symptoms (PTSD-SP), and 31 healthy controls (RHC) were interviewed and scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a monetary incentive delay task. Using region of interest analysis of the prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum, we investigated reward-related activity. Results: Compared to RHC, participants with PTSD had decreased neural activity during monetary reward. Also, participants with PTSD-SP exhibited decreased activity in the associative striatum relative to participants with PTSD-NSP during processing of motivational reward anticipation which correlated with severity of psychotic symptoms. However, the difference between the two PTSD groups disappeared when PTSD severity and trauma exposure were accounted for. Conclusions: Anhedonia and secondary psychotic symptoms in PTSD are characterized by dysfunctional reward consumption and anticipation processing, respectively. The latter may reflect a mechanism by which abnormal reward signals in the basal ganglia facilitates psychotic symptoms across psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigurd Wiingaard Uldall
- Competence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry (CTP), Mental Health Centre Ballerup, Ballerup, Denmark
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mette Ødegaard Nielsen
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR) & Centre for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Mental Health Centre Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Jessica Carlsson
- Competence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry (CTP), Mental Health Centre Ballerup, Ballerup, Denmark
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Birte Glenthøj
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR) & Centre for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Mental Health Centre Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Hartwig Roman Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Kristoffer Hougaard Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Camilla Gøbel Madsen
- Department of Radiology, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Anne-Mette Leffers
- Department of Radiology, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Ayna Baladi Nejad
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Translational Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology & Translational Medicine, Novo Nordisk A/S, Søborg, Denmark
| | - Egill Rostrup
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR) & Centre for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Mental Health Centre Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
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Birk SL, Horenstein A, Weeks J, Olino T, Heimberg R, Goldin PR, Gross JJ. Neural responses to social evaluation: The role of fear of positive and negative evaluation. J Anxiety Disord 2019; 67:102114. [PMID: 31445390 PMCID: PMC6759361 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.102114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
One of the core features of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is the persistent fear of being evaluated. Fear of evaluation includes fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and fear of positive evaluation (FPE). Few studies have examined the relationship between self-reported FNE and FPE and neural responses to simulated negative and positive social evaluation. In the current study, 56 participants, 35 with SAD and 21 healthy controls, completed questionnaires to assess dimensions of social anxiety including FNE and FPE, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants also completed a social evaluation task, which involved viewing people delivering criticism and praise, and a control task, which involved counting asterisks, during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Although whole-brain analyses did not reveal significant associations between self-reported constructs and neural responses to social evaluation, region of interest analyses for the sample as a whole revealed that both FNE and social anxiety symptoms were associated with greater neural responses to both criticism and praise in emotion-processing brain regions, including the amygdala and anterior insula. There were no significant associations between FPE or depressive symptoms and neural responses to criticism or praise for the sample as a whole. Future research should examine the relationship between FNE, FPE, and neural responses to self-referent social evaluation in an unselected sample to assess a full range of fear of evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Justin Weeks
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, United States
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15
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Burkhardt A, Buff C, Brinkmann L, Feldker K, Gathmann B, Hofmann D, Straube T. Brain activation during disorder-related script-driven imagery in panic disorder: a pilot study. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2415. [PMID: 30787382 PMCID: PMC6382839 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38990-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite considerable effort, the neural correlates of altered threat-related processing in panic disorder (PD) remain inconclusive. Mental imagery of disorder-specific situations proved to be a powerful tool to investigate dysfunctional threat processing in anxiety disorders. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aimed at investigating brain activation in PD patients during disorder-related script-driven imagery. Seventeen PD patients and seventeen healthy controls (HC) were exposed to newly developed disorder-related and neutral narrative scripts while brain activation was measured with fMRI. Participants were encouraged to imagine the narrative scripts as vividly as possible and they rated their script-induced emotional states after the scanning session. PD patients rated disorder-related scripts as more arousing, unpleasant and anxiety-inducing as compared to HC. Patients relative to HC showed elevated activity in the right amygdala and the brainstem as well as decreased activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, and the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex to disorder-related vs. neutral scripts. The results suggest altered amygdala/ brainstem and prefrontal cortex engagement and point towards the recruitment of brain networks with opposed activation patterns in PD patients during script-driven imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Burkhardt
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany.
| | - Christine Buff
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Leonie Brinkmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Katharina Feldker
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Bettina Gathmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - David Hofmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
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16
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Tomasino B, Nobile M, Re M, Bellina M, Garzitto M, Arrigoni F, Molteni M, Fabbro F, Brambilla P. The mental simulation of state/psychological verbs in the adolescent brain: An fMRI study. Brain Cogn 2018; 123:34-46. [PMID: 29505944 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
This fMRI study investigated mental simulation of state/psychological and action verbs during adolescence. Sixteen healthy subjects silently read verbs describing a motor scene or not (STIMULUS: motor, state/psychological verbs) and they were explicitly asked to imagine the situation or they performed letter detection preventing them from using simulation (TASK: imagery vs. letter detection). A significant task by stimuli interaction showed that imagery of state/psychological verbs, as compared to action stimuli (controlled by the letter detection) selectively increased activation in the right supramarginal gyrus/rolandic operculum and in the right insula, and decreased activation in the right intraparietal sulcus. We compared these data to those from a group of older participants (Tomasino et al. 2014a). Activation in the left supramarginal gyrus decreased for the latter group (as compared to the present group) for imagery of state/psychological verbs. By contrast, activation in the right superior frontal gyrus decreased for the former group (as compared to the older group) for imagery of state/psychological verbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Tomasino
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo FVG, San Vito al Tagliamento, PN, Italy.
| | - Maria Nobile
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | - Marta Re
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | - Monica Bellina
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | | | - Filippo Arrigoni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | | | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Italy; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA.
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17
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Buff C, Schmidt C, Brinkmann L, Gathmann B, Tupak S, Straube T. Directed threat imagery in generalized anxiety disorder. Psychol Med 2018; 48:617-628. [PMID: 28735579 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717001957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Worrying has been suggested to prevent emotional and elaborative processing of fears. In cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients are exposed to their fears during the method of directed threat imagery by inducing emotional reactivity. However, studies investigating neural correlates of directed threat imagery and emotional reactivity in GAD patients are lacking. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aimed at delineating neural correlates of directed threat imagery in GAD patients. METHOD Nineteen GAD patients and 19 healthy controls (HC) were exposed to narrative scripts of either disorder-related or neutral content and were encouraged to imagine it as vividly as possible. RESULTS Rating results showed that GAD patients experienced disorder-related scripts as more anxiety inducing and arousing than HC. These results were also reflected in fMRI data: Disorder-related v. neutral scripts elicited elevated activity in the amygdala, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the thalamus as well as reduced activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex/subgenual anterior cingulate cortex in GAD patients relative to HC. CONCLUSION The present study presents the first behavioral and neural evidence for emotional reactivity during directed threat imagery in GAD. The brain activity pattern suggests an involvement of a fear processing network as a neural correlate of initial exposure during directed imagery in CBT in GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Buff
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience,University of Muenster,Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149 Muenster,Germany
| | - C Schmidt
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience,University of Muenster,Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149 Muenster,Germany
| | - L Brinkmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience,University of Muenster,Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149 Muenster,Germany
| | - B Gathmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience,University of Muenster,Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149 Muenster,Germany
| | - S Tupak
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience,University of Muenster,Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149 Muenster,Germany
| | - T Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience,University of Muenster,Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149 Muenster,Germany
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18
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van Schie CC, Chiu CD, Rombouts SARB, Heiser WJ, Elzinga BM. When compliments do not hit but critiques do: an fMRI study into self-esteem and self-knowledge in processing social feedback. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 13:404-417. [PMID: 29490088 PMCID: PMC5928412 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The way we view ourselves may play an important role in our responses to interpersonal interactions. In this study, we investigate how feedback valence, consistency of feedback with self-knowledge and global self-esteem influence affective and neural responses to social feedback. Participants (N = 46) with a high range of self-esteem levels performed the social feedback task in an MRI scanner. Negative, intermediate and positive feedback was provided, supposedly by another person based on a personal interview. Participants rated their mood and applicability of feedback to the self. Analyses on trial basis on neural and affective responses are used to incorporate applicability of individual feedback words. Lower self-esteem related to low mood especially after receiving non-applicable negative feedback. Higher self-esteem related to increased posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus activation (i.e. self-referential processing) for applicable negative feedback. Lower self-esteem related to decreased medial prefrontal cortex, insula, anterior cingulate cortex and posterior cingulate cortex activation (i.e. self-referential processing) during positive feedback and decreased temporoparietal junction activation (i.e. other referential processing) for applicable positive feedback. Self-esteem and consistency of feedback with self-knowledge appear to guide our affective and neural responses to social feedback. This may be highly relevant for the interpersonal problems that individuals face with low self-esteem and negative self-views.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte C van Schie
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, P.O.Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Chui-De Chiu
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Serge A R B Rombouts
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, P.O.Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Willem J Heiser
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands.,Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9512, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bernet M Elzinga
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, P.O.Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
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19
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Bornstein MH, Putnick DL, Rigo P, Esposito G, Swain JE, Suwalsky JTD, Su X, Du X, Zhang K, Cote LR, De Pisapia N, Venuti P. Neurobiology of culturally common maternal responses to infant cry. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E9465-E9473. [PMID: 29078366 PMCID: PMC5692572 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1712022114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
This report coordinates assessments of five types of behavioral responses in new mothers to their own infants' cries with neurobiological responses in new mothers to their own infants' cries and in experienced mothers and inexperienced nonmothers to infant cries and other emotional and control sounds. We found that 684 new primipara mothers in 11 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, France, Kenya, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the United States) preferentially responded to their infants' vocalizing distress by picking up and holding and by talking to their infants, as opposed to displaying affection, distracting, or nurturing. Complementary functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analyses of brain responses to their own infants' cries in 43 new primipara US mothers revealed enhanced activity in concordant brain territories linked to the intention to move and to speak, to process auditory stimulation, and to caregive [supplementary motor area (SMA), inferior frontal regions, superior temporal regions, midbrain, and striatum]. Further, fMRI brain responses to infant cries in 50 Chinese and Italian mothers replicated, extended, and, through parcellation, refined the results. Brains of inexperienced nonmothers activated differently. Culturally common responses to own infant cry coupled with corresponding fMRI findings to own infant and to generic infant cries identified specific, common, and automatic caregiving reactions in mothers to infant vocal expressions of distress and point to their putative neurobiological bases. Candidate behaviors embedded in the nervous systems of human caregivers lie at the intersection of evolutionary biology and developmental cultural psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc H Bornstein
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892;
| | - Diane L Putnick
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Paola Rigo
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, I-38068 Trento, Italy
- Division of Psychology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, I-38068 Trento, Italy
- Division of Psychology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
| | - James E Swain
- Stony Brook University Hospital Medical Center, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - Joan T D Suwalsky
- Child and Family Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Xueyun Su
- East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Xiaoxia Du
- East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Kaihua Zhang
- East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Linda R Cote
- Department of Psychology, Marymount University, Arlington, VA 22207
| | - Nicola De Pisapia
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, I-38068 Trento, Italy
| | - Paola Venuti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, I-38068 Trento, Italy
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20
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Virtual Reality for Research in Social Neuroscience. Brain Sci 2017; 7:brainsci7040042. [PMID: 28420150 PMCID: PMC5406699 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci7040042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of social neuroscience has significantly advanced our understanding of the relationship that exists between social processes and their neurobiological underpinnings. Social neuroscience research often involves the use of simple and static stimuli lacking many of the potentially important aspects of real world activities and social interactions. Whilst this research has merit, there is a growing interest in the presentation of dynamic stimuli in a manner that allows researchers to assess the integrative processes carried out by perceivers over time. Herein, we discuss the potential of virtual reality for enhancing ecological validity while maintaining experimental control in social neuroscience research. Virtual reality is a technology that allows for the creation of fully interactive, three-dimensional computerized models of social situations that can be fully controlled by the experimenter. Furthermore, the introduction of interactive virtual characters—either driven by a human or by a computer—allows the researcher to test, in a systematic and independent manner, the effects of various social cues. We first introduce key technical features and concepts related to virtual reality. Next, we discuss the potential of this technology for enhancing social neuroscience protocols, drawing on illustrative experiments from the literature.
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Abstract
Anger may be caused by a wide variety of triggers, and though it has negative consequences on health and well-being, it is also crucial in motivating to take action and approach rather than avoid a confrontation. While anger is considered a survival response inherent in all living creatures, humans are endowed with the mental flexibility that enables them to control and regulate their anger, and adapt it to socially accepted norms. Indeed, a profound interpersonal nature is apparent in most events which evoke anger among humans. Since anger consists of physiological, cognitive, subjective, and behavioral components, it is a contextualized multidimensional construct that poses theoretical and operational difficulties in defining it as a single psychobiological phenomenon. Although most neuroimaging studies have neglected the multidimensionality of anger and thus resulted in brain activations dispersed across the entire brain, there seems to be several reoccurring neural circuits subserving the subjective experience of human anger. Nevertheless, to capture the large variety in the forms and fashions in which anger is experienced, expressed, and regulated, and thus to better portray the related underlying neural substrates, neurobehavioral investigations of human anger should aim to further embed realistic social interactions within their anger induction paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gadi Gilam
- Functional Brain Center, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6, Weizmann, 64239, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Talma Hendler
- Functional Brain Center, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6, Weizmann, 64239, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Nicholson AA, Rabellino D, Densmore M, Frewen PA, Paret C, Kluetsch R, Schmahl C, Théberge J, Neufeld RW, McKinnon MC, Reiss J, Jetly R, Lanius RA. The neurobiology of emotion regulation in posttraumatic stress disorder: Amygdala downregulation via real-time fMRI neurofeedback. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:541-560. [PMID: 27647695 PMCID: PMC6866912 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Revised: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amygdala dysregulation has been shown to be central to the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) representing a critical treatment target. Here, amygdala downregulation was targeted using real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rt-fMRI-nf) in patients with PTSD, allowing us to examine further the regulation of emotional states during symptom provocation. Patients (n = 10) completed three sessions of rt-fMRI-nf with the instruction to downregulate activation in the amygdala, while viewing personalized trauma words. Amygdala downregulation was assessed by contrasting (a) regulate trials, with (b) viewing trauma words and not attempting to regulate. Training was followed by one transfer run not involving neurofeedback. Generalized psychophysiological interaction (gPPI) and dynamic causal modeling (DCM) analyses were also computed to explore task-based functional connectivity and causal structure, respectively. It was found that PTSD patients were able to successfully downregulate both right and left amygdala activation, showing sustained effects within the transfer run. Increased activation in the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), regions related to emotion regulation, was observed during regulate as compared with view conditions. Importantly, activation in the PFC, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, and the insula, were negatively correlated to PTSD dissociative symptoms in the transfer run. Increased functional connectivity between the amygdala- and both the dorsolateral and dorsomedial PFC was found during regulate, as compared with view conditions during neurofeedback training. Finally, our DCM analysis exploring directional structure suggested that amygdala downregulation involves both top-down and bottom-up information flow with regard to observed PFC-amygdala connectivity. This is the first demonstration of successful downregulation of the amygdala using rt-fMRI-nf in PTSD, which was critically sustained in a subsequent transfer run without neurofeedback, and corresponded to increased connectivity with prefrontal regions involved in emotion regulation during the intervention. Hum Brain Mapp 38:541-560, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A. Nicholson
- Department of NeuroscienceWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychiatryWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of ImagingLawson Health Research InstituteLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Daniela Rabellino
- Department of PsychiatryWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of ImagingLawson Health Research InstituteLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Maria Densmore
- Department of ImagingLawson Health Research InstituteLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Paul A. Frewen
- Department of NeuroscienceWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychologyWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Christian Paret
- Department of NeuroimagingCentral Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical, Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and PsychotherapyCentral Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Rosemarie Kluetsch
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and PsychotherapyCentral Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Christian Schmahl
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and PsychotherapyCentral Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Jean Théberge
- Department of PsychiatryWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of ImagingLawson Health Research InstituteLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of Medical ImagingWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department ofMedial Biophysics, Western UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of Diagnostic ImagingSt. Joseph's HealthcareLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Richard W.J. Neufeld
- Department of NeuroscienceWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychiatryWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychologyWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Margaret C. McKinnon
- Mood Disorders Program and Clinical Neuropsychology ServiceSt. Joseph's HealthcareHamiltonOntarioCanada
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural NeuroscienceMcMaster UniversityHamiltonOntarioCanada
| | - Jim Reiss
- Department of PsychiatryWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Canadian Forces, Health ServicesOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Ruth A. Lanius
- Department of NeuroscienceWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychiatryWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of ImagingLawson Health Research InstituteLondonOntarioCanada
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Gilam G, Hendler T. With love, from me to you: Embedding social interactions in affective neuroscience. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:590-601. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Nicholson AA, Ros T, Frewen PA, Densmore M, Théberge J, Kluetsch RC, Jetly R, Lanius RA. Alpha oscillation neurofeedback modulates amygdala complex connectivity and arousal in posttraumatic stress disorder. Neuroimage Clin 2016; 12:506-516. [PMID: 27672554 PMCID: PMC5030332 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2016.07.006] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Electroencephalogram (EEG) neurofeedback aimed at reducing the amplitude of the alpha-rhythm has been shown to alter neural networks associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), leading to symptom alleviation. Critically, the amygdala is thought to be one of the central brain regions mediating PTSD symptoms. In the current study, we compare directly patterns of amygdala complex connectivity using fMRI, before and after EEG neurofeedback, in order to observe subcortical mechanisms associated with behavioural and alpha oscillatory changes among patients. METHOD We examined basolateral (BLA), centromedial (CMA), and superficial (SFA) amygdala complex resting-state functional connectivity using a seed-based approach via SPM Anatomy Toolbox. Amygdala complex connectivity was measured in twenty-one individuals with PTSD, before and after a 30-minute session of EEG neurofeedback targeting alpha desynchronization. RESULTS EEG neurofeedback was associated with a shift in amygdala complex connectivity from areas implicated in defensive, emotional, and fear processing/memory retrieval (left BLA and left SFA to the periaqueductal gray, and left SFA to the left hippocampus) to prefrontal areas implicated in emotion regulation/modulation (right CMA to the medial prefrontal cortex). This shift in amygdala complex connectivity was associated with reduced arousal, greater resting alpha synchronization, and was negatively correlated to PTSD symptom severity. CONCLUSION These findings have significant implications for developing targeted non-invasive treatment interventions for PTSD patients that utilize alpha oscillatory neurofeedback, showing evidence of neuronal reconfiguration between areas highly implicated in the disorder, in addition to acute symptom alleviation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tomas Ros
- Laboratory of Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Paul A. Frewen
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Maria Densmore
- Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jean Théberge
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Medial Biophysics, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Joseph's Healthcare, London, ON, Canada
| | - Rosemarie C. Kluetsch
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Canadian Forces, Health Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth A. Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
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Schwarz J, Gottschalk JM, Ruckmann J, Rief W, Kleinstäuber M. An experimental paradigm to repeatedly induce somatic symptoms. J Psychosom Res 2016; 82:24-30. [PMID: 26944395 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2016.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Experimental research in the field of medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) is rare. We examined a method of script driven imagery in terms of manipulating the intensity of the symptom, the impairment by the symptom and the symptom tolerance. Additionally, we identified relevant predictors for the efficacy of symptom induction. METHODS We assessed the most impairing symptom in 48 subjects suffering from multiple, chronic MUPS and a severe physical illness that 48 age-matched healthy controls suffered from in the past. An individual script including thoughts and sensations accompanying the symptom was recorded. During the experiment, participants were exposed to the script repeatedly and then rated the intensity of, impairment by and tolerance of the symptom on a visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS A mixed model repeated-measures-ANOVA revealed a significant main effect for the factor time (pre- and post-induction assessment; p<.001) but not for group (MUPS- vs. control-groups; p=.159-.314) indicating that the manipulation of all VASs was effective for both groups. The interaction time×group was significant for tolerance and post-hoc analyses showed no significant reduction for tolerance in the MUPS-group. The number of somatic symptoms and endurance behavior predicted higher induction efficacy in the MUPS-group for intensity. For healthy controls, endurance behavior and pain-persistence were associated with lower induction efficacy for all VAS. CONCLUSION Script-driven imagery could be a promising research procedure in the field of MUPS. It could be used to investigate short term effects of psychological interventions as well as physiological and cognitive processes accompanying symptom manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanine Schwarz
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Germany.
| | | | - Judith Ruckmann
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Winfried Rief
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Maria Kleinstäuber
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Germany
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Kim EJ, Kyeong S, Cho SW, Chun JW, Park HJ, Kim J, Kim J, Dolan RJ, Kim JJ. Happier People Show Greater Neural Connectivity during Negative Self-Referential Processing. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149554. [PMID: 26900857 PMCID: PMC4763307 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Life satisfaction is an essential component of subjective well-being and provides a fundamental resource for optimal everyday functioning. The goal of the present study was to examine how life satisfaction influences self-referential processing of emotionally valenced stimuli. Nineteen individuals with high life satisfaction (HLS) and 21 individuals with low life satisfaction (LLS) were scanned using functional MRI while performing a face-word relevance rating task, which consisted of 3 types of face stimuli (self, public other, and unfamiliar other) and 3 types of word stimuli (positive, negative, and neutral). We found a significant group x word valence interaction effect, most strikingly in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. In the positive word condition dorsal medial prefrontal cortex activity was significantly higher in the LLS group, whereas in the negative word condition it was significantly higher in the HLS group. The two groups showed distinct functional connectivity of the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex with emotional processing-related regions. The findings suggest that, in response to emotional stimuli, individuals with HLS may successfully recruit emotion regulation-related regions in contrast to individuals with LLS. The difference in functional connectivity during self-referential processing may lead to an influence of life satisfaction on responses to emotion-eliciting stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Joo Kim
- Graduate School of Education, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sunghyon Kyeong
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Woo Cho
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Won Chun
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae-Jeong Park
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihye Kim
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Joohan Kim
- Department of Communication, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Raymond J. Dolan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jae-Jin Kim
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
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Gilead M, Katzir M, Eyal T, Liberman N. Neural correlates of processing "self-conscious" vs. "basic" emotions. Neuropsychologia 2015; 81:207-218. [PMID: 26707717 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 12/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Self-conscious emotions are prevalent in our daily lives and play an important role in both normal and pathological behavior. Despite their immense significance, the neural substrates that are involved in the processing of such emotions are surprisingly under-studied. In light of this, we conducted an fMRI study in which participants thought of various personal events which elicited feelings of negative and positive self-conscious (i.e., guilt, pride) or basic (i.e., anger, joy) emotions. We performed a conjunction analysis to investigate the neural correlates associated with processing events that are related to self-conscious vs. basic emotions, irrespective of valence. The results show that processing self-conscious emotions resulted in activation within frontal areas associated with self-processing and self-control, namely, the mPFC extending to the dACC, and within the lateral-dorsal prefrontal cortex. Processing basic emotions resulted in activation throughout relatively phylogenetically-ancient regions of the cortex, namely in visual and tactile processing areas and in the insular cortex. Furthermore, self-conscious emotions differentially activated the mPFC such that the negative self-conscious emotion (guilt) was associated with a more dorsal activation, and the positive self-conscious emotion (pride) was associated with a more ventral activation. We discuss how these results shed light on the nature of mental representations and neural systems involved in self-reflective and affective processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Gilead
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel.
| | - Maayan Katzir
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Tal Eyal
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Nira Liberman
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
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Newhoff M, Treiman DM, Smith KA, Steinmetz PN. Gender differences in human single neuron responses to male emotional faces. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:499. [PMID: 26441597 PMCID: PMC4568342 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Well-documented differences in the psychology and behavior of men and women have spurred extensive exploration of gender's role within the brain, particularly regarding emotional processing. While neuroanatomical studies clearly show differences between the sexes, the functional effects of these differences are less understood. Neuroimaging studies have shown inconsistent locations and magnitudes of gender differences in brain hemodynamic responses to emotion. To better understand the neurophysiology of these gender differences, we analyzed recordings of single neuron activity in the human brain as subjects of both genders viewed emotional expressions. This study included recordings of single-neuron activity of 14 (6 male) epileptic patients in four brain areas: amygdala (236 neurons), hippocampus (n = 270), anterior cingulate cortex (n = 256), and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (n = 174). Neural activity was recorded while participants viewed a series of avatar male faces portraying positive, negative or neutral expressions. Significant gender differences were found in the left amygdala, where 23% (n = 15∕66) of neurons in men were significantly affected by facial emotion, vs. 8% (n = 6∕76) of neurons in women. A Fisher's exact test comparing the two ratios found a highly significant difference between the two (p < 0.01). These results show specific differences between genders at the single-neuron level in the human amygdala. These differences may reflect gender-based distinctions in evolved capacities for emotional processing and also demonstrate the importance of including subject gender as an independent factor in future studies of emotional processing by single neurons in the human amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Newhoff
- Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - David M Treiman
- Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Kris A Smith
- Department of Neurosurgery, Barrow Neurological Institute Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Peter N Steinmetz
- Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute Phoenix, AZ, USA ; Department of Neurosurgery, Barrow Neurological Institute Phoenix, AZ, USA
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Ford JD, Gómez JM. The relationship of psychological trauma and dissociative and posttraumatic stress disorders to nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidality: a review. J Trauma Dissociation 2015; 16:232-71. [PMID: 25758363 DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2015.989563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
We reviewed research on the relationship between (a) exposure to psychological trauma and (b) nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidality (suicidal ideation [SI] and suicide attempts [SA]) in individuals with dissociative disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The review provides a context for the special issue of the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation on these topics. Exposure to childhood sexual abuse is the most consistent traumatic antecedent of self-harm, although traumatic violence in childhood (particularly physical abuse) and adulthood (particularly domestic violence) and exposure to multiple types of traumatic stressors also are associated with NSSI and SI/SA. Dissociative disorders and PTSD are consistently associated with increased NSSI and SA/SI. There is preliminary cross-sectional evidence that dissociation and posttraumatic stress disorders may mediate the relationship between psychological trauma and NSSI and SI/SA. Research on emotion dysregulation as a potential cross-cutting mechanism linking dissociation, PTSD, and self-harm is also reviewed. We conclude with a discussion of implications for clinical practice and future directions for scientific research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian D Ford
- a Department of Psychiatry , University of Connecticut School of Medicine , Farmington , Connecticut , USA
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Toffoletto S, Lanzenberger R, Gingnell M, Sundström-Poromaa I, Comasco E. Emotional and cognitive functional imaging of estrogen and progesterone effects in the female human brain: a systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 50:28-52. [PMID: 25222701 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 217] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Revised: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian hormones are pivotal for the physiological maintenance of the brain function as well as its response to environmental stimuli. There is mounting evidence attesting the relevance of endogenous ovarian hormones as well as exogenous estradiol and progesterone for emotional and cognitive processing. The present review systematically summarized current knowledge on sex steroid hormonal modulation of neural substrates of emotion and cognition revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Twenty-four studies of healthy naturally cycling and combined oral contraceptives (COC) user women, or women undergoing experimental manipulations, during their reproductive age, were included. Furthermore, six studies of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a hormonally based mood disorder, and three of gender dysphoria (GD), which provides an intriguing opportunity to examine the effect of high-dose cross-sex hormone therapy (CSHT) on brain functioning, were included. Globally, low (early follicular and the entire follicular phase for estrogen and progesterone, respectively) and high (COC, CSHT, late follicular and luteal phase for estrogen; COC, mid- and late-luteal phase for progesterone) hormonal milieu diversely affected the response of several brain regions including the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus, but their functional recruitment across groups and domains was scattered. The constellation of findings provides initial evidence of the influence of sex steroid hormones on cortical and subcortical regions implicated in emotional and cognitive processing. Further well-powered and multimodal neuroimaging studies will be needed to identify the neural mechanism of functional brain alterations induced by sex steroid hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rupert Lanzenberger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Malin Gingnell
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Erika Comasco
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Department of Women's & Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Landa A, Wang Z, Russell JA, Posner J, Duan Y, Kangarlu A, Huo Y, Fallon BA, Peterson BS. Distinct neural circuits subserve interpersonal and non-interpersonal emotions. Soc Neurosci 2014; 8:474-88. [PMID: 24028312 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2013.833984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Emotions elicited by interpersonal versus non-interpersonal experiences have different effects on neurobiological functioning in both animals and humans. However, the extent to which the brain circuits underlying interpersonal and non-interpersonal emotions are distinct still remains unclear. The goal of our study was to assess whether different neural circuits are implicated in the processing of arousal and valence of interpersonal versus non-interpersonal emotions. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants imagined themselves in emotion-eliciting interpersonal or non-interpersonal situations and then rated the arousal and valence of emotions they experienced. We identified (1) separate neural circuits that are implicated in the arousal and valence dimensions of interpersonal versus non-interpersonal emotions, (2) circuits that are implicated in arousal and valence for both types of emotion, and (3) circuits that are responsive to the type of emotion, regardless of the valence or arousal level of the emotion. We found extensive recruitment of limbic (for arousal) and temporal-parietal (for valence) systems associated with processing of specifically interpersonal emotions compared to non-interpersonal ones. The neural bases of interpersonal and non-interpersonal emotions may, therefore, be largely distinct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alla Landa
- a Division of Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry , Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and New York State Psychiatric Institute , New York , NY , USA
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Nazarov A, Frewen P, Parlar M, Oremus C, MacQueen G, McKinnon M, Lanius R. Theory of mind performance in women with posttraumatic stress disorder related to childhood abuse. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2014; 129:193-201. [PMID: 23662597 DOI: 10.1111/acps.12142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Key questions remain unaddressed concerning the nature of interpersonal functioning in trauma survivors, including the ability to understand and interpret other people's thoughts and feelings. Here, we investigate theory of mind (ToM) performance of women with PTSD related to childhood abuse in comparison to healthy controls. METHOD Participants completed two ToM tasks, the Interpersonal Perception Task-15 (IPT-15) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task - Revised (RMET). RESULTS Relative to controls, women with a history of childhood trauma had difficulty recognizing familial relationships depicted in the IPT-15 (P = 0.005). No other category of the IPT-15 showed significant group differences. In addition, while healthy women displayed faster RMET reaction times to emotionally valenced mental states (positive: P = 0.003; negative: P = 0.016) compared with neutral mental states, the PTSD group showed similar reaction times across all valences. The presence of dissociative symptoms (e.g., disengagement, amnesia, identity dissociation) was strongly associated with hindered accuracy of complex mental state identification and altered perception of kinship interactions. CONCLUSION Women with PTSD stemming from childhood trauma show changes in ToM abilities particularly those often involved in the interpretation of family interactions. In addition, individuals with PTSD showed slower reaction times during the recognition of complex mental states from emotionally salient facial/eye expressions in comparison with healthy subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Nazarov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Steuwe C, Daniels JK, Frewen PA, Densmore M, Pannasch S, Beblo T, Reiss J, Lanius RA. Effect of direct eye contact in PTSD related to interpersonal trauma: an fMRI study of activation of an innate alarm system. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2012; 9:88-97. [PMID: 22977200 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In healthy individuals, direct eye contact initially leads to activation of a fast subcortical pathway, which then modulates a cortical route eliciting social cognitive processes. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the neurobiological effects of direct eye-to-eye contact using a virtual reality paradigm in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to prolonged childhood abuse. We examined 16 healthy comparison subjects and 16 patients with a primary diagnosis of PTSD using a virtual reality functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm involving direct vs averted gaze (happy, sad, neutral) as developed by Schrammel et al. in 2009. Irrespective of the displayed emotion, controls exhibited an increased blood oxygenation level-dependent response during direct vs averted gaze within the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, left temporoparietal junction and right temporal pole. Under the same conditions, individuals with PTSD showed increased activation within the superior colliculus (SC)/periaqueductal gray (PAG) and locus coeruleus. Our findings suggest that healthy controls react to the exposure of direct gaze with an activation of a cortical route that enhances evaluative 'top-down' processes underlying social interactions. In individuals with PTSD, however, direct gaze leads to sustained activation of a subcortical route of eye-contact processing, an innate alarm system involving the SC and the underlying circuits of the PAG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Steuwe
- LHSC-UH, 339 Windermere Road, PO Box 5339, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5A5.
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Frewen PA, Lundberg E, Brimson-Théberge M, Théberge J. Neuroimaging self-esteem: a fMRI study of individual differences in women. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2012; 8:546-55. [PMID: 22403154 PMCID: PMC3682439 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although neuroimaging studies strongly implicate the medial prefrontal cortex (ventral and dorsal), cingulate gyrus (anterior and posterior), precuneus and temporoparietal cortex in mediating self-referential processing (SRP), little is known about the neural bases mediating individual differences in valenced SRP, that is, processes intrinsic to self-esteem. This study investigated the neural correlates of experimentally engendered valenced SRP via the Visual–Verbal Self-Other Referential Processing Task in 20 women with fMRI. Participants viewed pictures of themselves or unknown other women during separate trials while covertly rehearsing ‘I am’ or ‘She is’, followed by reading valenced trait adjectives, thus variably associating the self/other with positivity/negativity. Response within dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and left temporoparietal cortex varied with individual differences in both pre-task rated self-descriptiveness of the words, as well as task-induced affective responses. Results are discussed as they relate to a social cognitive and affective neuroscience view of self-esteem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Frewen
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
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Frewen PA, Dozois DJA, Lanius RA. Assessment of anhedonia in psychological trauma: psychometric and neuroimaging perspectives. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2012; 3:EJPT-3-8587. [PMID: 22893841 PMCID: PMC3402136 DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.8587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2011] [Revised: 11/30/2011] [Accepted: 12/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Symptoms of anhedonia, or deficits in the ability to experience positive affect, are increasingly recognized as an outcome of traumatic stress including in individuals with PTSD. However, little research has investigated negative affective responses to what would normally be considered pleasant events (e.g., receiving a compliment or gift, physical affection) in traumatized persons. We demonstrate not only self-reported decreased positive affect but also increased negative affect in response to positive events in 55 women with PTSD, in comparison with 35 women without PTSD, via their response to a Hedonic Deficit & Interference Scale (HDIS). The HDIS demonstrated strong internal validity, convergent and incremental validity relative to other measures of anhedonia, and discriminant validity in relation to depression versus anxiety symptoms in this sample. In addition, in response to imagery of social versus non-social positive events, HDIS scores predicted self-report positive and negative affective responses. In a sub-sample of participants completing the imagery task while undergoing fMRI (n=12), HDIS scores also predicted BOLD response within the left orbitofrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and cerebellum. Future research and clinical directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Frewen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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Lanius RA, Bluhm RL, Frewen PA. How understanding the neurobiology of complex post-traumatic stress disorder can inform clinical practice: a social cognitive and affective neuroscience approach. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2011; 124:331-48. [PMID: 21854369 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2011.01755.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In this review, we examine the relevance of the social cognitive and affective neuroscience (SCAN) paradigm for an understanding of the psychology and neurobiology of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its effective treatment. METHOD The relevant literature pertaining to SCAN and PTSD was reviewed. RESULTS We suggest that SCAN offers a novel theoretical paradigm for understanding psychological trauma and its numerous clinical outcomes, most notably problems in emotional/self-awareness, emotion regulation, social emotional processing and self-referential processing. A core set of brain regions appear to mediate these collective psychological functions, most notably the cortical midline structures, the amygdala, the insula, posterior parietal cortex and temporal poles, suggesting that problems in one area (e.g. emotional awareness) may relate to difficulties in another (e.g. self-referential processing). We further propose, drawing on clinical research, that the experiences of individuals with PTSD related to chronic trauma often reflect impairments in multiple social cognitive and affective functions. CONCLUSION It is important that the assessment and treatment of individuals with complex PTSD not only addresses traumatic memories but also takes a SCAN-informed approach that focuses on the underlying deficits in emotional/self-awareness, emotion regulation, social emotional processing and self-referential processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Lanius
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
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Blair KS, Geraci M, Otero M, Majestic C, Odenheimer S, Jacobs M, Blair RJR, Pine DS. Atypical modulation of medial prefrontal cortex to self-referential comments in generalized social phobia. Psychiatry Res 2011; 193:38-45. [PMID: 21601433 PMCID: PMC3105197 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2010] [Revised: 11/26/2010] [Accepted: 12/30/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Generalized social phobia (GSP) involves the fear of being negatively evaluated. Previous work suggests that self-referentiality, mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex (MFPC), plays an important role in the disorder. However, it is not clear whether this anomalous MPFC response to self-related information in patients with GSP concerns an increased representation of their own or others' opinions. In this article, we examine whether GSP is associated with increased response to own (1st person) or other individuals' (2nd person) opinions relative to healthy individuals. Unmedicated individuals with GSP (n=15) and age-, IQ-, and gender-matched comparison individuals (n=15) read 1st (e.g., I'm ugly), and 2nd (e.g., You're ugly) person viewpoint comments during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We observed significant group-by-viewpoint interactions within the ventral MPFC. Whereas the healthy comparison individuals showed significantly increased (or less decreased) BOLD responses to 1st relative to 2nd person viewpoints, the patients showed significantly increased responses to 2nd relative to 1st person viewpoints. The reduced BOLD responses to 1st person viewpoint comments shown by the patients correlated significantly with severity of social anxiety symptom severity. These results underscore the importance of dysfunctional self-referential processing and MPFC in GSP. We believe that these data reflect a reorganization of self-referential reasoning in the disorder with a self-concept perhaps atypically related to the view of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S. Blair
- Correspondence concerning the article should be addressed to Karina S. Blair, Mood & Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, 15K North Drive, MSC 2670, Bethesda, Maryland 20892; ; phone (301) 451-5088
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