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Chu CH, Huang IL, Hillman CH, Chen NC, Yu J, Hung CS, Chen FT, Chang YK. The relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and inhibitory control following acute stress: An ERP study. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14592. [PMID: 38682486 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14592] [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: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Although the relationships among acute stress, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and cognitive function have been examined, whether CRF is related to behavioral and neuroelectric indices of inhibitory control following acute stress remains unknown. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the combined influence of acute stress and CRF on inhibitory control. Participants, aged 20-30 years, were stratified into the Higher-Fit (n = 31) and the Lower-Fit (n = 32) groups, and completed a Stroop task following the modified Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST) in the stress condition and the sham-MAST in the non-stress condition, during which electroencephalography was recorded. Behavioral (i.e., response time and accuracy) and neuroelectric (N2 and P3b components of the event-related potential) outcomes of inhibitory control were obtained. While the Higher-Fit group demonstrated shorter response times and higher accuracy than the Lower-Fit group following both the MAST and the sham-MAST, they also exhibited selective benefits of acute stress on inhibitory control performance (i.e., decreased response times and diminished interference scores). CRF-dependent alterations in neuroelectric indices were also observed, with the Higher-Fit group displaying smaller N2 and greater P3b amplitudes than the Lower-Fit group following the sham-MAST, and increased N2 and attenuated P3b amplitudes following the MAST. Collectively, these findings not only confirm the positive relationship between CRF and inhibitory control but also provide novel insights into the potential influence of CRF on inhibitory control and associated neuroelectric activity following acute stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Heng Chu
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - I-Lun Huang
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Charles H Hillman
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Center for Cognitive and Brain Health, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nai-Chi Chen
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jeffrey Yu
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Sin Hung
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Feng-Tzu Chen
- Department of Kinesiology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Kai Chang
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Social Emotional Education and Development Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Bas LM, Roberts ID, Hutcherson C, Tusche A. A neurocomputational account of the link between social perception and social action. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.02.560256. [PMID: 37873074 PMCID: PMC10592872 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.02.560256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
People selectively help others based on perceptions of their merit or need. Here, we develop a neurocomputational account of how these social perceptions translate into social choice. Using a novel fMRI social perception task, we show that both merit and need perceptions recruited the brain's social inference network. A behavioral computational model identified two non-exclusive mechanisms underlying variance in social perceptions: a consistent tendency to perceive others as meritorious/needy (bias) and a propensity to sample and integrate normative evidence distinguishing high from low merit/need in other people (sensitivity). Variance in people's merit (but not need) bias and sensitivity independently predicted distinct aspects of altruism in a social choice task completed months later. An individual's merit bias predicted context-independent variance in people's overall other-regard during altruistic choice, biasing people towards prosocial actions. An individual's merit sensitivity predicted context-sensitive discrimination in generosity towards high and low merit recipients by influencing other-regard and self-regard during altruistic decision-making. This context-sensitive perception-action link was associated with activation in the right temporoparietal junction. Together, these findings point towards stable, biologically based individual differences in perceptual processes related to abstract social concepts like merit, and suggest that these differences may have important behavioral implications for an individual's tendency toward favoritism or discrimination in social settings.
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Tseng YT, Schaefke B, Wei P, Wang L. Defensive responses: behaviour, the brain and the body. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:655-671. [PMID: 37730910 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00736-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Most animals live under constant threat from predators, and predation has been a major selective force in shaping animal behaviour. Nevertheless, defence responses against predatory threats need to be balanced against other adaptive behaviours such as foraging, mating and recovering from infection. This behavioural balance in ethologically relevant contexts requires adequate integration of internal and external signals in a complex interplay between the brain and the body. Despite this complexity, research has often considered defensive behaviour as entirely mediated by the brain processing threat-related information obtained via perception of the external environment. However, accumulating evidence suggests that the endocrine, immune, gastrointestinal and reproductive systems have important roles in modulating behavioural responses to threat. In this Review, we focus on how predatory threat defence responses are shaped by threat imminence and review the circuitry between subcortical brain regions involved in mediating defensive behaviours. Then, we discuss the intersection of peripheral systems involved in internal states related to infection, hunger and mating with the neurocircuits that underlie defence responses against predatory threat. Through this process, we aim to elucidate the interconnections between the brain and body as an integrated network that facilitates appropriate defensive responses to threat and to discuss the implications for future behavioural research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ting Tseng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behaviour, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bernhard Schaefke
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Pengfei Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liping Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behaviour, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
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Tseng YT, Zhao B, Ding H, Liang L, Schaefke B, Wang L. Systematic evaluation of a predator stress model of depression in mice using a hierarchical 3D-motion learning framework. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:178. [PMID: 37231005 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02481-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigation of the neurobiology of depression in humans depends on animal models that attempt to mimic specific features of the human disorder. However, frequently-used paradigms based on social stress cannot be easily applied to female mice which has led to a large sex bias in preclinical studies of depression. Furthermore, most studies focus on one or only a few behavioral assessments, with time and practical considerations prohibiting a comprehensive evaluation. In this study, we demonstrate that predator stress effectively induced depression-like behaviors in both male and female mice. By comparing predator stress and social defeat models, we observed that the former elicited a higher level of behavioral despair and the latter elicited more robust social avoidance. Furthermore, the use of machine learning (ML)-based spontaneous behavioral classification can distinguish mice subjected to one type of stress from another, and from non-stressed mice. We show that related patterns of spontaneous behaviors correspond to depression status as measured by canonical depression-like behaviors, which illustrates that depression-like symptoms can be predicted by ML-classified behavior patterns. Overall, our study confirms that the predator stress induced phenotype in mice is a good reflection of several important aspects of depression in humans and illustrates that ML-supported analysis can simultaneously evaluate multiple behavioral alterations in different animal models of depression, providing a more unbiased and holistic approach for the study of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ting Tseng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Binghao Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Hui Ding
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lisha Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Bernhard Schaefke
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Liping Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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Liu C, Xiao X, Pi Q, Tan Q, Zhan Y. Are you more risk-seeking when helping others? Effects of situational urgency and peer presence on prosocial risky behavior. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1036624. [PMID: 36935944 PMCID: PMC10020997 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1036624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Prosocial risky behavior (PRB) proposes that individuals take risks for others' benefits or social welfare, and that this may involve trade-offs between risk and social preferences. However, little is known about the underlying cognitive mechanisms of risk-seeking or aversion during PRB. Methods This study adopted the dilemma-priming paradigm to examine the interaction between the risk levels of personal cost and situational urgency on PRB (Experiment 1, N = 88), and it further uncovered the modulation of the risk levels of failure (Experiment 2, N = 65) and peer presence (Experiment 3, N = 80) when helping others. Results In Experiment 1, the participants involved in risky dilemmas made more altruistic choices for strangers in urgent situations compared to those for strangers in non-urgent situations. However, increasing the risk levels of personal cost decreased the frequencies of help offered to strangers in urgent situations. Experiment 2 further established that, similar to the risk of personal cost, increasing the risk levels of failure when helping others also decreased the frequencies of help offered to strangers in urgent situations. Furthermore, in dilemmas involving a low-risk personal cost, Experiment 3 showed that peer presence encouraged the participants to make more altruistic choices when providing help to strangers in non-urgent situations. Discussion Individuals demonstrate obvious risk-seeking behavior when helping others and that both non-urgent situations and peer presence weaken the effect of increased risk aversion on PRB in a limited manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changlin Liu
- Department of Psychology, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, China
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Mental Health Education Center, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Qiao Pi
- Department of Psychology, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, China
| | - Qianbao Tan
- Department of Psychology, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, China
| | - Youlong Zhan
- Department of Psychology, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, China
- *Correspondence: Youlong Zhan, ✉
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Vieira JB, Pierzchajlo S, Jangard S, Marsh AA, Olsson A. Acute anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with higher levels of everyday altruism. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18619. [PMID: 36329157 PMCID: PMC9632580 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23415-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior laboratory research has suggested that humans may become more prosocial in stressful or threatening situations, but it is unknown whether the link between prosociality and defense generalizes to real-life. Here, we examined the association between defensive responses to a real-world threat (the COVID-19 pandemic) and everyday altruism. Four independent samples of 150 (N = 600) US residents were recruited online at 4 different timepoints, and self-report measures of perceived COVID-19 threat, defensive emotions (e.g., stress and anxiety), and everyday altruism were collected. Our operationalization of defensive emotions was inspired by the threat imminence framework, an ecological model of how humans and animals respond to varying levels of threat. We found that perceived COVID-19 threat was associated with higher levels of everyday altruism (assessed by the Self-report Altruism scale). Importantly, there was a robust association between experiencing acute anxiety and high physiological arousal during the pandemic (responses typically characteristic of higher perceived threat imminence), and propensity to engage in everyday altruism. Non-significant or negative associations were found with less acute defensive responses like stress. These findings support a real-life relation between defensive and altruistic motivation in humans, which may be modulated by perceived threat imminence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana B Vieira
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | | | - Simon Jangard
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Abigail A Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Shukla S, Mishra SK, Agustino RD. Reflection of Types of Prosocial Behavior During COVID-19 in Collectivistic Asian Countries-India and Indonesia. QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH 2022; 32:1993-2005. [PMID: 36177963 PMCID: PMC9527149 DOI: 10.1177/10497323221129260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 is an infectious disease that has widened the gap between victims and non-victims in society. Understanding how individuals support and assist COVID-19 sufferers in a pandemic crisis is critical. Thus, this study aims to qualitatively evaluate the prosocial intention and types of prosocial behavior toward COVID-19 victims by low socioeconomic individuals from India and Indonesia's collectivistic societies. We conducted semi-structured and in-depth interviews during the lockdown from March to May 2020, via phone and in-person, using a purposive selection of respondents (total n = 50). The data were analyzed using the qualitative synthesis method. Five themes were discovered: 1) too scared to help, 2) love to help but scared: moral dilemma, 3) informing authority who knows how to handle, 4) caring, sharing, and supporting, but with a distance, and 5) helping at one's personal health risk. This study highlights that prosocial intentions range from minor acts of kindness to self-harm and out-of-bounds acts of kindness for COVID-19 victims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanu Shukla
- Indian Institute of Management
Indore, Indore, India
| | | | - Rahmi Dian Agustino
- Josef Korbel School of International
Studies, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
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Vieira JB, Olsson A. Neural defensive circuits underlie helping under threat in humans. eLife 2022; 11:78162. [PMID: 36281636 PMCID: PMC9596154 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy for others’ distress has long been considered the driving force of helping. However, when deciding to help others in danger, one must consider not only their distress, but also the risk to oneself. Whereas the role of self-defense in helping has been overlooked in human research, studies in other animals indicate defensive responses are necessary for the protection of conspecifics. In this pre-registered study (N=49), we demonstrate that human defensive neural circuits are implicated in helping others under threat. Participants underwent fMRI scanning while deciding whether to help another participant avoid aversive electrical shocks, at the risk of also being shocked. We found that higher engagement of neural circuits that coordinate fast escape from self-directed danger (including the insula, PAG, and ACC) facilitated decisions to help others. Importantly, using representational similarity analysis, we found that the strength with which the amygdala and insula uniquely represented the threat to oneself (and not the other’s distress) predicted helping. Our findings indicate that in humans, as other mammals, defensive mechanisms play a greater role in helping behavior than previously understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana B Vieira
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet
| | - Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet
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Zhan Y, Liu C, Xiao X, Tan Q, Fu X. Theoretical models and neural mechanisms of prosocial risky behavior. CHINESE SCIENCE BULLETIN-CHINESE 2022. [DOI: 10.1360/tb-2022-0699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
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de Echegaray J, Moratti S. Threat imminence modulates neural gain in attention and motor relevant brain circuits in humans. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13849. [PMID: 34031900 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Different levels of threat imminence elicit distinct computational strategies reflecting how the organism interacts with its environment in order to guarantee survival. Thereby, parasympathetically driven orienting and inhibition of on-going behavior in post-encounter situations and defense reactions in circa-strike conditions associated with sympathetically driven action preparation are typically observed across species. Here, we show that healthy humans are characterized by markedly variable individual orienting or defense response tendencies as indexed by differential heart rate (HR) changes during the passive viewing of unpleasant pictures. Critically, these HR response tendencies predict neural gain modulations in cortical attention and preparatory motor circuits as measured by neuromagnetic steady-state visual evoked fields (ssVEFs) and induced beta-band (19-30 Hz) desynchronization, respectively. Decelerative HR orienting responses were associated with increased ssVEF power in the parietal cortex and reduced beta-band desynchronization in pre-motor and motor areas. However, accelerative HR defense response tendencies covaried with reduced ssVEF power in the parietal cortex and lower beta-band desynchronization in cortical motor circuits. These results show that neural gain in attention- and motor-relevant brain areas is modulated by HR indexed threat imminence during the passive viewing of unpleasant pictures. The observed mutual ssVEF and beta-band power modulations in attention and motor brain circuits support the idea of two prevalent response tendencies characterized by orienting and motor inhibition or reduced stimulus processing and action initiation tendencies at different perceived threat imminence levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier de Echegaray
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Stephan Moratti
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Laboratory of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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