1
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Moore AIG, Golding JF, Alenova A, Castro P, Bronstein AM. Sense of direction in vestibular disorders. J Vestib Res 2024; 34:113-123. [PMID: 38489201 DOI: 10.3233/ves-230082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Our sense of direction (SOD) ability relies on the sensory integration of both visual information and self-motion cues from the proprioceptive and vestibular systems. Here, we assess how dysfunction of the vestibular system impacts perceived SOD in varying vestibular disorders, and secondly, we explore the effects of dizziness, migraine and psychological symptoms on SOD ability in patient and control groups. METHODS 87 patients with vestibular disorder and 69 control subjects were assessed with validated symptom and SOD questionnaires (Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale and the Object Perspective test). RESULTS While patients with vestibular disorders performed significantly worse than controls at the group level, only central and functional disorders (vestibular migraine and persistent postural perceptual dizziness), not peripheral disorders (benign-paroxysmal positional vertigo, bilateral vestibular failure and Meniere's disease) showed significant differences compared to controls on the level of individual vestibular groups. Additionally, orientational abilities associated strongly with spatial anxiety and showed clear separation from general dizziness and psychological factors in both patient and control groups. CONCLUSIONS SOD appears to be less affected by peripheral vestibular dysfunction than by functional and/or central diagnoses, indicating that higher level disruptions to central vestibular processing networks may impact SOD more than reductions in sensory peripheral inputs. Additionally, spatial anxiety is highly associated with orientational abilities in both patients and control subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I G Moore
- Department of Brain Sciences, Neuro-otology Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - John F Golding
- Department of Brain Sciences, Neuro-otology Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Westminster, London, UK
| | - Anastasia Alenova
- Department of Brain Sciences, Neuro-otology Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Patricia Castro
- Department of Brain Sciences, Neuro-otology Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Escuela de Fonoaudiologia, Facultad de Medicina Clinica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Adolfo M Bronstein
- Department of Brain Sciences, Neuro-otology Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK
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2
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Zafar I, Burles F, Berger L, McLaren-Gradinaru M, David AL, Dhillon I, Iaria G. Anxiety and Depressive Traits in the Healthy Population Does Not Affect Spatial Orientation and Navigation. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1638. [PMID: 38137086 PMCID: PMC10741661 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13121638] [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: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to navigate and orient in spatial surroundings is critical for effective daily functioning. Such ability is perturbed in clinically diagnosed mood and anxiety disorders, with patients exhibiting poor navigational skills. Here, we investigated the effects of depression and anxiety traits (not the clinical manifestation of the disorders) on the healthy population and hypothesized that greater levels of depression and anxiety traits would manifest in poorer spatial orientation skills and, in particular, with a poor ability to form mental representations of the environment, i.e., cognitive maps. We asked 1237 participants to perform a battery of spatial orientation tasks and complete two questionnaires assessing their anxiety and depression traits. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find any correlation between participants' anxiety and depression traits and their ability to form cognitive maps. These findings may imply a significant difference between the clinical and non-clinical manifestations of anxiety and depression as affecting spatial orientation and navigational abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Giuseppe Iaria
- Canadian Space Health Research Network, NeuroLab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
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3
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Bublatzky F, Allen P, Riemer M. Spatial navigation under threat: aversive apprehensions improve route retracing in higher versus lower trait anxious individuals. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1166594. [PMID: 37251045 PMCID: PMC10213730 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1166594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is a basic function for survival, and the ability to retrace a route has direct relevance for avoiding dangerous places. This study investigates the effects of aversive apprehensions on spatial navigation in a virtual urban environment. Healthy participants with varying degrees of trait anxiety performed a route-repetition and a route-retracing task under threatening and safe context conditions. Results reveal an interaction between the effect of threatening/safe environments and trait anxiety: while threat impairs route-retracing in lower-anxious individuals, this navigational skill is boosted in higher-anxious individuals. According to attentional control theory, this finding can be explained by an attentional shift toward information relevant for intuitive coping strategies (i.e., running away), which should be more pronounced in higher-anxious individuals. On a broader scale, our results demonstrate an often-neglected advantage of trait anxiety, namely that it promotes the processing of environmental information relevant for coping strategies and thus prepares the organism for adequate flight responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Bublatzky
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Peter Allen
- Department of Creative Technology, Bournemouth University, Dorset, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Riemer
- Biological Psychology and Neuroergonomics, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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4
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Atak S, Boye A, Peciña S, Liu ZX. High-Fat-Sugar Diet is Associated with Impaired Hippocampus-Dependent Memory in Humans. Physiol Behav 2023; 268:114225. [PMID: 37150429 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Overconsumption of high-fat and high-sugar (HFS) diet may affect the hippocampus, and consequently, memory functions. Yet, converging evidence is needed to demonstrate that the type of memory affected by HFS diet consumption is indeed hippocampus dependent. Moreover, the extent to which HFS diet can also affect executive functioning, and indirectly affect memory requires further examination. In this online study, we asked 349 young adults to report their HFS diet consumption and complete a word memory task, the Everyday Memory Questionnaire, and importantly two memory tasks that have been shown to robustly engage the hippocampus, i.e., the Pattern Separation and Associative Memory Tasks. Participants also completed two executive functioning tasks, the Trail Making Task (TMT) and the Stroop Task. These measures assess attention/cognitive flexibility and the ability to inhibit cognitive interference, respectively. After controlling for confounding variables, we found that participants who reported higher level consumption of a HFS diet performed worse on the Pattern Separation Task and that higher HFS intake was significantly associated with poorer TMT task performance and longer Stroop average reaction time (RT). TMT and Stroop RT scores indicative of reduced executive function also partially mediated the relationship between HFS diet and memory performance on the pattern separation task. Taken together, our results provide converging evidence that HFS diet may impair hippocampus-dependent memory. HFS diet may also affect executive functioning and indirectly impair memory function. The findings are consistent with human subject and animal studies and call for further investigations on the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying the dietary effects on cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selen Atak
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, The University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA
| | - Alyssa Boye
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, The University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA
| | - Susana Peciña
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, The University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA
| | - Zhong-Xu Liu
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, The University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA.
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5
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Farran EK, Hudson KD, Bennett A, Ameen A, Misheva I, Bechlem B, Blades M, Courbois Y. Anxiety and Spatial Navigation in Williams Syndrome and Down Syndrome. Dev Neuropsychol 2022; 47:136-157. [PMID: 35282728 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2022.2047685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) and individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) present with poor navigation and elevated anxiety. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between these two characteristics. Parent report questionnaires measured navigation abilities and anxiety in WS (N = 55) and DS (N = 42) as follows. Anxiety: Spence Children's Anxiety Scale and a novel measure of navigation anxiety. Navigation: Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD) and a novel measure of navigation competence. Most individuals were not permitted to travel independently. A relationship between navigation anxiety and SBSOD scores (but not navigation competence) was observed for both groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Farran
- Department of Psychological Science, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Kerry D Hudson
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
| | - Amelia Bennett
- Department of Psychological Science, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Aan Ameen
- Department of Psychological Science, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Iliana Misheva
- Department of Psychological Science, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Badri Bechlem
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mark Blades
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Yannick Courbois
- Univ. Lille, ULR 4072 - PSITEC - Psychologie: Interactions Temps Émotions Cognition, Lille, France
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Howell BC, Hamilton DA. Baseline heart rate variability (HRV) and performance during a set-shifting visuospatial learning task: The moderating effect of trait negative affectivity (NA) on behavioral flexibility ✰. Physiol Behav 2022; 243:113647. [PMID: 34798126 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Higher negative affectivity (NA) has an association with decreased executive function and cognitive control. Heart rate variability (HRV) may index cardiac vagal regulation differences in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) for both cognition and emotion. The current study investigates this association using a set-shifting variant of the Virtual Morris Water Task (VMWT) to study discrimination learning, spatial learning, reversal learning, and attentional set-shifting in a virtual environment. 73 participants completed affective questionnaires (Beck Depression Inventory-II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Positive and Negative Affective Scale), a 5-minute baseline electrocardiogram, and the VMWT. Individuals who failed to complete the task exhibited significantly lower baseline RMSSD then those who completed the task. There was no direct effect between affective measures and task performance. Higher baseline HRV was predictive of better performance during set-shifting. Trait NA moderated the effect of baseline HRV, as well as trait positive affectivity (PA), on performance during the extradimensional shift condition. Increased behavioral flexibility performance was only predicted by higher HRV and PA in low NA individuals. High trait NA negates the positive effects of HRV and PA on behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breannan C Howell
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
| | - Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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7
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Gromer D, Kiser DP, Pauli P. Thigmotaxis in a virtual human open field test. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6670. [PMID: 33758204 PMCID: PMC7988123 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85678-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal models are used to study neurobiological mechanisms in mental disorders. Although there has been significant progress in the understanding of neurobiological underpinnings of threat-related behaviors and anxiety, little progress was made with regard to new or improved treatments for mental disorders. A possible reason for this lack of success is the unknown predictive and cross-species translational validity of animal models used in preclinical studies. Re-translational approaches, therefore, seek to establish cross-species translational validity by identifying behavioral operations shared across species. To this end, we implemented a human open field test in virtual reality and measured behavioral indices derived from animal studies in three experiments (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\textit{N}=80$$\end{document}N=80). In addition, we investigated the associations between anxious traits and such behaviors. Results indicated a strong similarity in behavior across species, i.e., participants in our study—like rodents in animal studies—preferred to stay in the outer region of the open field, as indexed by multiple behavioral parameters. However, correlational analyses did not clearly indicate that these behaviors were a function of anxious traits of participants. We conclude that the realized virtual open field test is able to elicit thigmotaxis and thus demonstrates cross-species validity of this aspect of the test. Modulatory effects of anxiety on human open field behavior should be examined further by incorporating possible threats in the virtual scenario and/or by examining participants with higher anxiety levels or anxiety disorder patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Gromer
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Dominik P Kiser
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Center of Mental Health, Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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8
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Trait affective differences influence behavioral flexibility in virtual spatial and non-spatial discrimination tasks. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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9
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Mendez-Lopez M, Fidalgo C, Osma J, Juan MC. Wayfinding Strategy and Gender - Testing the Mediating Effects of Wayfinding Experience, Personality and Emotions. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2020; 13:119-131. [PMID: 32099489 PMCID: PMC6999780 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s236735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Individual differences have been seen to play a key role in spatial orientation. Gender implications have been previously described but little is known about how other variables, such as wayfinding anxiety, emotional difficulties and wayfinding experience can mediate this relationship. Methods A group of 269 participants were involved in this study and completed questionnaires on their self-reported allocentric orientation strategy, wayfinding experience and satisfaction with the ability for wayfinding. Emotional outcomes were also investigated: spatial and trait anxiety, neuroticism, difficulties in emotion regulation, and personal safety. First, a principal component analysis was conducted and the studied variables were grouped into four components: outdoor wayfinding experience, wayfinding-related fear, emotional difficulties, and effective wayfinding skill. Afterwards, structural equation modelling was performed, using the MPLUS statistical program. Results The results showed that gender constitutes a predictor for using an effective wayfinding skill and for feeling wayfinding-related fear. However, outdoor wayfinding experience, wayfinding-related fear and emotional difficulties did not mediate the relationship between effective wayfinding skill and gender. Conclusion These results highlight the differential contribution of gender in the emotions that are experienced during spatial orientation and emotions that are related to other types of situations. The limitations, strengths and theoretical implications of the proposed model are discussed. Further investigation is needed in order to understand the role of emotions in spatial orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Mendez-Lopez
- Departamento de Psicología y Sociología, Universidad de Zaragoza, IIS Aragón, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Teruel, Spain
| | - Camino Fidalgo
- Departamento de Psicología y Sociología, Universidad de Zaragoza, IIS Aragón, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Teruel, Spain
| | - Jorge Osma
- Departamento de Psicología y Sociología, Universidad de Zaragoza, IIS Aragón, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Teruel, Spain
| | - M-Carmen Juan
- Instituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
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10
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Munoz-Montoya F, Fidalgo C, Juan MC, Mendez-Lopez M. Memory for Object Location in Augmented Reality: The Role of Gender and the Relationship Among Spatial and Anxiety Outcomes. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:113. [PMID: 31001098 PMCID: PMC6455057 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The potential of augmented reality (AR) technology for the study of spatial memory and orientation is a new research field. AR defines systems that attempt to enhance the user’s experience with the physical world. In our app, we enhance the sense of sight by adding interactive 3D elements to the real environment. Our app can be used in any real environment so that the experimental conditions during the tasks and the way in which an individual navigates are similar to those used in real life. With AR, the experimenter has a high level of control of the task and can store the participant’s responses accurately. The classical factors that influence an individual’s performance on virtual spatial tasks are gender and cognitive factors. The influence of emotional factors on spatial performance has been studied more recently. Since AR tasks for the study of spatial memory and spatial orientation are new developments, little is known about the factors that are related to performance on tasks of this type. In our study, we tested 46 young adults (26 women) in an AR object-location task that was performed in a building. The participants had to memorize the position of eight virtual objects while they were walking through the environment. We also assessed the participants’ performance on an object-recall task, a map-pointing task, and a paper-and-pencil spatial orientation task. The self-reported importance of different spatial strategies for wayfinding and the levels of trait anxiety and wayfinding anxiety were also evaluated. Our findings indicate that men performed better on the spatial paper-and-pencil test and spent more time completing the learning phase of the AR task. The spatial memory for the location of the objects in AR and on the map correlated positively. Anxiety was related to individual differences in the self-reported use of a spatial orientation strategy, but the association among them was weak. Trait anxiety was positively related to the time employed by the participants during the learning phase of the AR task, whereas wayfinding anxiety correlated negatively with the preference for an orientation strategy. Our results highlight the importance of anxiety in spatial orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Munoz-Montoya
- Instituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Camino Fidalgo
- IIS Aragón, Departamento de Psicología y Sociología, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - M-Carmen Juan
- Instituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Magdalena Mendez-Lopez
- IIS Aragón, Departamento de Psicología y Sociología, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
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Rodriguez-Andres D, Mendez-Lopez M, Juan MC, Perez-Hernandez E. A Virtual Object-Location Task for Children: Gender and Videogame Experience Influence Navigation; Age Impacts Memory and Completion Time. Front Psychol 2018; 9:451. [PMID: 29674988 PMCID: PMC5895853 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of virtual reality-based tasks for studying memory has increased considerably. Most of the studies that have looked at child population factors that influence performance on such tasks have been focused on cognitive variables. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of non-cognitive skills. In the present paper, we tested 52 typically-developing children aged 5–12 years in a virtual object-location task. The task assessed their spatial short-term memory for the location of three objects in a virtual city. The virtual task environment was presented using a 3D application consisting of a 120″ stereoscopic screen and a gamepad interface. Measures of learning and displacement indicators in the virtual environment, 3D perception, satisfaction, and usability were obtained. We assessed the children’s videogame experience, their visuospatial span, their ability to build blocks, and emotional and behavioral outcomes. The results indicate that learning improved with age. Significant effects on the speed of navigation were found favoring boys and those more experienced with videogames. Visuospatial skills correlated mainly with ability to recall object positions, but the correlation was weak. Longer paths were related with higher scores of withdrawal behavior, attention problems, and a lower visuospatial span. Aggressiveness and experience with the device used for interaction were related with faster navigation. However, the correlations indicated only weak associations among these variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Rodriguez-Andres
- Instituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Magdalena Mendez-Lopez
- IIS Aragón, Departamento de Psicología y Sociología, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - M-Carmen Juan
- Instituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Elena Perez-Hernandez
- Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Suarez-Jimenez B, Bisby JA, Horner AJ, King JA, Pine DS, Burgess N. Linked networks for learning and expressing location-specific threat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E1032-E1040. [PMID: 29326231 PMCID: PMC5798349 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1714691115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning locations of danger within our environment is a vital adaptive ability whose neural bases are only partially understood. We examined fMRI brain activity while participants navigated a virtual environment in which flowers appeared and were "picked." Picking flowers in the danger zone (one-half of the environment) predicted an electric shock to the wrist (or "bee sting"); flowers in the safe zone never predicted shock; and household objects served as controls for neutral spatial memory. Participants demonstrated learning with shock expectancy ratings and skin conductance increases for flowers in the danger zone. Patterns of brain activity shifted between overlapping networks during different task stages. Learning about environmental threats, during flower approach in either zone, engaged the anterior hippocampus, amygdala, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), with vmPFC-hippocampal functional connectivity increasing with experience. Threat appraisal, during approach in the danger zone, engaged the insula and dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC), with insula-hippocampal functional connectivity. During imminent threat, after picking a flower, this pattern was supplemented by activity in periaqueductal gray (PAG), insula-dACC coupling, and posterior hippocampal activity that increased with experience. We interpret these patterns in terms of multiple representations of spatial context (anterior hippocampus); specific locations (posterior hippocampus); stimuli (amygdala); value (vmPFC); threat, both visceral (insula) and cognitive (dACC); and defensive behaviors (PAG), interacting in different combinations to perform the functions required at each task stage. Our findings illuminate how we learn about location-specific threats and suggest how they might break down into overgeneralization or hypervigilance in anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3AZ, United Kingdom;
- Section of Developmental Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - James A Bisby
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3AZ, United Kingdom
- Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Aidan J Horner
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - John A King
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Section of Developmental Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Neil Burgess
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3AZ, United Kingdom;
- Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
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Piber D, Schultebraucks K, Mueller SC, Deuter CE, Wingenfeld K, Otte C. Mineralocorticoid receptor stimulation effects on spatial memory in healthy young adults: A study using the virtual Morris Water Maze task. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 136:139-146. [PMID: 27725248 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Revised: 09/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Stress hormones such as cortisol are known to influence a wide range of cognitive functions, including hippocampal based spatial memory. In the brain, cortisol acts via two different receptors: the glucocorticoid (GR) and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). As the MR has a high density in the hippocampus, we examined the effects of pharmacological MR stimulation on spatial memory. METHODS Eighty healthy participants (40 women, 40 men, mean age=23.9years±SD=3.3) completed the virtual Morris Water Maze (vMWM) task to test spatial encoding and spatial memory retrieval after receiving 0.4mg fludrocortisone, a MR agonist, or placebo. RESULTS There was no effect of MR stimulation on spatial encoding during the vMWM task. However, participants who received fludrocortisone exhibited improved spatial memory retrieval performance. There was neither a main effect of sex nor a sex-by-treatment interaction. CONCLUSION In young healthy participants, MR stimulation improved hippocampal based spatial memory retrieval in a virtual Morris Water Maze task. Our study not only confirms the importance of MR function in spatial memory, but suggests beneficial effects of acute MR stimulation on spatial memory retrieval in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Piber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Hospital Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Katharina Schultebraucks
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Hospital Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven C Mueller
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christian Eric Deuter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Hospital Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Hospital Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Hospital Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
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Kremmyda O, Hüfner K, Flanagin VL, Hamilton DA, Linn J, Strupp M, Jahn K, Brandt T. Beyond Dizziness: Virtual Navigation, Spatial Anxiety and Hippocampal Volume in Bilateral Vestibulopathy. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:139. [PMID: 27065838 PMCID: PMC4814552 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) is defined as the impairment or loss of function of either the labyrinths or the eighth nerves. Patients with total BVP due to bilateral vestibular nerve section exhibit difficulties in spatial memory and navigation and show a loss of hippocampal volume. In clinical practice, most patients do not have a complete loss of function but rather an asymmetrical residual functioning of the vestibular system. The purpose of the current study was to investigate navigational ability and hippocampal atrophy in BVP patients with residual vestibular function. Fifteen patients with BVP and a group of age- and gender- matched healthy controls were examined. Self-reported questionnaires on spatial anxiety and wayfinding were used to assess the applied strategy of wayfinding and quality of life. Spatial memory and navigation were tested directly using a virtual Morris Water Maze Task. The hippocampal volume of these two groups was evaluated by voxel-based morphometry. In the patients, the questionnaire showed a higher spatial anxiety and the Morris Water Maze Task a delayed spatial learning performance. MRI revealed a significant decrease in the gray matter mid-hippocampal volume (Left: p = 0.006, Z = 4.58, Right: p < 0.001, Z = 3.63) and posterior parahippocampal volume (Right: p = 0.005, Z = 4.65, Left: p < 0.001, Z = 3.87) compared to those of healthy controls. In addition, a decrease in hippocampal formation volume correlated with a more dominant route-finding strategy. Our current findings demonstrate that even partial bilateral vestibular loss leads to anatomical and functional changes in the hippocampal formation and objective and subjective behavioral deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olympia Kremmyda
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance DisordersMunich, Germany; Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians UniversityMunich, Germany
| | - Katharina Hüfner
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Jennifer Linn
- Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Strupp
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance DisordersMunich, Germany; Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians UniversityMunich, Germany
| | - Klaus Jahn
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance DisordersMunich, Germany; Department of Acute Neurology, Schön Klinik Bad AiblingBad Aibling, Germany
| | - Thomas Brandt
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance DisordersMunich, Germany; Institute for Clinical Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians UniversityMunich, Germany
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15
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Mueller SC, Verwilst T, Van Branteghem A, T'Sjoen G, Cools M. The contribution of the androgen receptor (AR) in human spatial learning and memory: A study in women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS). Horm Behav 2016; 78:121-6. [PMID: 26522496 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Revised: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Few studies have examined the impact of androgen insensitivity on human spatial learning and memory. In the present study, we tested 11 women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), a rare genetic disorder characterized by complete absence of AR activity, and compared their performance against 20 comparison males and 19 comparison females on a virtual analog of the Morris Water Maze task. The results replicated a main sex effect showing that men relative to women were faster in finding the hidden platform and had reduced heading error. Furthermore, findings indicated that mean performance of women with CAIS was between control women and control men, though the differences were not statistically significant. Effect size estimates (and corresponding confidence intervals) of spatial learning trials showed little difference between women with CAIS and control women but CAIS women differed from men, but not women, on two variables, latency to find the platform and first-move latency. No differences between groups were present during visible platform trials or the probe trial, a measure of spatial memory. Moreover, groups also did not differ on estimates of IQ and variability of performance. The findings are discussed in relation to androgen insensitivity in human spatial learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Mueller
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - T Verwilst
- Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - A Van Branteghem
- Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - G T'Sjoen
- Department of Endocrinology, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Sexology and Gender Problems, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - M Cools
- Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital
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16
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Geddes RI, Peterson BL, Stein DG, Sayeed I. Progesterone Treatment Shows Benefit in Female Rats in a Pediatric Model of Controlled Cortical Impact Injury. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146419. [PMID: 26799561 PMCID: PMC4723082 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose We recently showed that progesterone treatment can reduce lesion size and behavioral deficits after moderate-to-severe bilateral injury to the medial prefrontal cortex in immature male rats. Whether there are important sex differences in response to injury and progesterone treatment in very young subjects has not been given sufficient attention. Here we investigated progesterone’s effects in the same model of brain injury but with pre-pubescent females. Methods Twenty-eight-day-old female Sprague-Dawley rats received sham (n = 14) or controlled cortical impact (CCI) (n = 21) injury, were given progesterone (8 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle injections on post-injury days (PID) 1–7, and underwent behavioral testing from PID 9–27. Brains were evaluated for lesion size at PID 28. Results Lesion size in vehicle-treated female rats with CCI injury was smaller than that previously reported for similarly treated age-matched male rats. Treatment with progesterone reduced the effect of CCI on extent of damage and behavioral deficits. Conclusion Pre-pubescent female rats with midline CCI injury to the frontal cortex have reduced morphological and functional deficits following progesterone treatment. While gender differences in susceptibility to this injury were observed, progesterone treatment produced beneficial effects in young rats of both sexes following CCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rastafa I. Geddes
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 United States of America
| | - Bethany L. Peterson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 United States of America
| | - Donald G. Stein
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Iqbal Sayeed
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 United States of America
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17
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Mueller SC, Grissom EM, Dohanich GP. Assessing gonadal hormone contributions to affective psychopathologies across humans and animal models. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 46:114-28. [PMID: 24882164 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/21/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Despite increasing acknowledgement of hormonal contributions to mood and anxiety disorders, the underlying mechanisms by which gonadal hormones influence psychopathology-related behaviours remain unknown. This review focuses on recent research that examines the influence of gonadal steroid hormones, including androgens, oestrogens, and progesterone, on mood and anxiety-related behaviours in human health and disease. To this aim, the literature was surveyed for studies that assess conditions with suspected underlying hormonal imbalances in otherwise healthy participants (e.g., premenstrual dysphoric disorder, postmenopausal depression) as well as conditions linked to congenital endocrine abnormalities (e.g., Turner Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, familial male precocious puberty, androgen insensitivity syndrome). Furthermore, to better inform clinical work and to create a translational bridge, a second goal was to set human psychopathologies and animal models of these conditions side-by-side. In the second part of the review, based on consistencies revealed in the existing literature across conditions, a new model for the impact of gonadal hormones on anxious and depressed behavioural states is proposed. Finally, we conclude by proposing directions for future research, including the development of specific tasks suitable for cross-species comparisons to increase our knowledge of the role of gonadal hormones in mood and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Mueller
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - E M Grissom
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - G P Dohanich
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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18
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Mueller SC, Cornwell BR, Grillon C, Macintyre J, Gorodetsky E, Goldman D, Pine DS, Ernst M. Evidence of MAOA genotype involvement in spatial ability in males. Behav Brain Res 2014; 267:106-10. [PMID: 24671068 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Revised: 03/13/2014] [Accepted: 03/15/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Although the monoamine oxidase-A (MAOA) gene has been linked to spatial learning and memory in animal models, convincing evidence in humans is lacking. Performance on an ecologically-valid, virtual computer-based equivalent of the Morris Water Maze task was compared between 28 healthy males with the low MAOA transcriptional activity and 41 healthy age- and IQ-matched males with the high MAOA transcriptional activity. The results revealed consistently better performance (reduced heading error, shorter path length, and reduced failed trials) for the high MAOA activity individuals relative to the low activity individuals. By comparison, groups did not differ on pre-task variables or strategic measures such as first-move latency. The results provide novel evidence of MAOA gene involvement in human spatial navigation using a virtual analogue of the Morris Water Maze task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven C Mueller
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Section on Developmental and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | | | - Christian Grillon
- Section Neurobiology of Fear & Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jessica Macintyre
- Section on Developmental and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Elena Gorodetsky
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David Goldman
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Section on Developmental and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on Developmental and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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19
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Robinson OJ, Vytal K, Cornwell BR, Grillon C. The impact of anxiety upon cognition: perspectives from human threat of shock studies. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:203. [PMID: 23730279 PMCID: PMC3656338 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 292] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2012] [Accepted: 04/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders constitute a sizeable worldwide health burden with profound social and economic consequences. The symptoms are wide-ranging; from hyperarousal to difficulties with concentrating. This latter effect falls under the broad category of altered cognitive performance which is the focus of this review. Specifically, we examine the interaction between anxiety and cognition focusing on the translational threat of unpredictable shock paradigm; a method previously used to characterize emotional responses and defensive mechanisms that is now emerging as valuable tool for examining the interaction between anxiety and cognition. In particular, we compare the impact of threat of shock on cognition in humans to that of pathological anxiety disorders. We highlight that both threat of shock and anxiety disorders promote mechanisms associated with harm avoidance across multiple levels of cognition (from perception to attention to learning and executive function)-a "hot" cognitive function which can be both adaptive and maladaptive depending upon the circumstances. This mechanism comes at a cost to other functions such as working memory, but leaves some functions, such as planning, unperturbed. We also highlight a number of cognitive effects that differ across anxiety disorders and threat of shock. These discrepant effects are largely seen in "cold" cognitive functions involving control mechanisms and may reveal boundaries between adaptive (e.g., response to threat) and maladaptive (e.g., pathological) anxiety. We conclude by raising a number of unresolved questions regarding the role of anxiety in cognition that may provide fruitful avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J. Robinson
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental HealthBethesda, MD, USA
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20
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Vytal KE, Cornwell BR, Letkiewicz AM, Arkin NE, Grillon C. The complex interaction between anxiety and cognition: insight from spatial and verbal working memory. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:93. [PMID: 23542914 PMCID: PMC3610083 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety can be distracting, disruptive, and incapacitating. Despite problems with empirical replication of this phenomenon, one fruitful avenue of study has emerged from working memory (WM) experiments where a translational method of anxiety induction (risk of shock) has been shown to disrupt spatial and verbal WM performance. Performance declines when resources (e.g., spatial attention, executive function) devoted to goal-directed behaviors are consumed by anxiety. Importantly, it has been shown that anxiety-related impairments in verbal WM depend on task difficulty, suggesting that cognitive load may be an important consideration in the interaction between anxiety and cognition. Here we use both spatial and verbal WM paradigms to probe the effect of cognitive load on anxiety-induced WM impairment across task modality. Subjects performed a series of spatial and verbal n-back tasks of increasing difficulty (1, 2, and 3-back) while they were safe or at risk for shock. Startle reflex was used to probe anxiety. Results demonstrate that induced-anxiety differentially impacts verbal and spatial WM, such that low and medium-load verbal WM is more susceptible to anxiety-related disruption relative to high-load, and spatial WM is disrupted regardless of task difficulty. Anxiety impacts both verbal and spatial processes, as described by correlations between anxiety and performance impairment, albeit the effect on spatial WM is consistent across load. Demanding WM tasks may exert top-down control over higher-order cortical resources engaged by anxious apprehension, however high-load spatial WM may continue to experience additional competition from anxiety-related changes in spatial attention, resulting in impaired performance. By describing this disruption across task modalities, these findings inform current theories of emotion–cognition interactions and may facilitate development of clinical interventions that seek to target cognitive impairments associated with anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Vytal
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD, USA
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21
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Grissom EM, Hawley WR, Bromley-Dulfano SS, Marino SE, Stathopoulos NG, Dohanich GP. Learning strategy is influenced by trait anxiety and early rearing conditions in prepubertal male, but not prepubertal female rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2012; 98:174-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2012.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2012] [Revised: 05/28/2012] [Accepted: 06/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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22
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Mueller SC, Merke DP, Leschek EW, Fromm S, Grillon C, Cornwell BR, Vanryzin C, Ernst M. Grey matter volume correlates with virtual water maze task performance in boys with androgen excess. Neuroscience 2011; 197:225-32. [PMID: 21964472 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2011] [Revised: 09/08/2011] [Accepted: 09/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Major questions remain about the specific role of testosterone in human spatial navigation. We tested 10 boys (mean age 11.65 years) with an extremely rare disorder of androgen excess (Familial Male Precocious Puberty, FMPP) and 40 healthy boys (mean age 12.81 years) on a virtual version of the Morris Water Maze task. In addition, anatomical magnetic resonance images were collected for all patients and a subsample of the controls (n=21) after task completion. Behaviourally, no significant differences were found between both groups. However, in the MRI analyses, grey matter volume (GMV) was correlated with performance using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Group differences in correlations of performance with GMV were apparent in medial regions of the prefrontal cortex as well as the middle occipital gyrus and the cuneus. By comparison, similar correlations for both groups were found in the inferior parietal lobule. These data provide novel insight into the relation between testosterone and brain development and suggest that morphological differences in a spatial navigation network covary with performance in spatial ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Mueller
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium.
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23
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Cornwell BR, Salvadore G, Colon-Rosario V, Latov DR, Holroyd T, Carver FW, Coppola R, Manji HK, Zarate CA, Grillon C. Abnormal hippocampal functioning and impaired spatial navigation in depressed individuals: evidence from whole-head magnetoencephalography. Am J Psychiatry 2010; 167:836-44. [PMID: 20439387 PMCID: PMC2905217 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09050614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Dysfunction of the hippocampus has long been suspected to be a key component of the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder. Despite evidence of hippocampal structural abnormalities in depressed patients, abnormal hippocampal functioning has not been demonstrated. The authors aimed to link spatial navigation deficits previously documented in depressed patients to abnormal hippocampal functioning using a virtual reality navigation task. METHOD Whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings were collected while participants (19 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 19 healthy subjects matched by gender and age) navigated a virtual Morris water maze to find a hidden platform; navigation to a visible platform served as a control condition. Behavioral measures were obtained to assess navigation performance. Theta oscillatory activity (4-8 Hz) was mapped across the brain on a voxel-wise basis using a spatial-filtering MEG source analysis technique. RESULTS Depressed patients performed worse than healthy subjects in navigating to the hidden platform. Robust group differences in theta activity were observed in right medial temporal cortices during navigation, with patients exhibiting less engagement of the anterior hippocampus and parahippocampal cortices relative to comparison subjects. Left posterior hippocampal theta activity was positively correlated with individual performance within each group. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with previous findings, depressed patients showed impaired spatial navigation. Dysfunction of right anterior hippocampus and parahippocampal cortices may underlie this deficit and stem from structural abnormalities commonly found in depressed patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R. Cornwell
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Giacomo Salvadore
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Veronica Colon-Rosario
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David R. Latov
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tom Holroyd
- Magnetoencephalography Core Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Frederick W. Carver
- Magnetoencephalography Core Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Richard Coppola
- Magnetoencephalography Core Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Husseini K. Manji
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Carlos A. Zarate
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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