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Penner-Goeke S, Bothe M, Rek N, Kreitmaier P, Pöhlchen D, Kühnel A, Glaser LV, Kaya E, Krontira AC, Röh S, Czamara D, Ködel M, Monteserin-Garcia J, Diener L, Wölfel B, Sauer S, Rummel C, Riesenberg S, Arloth-Knauer J, Ziller M, Labeur M, Meijsing S, Binder EB. High-throughput screening of glucocorticoid-induced enhancer activity reveals mechanisms of stress-related psychiatric disorders. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2305773120. [PMID: 38011552 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305773120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to stressful life events increases the risk for psychiatric disorders. Mechanistic insight into the genetic factors moderating the impact of stress can increase our understanding of disease processes. Here, we test 3,662 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from preselected expression quantitative trait loci in massively parallel reporter assays to identify genetic variants that modulate the activity of regulatory elements sensitive to glucocorticoids, important mediators of the stress response. Of the tested SNP sequences, 547 were located in glucocorticoid-responsive regulatory elements of which 233 showed allele-dependent activity. Transcripts regulated by these functional variants were enriched for those differentially expressed in psychiatric disorders in the postmortem brain. Phenome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis in 4,439 phenotypes revealed potentially causal associations specifically in neurobehavioral traits, including major depression and other psychiatric disorders. Finally, a functional gene score derived from these variants was significantly associated with differences in the physiological stress response, suggesting that these variants may alter disease risk by moderating the individual set point of the stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Signe Penner-Goeke
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Melissa Bothe
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Nils Rek
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Peter Kreitmaier
- Institute of Translational Genomics, Helmholtz Munich, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Dorothee Pöhlchen
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Anne Kühnel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Laura V Glaser
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Ezgi Kaya
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Anthi C Krontira
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Simone Röh
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Darina Czamara
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Maik Ködel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Jose Monteserin-Garcia
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Laura Diener
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Barbara Wölfel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Susann Sauer
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Christine Rummel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Stephan Riesenberg
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Janine Arloth-Knauer
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Michael Ziller
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Muenster, Muenster 48149, Germany
| | - Marta Labeur
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Sebastiaan Meijsing
- Department of Computational Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
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McDonald RJ, Hong NS, Trow JS, Kaupp C, Balog RJ, Gokarn L, Falkenberg EA, McCreary KJ, Soltanpour N, Witbeck C, McKenna A, Metz GAS. Effects of maternal social isolation on adult rodent offspring cognition. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7748. [PMID: 37173349 PMCID: PMC10177704 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34834-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal experiences can influence offspring physiology and behaviour through the lifespan. Various forms of prenatal stress impair adult learning and memory function and can lead to increased occurrence of anxiety and depression. Clinical work suggests that prenatal stress and maternal depression lead to similar outcomes in children and adolescents, however the long-term effects of maternal depression are less established, particularly in well controlled animal models. Social isolation is common in depressed individuals and during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, for this study we were interested in the effects of maternal stress induced via social isolation on adult offspring cognitive functions including spatial, stimulus-response, and emotional learning and memory that are mediated by different networks centered on the hippocampus, dorsal striatum, and amygdala, respectively. Tasks included a discriminative contextual fear conditioning task and cue-place water task. Pregnant dams in the social isolation group were single housed prior to and throughout gestation. Once offspring reached adulthood the male offspring were trained on a contextual fear conditioning task in which rats were trained to associate one of two contexts with an aversive stimulus and the opposing context remained neutral. Afterwards a cue-place water task was performed during which they were required to navigate to both a visible and invisible platform. Fear conditioning results revealed that the adult offspring of socially isolated mothers, but not controls, were impaired in associating a specific context with a fear-inducing stimulus as assessed by conditioned freezing and avoidance. Results from the water task indicate that adult offspring of mothers that were socially isolated showed place learning deficits but not stimulus-response habit learning on the same task. These cognitive impairments, in the offspring of socially isolated dams, occurred in the absence of maternal elevated stress hormone levels, anxiety, or altered mothering. Some evidence suggested that maternal blood-glucose levels were altered particularly during gestation. Our results provide further support for the idea that learning and memory networks, centered on the amygdala and hippocampus are particularly susceptible to the negative impacts of maternal social isolation and these effects can occur without elevated glucocorticoid levels associated with other forms of prenatal stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J McDonald
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Nancy S Hong
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Jan S Trow
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Chelsea Kaupp
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - R J Balog
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - London Gokarn
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Erin A Falkenberg
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Keiko J McCreary
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Nasrin Soltanpour
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Carter Witbeck
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Aimee McKenna
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Gerlinde A S Metz
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Dr., Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
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Dell’Acqua C, Palomba D, Patron E, Messerotti Benvenuti S. Rethinking the risk for depression using the RDoC: A psychophysiological perspective. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1108275. [PMID: 36814670 PMCID: PMC9939768 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1108275] [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: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Considering that the classical categorical approach to mental disorders does not allow a clear identification of at-risk conditions, the dimensional approach provided by the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) is useful in the exploration of vulnerability to psychopathology. In the RDoC era, psychophysiological models have an important role in the reconceptualization of mental disorders. Indeed, progress in the study of depression vulnerability has increasingly been informed by psychophysiological models. By adopting an RDoC lens, this narrative review focuses on how psychophysiological models can be used to advance our knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying depression vulnerability. Findings from psychophysiological research that explored multiple RDoC domains in populations at-risk for depression are reviewed and discussed. Future directions for the application of psychophysiological research in reaching a more complete understanding of depression vulnerability and, ultimately, improving clinical utility, are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carola Dell’Acqua
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy,Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padua, Italy,*Correspondence: Carola Dell’Acqua, ✉
| | - Daniela Palomba
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy,Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Simone Messerotti Benvenuti
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy,Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padua, Italy,Hospital Psychology Unit, Padua University Hospital, Padua, Italy
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4
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Kaiser T, Herzog P, Voderholzer U, Brakemeier EL. Unraveling the comorbidity of depression and anxiety in a large inpatient sample: Network analysis to examine bridge symptoms. Depress Anxiety 2021; 38:307-317. [PMID: 33465284 DOI: 10.1002/da.23136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comorbidities in mental disorders are often understood by assuming a common cause. The network theory of mental disorders offers an alternative to this assumption by understanding comorbidities as mutually reinforced problems. In this study, we used network analysis to examine bridge symptoms between anxiety and depression in a large sample. METHOD Using data from a sample of patients diagnosed with both depression and an anxiety disorder before and after inpatient treatment (N = 5,614, mean age: 42.24, 63.59% female, average treatment duration: 48.12 days), network models of depression and anxiety symptoms are estimated. Topology, the centrality of nodes, stability, and changes in network structure are analyzed. Symptoms that drive comorbidity are determined by bridge node analysis. As an alternative to network communities based on categorical diagnosis, we performed a community analysis and propose empirically derived symptom subsets. RESULTS The obtained network models are highly stable. Sad mood and the inability to control worry are the most central. Psychomotor agitation or retardation is the strongest bridge node between anxiety and depression, followed by concentration problems and restlessness. Changes in appetite and suicidality were unique to depression. Community analysis revealed four symptom groups. CONCLUSION The estimated network structure of depression and anxiety symptoms proves to be highly accurate. Results indicate that some symptoms are considerably more influential than others and that only a small number of predominantly physical symptoms are strong candidates for explaining comorbidity. Future studies should include physiological measures in network models to provide a more accurate understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Kaiser
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Philipp Herzog
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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5
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Lee YC, Fine A, Protsenko E, Massarotti E, Edwards RR, Mawla I, Napadow V, Loggia ML. Brain Correlates of Continuous Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis as Measured by Pulsed Arterial Spin Labeling. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2019; 71:308-318. [PMID: 29781581 DOI: 10.1002/acr.23601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Central nervous system pathways involving pain modulation shape the pain experience in patients with chronic pain. The aims of this study were to understand the mechanisms underlying pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to identify brain signals that may serve as imaging markers for developing targeted treatments for RA-related pain. METHODS Patients with RA and matched control subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging, using pulsed arterial spin labeling. The imaging conditions included 1) resting state, 2) low-intensity stimulus, and 3) high-intensity stimulus. Stimuli consisted of mechanical pressure applied to metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints with an automated cuff inflator. The low-intensity stimulus was inflation to 30 mm Hg. The high-intensity stimulus was the amount of pressure required to achieve a pain intensity rating of 40 on a 100-point scale for each RA patient, with the same amount of pressure used in the matched control. RESULTS Among RA patients, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the medial frontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increased during both low-pressure and high-pressure stimulation. No rCBF changes were observed in pain-free controls. Region-of-interest analyses in RA patients showed that baseline rCBF in the medial frontal cortex was negatively correlated with the pressure required for the high-intensity stimulus and positively correlated with pain induced by the low-intensity stimulus. Baseline rCBF was also marginally correlated with disease activity). Regional CBF during high pain was positively correlated with pain severity and pain interference. CONCLUSION In response to clinically relevant joint pain evoked by pressure applied to the MCP joint, neural processing in the medial frontal cortex increases and is directly associated with clinical pain in patients with RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne C Lee
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alexander Fine
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ekaterina Protsenko
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Elena Massarotti
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert R Edwards
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ishtiaq Mawla
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Vitaly Napadow
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marco L Loggia
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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6
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Abnormal emotional reactivity in depression: Contrasting theoretical models using neurophysiological data. Biol Psychol 2019; 141:35-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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7
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Sen ZD, Temucin CM, Başar K, Ulug BD, Gökcen O, Özer S. Alteration of the affective modulation of the startle reflex during antidepressant treatment. Psychophysiology 2018; 56:e13286. [PMID: 30259986 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Whereas the amplitude of the startle reflex varies with stimulus valence in the normal population, a lack of this affective modulation has been reported in patients with major depressive disorder. The present study sought to clarify blunted startle modulation as a feature of depression by comparing 16 patients diagnosed with major depression prior to and after 2 weeks of SSRI treatment, and 16 healthy controls. The affect-modulated startle reflex paradigm and the Self-Assessment Manikin were used to probe affective reactivity. In addition, a preliminary analysis of change in affective reactivity pattern was performed with depressed patients who could be assessed in the eighth week of treatment (n = 13). The control group showed a linear trend in response across valence categories, which was stable over sessions. Blunted affective reactivity was observed only in the patients and persisted after 2 weeks of treatment. Nevertheless, a linear trend could be detected in the eighth week of treatment. These findings confirm that the affective reactivity is blunted in depression and provide initial evidence for the lack of change in the early phase of SSRI antidepressant treatment. Nevertheless, in a small group, the emergence of a linear trend in response was evident later with treatment. Large-scale studies are required to assess the relation between the treatment response and the change in affective modulation of the startle reflex, as a potential biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zümrüt Duygu Sen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Koray Başar
- Department of Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Onur Gökcen
- Evliya Celebi Research Hospital, University of Dumlupinar, Kütahya, Turkey
| | - Suzan Özer
- Department of Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
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8
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Rottenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620-7200
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9
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Chen JI, Hergert DC. New perspectives in mental health: addressing cognitive deficits in remitted depression. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs 2017; 24:252-259. [PMID: 28177555 DOI: 10.1111/jpm.12374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J I Chen
- HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - D C Hergert
- Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Science, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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10
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Benning SD, Ait Oumeziane B. Reduced positive emotion and underarousal are uniquely associated with subclinical depression symptoms: Evidence from psychophysiology, self-report, and symptom clusters. Psychophysiology 2017; 54:1010-1030. [PMID: 28322458 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Multiple models of aberrant emotional processing in depression have been advanced. However, it is unclear which of these models best applies to emotional disturbances in subclinical depressive symptoms. The current study employed a battery of psychophysiological measures and emotional ratings in a picture-viewing paradigm to examine whether the underarousal, low positive emotion, heightened negative emotion, or emotion context insensitivity model of emotional dysfunction in subclinical depressive symptoms received greatest support. Postauricular reflex and skin conductance response potentiation for pleasant minus neutral pictures (measuring low positive emotion), overall skin conductance magnitude and late positive potential (LPP) amplitude (measuring underarousal), and pleasant minus aversive valence ratings (measuring emotion context insensitivity) and aversive minus neutral arousal ratings (measuring heightened negative emotionality) were all negatively related to depressive symptomatology. Of these, postauricular reflex potentiation and overall LPP amplitude were incrementally associated with depressive symptoms over the other measures. Postauricular reflex potentiation, overall skin conductance magnitude, and aversive minus neutral arousal ratings were incrementally associated with depressive symptomatology after controlling for other symptoms of internalizing disorders. Though no model was unequivocally superior, the low positive emotion and underarousal models received the most support from physiological measures and symptom reports, with self-report data matching patterns consistent with the emotion context insensitivity model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Belel Ait Oumeziane
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
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11
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Hazlett EA, Blair NJ, Fernandez N, Mascitelli K, Perez-Rodriguez MM, New AS, Goetz RR, Goodman M. Startle amplitude during unpleasant pictures is greater in veterans with a history of multiple-suicide attempts and predicts a future suicide attempt. Psychophysiology 2016; 53:1524-34. [PMID: 27378071 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Recent studies demonstrate that veterans exhibit higher suicide risk compared with the general U.S. POPULATION A prior suicide attempt is a well-documented predictor of suicide death. Despite increased attention to clinical risk factors of suicide and efforts to develop psychosocial interventions to reduce suicide risk, the underlying biological factors that confer this risk are not well understood. This study examined affect-modulated startle (AMS) during a series of intermixed unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant pictures in a sample of 108 demographically-matched veterans at low (passive ideators: n = 26) and high risk (active ideators: n = 29; single attempters: n = 28; and multiple attempters: n = 25) for suicide based on the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. An exploratory aim involved a longitudinal component in a subset of the high-risk sample that went on to participate in a randomized 6-month clinical trial. We investigated whether baseline AMS predicts a subsequent suicide attempt at 12-month follow-up. Compared with the other three groups, multiple attempters showed greater startle potentiation during unpleasant pictures and deficient overall startle habituation from early to later trials. The groups did not differ in startle during neutral or pleasant pictures, or self-reported picture valence. Greater startle during unpleasant pictures was associated with greater emotion dysregulation as measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and a future suicide attempt assessed prospectively at 12-month follow-up. These findings suggest that startle potentiation during unpleasant pictures in multiple-suicide attempters is a promising psychophysiological biomarker of suicide risk and underscore the clinical importance of targeting emotion dysregulation in the treatment of patients at-risk for suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin A Hazlett
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA. .,Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC VISN 2 South), James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA. .,Research and Development, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.
| | - Nicholas J Blair
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC VISN 2 South), James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.,Research and Development, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Nicolas Fernandez
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC VISN 2 South), James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.,Research and Development, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Kathryn Mascitelli
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC VISN 2 South), James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.,Research and Development, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | | | - Antonia S New
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Raymond R Goetz
- Division of Clinical Phenomenology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA.,Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Marianne Goodman
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC VISN 2 South), James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
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12
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Iorfino F, Hickie IB, Lee RSC, Lagopoulos J, Hermens DF. The underlying neurobiology of key functional domains in young people with mood and anxiety disorders: a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry 2016; 16:156. [PMID: 27215830 PMCID: PMC4878058 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-016-0852-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mood and anxiety disorders are leading causes of disability and mortality, due largely to their onset during adolescence and young adulthood and broader impact on functioning. Key factors that are associated with disability and these disorders in young people are social and economic participation (e.g. education, employment), physical health, suicide and self-harm behaviours, and alcohol and substance use. A better understanding of the objective markers (i.e. neurobiological parameters) associated with these factors is important for the development of effective early interventions that reduce the impact of disability and illness persistence. METHODS We systematically reviewed the literature for neurobiological parameters (i.e. neuropsychology, neuroimaging, sleep-wake and circadian biology, neurophysiology and metabolic measures) associated with functional domains in young people (12 to 30 years) with mood and/or anxiety disorders. RESULTS Of the one hundred and thirty-four studies selected, 7.6 % investigated social and economic participation, 2.1 % physical health, 15.3 % suicide and self-harm behaviours, 6.9 % alcohol and substance use, whereas the majority (68.1 %) focussed on clinical syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Despite the predominance of studies that solely examine the clinical syndrome of young people the literature also provides evidence of distinct associations among objective measures (indexing various aspects of brain circuitry) and other functional domains. We suggest that a shift in focus towards characterising the mechanisms that underlie and/or mediate multiple functional domains will optimise personalised interventions and improve illness trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Iorfino
- Clinical Research Unit, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 94 Mallet Street, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Ian B Hickie
- Clinical Research Unit, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 94 Mallet Street, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Rico S C Lee
- Clinical Research Unit, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 94 Mallet Street, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Jim Lagopoulos
- Clinical Research Unit, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 94 Mallet Street, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Daniel F Hermens
- Clinical Research Unit, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 94 Mallet Street, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia.
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13
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Altered emotion modulated startle in women with a history of childhood neglect. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2015.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Seeley SH, Mennin DS, Aldao A, McLaughlin KA, Rottenberg J, Fresco DM. Impact of Comorbid Depressive Disorders on Subjective and Physiological Responses to Emotion in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2015; 40:290-303. [PMID: 27660375 DOI: 10.1007/s10608-015-9744-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and unipolar depressive disorders (UDD) have been shown to differ from each other in dimensions of affective functioning despite their high rates of comorbidity. We showed emotional film clips to a community sample (n = 170) with GAD, GAD with secondary UDD, or no diagnosis. Groups had comparable subjective responses to the clips, but the GAD group had significantly lower heart rate variability (HRV) during fear and after sadness, compared to controls. While HRV in the GAD and control groups rose in response to the sadness and happiness clips, it returned to baseline levels afterwards in the GAD group, potentially indicating lesser ability to sustain attention on emotional stimuli. HRV in the GAD + UDD group changed only in response to sadness, but was otherwise unvarying between timepoints. Though preliminary, these findings suggest comorbid UDD as a potential moderator of emotional responding in GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saren H Seeley
- The University of Arizona, 1503 East University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Douglas S Mennin
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, HN742, New York, NY 10065, USA; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Amelia Aldao
- Ohio State University, 1835 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Katie A McLaughlin
- University of Washington, 3939 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | | | - David M Fresco
- Kent State University, 226 Kent Hall Annex, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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15
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Vaidyanathan U, Vrieze SI, Iacono WG. The Power of Theory, Research Design, and Transdisciplinary Integration in Moving Psychopathology Forward. PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY 2015; 26:209-230. [PMID: 27030789 PMCID: PMC4809358 DOI: 10.1080/1047840x.2015.1015367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
While the past few decades have seen much work in psychopathology research that has yielded provocative insights, relatively little progress has been made in understanding the etiology of mental disorders. We contend that this is due to an overreliance on statistics and technology with insufficient attention to adequacy of experimental design, a lack of integration of data across various domains of research, and testing of theoretical models using relatively weak study designs. We provide a conceptual discussion of these issues and follow with a concrete demonstration of our proposed solution. Using two different disorders - depression and substance use - as examples, we illustrate how we can evaluate competing theories regarding their etiology by integrating information from various domains including latent variable models, neurobiology, and quasi-experimental data such as twin and adoption studies, rather than relying on any single methodology alone. More broadly, we discuss the extent to which such integrative thinking allows for inferences about the etiology of mental disorders, rather than focusing on descriptive correlates alone. Greater scientific insight will require stringent tests of competing theories and a deeper conceptual understanding of the advantages and pitfalls of methodologies and criteria we use in our studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uma Vaidyanathan
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, N218 Elliot Hall, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Scott I Vrieze
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado – Boulder, 1480 30 Street, Boulder, CO 80303
| | - William G. Iacono
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, N218 Elliot Hall, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455
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16
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Rottenberg J, Hindash AC. Emerging evidence for emotion context insensitivity in depression. Curr Opin Psychol 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2014.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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17
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Vaidyanathan U, Malone SM, Miller MB, McGue M, Iacono WG. Heritability and molecular genetic basis of acoustic startle eye blink and affectively modulated startle response: a genome-wide association study. Psychophysiology 2014; 51:1285-99. [PMID: 25387708 PMCID: PMC4231542 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Acoustic startle responses have been studied extensively in relation to individual differences and psychopathology. We examined three indices of the blink response in a picture-viewing paradigm-overall startle magnitude across all picture types, and aversive and pleasant modulation scores-in 3,323 twins and parents. Biometric models and molecular genetic analyses showed that half the variance in overall startle was due to additive genetic effects. No single nucleotide polymorphism was genome-wide significant, but GRIK3 produced a significant effect when examined as part of a candidate gene set. In contrast, emotion modulation scores showed little evidence of heritability in either biometric or molecular genetic analyses. However, in a genome-wide scan, PARP14 produced a significant effect for aversive modulation. We conclude that, although overall startle retains potential as an endophenotype, emotion-modulated startle does not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uma Vaidyanathan
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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18
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Aversive startle potentiation and fear pathology: Mediating role of threat sensitivity and moderating impact of depression. Int J Psychophysiol 2014; 98:262-269. [PMID: 25448265 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2014.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Revised: 10/24/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Enhanced startle reactivity during exposure to unpleasant cues (aversive startle potentiation; ASP) appears in the RDoC matrix as a physiological index of acute threat response. Increased ASP has been linked to focal fear disorders and to scale measures of dispositional fearfulness (i.e., threat sensitivity; THT+). However, some studies have reported reduced ASP for fear pathology accompanied by major depressive disorder (MDD) or pervasive distress. The current study evaluated whether (a) THT+ as indexed by reported dispositional fearfulness mediates the relationship between fear disorders (when unaccompanied by depression) and ASP, and (b) depression moderates relations of THT+ and fear disorders with ASP. Fear disorder participants without MDD showed enhanced ASP whereas those with MDD (or other distress conditions) showed evidence of reduced ASP. Continuous THT+ scores also predicted ASP, and this association: (a) was likewise moderated by depression/distress, and (b) accounted for the relationship between ASP and fear pathology without MDD. These findings point to a role for the RDoC construct of acute threat, operationalized dispositionally, in enhanced ASP shown by individuals with fear pathology unaccompanied by distress pathology.
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