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Jenkins KC, Difatta J, Jones EE, Kreutzer KA, Way BM, Phan KL, Gorka SM. Sleep quality impacts the link between reactivity to uncertain threat and anxiety and alcohol use in youth. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14490. [PMID: 38217499 PMCID: PMC10922133 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Individual differences in reactivity to unpredictable threat (U-threat) have repeatedly been linked to symptoms of anxiety and drinking behavior. An emerging theory is that individuals who are hyper-reactive to U-threat experience chronic anticipatory anxiety, hyperarousal, and are vulnerable to excessive alcohol use via negative reinforcement processes. Notably, anxiety and alcohol use commonly relate to disruptions in sleep behavior and recent findings suggest that sleep quality may impact the link between reactivity to U-threat and psychiatric symptoms and behaviors. The aim of the current study was to examine the unique and interactive effects of reactivity to U-threat and sleep quality on anxiety symptoms and drinking behavior in a cohort of youth, ages 16-19 years. Participants (N = 112) completed a well-validated threat-of-shock task designed to probe individual differences in reactivity to U-threat and predictable threat (P-threat). Startle eyeblink potentiation was recorded during the task as an index of aversive reactivity. Participants also completed well-validated self-report measures of anxiety and depression symptoms, lifetime alcohol use, and current sleep quality. Results revealed significant startle reactivity to U-threat by sleep quality interactions on anxiety symptoms and lifetime drinking behavior. At high levels of sleep disturbance (only), greater reactivity to U-threat was associated with greater anxiety symptoms and total number of lifetime alcoholic beverages. These results suggest that sensitivity to uncertainty and chronic hyperarousal increases anxiety symptoms and alcohol use behavior, particularly in the context of poor sleep quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn C Jenkins
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Jordan Difatta
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Emily E Jones
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Kayla A Kreutzer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Baldwin M Way
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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2
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Gao Y, Gao D, Zhang H, Zheng D, Du J, Yuan C, Mingxi Ma, Yin Y, Wang J, Zhang X, Wang Y. BLA DBS improves anxiety and fear by correcting weakened synaptic transmission from BLA to adBNST and CeL in a mouse model of foot shock. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113766. [PMID: 38349792 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113766] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the basal lateral amygdala (BLA) has been established to correct symptoms of refractory post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, how BLA DBS operates in correcting PTSD symptoms and how the BLA elicits pathological fear and anxiety in PTSD remain unclear. Here, we discover that excitatory synaptic transmission from the BLA projection neurons (PNs) to the adBNST, and lateral central amygdala (CeL) is greatly suppressed in a mouse PTSD model induced by foot shock (FS). BLA DBS revises the weakened inputs from the BLA to these two areas to improve fear and anxiety. Optogenetic manipulation of the BLA-adBNST and BLA-CeL circuits shows that both circuits are responsible for anxiety but the BLA-CeL for fear in FS mice. Our results reveal that synaptic transmission dysregulation of the BLA-adBNST or BLA-CeL circuits is reversed by BLA DBS, which improves anxiety and fear in the FS mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Gao
- Center of Cognition and Brain Science, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dawen Gao
- Center of Cognition and Brain Science, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Center of Cognition and Brain Science, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Danhao Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences-Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Jun Du
- Center of Cognition and Brain Science, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Yuan
- Center of Cognition and Brain Science, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mingxi Ma
- Center of Cognition and Brain Science, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yao Yin
- Center of Cognition and Brain Science, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences-Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience & Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yizheng Wang
- Center of Cognition and Brain Science, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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3
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Blanchard DC, Canteras NS. In Search of the Behavioral and Neural Basis for Differentiating Fear and Anxiety. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:394-395. [PMID: 38298787 PMCID: PMC10829656 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- D. Caroline Blanchard
- Pacific Bioscience Research Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Manoa, Hawaii
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Newton S. Canteras
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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4
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Wendt J, Kuhn M, Hamm AO, Lonsdorf TB. Recent advances in studying brain-behavior interactions using functional imaging: The primary startle response pathway and its affective modulation in humans. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14364. [PMID: 37402156 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14364] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
The startle response is a cross-species defensive reflex that is considered a key tool for cross-species translational emotion research. While the neural pathway mediating (affective) startle modulation has been extensively studied in rodents, human work on brain-behavior interactions has lagged in the past due to technical challenges, which have only recently been overcome through non-invasive simultaneous EMG-fMRI assessments. We illustrate key paradigms and methodological tools for startle response assessment in rodents and humans and review evidence for primary and modulatory neural circuits underlying startle responses and their affective modulation in humans. Based on this, we suggest a refined and integrative model for primary and modulatory startle response pathways in humans concluding that there is strong evidence from human work on the neurobiological pathway underlying the primary startle response while evidence for the modulatory pathway is still sparse. In addition, we provide methodological considerations to guide future work and provide an outlook on new and exciting perspectives enabled through technical and theoretical advances outlined in this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Wendt
- Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, University of Potsdam, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Manuel Kuhn
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Alfons O Hamm
- Department of Physiological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Tina B Lonsdorf
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Bielefeld, Germany
- Institute for Psychology, Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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5
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Wilson KA, MacNamara A. Transdiagnostic Fear and Anxiety: Prospective Prediction Using the No-Threat, Predictable Threat, and Unpredictable Threat Task. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 3:930-938. [PMID: 37881540 PMCID: PMC10593901 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.10.004] [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: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Fear and anxiety are distinct dimensions of psychopathology that may be characterized by differences in dimensional threat reactivity. Heightened response to predictable threat is hypothesized to underlie fear symptomatology, whereas increased response to unpredictable threat may underlie anxiety. Despite widespread acceptance of this model, these purported associations have rarely been tested, and the prognostic value of predictable and unpredictable threat responding is unclear. Here we examined multilevel indicators of predictable and unpredictable threat response as cross-sectional correlates and prospective predictors of transdiagnostic fear and anxiety. Methods Fifty-two individuals with varying levels of internalizing psychopathology (31 female) performed the no-threat, predictable threat, and unpredictable threat task. Transdiagnostic fear and anxiety were assessed at baseline (time 1) and approximately 1.5 years later (time 2). We used event-related potential, the stimulus-preceding negativity, as a measure of threat anticipation and startle eyeblink as a measure of defensive reactivity during the no-threat, predictable threat, and unpredictable threat task. These probes were assessed as cross-sectional correlates and prospective predictors of fear and anxiety. Results Participants with larger time 1 stimulus-preceding negativities to predictable threat were characterized by greater time 1 fear. Larger time 1 stimulus-preceding negativities to unpredictable threat were associated with greater increases in time 2 anxiety. Heightened time 1 startle to predictable threat predicted larger increases in time 2 fear. Conclusions Results validate predictable and unpredictable threat responding as dimensional correlates of transdiagnostic fear versus anxiety and suggest that psychophysiological measures of predictable and unpredictable threat response hold promise as prospective predictors of trajectories of fear and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla A. Wilson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Annmarie MacNamara
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
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6
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Carsten HP, Härpfer K, Nelson BD, Kathmann N, Riesel A. Don't worry, it won't be fine. Contributions of worry and anxious arousal to startle responses and event-related potentials in threat anticipation. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023:10.3758/s13415-023-01094-4. [PMID: 37106311 PMCID: PMC10400686 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01094-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
A widely shared framework suggests that anxiety maps onto two dimensions: anxious apprehension and anxious arousal. Previous research linked individual differences in these dimensions to differential neural response patterns in neuropsychological, imaging, and physiological studies. Differential effects of the anxiety dimensions might contribute to inconsistencies in prior studies that examined neural processes underlying anxiety, such as hypersensitivity to unpredictable threat. We investigated the association between trait worry (as a key component of anxious apprehension), anxious arousal, and the neural processing of anticipated threat. From a large online community sample (N = 1,603), we invited 136 participants with converging and diverging worry and anxious arousal profiles into the laboratory. Participants underwent the NPU-threat test with alternating phases of unpredictable threat, predictable threat, and safety, while physiological responses (startle reflex and startle probe locked event-related potential components N1 and P3) were recorded. Worry was associated with increased startle responses to unpredictable threat and increased attentional allocation (P3) to startle probes in predictable threat anticipation. Anxious arousal was associated with increased startle and N1 in unpredictable threat anticipation. These results suggest that trait variations in the anxiety dimensions shape the dynamics of neural processing of threat. Specifically, trait worry seems to simultaneously increase automatic defensive preparation during unpredictable threat and increase attentional responding to threat-irrelevant stimuli during predictable threat anticipation. The current study highlights the utility of anxiety dimensions to understand how physiological responses during threat anticipation are altered in anxiety and supports that worry is associated with hypersensitivity to unpredictable, aversive contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Per Carsten
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Kai Härpfer
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Brady D Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Norbert Kathmann
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Riesel
- Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 11, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
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7
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Zainal NH, Hellberg SN, Kabel KE, Hotchkin CM, Baker AW. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) plus attention bias modification (ABM) reduces anxiety sensitivity and depressive symptoms in panic disorder: A pilot randomized trial. Scand J Psychol 2023. [PMID: 36707979 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive bias theories propose that reducing threat hypervigilance in mental disorders can augment cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) outcomes. However, no studies have tested whether adding attention bias modification (ABM) can effectively enhance CBT's effects on anxiety sensitivity (AS), electromyography (EMG), and skin conductance (SC) for panic disorder (PD). This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) thus aimed to evaluate the efficacy of CBT + ABM (vs. CBT plus attention training placebo; PBO) on those outcomes. METHOD This study is a secondary analysis (Baker et al., 2020). Adults with PD were randomized to receive CBT + ABM (n = 11) or CBT + PBO (n = 12). Before each of the first five CBT sessions, CBT + ABM and CBT + PBO participants completed a 15-min ABM task or attention training PBO, respectively. AS and depression severity as well as SC and EMG during habituation to a loud-tone startle paradigm were assessed. Hierarchical Bayesian analyses were conducted. RESULTS During pre-post-treatment and pre-follow-up, CBM + ABM (vs. CBT + PBO) led to a notably greater reduction in ASI-Physical (between-group d = -1.26 to -1.25), ASI-Cognitive (d = -1.16 to -1.10), and depression severity (d = -1.23 to -0.99). However, no between-group difference was observed for ASI-Social, EMG, or SC indices. DISCUSSION Adding a brief computerized ABM intervention to CBT for PD protocols may enhance therapeutic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Hani Zainal
- Department of Healthcare Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samantha N Hellberg
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Katherine E Kabel
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claire M Hotchkin
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda W Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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8
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Manzler CA, Radoman M, Khorrami KJ, Gorka SM. Association between startle reactivity to uncertain threats and structural brain volume. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14074. [PMID: 35579909 PMCID: PMC10080733 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sensitivity to uncertain threat (U-threat) is a clinically important individual difference factor in multiple psychopathologies. Recent studies have implicated a specific frontolimbic circuit as a key network involved in the anticipation of aversive stimuli. In particular, the insula, thalamus, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) have recently been found to be robustly activated by anticipation of U-threat. However, no study to date has examined the association between U-threat reactivity and structural brain volume. In the present study, we utilized a pooled sample of 186 young adult volunteers who completed a structural MRI scan and the well-validated No-Predictable-Unpredictable (NPU) threat of electric shock task. Startle eyeblink potentiation was collected during the NPU task as an objective index of aversive reactivity. ROI-based analyses revealed that increased startle reactivity to U-threat was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the right insula and bilateral thalamus, but not the dACC. These results add to a growing literature implicating the insula and thalamus as core nodes involved in individual differences in U-threat reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles A Manzler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Milena Radoman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Kia J Khorrami
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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9
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Jelinčić V, Torta DM, Van Diest I, von Leupoldt A. The effects of unpredictability and negative affect on perception and neural gating in different interoceptive modalities. Biol Psychol 2022; 169:108267. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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10
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Benke C, Alius MG, Hamm AO, Pané-Farré CA. Defensive Mobilization During Anticipation of Symptom Provocation: Association With Panic Pathology. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 8:397-405. [PMID: 34823048 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxious apprehension about feared body symptoms is thought to play a crucial role in the development, chronicity, and treatment of panic disorder (PD). In this study, we therefore aimed to elucidate the role of defensive reactivity to anticipated unpleasant symptoms in PD that can contribute to a better understanding of pathomechanisms of PD as well as identification of potential targets in PD-focused interventions. By measuring amygdala-dependent potentiation of the startle reflex, we aimed to investigate whether 1) patients with PD exhibit a specifically increased defensive reactivity to anticipated unpleasant body symptoms and 2) whether clinical severity of panic symptomatology varies with magnitude of defensive activation. METHODS Defensive mobilization to anticipated threat was investigated in 73 patients with a primary diagnosis of PD with agoraphobia (PDA) and 52 healthy control subjects. Threat of symptom provocation was established by a standardized hyperventilation task and contrasted to threat of shock to the forearm of the participant. RESULTS Patients with PDA and healthy control subjects did not differ in their defensive responses during anticipation of shock. In contrast, patients with severe PDA as compared with healthy control subjects exhibited increased defensive response mobilization and reported more anxiety and panic symptoms during anticipation of feared body symptoms. Moreover, startle potentiation during anticipation of hyperventilation covaried with the severity of panic symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS The present findings suggest that increased defensive mobilization during anticipation of body symptoms is a neurobiological correlate of severe PDA that should be specifically targeted in PD interventions and might be used to monitor treatment success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Benke
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Experimental Psychopathology, and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Manuela G Alius
- Department of Physiological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alfons O Hamm
- Department of Physiological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Christiane A Pané-Farré
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Experimental Psychopathology, and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, University of Marburg and University of Giessen, Marburg, Germany; Department of Physiological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
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11
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Daniel-Watanabe L, Fletcher PC. Are Fear and Anxiety Truly Distinct? BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 2:341-349. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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12
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Radoman M, Lieberman L, Jimmy J, Gorka SM. Shared and unique neural circuitry underlying temporally unpredictable threat and reward processing. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:370-382. [PMID: 33449089 PMCID: PMC7990065 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporally unpredictable stimuli influence behavior across species, as previously demonstrated for sequences of simple threats and rewards with fixed or variable onset. Neuroimaging studies have identified a specific frontolimbic circuit that may become engaged during the anticipation of temporally unpredictable threat (U-threat). However, the neural mechanisms underlying processing of temporally unpredictable reward (U-reward) are incompletely understood. It is also unclear whether these processes are mediated by overlapping or distinct neural systems. These knowledge gaps are noteworthy given that disruptions within these neural systems may lead to maladaptive response to uncertainty. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging data from a sample of 159 young adults, we showed that anticipation of both U-threat and U-reward elicited activation in the right anterior insula, right ventral anterior nucleus of the thalamus and right inferior frontal gyrus. U-threat also activated the right posterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, relative to U-reward. In contrast, U-reward elicited activation in the right fusiform and left middle occipital gyrus, relative to U-threat. Although there is some overlap in the neural circuitry underlying anticipation of U-threat and U-reward, these processes appear to be largely mediated by distinct circuits. Future studies are needed to corroborate and extend these preliminary findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Radoman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Lynne Lieberman
- Road Home Program, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Jagan Jimmy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
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13
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Tactile P300 to unpredictable electric shocks: Association with anxiety symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty, and neuroticism. Biol Psychol 2021; 162:108094. [PMID: 33878371 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The no, predictable, and unpredictable threat (NPU-threat) task is an experimental paradigm that delineates the anticipation of predictable vs. unpredictable threat. The current literature suggests that heightened defensive motivation in anticipation of unpredictable threat is associated with anxiety disorders and increased symptoms. Few investigations have examined whether a heightened response to actual threat is also associated with anxiety-related phenomenology. The present study examined the relationship between the tactile P300 to shock delivery during the NPU-threat task and individual differences in anxiety symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty, and neuroticism. Overall, the tactile P300 was enhanced in response to unpredictable shocks relative to predictable shocks. Greater tactile P300 enhancement to unpredictable shocks was associated with greater anxiety symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty, and neuroticism. The present study suggests that temporal unpredictability enhances attentional engagement to threat, which is greater in individuals characterized by narrow and broad anxiety constructs.
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14
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Lieberman L, Petrey K, Shankman SA, Phan KL, Gorka SM. Heightened reactivity to uncertain threat as a neurobehavioral marker of suicidal ideation in individuals with depression and anxiety. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 155:99-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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15
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Gender differences in anxiety: The mediating role of sensitivity to unpredictable threat. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 153:127-134. [PMID: 32417225 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders and symptoms disproportionately impact women relative to men, but it is unclear what mechanism(s) contribute to this phenomenon. The present study examined sensitivity to unpredictable threat as a potential mechanism of gender differences in panic symptoms. The sample included 67 participants (35 women) who completed the no, predictable, and unpredictable threat (NPU-threat) startle paradigm with electric shocks as the aversive stimulus. Participants also completed the self-report Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms to assess current panic and depression symptoms. Results indicated that women, relative to men, reported greater panic symptoms and demonstrated increased startle potentiation in anticipation of predictable and unpredictable threat. Furthermore, across all participants increased startle potentiation in anticipation of unpredictable (but not predictable) threat was associated with greater panic symptoms, but there was no relationship with depression symptoms. Finally, the gender difference in panic symptoms was mediated by startle potentiation in anticipation of unpredictable (but not predictable) threat. The present study suggests that a heightened sensitivity to unpredictable threat might be a mechanism that contributes to increased anxiety in women.
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16
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Lieberman L, Funkhouser CJ, Gorka SM, Liu H, Correa KA, Berenz EC, Phan KL, Shankman SA. The Relation Between Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Severity and Startle Potentiation to Predictable and Unpredictable Threat. J Nerv Ment Dis 2020; 208:397-402. [PMID: 32053566 PMCID: PMC10627509 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000001138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Aberrant threat reactivity has been implicated in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, the literature on this association is mixed. One factor that may contribute to this inconsistent association is differences in severity of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) across studies, but no studies have tested this hypothesis. The relation between PTSD and threat reactivity may also differ between unpredictable threats (U-threats) and predictable threats (P-threats), given burgeoning evidence to support a particular role for aberrant responding to U-threat in PTSD. The present study examined how PTSS severity relates to startle potentiation to U-threat and P-threat in a trauma-exposed community sample (N = 258). There was a negative linear, but not quadratic, relation between PTSS severity and startle potentiation to U-threat, but not P-threat. Blunted defensive responding to U-threat may therefore contribute to higher levels of PTSSs and may represent a novel treatment target for higher levels of PTSSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynne Lieberman
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois-Chicago
| | | | - Stephanie M. Gorka
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois-Chicago
| | - Huiting Liu
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago
| | | | - Erin C. Berenz
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago
| | - K. Luan Phan
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois-Chicago
- Anatomy and Cell Biology and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois-Chicago
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Mental Health Service Line
| | - Stewart A. Shankman
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois-Chicago
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
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17
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Radoman M, Phan KL, Gorka SM. Neural correlates of predictable and unpredictable threat in internalizing psychopathology. Neurosci Lett 2019; 701:193-201. [PMID: 30825592 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Converging lines of evidence suggest that heightened responding to unpredictable threat may be an important neurobiological marker of internalizing psychopathology (IP). Prior data also indicate that aversive responding to uncertainty may be mediated by hyperactivation of several brain regions within the frontolimbic circuit, namely the anterior insula (aINS) and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). To date, however, the majority of this research has been focused on individual diagnoses and it is unclear whether abnormal neural reactivity to unpredictable threat is observed within heterogeneous, transdiagnostic IP patient populations, as theory would suggest. The aim of the current study was to therefore examine the neural correlates of temporally unpredictable (U) and predictable (P) threat in a sample of healthy controls (n = 24) and patients with a broad range of IP diagnoses (n = 51). We also examined whether symptom severity measures of fear and distress/misery dimensions correlated with neural reactivity to U- and P-threat. All participants completed a modified version of a well-validated threat-of-shock task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Across all participants, U- and P-threat elicited heightened activation in the aINS and brainstem, while P-threat alone also activated the dACC. Relative to healthy controls, patients displayed greater activation in the right aINS during U-threat, and greater right brainstem activation during P-threat. In addition, we found that brainstem activity during U-threat correlated with fear, but not distress/misery, psychopathology. Taken together, these preliminary results suggest that exaggerated aINS reactivity during U-threat and brainstem reactivity during P-threat may have the potential to become important transdiagnostic biomarkers of IP; however, future research efforts are needed to corroborate and expand the present findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Radoman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Mental Health Service Line, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
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18
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Burkhardt A, Buff C, Brinkmann L, Feldker K, Gathmann B, Hofmann D, Straube T. Brain activation during disorder-related script-driven imagery in panic disorder: a pilot study. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2415. [PMID: 30787382 PMCID: PMC6382839 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38990-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite considerable effort, the neural correlates of altered threat-related processing in panic disorder (PD) remain inconclusive. Mental imagery of disorder-specific situations proved to be a powerful tool to investigate dysfunctional threat processing in anxiety disorders. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aimed at investigating brain activation in PD patients during disorder-related script-driven imagery. Seventeen PD patients and seventeen healthy controls (HC) were exposed to newly developed disorder-related and neutral narrative scripts while brain activation was measured with fMRI. Participants were encouraged to imagine the narrative scripts as vividly as possible and they rated their script-induced emotional states after the scanning session. PD patients rated disorder-related scripts as more arousing, unpleasant and anxiety-inducing as compared to HC. Patients relative to HC showed elevated activity in the right amygdala and the brainstem as well as decreased activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, and the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex to disorder-related vs. neutral scripts. The results suggest altered amygdala/ brainstem and prefrontal cortex engagement and point towards the recruitment of brain networks with opposed activation patterns in PD patients during script-driven imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Burkhardt
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany.
| | - Christine Buff
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Leonie Brinkmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Katharina Feldker
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Bettina Gathmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - David Hofmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 52, 48149, Muenster, Germany
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Fox AS, Shackman AJ. The central extended amygdala in fear and anxiety: Closing the gap between mechanistic and neuroimaging research. Neurosci Lett 2019; 693:58-67. [PMID: 29195911 PMCID: PMC5976525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders impose a staggering burden on public health, underscoring the need to develop a deeper understanding of the distributed neural circuits underlying extreme fear and anxiety. Recent work highlights the importance of the central extended amygdala, including the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and neighboring bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). Anatomical data indicate that the Ce and BST form a tightly interconnected unit, where different kinds of threat-relevant information can be integrated to assemble states of fear and anxiety. Neuroimaging studies show that the Ce and BST are engaged by a broad spectrum of potentially threat-relevant cues. Mechanistic work demonstrates that the Ce and BST are critically involved in organizing defensive responses to a wide range of threats. Studies in rodents have begun to reveal the specific molecules, cells, and microcircuits within the central extended amygdala that underlie signs of fear and anxiety, but the relevance of these tantalizing discoveries to human experience and disease remains unclear. Using a combination of focal perturbations and whole-brain imaging, a new generation of nonhuman primate studies is beginning to close this gap. This work opens the door to discovering the mechanisms underlying neuroimaging measures linked to pathological fear and anxiety, to understanding how the Ce and BST interact with one another and with distal brain regions to govern defensive responses to threat, and to developing improved intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology and University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland,College Park, MD 20742, United States.
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20
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Gorka SM, Lieberman L, Klumpp H, Kinney KL, Kennedy AE, Ajilore O, Francis J, Duffecy J, Craske MG, Nathan J, Langenecker S, Shankman SA, Phan KL. Reactivity to unpredictable threat as a treatment target for fear-based anxiety disorders. Psychol Med 2017; 47:2450-2460. [PMID: 28436351 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717000964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heightened reactivity to unpredictable threat (U-threat) is a core individual difference factor underlying fear-based psychopathology. Little is known, however, about whether reactivity to U-threat is a stable marker of fear-based psychopathology or if it is malleable to treatment. The aim of the current study was to address this question by examining differences in reactivity to U-threat within patients before and after 12-weeks of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). METHODS Participants included patients with principal fear (n = 22) and distress/misery disorders (n = 29), and a group of healthy controls (n = 21) assessed 12-weeks apart. A well-validated threat-of-shock task was used to probe reactivity to predictable (P-) and U-threat and startle eyeblink magnitude was recorded as an index of defensive responding. RESULTS Across both assessments, individuals with fear-based disorders displayed greater startle magnitude to U-threat relative to healthy controls and distress/misery patients (who did not differ). From pre- to post-treatment, startle magnitude during U-threat decreased only within the fear patients who received CBT. Moreover, within fear patients, the magnitude of decline in startle to U-threat correlated with the magnitude of decline in fear symptoms. For the healthy controls, startle to U-threat across the two time points was highly reliable and stable. CONCLUSIONS Together, these results indicate that startle to U-threat characterizes fear disorder patients and is malleable to treatment with CBT but not SSRIs within fear patients. Startle to U-threat may therefore reflect an objective, psychophysiological indicator of fear disorder status and CBT treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - L Lieberman
- Department of Psychology,University of Illinois-Chicago,1007 West Harrison St. (M/C 285) Chicago, IL 60607,USA
| | - H Klumpp
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - K L Kinney
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - A E Kennedy
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - O Ajilore
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - J Francis
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - J Duffecy
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - M G Craske
- Department of Psychology,University of California,Los Angeles, Franz Hall - Box 95156 Los Angeles, CA 90094,USA
| | - J Nathan
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - S Langenecker
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - S A Shankman
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
| | - K L Phan
- Department of Psychiatry,University of Illinois-Chicago,1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,USA
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21
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Impact of anxiety symptoms and problematic alcohol use on error-related brain activity. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 118:32-39. [PMID: 28606471 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are associated with enhanced defensive reactivity to errors, measured via the error-related negativity (ERN). There is some evidence to suggest that problematic alcohol use is also associated with an enhanced ERN; although prior studies have been almost exclusively in men and have yet to examine the potential interactive effects of anxiety and alcohol abuse symptoms. The aim of the current study was to address the gaps in this literature by examining the unique and interactive effects of anxiety symptoms and problematic alcohol use on the ERN in a sample of 79 heterogeneous internalizing disorder patients. All participants completed a flanker task designed to robustly elicit the ERN and questionnaires assessing current internalizing symptoms and problematic alcohol use. As expected, results revealed that greater anxiety symptoms, but not depressive symptoms, were associated with a more enhanced ERN. There was no main effect of problematic alcohol use but there was a significant anxiety by problematic alcohol use interaction. At high anxiety symptoms, greater problematic alcohol use was associated with a more enhanced ERN; at low anxiety symptoms, alcohol use was unrelated to the ERN. There was no depression by alcohol abuse interaction. The findings suggest that within anxious individuals, heightened reactivity to errors/threat may be related to risk for alcohol abuse. The findings also converge with a broader literature suggesting that heightened reactivity to threat may be a shared vulnerability factor for anxiety and alcohol abuse and a novel prevention and intervention target for anxiety-alcohol abuse comorbidity.
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Lieberman L, Stevens ES, Funkhouser CJ, Weinberg A, Sarapas C, Huggins AA, Shankman SA. How many blinks are necessary for a reliable startle response? A test using the NPU-threat task. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 114:24-30. [PMID: 28163133 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Emotion-modulated startle is a frequently used method in affective science. Although there is a growing literature on the reliability of this measure, it is presently unclear how many startle responses are necessary to obtain a reliable signal. The present study therefore evaluated the reliability of startle responding as a function of number of startle responses (NoS) during a widely used threat-of-shock paradigm, the NPU-threat task, in a clinical (N=205) and non-clinical (N=92) sample. In the clinical sample, internal consistency was also examined independently for healthy controls vs. those with panic disorder and/or major depression and retest reliability was assessed as a function of NoS. Although results varied somewhat by diagnosis and for retest reliability, the overall pattern of results suggested that six startle responses per condition were necessary to obtain acceptable reliability in clinical and non-clinical samples during this threat-of-shock paradigm in the present study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynne Lieberman
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
| | - Elizabeth S Stevens
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
| | - Carter J Funkhouser
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
| | - Anna Weinberg
- McGill University, Department of Psychology, Montreal, QB, Canada
| | - Casey Sarapas
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
| | - Ashley A Huggins
- University of Wisconsin, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States
| | - Stewart A Shankman
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, Chicago, IL 60657, United States.
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23
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Gorka SM, Lieberman L, Shankman SA, Phan KL. Association between neural reactivity and startle reactivity to uncertain threat in two independent samples. Psychophysiology 2017; 54:652-662. [PMID: 28150320 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Prior studies indicate that anxiety disorders are associated with heightened sensitivity to uncertain threat (U threat). Individual differences in reactivity to U threat have been measured in the laboratory with two methodologies-startle eyeblink potentiation and fMRI. While startle and fMRI are purported to relate to each other, very little research exists on whether individual differences in one measure are associated with individual differences in another and, thus, whether startle and fMRI capture shared mechanisms. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate if and where in the brain measures of startle potentiation and fMRI BOLD signal correlate during response to U threat across two independent samples. Participants in both studies completed two threat anticipation tasks-once during collection of startle potentiation and once during fMRI. In Study 1 (n = 43), the startle and fMRI tasks both used electric shock as the threat. As an extension, in Study 2 (n = 38), the startle task used electric shock but the fMRI task used aversive images. Despite these methodological differences, greater startle potentiation to U threat was associated with greater dorsal anterior cingulate, caudate, and orbitofrontal cortex reactivity to U threat in both samples. The findings suggest that startle and fMRI measures of responding to U threat overlap, and points toward an integrated brain-behavior profile of aberrant U threat responding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lynne Lieberman
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Stewart A Shankman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Mental Health Service Line, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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