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Ilkevič E, Hausmann M, Grikšienė R. Emotion recognition and regulation in males: Role of sex and stress steroids. Front Neuroendocrinol 2024; 74:101145. [PMID: 38862092 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2024.101145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Understanding emotions in males is crucial given their higher susceptibility to substance use, interpersonal violence, and suicide compared to females. Steroid hormones are assumed to be critical biological factors that affect and modulate emotion-related behaviors, together with psychological and social factors. This review explores whether males' abilities to recognize emotions of others and regulate their own emotions are associated with testosterone, cortisol, and their interaction. Higher levels of testosterone were associated with improved recognition and heightened sensitivity to threatening faces. In contrast, higher cortisol levels positively impacted emotion regulation ability. Indirect evidence from neuroimaging research suggested a link between higher testosterone levels and difficulties in cognitive emotion regulation. However, this notion must be investigated in future studies using different emotion regulation strategies and considering social status. The present review contributes to the understanding of how testosterone and cortisol affect psychological well-being and emotional behavior in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Ilkevič
- Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Life Science Center, Vilnius University, Lithuania
| | | | - Ramunė Grikšienė
- Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Life Science Center, Vilnius University, Lithuania.
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2
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Hu R, Geng Y, Huang Y, Liu Z, Li F, Dong H, Ma W, Song K, Zhang M, Zhang Z, Song Y. New insights into the interaction between polycystic ovary syndrome and psychiatric disorders: A narrative review. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2024; 164:387-420. [PMID: 37458179 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disease characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and ovarian polycystic changes, which combines with reproductive problems, metabolic disorders, and psychological disorders to exhibit a far-reaching impact on the physical and mental health of women. We reviewed previous research and discovered that psychiatric disorders are more common in PCOS patients and their children, potentially exacerbating the condition and creating a vicious loop. To understand the reasons, relevant articles were collected following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines from PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, through December 2022. Evidence suggested that PCOS-related clinical manifestations, hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, obesity, gut dysbiosis, and other variables may increase the risk of psychiatric disorders in patients. In turn, psychiatric disorders may aggravate the pathologic process of PCOS and increase the difficulty of the treatment. We systematically reported the mechanisms underlying the psychiatric disorders-PCOS interactions, intending to provide potential ways to break the vicious cycle and lay the groundwork for future research. However, research on PCOS and psychiatric disorders were still in initial stages, which limited the scope of this review. More studies are needed to further verify our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runan Hu
- Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuli Geng
- Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanjing Huang
- Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhuo Liu
- Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fan Li
- Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Haoxu Dong
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenwen Ma
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Kunkun Song
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Mingmin Zhang
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhuo Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yufan Song
- Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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3
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Fricke K, Alexander N, Jacobsen T, Vogel S. Comparison of two reaction-time-based and one foraging-based behavioral approach-avoidance tasks in relation to interindividual differences and their reliability. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22376. [PMID: 38104189 PMCID: PMC10725419 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49864-x] [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: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Approaching rewards and avoiding punishments is a fundamental aspect of behavior, yet individuals differ in the extent of these behavioral tendencies. One popular method to assess differences in approach-avoidance tendencies and even modify them, is using behavioral tasks in which spontaneous responses to differently valenced stimuli are assessed (e.g., the visual joystick and the manikin task). Understanding whether these reaction-time-based tasks map onto the same underlying constructs, how they predict interindividual differences in theoretically related constructs and how reliable they are, seems vital to make informed judgements about current findings and future studies. In this preregistered study, 168 participants (81 self-identified men, 87 women) completed emotional face versions of these tasks as well as an alternative, foraging-based paradigm, the approach-avoidance-conflict task, and answered self-report questionnaires regarding anxiety, aggression, depressive symptoms, behavioral inhibition and activation. Importantly, approach-avoidance outcome measures of the two reaction-time-based tasks were unrelated with each other, showed little relation to self-reported interindividual differences and had subpar internal consistencies. In contrast, the approach-avoidance-conflict task was related to behavioral inhibition and aggression, and had good internal consistencies. Our study highlights the need for more research into optimizing behavioral approach-avoidance measures when using task-based approach-avoidance measures to assess interindividual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Fricke
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
- Medical School Hamburg, ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Nina Alexander
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039, Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Jacobsen
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Holstenhofweg 85, 22043, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Vogel
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
- Medical School Hamburg, ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
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4
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Kolla NJ, Tully J, Bertsch K. Neural correlates of aggression in personality disorders from the perspective of DSM-5 maladaptive traits: a systematic review. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:330. [PMID: 37884552 PMCID: PMC10603082 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02612-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published in 2013, includes an alternative model of personality disorders (AMPD) focusing on a maladaptive trait model utilized to diagnose several personality disorders. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are two conditions categorized by AMPD that exhibit high rates of violence and aggression. Several of the traits outlined in the AMPD, including hostility, impulsivity, risk-taking, and callousness, have been previously linked to aggression in BPD and ASPD. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has never been a synthesis of neuroimaging studies that have investigated links between these traits and aggression in BPD and ASPD. To overcome this gap, we conducted a systematic review under the PRISMA framework to locate neuroimaging articles published since the release of AMPD linking trait anger/hostility, impulsivity, risk-taking, and callousness to aggression in BPD and ASPD. Key findings included the following: i) anger/hostility, associated with alterations in the interplay between prefrontal and subcortical regions (primarily the amygdala), may be a common factor explaining aggressive reactions to response to interpersonal threat or provocation; ii) alterations of fronto-temporal-limbic regions and serotonergic and endocannabinoid signaling systems may link impulsivity to aggression in BPD and ASPD; iii) weaker cortico-striatal connectivity could relate to greater risk taking and greater proclivity for violence. Insufficient evidence from neuroimaging articles was discerned to describe a relationship between callousness and aggression. Overall, results of this review reveal a relative paucity of neuroimaging studies examining AMPD traits relevant to aggression in BPD and ASPD. In addition to encouraging further investigation of neuroimaging markers of AMPD traits linked to aggression, we recommend multi-methodological designs, including the incorporation of other biomarkers, such as hormones and indices of physiological arousal, to fully expand our understanding of aggression in BPD and ASPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J Kolla
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
| | - John Tully
- Academic Unit of Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Katja Bertsch
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
- NeuroImagine Core Unit Munich (NICUM), University Hospital LMU, Munich, Germany
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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5
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Bramson B, Meijer S, van Nuland A, Toni I, Roelofs K. Anxious individuals shift emotion control from lateral frontal pole to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4880. [PMID: 37573436 PMCID: PMC10423291 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40666-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxious individuals consistently fail in controlling emotional behavior, leading to excessive avoidance, a trait that prevents learning through exposure. Although the origin of this failure is unclear, one candidate system involves control of emotional actions, coordinated through lateral frontopolar cortex (FPl) via amygdala and sensorimotor connections. Using structural, functional, and neurochemical evidence, we show how FPl-based emotional action control fails in highly-anxious individuals. Their FPl is overexcitable, as indexed by GABA/glutamate ratio at rest, and receives stronger amygdalofugal projections than non-anxious male participants. Yet, high-anxious individuals fail to recruit FPl during emotional action control, relying instead on dorsolateral and medial prefrontal areas. This functional anatomical shift is proportional to FPl excitability and amygdalofugal projections strength. The findings characterize circuit-level vulnerabilities in anxious individuals, showing that even mild emotional challenges can saturate FPl neural range, leading to a neural bottleneck in the control of emotional action tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Bramson
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Behavioral Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Sjoerd Meijer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Annelies van Nuland
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ivan Toni
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Behavioral Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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6
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Nilsson SJ, Meder D, Madsen KH, Toni I, Siebner HR. Get to grips with motivation: Slipping and gripping movements are biased by approach-avoidance context. Front Psychol 2022; 13:989495. [PMID: 36329745 PMCID: PMC9623043 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.989495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
People are better at approaching appetitive cues signaling reward and avoiding aversive cues signaling punishment than vice versa. This action bias has previously been shown in approach-avoidance tasks involving arm movements in response to appetitive or aversive cues. It is not known whether appetitive or aversive stimuli also bias more distal dexterous actions, such as gripping and slipping, in a similar manner. To test this hypothesis, we designed a novel task involving grip force control (gripping and slipping) to probe gripping-related approach and avoidance behavior. 32 male volunteers, aged 18–40 years, were instructed to either grip (“approach”) or slip (”avoid”) a grip-force device with their right thumb and index finger at the sight of positive or negative images. In one version of this pincer grip task, participants were responding to graspable objects and in another version of the task they were responding to happy or angry faces. Bayesian repeated measures Analysis of variance revealed extreme evidence for an interaction between response type and cue valence (Bayes factor = 296). Participants were faster to respond in affect-congruent conditions (“approach appetitive,” “avoid aversive”) than in affect-incongruent conditions (“approach aversive,” “avoid appetitive”). This bias toward faster response times for affect-congruent conditions was present regardless of whether it was a graspable object or a face signaling valence. Since our results mirror the approach and avoidance effects previously observed for arm movements, we conclude that a tendency favoring affectively congruent cue-response mappings is an inherent feature of motor control and thus also includes precision grip.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Johanna Nilsson
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital – Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Sofie Johanna Nilsson,
| | - David Meder
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital – Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristoffer Hougaard Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital – Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ivan Toni
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Hartwig Roman Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital – Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Institute for Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Hartwig Roman Siebner,
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7
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Hofhansel L, Weidler C, Clemens B, Habel U, Votinov M. Personal insult disrupts regulatory brain networks in violent offenders. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4654-4664. [PMID: 36124828 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac369] [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: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The failure to adequately regulate negative emotions represents a prominent characteristic of violent offenders. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we used technical, nonsocial frustration to elicit anger in violent offenders (n = 19) and then increased the provocation by adding personal insults (social provocation). The aim was to investigate neural connectivity patterns involved in anger processing, to detect the effect of increasing provocation by personal insult, and to compare anger-related connectivity patterns between offenders and noncriminal controls (n = 12). During technical frustration, the offenders showed increased neural connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex compared to the controls. Conversely, personal insults, and thus increased levels of provocation, resulted in a significant reduction of neural connectivity between regions involved in cognitive control in the offenders but not controls. We conclude that, when (nonsocially) frustrated, offenders were able to employ regulatory brain networks by displaying stronger connectivity between regulatory prefrontal and limbic regions than noncriminal controls. In addition, offenders seemed particularly sensitive to personal insults, which led to increased implicit aggression (by means of motoric responses) and reduced connectivity in networks involved in cognitive control (including dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, middle/superior temporal regions).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Hofhansel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Strase 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Carmen Weidler
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Clemens
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Strase 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Mikhail Votinov
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Strase 52428 Jülich, Germany
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8
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Anabolic-androgenic steroid use is associated with psychopathy, risk-taking, anger, and physical problems. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9133. [PMID: 35650220 PMCID: PMC9160254 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13048-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has uncovered medical and psychological effects of anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use, but the specific relationship between AAS use and risk-taking behaviors as well as between AAS use and psychopathic tendencies remains understudied. To explore these potential relationships, we anonymously recruited 492 biologically male, self-identified bodybuilders (median age 22; range 18-47 years) from online bodybuilding fora to complete an online survey on Appearance and Performance Enhancing Drug (APED) use, psychological traits, lifestyle choices, and health behaviors. We computed odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using logistic regression, adjusting for age, race, education, exercise frequency, caloric intake, and lean BMI. Bodybuilders with a prior history of AAS use exhibited heightened odds of psychopathic traits, sexual and substance use risk-taking behaviors, anger problems, and physical problems compared to those with no prior history of AAS use. This study is among the first to directly assess psychopathy within AAS users. Our results on risk-taking, anger problems, and physical problems are consistent with prior AAS research as well as with existing frameworks of AAS use as a risk behavior. Future research should focus on ascertaining causality, specifically whether psychopathy is a risk associated with or a result of AAS use.
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9
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Wagels L, Habel U, Raine A, Clemens B. Neuroimaging, hormonal and genetic biomarkers for pathological aggression — success or failure? Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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10
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Neukel C, Bertsch K, Wenigmann M, Spieß K, Krauch M, Steinmann S, Herpertz SC. A Mechanism-Based Approach to Anti-Aggression Psychotherapy in Borderline Personality Disorder: Group Treatment Affects Amygdala Activation and Connectivity. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11121627. [PMID: 34942929 PMCID: PMC8699721 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11121627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggression is highly prevalent in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Previous studies have identified specific biobehavioral mechanisms underlying aggression in BPD, threat sensitivity being among them. We composited the mechanism-based anti-aggression psychotherapy (MAAP) in order to target these specific mechanisms, and MAAP was found to be superior to non-specific supportive psychotherapy (NSSP) in reducing aggressive behavior. In the present study, we investigated whether underlying brain mechanisms expected to be involved were affected by MAAP. To this end, n = 33 patients with BPD and overt aggressive behavior (n = 20 in MAAP, n = 13 in NSSP) and n = 25 healthy participants took part in a functional magnetic resonance imaging emotional face-matching task before and after treatment, or at a similar time interval for controls. Overt aggressive behavior was assessed using the overt aggression scale, modified. Results showed a decrease in amygdala activation in response to facial stimuli after MAAP, whereas an increase in amygdala activation was found after NSSP. Furthermore, in the MAAP group, connectivity between amygdala and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex increased from pre- to post-treatment compared to the NSSP group. Hence, the results suggest an impact of MAAP on brain mechanisms underlying the salience circuit in response to threat cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne Neukel
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany; (K.B.); (M.W.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.C.H.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Katja Bertsch
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany; (K.B.); (M.W.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.C.H.)
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80802 Munich, Germany
| | - Marc Wenigmann
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany; (K.B.); (M.W.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.C.H.)
| | - Karen Spieß
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany; (K.B.); (M.W.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.C.H.)
| | - Marlene Krauch
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany; (K.B.); (M.W.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.C.H.)
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sylvia Steinmann
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68159 Mannheim, Germany;
| | - Sabine C. Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany; (K.B.); (M.W.); (K.S.); (M.K.); (S.C.H.)
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11
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Kaldewaij R, Koch SB, Hashemi MM, Zhang W, Klumpers F, Roelofs K. Anterior prefrontal brain activity during emotion control predicts resilience to post-traumatic stress symptoms. Nat Hum Behav 2021; 5:1055-1064. [PMID: 33603200 PMCID: PMC7611547 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01055-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Regulating social emotional actions is essential for coping with life stressors and is associated with control by the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) over the amygdala. However, it remains unclear to what extent prefrontal emotion regulation capacities contribute to resilience against developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Here, 185 police recruits who experienced their core trauma in the line of duty participated in a prospective longitudinal study. Pre- and post-trauma, they performed a well-established functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) approach-avoidance task, mapping impulsive and controlled emotional actions. Higher baseline aPFC, dorsal and medial frontal pole activity was related to lower PTSD symptoms after trauma exposure. aPFC activity predicted symptom development over and above self-reported and behavioural measures. Trauma exposure, but not trauma symptoms, predicted amygdala activation at follow-up. These findings suggest that prefrontal emotion regulation activity predicts increased resilience against developing post-traumatic stress symptoms and may provide fruitful starting points for prediction and intervention studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinoud Kaldewaij
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands,Corresponding author: Reinoud Kaldewaij, Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging; Address: Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands;
| | - Saskia B.J. Koch
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mahur M. Hashemi
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Wei Zhang
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Floris Klumpers
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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12
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Pillerová M, Borbélyová V, Hodosy J, Riljak V, Renczés E, Frick KM, Tóthová Ľ. On the role of sex steroids in biological functions by classical and non-classical pathways. An update. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 62:100926. [PMID: 34089761 PMCID: PMC8523217 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The sex steroid hormones (SSHs) play several roles in regulation of various processes in the cardiovascular, immune, muscular and neural systems. SSHs affect prenatal and postnatal development of various brain structures, including regions associated with important physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional functions. This action can be mediated by either intracellular or transmembrane receptors. While the classical mechanisms of SSHs action are relatively well examined, the physiological importance of non-classical mechanism of SSHs action through membrane-associated and transmembrane receptors in the brain remains unclear. The most recent summary describing the role of SSHs in different body systems is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this review is to discuss classical and non-classical signaling pathways of testosterone and estradiol action via their receptors at functional, cellular, tissue level and to describe the effects on various body systems and behavior. Particular emphasis will be on brain regions including the hippocampus, hypothalamus, frontal cortex and cerebellum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Pillerová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Borbélyová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Július Hodosy
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Vladimír Riljak
- Institute of Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Emese Renczés
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Karyn M Frick
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Ľubomíra Tóthová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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13
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Thijssen S, Collins PF, Weiss H, Luciana M. The longitudinal association between externalizing behavior and frontoamygdalar resting-state functional connectivity in late adolescence and young adulthood. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021; 62:857-867. [PMID: 32951240 PMCID: PMC8359311 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Externalizing behavior has been attributed, in part, to decreased frontolimbic control over amygdala activation. However, little is known about developmental trajectories of frontoamygdalar functional connectivity and its relation to externalizing behavior. The present study addresses this gap by examining longitudinal associations between adolescent and adult externalizing behavior and amygdala-anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala-orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) resting-state functional connectivity in a sample of 111 typically developing participants aged 11-23 at baseline. METHODS Participants completed two-to-four data waves spaced approximately two years apart, resulting in a total of 309 data points. At each data wave, externalizing behavior was measured using the Externalizing Behavior Broadband Scale from the Achenbach Youth/Adult Self-Report questionnaire. Resting-state fMRI preprocessing was performed using FSL. Amygdala functional connectivity was examined using AFNI. The longitudinal association between externalizing behavior and amygdala-ACC/OFC functional connectivity was examined using linear mixed effect models in R. RESULTS Externalizing behavior was associated with increased amygdala-ACC and amygdala-OFC resting-state functional connectivity across adolescence and young adulthood. For amygdala-ACC connectivity, externalizing behavior at baseline primarily drove this association, whereas for amygdala-OFC functional connectivity, change in externalizing behavior relative to baseline drove the main effect of externalizing behavior on amygdala-OFC functional connectivity. No evidence was found for differential developmental trajectories of frontoamygdalar connectivity for different levels of externalizing behavior (i.e., age-by-externalizing behavior interaction effect). CONCLUSIONS Higher externalizing behavior is associated with increased resting-state attunement between the amygdala and ACC/OFC, perhaps indicating a generally more vigilant state for neural networks important for emotional processing and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Thijssen
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child StudiesErasmus University RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands,Department of PsychologyUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMNUSA
| | - Paul F. Collins
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMNUSA
| | - Hannah Weiss
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMNUSA
| | - Monica Luciana
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMNUSA
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14
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Dapprich AL, Lange WG, von Borries AKL, Volman I, Figner B, Roelofs K. The role of psychopathic traits, social anxiety and cortisol in social approach avoidance tendencies. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 128:105207. [PMID: 33799172 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety and psychopathy have conceptually been linked to nearly opposite emotional, behavioral and endocrinological endophenotypes, representing social fearfulness and fearlessness, respectively. Although such a dimensional view has theoretical and practical implications, no study has directly compared social anxiety and psychopathy in terms of emotional experiences, relevant hormones (i.e. cortisol, testosterone) and behavioral tendencies (i.e. social approach-avoidance). Therefore, the present study examined 1) whether self-reported social anxiety and psychopathic traits are indeed anticorrelated, and 2) whether social anxiety, psychopathic traits, cortisol, testosterone and their interplay are differentially linked to social approach-avoidance tendencies. In a well-powered study, a sample of 196 healthy female participants, we assessed self-reported emotional and behavioral tendencies of social fear (i.e. social anxiety and social avoidance) and psychopathic traits (i.e. Factor I [interpersonal-affective deficit] and Factor II [impulsive behavior]). Furthermore, hormone levels were assessed, and approach-avoidance tendencies towards emotional (angry, happy) facial expressions were measured by means of a joystick reaction time task. Results confirmed that self-reported emotional tendencies of social anxiety and psychopathy Factor I (interpersonal-affective deficit) correlated negatively, but self-reported behavioral tendencies (social avoidance and psychopathy Factor II [impulsive behavior]) correlated positively. Furthermore, Structural Equation Modelling demonstrated that participants with higher social anxiety and higher cortisol levels showed an avoidance tendency towards happy faces, while participants with higher psychopathic traits showed an approach tendency towards angry faces. In sum, the notion that social anxiety and psychopathic traits are opposing ends of one dimension was supported only in terms of self-reported emotional experiences, but a comparable relationship with regard to behavioral and endocrinological aspects is debatable. The current findings stress the necessity to study emotional, endocrinological and behavioral factors in unison in order to better understand the shared and distinctive mechanisms of social anxiety and psychopathic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna L Dapprich
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Wolf-Gero Lange
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - A Katinka L von Borries
- Bergmannsheil und Kinderklinik Buer GmbH Klinik für Innere Medizin und Kardiologie, Clinic for internal medicine and cardiology, department Psychocardiology, Gelsenkirchen, Germany; Institute for Stressmedicine, ISM Rhein Ruhr, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
| | - Inge Volman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Great Britain
| | - Bernd Figner
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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15
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Rodríguez-Nieto G, Sack AT, Dewitte M, Emmerling F, Schuhmann T. The Modulatory Role of Cortisol in the Regulation of Sexual Behavior in Young Males. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:552567. [PMID: 33250723 PMCID: PMC7674834 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.552567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The proneness to be sexually aroused, to perform sexual acts, or to be sexually disinhibited during a particular mood varies across individuals. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying this specific and variable relationship between mood and sex-related processes are poorly understood. We propose that cortisol may act as an important moderator in this as it has shown to influence sexual arousal and to play a neuromodulatory role during emotion regulation. Here, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in a sample of young males to investigate whether cortisol modulates the neural response during the approach of sexual stimuli in an approach-avoidance task and whether this potential relationship explains the individual differences in sexual inhibition and in mood-related sexual interest and activity. We revealed that cortisol associates with the anteromedial prefrontal cortex activation during the approach towards sexual stimuli. Moreover, this anteromedial prefrontal cortex response was dependent on individual differences in sexual inhibition and the improvements of negative mood as a result of sexual activity. The anteromedial prefrontal cortex is already known to process bottom-up information, reward, and risk estimation. The neuromodulatory role of cortisol within this region during sexual approach may represent a previously unknown yet key element in the regulation of sexual behavior in young males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Rodríguez-Nieto
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Department of Movement Sciences, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Marieke Dewitte
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Franziska Emmerling
- Chair of Research and Science Management, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Gemany
| | - Teresa Schuhmann
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
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16
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Appetitive aggression in offending youths: Contributions of callous unemotional traits and violent cognitive patterns. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-00759-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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17
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Fricke K, Vogel S. How interindividual differences shape approach-avoidance behavior: Relating self-report and diagnostic measures of interindividual differences to behavioral measurements of approach and avoidance. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 111:30-56. [PMID: 31954150 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Responding to stimuli in ambiguous environments is partially governed by approach-avoidance tendencies. Imbalances in these approach-avoidance behaviors are implicated in many mental disorders including anxiety disorders, phobias and substance use disorders. While factors biasing human behavior in approach-avoidance conflicts have been researched in numerous experiments, a much-needed comprehensive overview integrating those findings is missing. Here, we systematically searched the existing literature on individual differences in task-based approach-avoidance behavior and aggregated the current evidence for the effect of self-reported approach/avoidance traits, anxiety and anxiety disorders, specific phobias, depression, aggression, anger and psychopathy, substance use and related disorders, eating disorders and habits, trauma, acute stress and, finally, hormone levels (mainly testosterone, oxytocin). We highlight consistent findings, underrepresented research areas and unexpected results, and detail the amount of controversy between studies. We discuss potential reasons for ambiguous results in some research areas, offer practical advice for future studies and highlight potential variables such as task-related researcher decisions that may influence how interindividual differences and disorders drive automatic approach-avoidance biases in behavioral experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Fricke
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Susanne Vogel
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
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18
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Bramson B, Folloni D, Verhagen L, Hartogsveld B, Mars RB, Toni I, Roelofs K. Human Lateral Frontal Pole Contributes to Control over Emotional Approach-Avoidance Actions. J Neurosci 2020; 40:2925-2934. [PMID: 32034069 PMCID: PMC7117901 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2048-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation of emotional behavior is essential for human social interactions. Recent work has exposed its cognitive complexity, as well as its unexpected reliance on portions of the anterior PFC (aPFC) also involved in exploration, relational reasoning, and counterfactual choice, rather than on dorsolateral and medial prefrontal areas involved in several forms of cognitive control. This study anatomically qualifies the contribution of aPFC territories to the regulation of prepotent approach-avoidance action tendencies elicited by emotional faces, and explores a possible structural pathway through which this emotional action regulation might be implemented. We provide converging evidence from task-based fMRI, diffusion-weighted imaging, and functional connectivity fingerprints for a novel neural element in emotional regulation. Task-based fMRI in human male participants (N = 40) performing an emotional approach-avoidance task identified aPFC territories involved in the regulation of action tendencies elicited by emotional faces. Connectivity fingerprints, based on diffusion-weighted imaging and resting-state connectivity, localized those task-defined frontal regions to the lateral frontal pole (FPl), an anatomically defined portion of the aPFC that lacks a homologous counterpart in macaque brains. Probabilistic tractography indicated that 10%-20% of interindividual variation in emotional regulation abilities is accounted for by the strength of structural connectivity between FPl and amygdala. Evidence from an independent replication sample (N = 50; 10 females) further substantiated this result. These findings provide novel neuroanatomical evidence for incorporating FPl in models of control over human action tendencies elicited by emotional faces.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Successful regulation of emotional behaviors is a prerequisite for successful participation in human society, as is evidenced by the social isolation and loss of occupational opportunities often encountered by people suffering from emotion regulation disorders, such as social-anxiety disorder and psychopathy. Knowledge about the precise cortical regions and connections supporting this control is crucial for understanding both the nature of computations needed to successfully traverse the space of possible actions in social situations, and the potential interventions that might result in efficient treatment of social-emotional disorders. This study provides evidence for a precise cortical region (lateral frontal pole) and a structural pathway (the ventral amygdalofugal bundle) through which a cognitively complex form of emotional action regulation might be implemented in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Bramson
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands,
| | - Davide Folloni
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Lennart Verhagen
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Bart Hartogsveld
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom, and
| | - Ivan Toni
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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19
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Koch SBJ, Galli A, Volman I, Kaldewaij R, Toni I, Roelofs K. Neural Control of Emotional Actions in Response to Affective Vocalizations. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 32:977-988. [PMID: 31933433 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Social-emotional cues, such as affective vocalizations and emotional faces, automatically elicit emotional action tendencies. Adaptive social-emotional behavior depends on the ability to control these automatic action tendencies. It remains unknown whether neural control over automatic action tendencies is supramodal or relies on parallel modality-specific neural circuits. Here, we address this largely unexplored issue in humans. We consider neural circuits supporting emotional action control in response to affective vocalizations, using an approach-avoidance task known to reliably index control over emotional action tendencies elicited by emotional faces. We isolate supramodal neural contributions to emotional action control through a conjunction analysis of control-related neural activity evoked by auditory and visual affective stimuli, the latter from a previously published data set obtained in an independent sample. We show that the anterior pFC (aPFC) supports control of automatic action tendencies in a supramodal manner, that is, triggered by either emotional faces or affective vocalizations. When affective vocalizations are heard and emotional control is required, the aPFC supports control through negative functional connectivity with the posterior insula. When emotional faces are seen and emotional control is required, control relies on the same aPFC territory downregulating the amygdala. The findings provide evidence for a novel mechanism of emotional action control with a hybrid hierarchical architecture, relying on a supramodal node (aPFC) implementing an abstract goal by modulating modality-specific nodes (posterior insula, amygdala) involved in signaling motivational significance of either affective vocalizations or faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia B J Koch
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University.,Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University
| | - Alessandra Galli
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University
| | - Inge Volman
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Oxford, UK
| | - Reinoud Kaldewaij
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University.,Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University
| | - Ivan Toni
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University.,Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University
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20
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Peper JS, Burke SM, Wierenga LM. Sex differences and brain development during puberty and adolescence. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2020; 175:25-54. [PMID: 33008529 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-64123-6.00003-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in behavior, and whether these behavioral differences are related to sex differences in brain development, has been a longstanding topic of debate. Presumably, sex differences can provide critically important leads for explaining the etiology of various illnesses that show (i) large sex differences in prevalence and (ii) have an origin before or during adolescence. The general aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of scientific studies on sex differences in normative brain and behavioral development across puberty and adolescence, including the (sex) hormone-driven transition phase of puberty. Moreover, we describe the literature on brain and behavioral development in gender dysphoria, a severe and persistent incongruence between the self-identified gender and the assigned sex at birth. From the literature it becomes clear there is evidence for a specific link between pubertal maturation and developmental changes in arousal, motivation, and emotion. However, this link is rather similar between boys and girls. Moreover, although there is substantial evidence for sex differences in mean brain structure, these have not always been linked to sex differences in behavior, cognition, or psychopathology. Furthermore, there is little evidence for sex differences in brain development and thus, studies so far have been unable to explain sex differences in cognition. Suggestions for future research and methodologic considerations are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiska S Peper
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Sarah M Burke
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lara M Wierenga
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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21
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review the current literature on biobehavioral mechanisms involved in reactive aggression in a transdiagnostic approach. RECENT FINDINGS Aggressive reactions are closely related to activations in the brain's threat circuitry. They occur in response to social threat that is experienced as inescapable, which, in turn, facilitates angry approach rather than fearful avoidance. Provocation-induced aggression is strongly associated with anger and deficits in cognitive control including emotion regulation and inhibitory control. Furthermore, the brain's reward system plays a particular role in anger-related, tit-for-tat-like retaliatory aggression in response to frustration. More research is needed to further disentangle specific brain responses to social threat, provocation, and frustration. A better understanding of the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms involved in reactive aggression may pave the way for specific mechanism-based treatments, involving biological or psychotherapeutic approaches or a combination of the two.
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22
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Kaldewaij R, Koch SBJ, Zhang W, Hashemi MM, Klumpers F, Roelofs K. High Endogenous Testosterone Levels Are Associated With Diminished Neural Emotional Control in Aggressive Police Recruits. Psychol Sci 2019; 30:1161-1173. [PMID: 31251695 PMCID: PMC6691594 DOI: 10.1177/0956797619851753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Although police officers are carefully selected for their high emotion-regulation abilities, excessive aggression in police officers has been reported, particularly in socially challenging situations known to elicit high state testosterone levels. Adequate regulation of emotional actions depends on the prefrontal cortex’s control over the amygdala. We investigated the effects of trait aggression and endogenous testosterone on this emotional-control neurocircuitry in 275 healthy, high-functioning police recruits using a functional MRI social-emotional task eliciting impulsive and controlled approach-and-avoidance actions. Higher levels of aggression were counteracted by increased anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) control over the amygdala when control over automatic emotional actions was required. Crucially, testosterone had a detrimental effect on this aggression-dependent aPFC recruitment: Police recruits with relatively high trait aggression and high state testosterone showed reduced aPFC control over the amygdala during emotion regulation. This provides a mechanistic explanation for inadequate behavioral control during socially challenging situations in otherwise well-functioning individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinoud Kaldewaij
- 1 Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen.,2 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen
| | - Saskia B J Koch
- 1 Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen.,2 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen
| | - Wei Zhang
- 1 Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen.,2 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen
| | - Mahur M Hashemi
- 1 Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen.,2 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen
| | - Floris Klumpers
- 1 Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen.,2 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen
| | - Karin Roelofs
- 1 Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen.,2 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen
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23
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Neukel C, Herpertz SC, Hinid-Attar C, Zietlow AL, Fuchs A, Moehler E, Bermpohl F, Bertsch K. Neural processing of the own child's facial emotions in mothers with a history of early life maltreatment. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2019; 269:171-181. [PMID: 30056560 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-018-0929-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Early life maltreatment (ELM) has long-lasting effects on social interaction. When interacting with their own child, women with ELM often report difficulties in parenting and show reduced maternal sensitivity. Sensitive maternal behavior requires the recognition of the child's emotional state depicted in its facial emotions. Based on previous studies, it can be expected that ELM affects the neural processing of facial emotions by altering activation patterns in parts of the brain's empathy and mentalizing networks. However, so far studies have focused on the processing of standardized, adult facial emotions. Therefore, the current study investigated the impact of ELM on the processing of one's own child's facial emotions using functional magnetic resonance imaging. To achieve this, 27 mothers with and 26 mothers without a history of ELM (all without current mental disorders and psychopharmacological treatment) took part in an emotional face recognition paradigm with happy, sad, and neutral faces of their own and an unknown primary school-aged child of the same age and sex. We found elevated activations in regions of the mentalizing (superior temporal sulcus, precuneus) and mirror neuron (inferior parietal lobule) networks as well as in the visual face processing network (cuneus, middle temporal gyrus) in mothers with ELM compared to the non-maltreated mothers in response to happy faces of their own child. This suggests a more effortful processing and cognitive empathic mentalizing of the own child's facial happiness in mothers with ELM. Future research should address whether this might indicate a compensatory recruitment of mentalizing capacities to maintain maternal sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne Neukel
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Voßstraße 4, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Voßstraße 4, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Catherine Hinid-Attar
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Zietlow
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anna Fuchs
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eva Moehler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Felix Bermpohl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Bertsch
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Voßstraße 4, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany
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24
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Christov-Moore L, Iacoboni M. Sex differences in somatomotor representations of others' pain: a permutation-based analysis. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:937-947. [PMID: 30552572 PMCID: PMC6773910 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1814-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in empathy for pain have been repeatedly observed. However, it is unclear whether this is due to sex differences in "bottom-up" somatomotor representations of others' pain (self-other resonance) or to "top-down" prefrontal control of such responses. Here, we provide data from 70 subjects suggesting that sex differences in empathy for pain lie primarily in pre-reflective, bottom-up resonance mechanisms. Subjects viewed a right hand pierced by a needle during fMRI. They also filled out a self-report measure of trait empathy, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. A permutation-based analysis (FSL's Randomise) found that females showed greater signal in a cluster in primary somatomotor cortex that includes the motor hand area. No significant differences were observed in other task-implicated areas. An examination of condition-specific parameter estimates found that this difference was due to reduced signal in this cluster in males. No significant differences in resting connectivity or within-task (generalized psychophysiological interaction analysis or gPPI) dynamic connectivity of this region with prefrontal areas were observed. While female subjects scored higher on affective subscales of the IRI, there were no sex differences in Perspective-Taking, the primary index of cognitive, top-down empathy processes. These findings suggest that localized internal somatomotor representations of others' pain, a functional index of bottom-up resonance processes, are stronger in female subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Christov-Moore
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- The Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA.
| | - Marco Iacoboni
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- The Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
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25
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Jordan K, Wild TSN, Fromberger P, Müller I, Müller JL. Are There Any Biomarkers for Pedophilia and Sexual Child Abuse? A Review. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:940. [PMID: 32038314 PMCID: PMC6985439 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of biomarkers in medicine is a common and valuable approach in several clinical fields. Understanding the relationship between measurable biological processes and clinical outcomes not only is indispensable in the face of understanding physiological processes in healthy as well as in diseased organisms but also for understanding and evaluating treatment effects. Therefore, also in the context of forensic psychiatry, biomarkers and their potentially beneficial effects are of growing interest. The objective of this review is to examine if there are biomarkers that may serve as a tool to support diagnostic process, treatment evaluation, and risk assessment of pedophilic individuals and child sexual offenders. In the first part, we present an overview of the current neurobiological, as well as physiological and psychophysiological approaches to characterize pedophilia and child sexual offending. Secondly, we discuss and evaluate the impact of these approaches on the development of biomarkers for diagnosis, therapy, and risk assessment in pedophilic subjects and child sexual offenders. We conclude that a lot of research has already enhanced our neurobiological knowledge about pedophilia and child sexual offending. Although there surely exist promising parameters and approaches, in our view currently none of these is ready yet to serve as a clinically applicable diagnostic, response, or predictive biomarker for pedophilia and child sexual offending. Therefore, further work remains to be done. The development of a composite diagnostic biomarker to assess deviant sexual interest, combining several measures like functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram, eye tracking, and behavioral approaches seems to be most promising. A valid and reliable measurement of deviant sexual interest, insensitive to manipulations could significantly support clinical diagnostic process. Similarly, regarding therapy evaluation and risk assessment, a composite biomarker to assess inhibitory control functions seems to be promising. Furthermore, the application of the Research Domain Criteria-approach, a new approach for investigating and classifying mental disorders, offers the possibility to take research to a new level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Jordan
- Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tamara Sheila Nadine Wild
- Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Peter Fromberger
- Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Isabel Müller
- Asklepios Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Leo Müller
- Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.,Asklepios Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, Goettingen, Germany
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Pujol J, Harrison BJ, Contreras-Rodriguez O, Cardoner N. The contribution of brain imaging to the understanding of psychopathy. Psychol Med 2019; 49:20-31. [PMID: 30207255 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291718002507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Psychopathy is a personality type characterized by both callous emotional dysfunction and deviant behavior that affects society in the form of actions that harm others. Historically, researchers have been concerned with seeking data and arguments to support a neurobiological foundation of psychopathy. In the past few years, increasing research has begun to reveal brain alterations putatively underlying the enigmatic psychopathic personality. In this review, we describe the brain anatomical and functional features that characterize psychopathy from a synthesis of available neuroimaging research and discuss how such brain anomalies may account for psychopathic behavior. The results are consistent in showing anatomical alterations involving primarily a ventral system connecting the anterior temporal lobe to anterior and ventral frontal areas, and a dorsal system connecting the medial frontal lobe to the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus complex and, in turn, to medial structures of the temporal lobe. Functional imaging data indicate that relevant emotional flow breakdown may occur in both these brain systems and suggest specific mechanisms via which emotion is anomalously integrated into cognition in psychopathic individuals during moral challenge. Directions for future research are delineated emphasizing, for instance, the relevance of further establishing the contribution of early life stress to a learned blockage of emotional self-exposure, and the potential role of androgenic hormones in the development of cortical anomalies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus Pujol
- MRI Research Unit, Department of Radiology,Hospital del Mar,CIBERSAM G21, Barcelona,Spain
| | - Ben J Harrison
- Department of Psychiatry,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health,Melbourne,Australia
| | - Oren Contreras-Rodriguez
- Psychiatry Department,Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL,CIBERSAM G17, Barcelona,Spain
| | - Narcis Cardoner
- Department of Mental Health, Corporació Sanitaria Parc Taulí, Sabadell, and Department of Psychiatry,Autonomous University of Barcelona,Barcelona,Spain
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Johanson M, Vaurio O, Tiihonen J, Lähteenvuo M. A Systematic Literature Review of Neuroimaging of Psychopathic Traits. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:1027. [PMID: 32116828 PMCID: PMC7016047 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.01027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Core psychopathy is characterized by grandiosity, callousness, manipulativeness, and lack of remorse, empathy, and guilt. It is often comorbid with conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Psychopathy is present in forensic as well as prison and general populations. In recent years, an increasing amount of neuroimaging studies has been conducted in order to elucidate the obscure neurobiological etiology of psychopathy. The studies have yielded heterogenous results, and no consensus has been reached. AIMS This study systematically reviewed and qualitatively summarized functional and structural neuroimaging studies conducted on individuals with psychopathic traits. Furthermore, this study aimed to evaluate whether the findings from different MRI modalities could be reconciled from a neuroanatomical perspective. MATERIALS AND METHODS After the search and auditing processes, 118 neuroimaging studies were included in this systematic literature review. The studies consisted of structural, functional, and diffusion tensor MRI studies. RESULTS Psychopathy was associated with numerous neuroanatomical abnormalities. Structurally, gray matter anomalies were seen in frontotemporal, cerebellar, limbic, and paralimbic regions. Associated gray matter volume (GMV) reductions were most pronounced particularly in most of the prefrontal cortex, and temporal gyri including the fusiform gyrus. Also decreased GMV of the amygdalae and hippocampi as well the cingulate and insular cortices were associated with psychopathy, as well as abnormal morphology of the hippocampi, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens. Functionally, psychopathy was associated with dysfunction of the default mode network, which was also linked to poor moral judgment as well as deficient metacognitive and introspective abilities. Second, reduced white matter integrity in the uncinate fasciculus and dorsal cingulum were associated with core psychopathy. Third, emotional detachment was associated with dysfunction of the posterior cerebellum, the human mirror neuron system and the Theory of Mind denoting lack of empathy and persistent failure in integrating affective information into cognition. CONCLUSIONS Structural and functional aberrancies involving the limbic and paralimbic systems including reduced integrity of the uncinate fasciculus appear to be associated with core psychopathic features. Furthermore, this review points towards the idea that ASPD and psychopathy might stem from divergent biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mika Johanson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Olli Vaurio
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.,Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jari Tiihonen
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.,Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Markku Lähteenvuo
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
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Bertsch K, Krauch M, Roelofs K, Cackowski S, Herpertz SC, Volman I. Out of control? Acting out anger is associated with deficient prefrontal emotional action control in male patients with borderline personality disorder. Neuropharmacology 2018; 156:107463. [PMID: 30553826 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Difficulty in anger control and anger-related aggressive outbursts against others are frequently reported by patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Although male sex is a known predictor for aggression, hardly any study has addressed the neural correlates of deficient anger control in male patients with BPD. Building on previous reports in female BPD, we investigated the involvement of lateral antero- and dorsal prefrontal cortex in the control of fast emotional actions and its relation to self-reported tendencies to act out anger. 15 medication-free male patients with BPD and 25 age- and intelligence-matched healthy men took part in a social Approach-Avoidance task in the MR-scanner. This task allows the measurement of neural correlates underlying the control of fast behavioral tendencies to approach happy and avoid angry faces. Hypothesis-driven region-of-interest and exploratory whole brain analyses were used to test for activations of antero- and dorsolateral prefrontal regions and their relation with the amygdala during emotional action control as well as their association with self-reported anger out in male patients with BPD and healthy volunteers. Male patients with BPD showed reduced anterolateral prefrontal activations during emotional action control compared to healthy volunteers. Furthermore, anger out was negatively related to antero- and dorsolateral prefrontal activations, while it was positively related to amygdala activity in male patients with BPD. The current results suggest the involvement of antero- and dorsolateral prefrontal regions in controlling and overriding fast emotional actions. Deficits in lateral prefrontal emotion control seem to be a common neural mechanism underlying anger-related aggression. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Current status of the neurobiology of aggression and impulsivity'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Bertsch
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Marlene Krauch
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sylvia Cackowski
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Inge Volman
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Scholl J, Klein-Flügge M. Understanding psychiatric disorder by capturing ecologically relevant features of learning and decision-making. Behav Brain Res 2018; 355:56-75. [PMID: 28966147 PMCID: PMC6152580 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.09.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent research in cognitive neuroscience has begun to uncover the processes underlying increasingly complex voluntary behaviours, including learning and decision-making. Partly this success has been possible by progressing from simple experimental tasks to paradigms that incorporate more ecological features. More specifically, the premise is that to understand cognitions and brain functions relevant for real life, we need to introduce some of the ecological challenges that we have evolved to solve. This often entails an increase in task complexity, which can be managed by using computational models to help parse complex behaviours into specific component mechanisms. Here we propose that using computational models with tasks that capture ecologically relevant learning and decision-making processes may provide a critical advantage for capturing the mechanisms underlying symptoms of disorders in psychiatry. As a result, it may help develop mechanistic approaches towards diagnosis and treatment. We begin this review by mapping out the basic concepts and models of learning and decision-making. We then move on to consider specific challenges that emerge in realistic environments and describe how they can be captured by tasks. These include changes of context, uncertainty, reflexive/emotional biases, cost-benefit decision-making, and balancing exploration and exploitation. Where appropriate we highlight future or current links to psychiatry. We particularly draw examples from research on clinical depression, a disorder that greatly compromises motivated behaviours in real-life, but where simpler paradigms have yielded mixed results. Finally, we highlight several paradigms that could be used to help provide new insights into the mechanisms of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Scholl
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SR, United Kingdom.
| | - Miriam Klein-Flügge
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SR, United Kingdom.
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Koch SB, Mars RB, Toni I, Roelofs K. Emotional control, reappraised. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 95:528-534. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Heany SJ, Bethlehem RAI, van Honk J, Bos PA, Stein DJ, Terburg D. Effects of testosterone administration on threat and escape anticipation in the orbitofrontal cortex. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 96:42-51. [PMID: 29902666 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that the steroid hormone testosterone can decrease the functional coupling between orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and amygdala. Theoretically this decoupling has been linked to a testosterone-driven increase of goal-directed behaviour in case of threat, but this has never been studied directly. Therefore, we placed twenty-two women in dynamically changing situations of escapable and inescapable threat after a within-subject placebo controlled testosterone administration. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we provide evidence that testosterone activates the left lateral OFC (LOFC) in preparation of active goal-directed escape and decouples this OFC area from a subcortical threat system including the central-medial amygdala, hypothalamus and periaqueductal gray. This LOFC decoupling was specific to threatening situations, a point that was further emphasized by an absence of such decoupling in a second experiment focused on resting-state connectivity. These results not only confirm that testosterone administration decouples the LOFC from the subcortical threat system, but also show that this is specifically the case in response to acute threat, and ultimately leads to an increase in LOFC activity when the participant prepares a goal-directed action to escape. Together these results for the first time provide a detailed understanding of functional brain alterations induced by testosterone under threat conditions, and corroborate and extend the view that testosterone prepares the brain for goal-directed action in case of threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Heany
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Richard A I Bethlehem
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jack van Honk
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | - Peter A Bos
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa; MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - David Terburg
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
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Cortical Oscillatory Mechanisms Supporting the Control of Human Social-Emotional Actions. J Neurosci 2018; 38:5739-5749. [PMID: 29793973 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3382-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The human anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) is involved in regulating social-emotional behavior, presumably by modulating effective connectivity with downstream parietal, limbic, and motor cortices. Regulating that connectivity might rely on theta-band oscillations (4-8 Hz), a brain rhythm known to create overlapping periods of excitability between distant regions by temporally releasing neurons from inhibition. Here, we used MEG to understand how aPFC theta-band oscillations implement control over prepotent social-emotional behaviors; that is, the control over automatically elicited approach and avoidance actions. Forty human male participants performed a social approach-avoidance task in which they approached or avoided visually displayed emotional faces (happy or angry) by pulling or pushing a joystick. Approaching angry and avoiding happy faces (incongruent condition) requires rapid application of cognitive control to override prepotent habitual action tendencies to approach appetitive and to avoid aversive situations. In the time window before response delivery, trial-by-trial variations in aPFC theta-band power (6 Hz) predicted reaction time increases during emotional control and were inversely related to beta-band power (14-22 Hz) over parietofrontal cortex. In sensorimotor areas contralateral to the moving hand, premovement gamma-band rhythms (60-90 Hz) were stronger during incongruent than congruent trials, with power increases phase locked to peaks of the aPFC theta-band oscillations. These findings define a mechanistic relation between cortical areas involved in implementing rapid control over human social-emotional behavior. The aPFC may bias neural processing toward rule-driven actions and away from automatic emotional tendencies by coordinating tonic disinhibition and phasic enhancement of parietofrontal circuits involved in action selection.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Being able to control social-emotional behavior is crucial for successful participation in society, as is illustrated by the severe social and occupational difficulties experienced by people suffering from social motivational disorders such as social anxiety. In this study, we show that theta-band oscillations in the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC), which are thought to provide temporal organization for neural firing during communication between distant brain areas, facilitate this control by linking aPFC to parietofrontal beta-band and sensorimotor gamma-band oscillations involved in action selection. These results contribute to a mechanistic understanding of cognitive control over automatic social-emotional action and point to frontal theta-band oscillations as a possible target of rhythmic neurostimulation techniques during treatment for social anxiety.
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Bertsch K, Roelofs K, Roch PJ, Ma B, Hensel S, Herpertz SC, Volman I. Neural correlates of emotional action control in anger-prone women with borderline personality disorder. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2018; 43:170102. [PMID: 29336775 PMCID: PMC5915237 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.170102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Difficulty in controlling emotional impulses is a crucial component of borderline personality disorder (BPD) that often leads to destructive, impulsive behaviours against others. In line with recent findings in aggressive individuals, deficits in prefrontal amygdala coupling during emotional action control may account for these symptoms. METHODS To study the neurobiological correlates of altered emotional action control in individuals with BPD, we asked medication-free, anger-prone, female patients with BPD and age- and intelligence-matched healthy women to take part in an approach-avoidance task while lying in an MRI scanner. The task required controlling fast behavioural tendencies to approach happy and avoid angry faces. Additionally, before the task we collected saliva testosterone and self-reported information on tendencies to act out anger and correlated this with behavioural and functional MRI (fMRI) data. RESULTS We included 30 patients and 28 controls in our analysis. Patients with BPD reported increased tendencies to act out anger and were faster in approaching than avoiding angry faces than with healthy women, suggesting deficits in emotional action control in women with BPD. On a neural level, controlling fast emotional action tendencies was associated with enhanced activation in the antero- and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex across groups. Healthy women showed a negative coupling between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right amygdala, whereas this was absent in patients with BPD. LIMITATIONS Specificity of results to BPD and sex differences remain unknown owing to the lack of clinical control groups and male participants. CONCLUSION The results indicate reduced lateral prefrontal-amygdala communication during emotional action control in anger-prone women with BPD. The findings provide a possible neural mechanism underlying difficulties with controlling emotional impulses in patients with BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Bertsch
- From the Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Bertsch, Herpertz); the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Roelofs); Division of Experimental Radiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Ma); the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany (Hensel); and the Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK (Volman)
| | - Karin Roelofs
- From the Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Bertsch, Herpertz); the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Roelofs); Division of Experimental Radiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Ma); the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany (Hensel); and the Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK (Volman)
| | - Paul Jonathan Roch
- From the Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Bertsch, Herpertz); the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Roelofs); Division of Experimental Radiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Ma); the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany (Hensel); and the Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK (Volman)
| | - Bo Ma
- From the Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Bertsch, Herpertz); the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Roelofs); Division of Experimental Radiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Ma); the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany (Hensel); and the Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK (Volman)
| | - Saskia Hensel
- From the Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Bertsch, Herpertz); the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Roelofs); Division of Experimental Radiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Ma); the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany (Hensel); and the Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK (Volman)
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- From the Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Bertsch, Herpertz); the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Roelofs); Division of Experimental Radiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Ma); the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany (Hensel); and the Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK (Volman)
| | - Inge Volman
- From the Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Bertsch, Herpertz); the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Roelofs); Division of Experimental Radiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Ma); the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany (Hensel); and the Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK (Volman)
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Bertsch K, Hillmann K, Herpertz SC. Behavioral and Neurobiological Correlates of Disturbed Emotion Processing in Borderline Personality Disorder. Psychopathology 2018. [PMID: 29539627 DOI: 10.1159/000487363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
One of the core symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is emotion dysregulation, which comprises emotion sensitivity, heightened and labile negative affect, deficient appropriate regulation strategies, and a surplus of maladaptive regulation strategies. Although earlier studies provided some evidence for threat hypersensitivity in terms of a negatively biased perception of other people ("negativity bias") and deficits in the recognition of full-blown anger, i.e., higher error rates and slower reaction times, researchers have only recently started studying effects of interindividual differences (e.g., sex, impulsivity, aggressiveness) and stimulus complexity as well as associations with early adversity, developmental aspects, or the specificity for BPD. Recent data also suggest a deficit in the detection of positive emotions, which needs to be addressed in more detail since it may prevent the patients from recognizing safety signals and from making positive interpersonal experiences. Neurobiologically, threat hypersensitivity has been related to increased and prolonged amygdala responses, while deficient emotion regulation was associated with reduced prefrontal inhibition of the amygdala. First results suggest that these neural alterations may be modulated by psychotherapeutic treatment focusing on emotion regulation.
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Roelofs K. Freeze for action: neurobiological mechanisms in animal and human freezing. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:rstb.2016.0206. [PMID: 28242739 PMCID: PMC5332864 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 253] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon increasing levels of threat, animals activate qualitatively different defensive modes, including freezing and active fight-or-flight reactions. Whereas freezing is a form of behavioural inhibition accompanied by parasympathetically dominated heart rate deceleration, fight-or-flight reactions are associated with sympathetically driven heart rate acceleration. Despite the potential relevance of freezing for human stress-coping, its phenomenology and neurobiological underpinnings remain largely unexplored in humans. Studies in rodents have shown that freezing depends on amygdala projections to the brainstem (periaqueductal grey). Recent neuroimaging studies in humans have indicated that similar brain regions may be involved in human freezing. In addition, flexibly shifting between freezing and active defensive modes is critical for adequate stress-coping and relies on fronto-amygdala connections. This review paper presents a model detailing these neural mechanisms involved in freezing and the shift to fight-or-flight action. Freezing is not a passive state but rather a parasympathetic brake on the motor system, relevant to perception and action preparation. Study of these defensive responses in humans may advance insights into human stress-related psychopathologies characterized by rigidity in behavioural stress reactions. The paper therefore concludes with a research agenda to stimulate translational animal–human research in this emerging field of human defensive stress responses. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Movement suppression: brain mechanisms for stopping and stillness’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour and Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Anger provocation in violent offenders leads to emotion dysregulation. Sci Rep 2017; 7:3583. [PMID: 28620226 PMCID: PMC5472615 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03870-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Anger and anger regulation problems that result in aggressive behaviour pose a serious problem for society. In this study we investigated differences in brain responses during anger provocation or anger engagement, as well as anger regulation or distraction from anger, and compared 16 male violent offenders to 18 non-offender controls. During an fMRI adapted provocation and regulation task participants were presented with angry, happy and neutral scenarios. Prior research on violent offenders indicates that a combination of increased limbic activity (involved in emotion), along with decreased prefrontal activity (involved in emotion regulation), is associated with reactive aggression. We found increased ventrolateral prefrontal activity during anger engagement in violent offenders, while decreased dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal activity was found during anger distraction. This activity pattern was specific for anger. We found no exclusive pattern for happiness. In violent offenders, this suggests an increased need to regulate specifically during anger engagement and regulation difficulties when explicitly instructed to distract. The constant effort required for violent offenders to regulate anger might exhaust the necessary cognitive resources, resulting in a risk for self-control failure. Consequently, continuous provocation might ultimately contribute to reactive aggression.
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Oxytocin reduces amygdala responses during threat approach. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 79:160-166. [PMID: 28285187 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin reduces amygdala responses to threatening social stimuli in males and has been suggested to facilitate approach-related processing by either decreasing anxiety or intensifying salience. The current administration study tested whether oxytocin either reduces or enhances amygdala responses during threat approach in a placebo-controlled randomized, double-blind, between-subjects design with 52 healthy males undergoing fMRI during a social approach-avoidance task. Oxytocin decreased amygdala activation during threat approach and not during threat avoidance. This neural effect supports oxytocin's social anxiolytic effects and provides a neuroendocrine mechanism promoting social approach. The findings may yield clinical implications for individuals suffering from dysregulations of social approach such as patients with anxiety disorders.
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Niermann HCM, Figner B, Roelofs K. Individual differences in defensive stress-responses: the potential relevance for psychopathology. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Kaldewaij R, Koch SBJ, Volman I, Toni I, Roelofs K. On the Control of Social Approach-Avoidance Behavior: Neural and Endocrine Mechanisms. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2017; 30:275-293. [PMID: 27356521 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2016_446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to control our automatic action tendencies is crucial for adequate social interactions. Emotional events trigger automatic approach and avoidance tendencies. Although these actions may be generally adaptive, the capacity to override these emotional reactions may be key to flexible behavior during social interaction. The present chapter provides a review of the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying this ability and their relation to social psychopathologies. Aberrant social behavior, such as observed in social anxiety or psychopathy, is marked by abnormalities in approach-avoidance tendencies and the ability to control them. Key neural regions involved in the regulation of approach-avoidance behavior are the amygdala, widely implicated in automatic emotional processing, and the anterior prefrontal cortex, which exerts control over the amygdala. Hormones, especially testosterone and cortisol, have been shown to affect approach-avoidance behavior and the associated neural mechanisms. The present chapter also discusses ways to directly influence social approach and avoidance behavior and will end with a research agenda to further advance this important research field. Control over approach-avoidance tendencies may serve as an exemplar of emotional action regulation and might have a great value in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the development of affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinoud Kaldewaij
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Saskia B J Koch
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Inge Volman
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ivan Toni
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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