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Nie H, Hu X, Gao Y, Ma Y, Han P. Altered neural representation of olfactory food reward in the nucleus accumbens after acute stress. J Affect Disord 2024; 354:239-246. [PMID: 38461902 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.015] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Acute stress impairs reward processing. The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) plays an important role in the processing of primary rewards such as food. The present study investigates how acute stress affects the olfactory food reward processing in the NAcc using the representational similarity analysis. Forty-eight participants underwent an olfactory fMRI session following either an acute psychosocial stress (N = 24; stress group) or a control (N = 24; control group). Brain activation was recorded during the anticipatory and the perceptual phases of high-calorie food, low-calorie food, and non-food odor stimuli. Compared to the control group, the stress group rated the high-calorie food odor as significantly more pleasant (p = 0.005). In the NAcc, acute stress significantly reduced the dissimilarity of food and non-food odors in the perceptual phase (p = 0.027) and marginally reduced the dissimilarity of high- and low-calorie foods in the anticipatory phase (p = 0.095). Significant negative correlations were observed between the level of NAcc representational differentiation for high- and low-calorie food odors during perception and the difference in pleasantness ratings between high- and low-calorie food odors (r = -0.40, p = 0.005). These findings suggest that acute stress may impair participants' ability to discriminate between olfactory food rewards, leading individuals to seek out more palatable foods in stressful situations in order to maintain positive emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyu Nie
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xin Hu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yihang Ma
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Pengfei Han
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
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Preston TJ, Cougle JR, Schmidt NB, Macatee RJ. Decomposing the late positive potential to cannabis cues in regular cannabis users: A temporal-spatial principal component analysis. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14471. [PMID: 37937737 PMCID: PMC11008592 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14471] [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: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is increasing in the United States, yet, specific neural mechanisms of CUD are not well understood. Disordered substance use is characterized by heightened drug cue incentive salience, which can be measured using the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related potential (ERP) evoked by motivationally significant stimuli. The drug cue LPP is typically quantified by averaging the slow wave's scalp-recorded amplitude across its entire time course, which may obscure distinct underlying factors with differential predictive validity; however, no study to date has examined this possibility. In a sample of 105 cannabis users, temporo-spatial Principal Component Analysis was used to decompose cannabis cue modulation of the LPP into its underlying factors. Acute stress was also inducted to allow for identification of specific cannabis LPP factors sensitive to stress. Factor associations with CUD severity were also explored. Eight factors showed significantly increased amplitudes to cannabis images relative to neutral images. These factors spanned early (~372 ms), middle (~824 ms), and late (>1000 ms) windows across frontal, central, and parietal-occipital sites. CUD phenotype individual differences were primarily associated with frontal, middle/late latency factor amplitudes. Acute stress effects were limited to one early central and one late frontal factor. Taken together, results suggest that the cannabis LPP can be decomposed into distinct, temporal-spatial factors with differential responsivity to acute stress and CUD phenotype variability. Future individual difference studies examining drug cue modulation of the LPP should consider (1) frontalcentral poolings in addition to conventional central-parietal sites, and (2) later LPP time windows.
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Kirshenbaum JS, Pagliaccio D, Pizzagalli DA, Auerbach RP. Neural sensitivity following stress predicts anhedonia symptoms: a 2-year multi-wave, longitudinal study. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:106. [PMID: 38388454 PMCID: PMC10884408 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02818-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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal models of depression show that acute stress negatively impacts functioning in neural regions sensitive to reward and punishment, often manifesting as anhedonic behaviors. However, few human studies have probed stress-induced neural activation changes in relation to anhedonia, which is critical for clarifying risk for affective disorders. Participants (N = 85, 12-14 years-old, 53 female), oversampled for risk of depression, were administered clinical assessments and completed an fMRI guessing task during a baseline (no-stress) period to probe neural response to receipt of rewards and losses. After the initial task run of the fMRI guessing task, participants received an acute stressor and then, were re-administered the guessing task. Including baseline, participants provided up to 10 self-report assessments of life stress and symptoms over a 2 year period. Linear mixed-effects models estimated whether change in neural activation (post- vs. pre-acute stressor) moderated the longitudinal associations between life stress and symptoms. Primary analyses indicated that adolescents with stress-related reductions in right ventral striatum response to rewards exhibited stronger longitudinal associations between life stress and anhedonia severity (β = -0.06, 95%CI[-0.11, -0.02], p = 0.008, pFDR = 0.048). Secondary analyses showed that longitudinal positive associations between life stress and depression severity were moderated by stress-related increases in dorsal striatum response to rewards (left caudate β = 0.11, 95%CI[0.07,0.17], p < 0.001, pFDR = 0.002; right caudate β = 0.07, 95%CI[0.02,0.12], p = 0.002, pFDR = 0.003; left putamen β = 0.09, 95%CI[0.04, 0.14], p < 0.001, pFDR = 0.002; right putamen β = 0.08, 95%CI[0.03, 0.12], p < 0.001, pFDR = 0.002). Additionally, longitudinal positive associations among life stress and anxiety severity were moderated by stress-related reductions in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (β = -0.07, 95%CI[-0.12,.02], p = 0.008, pFDR = 0.012) and right anterior insula (β = -0.07, 95%CI[-0.12,-0.02], p = 0.002, pFDR = 0.006) response to loss. All results held when adjusting for comorbid symptoms. Results show convergence with animal models, highlighting mechanisms that may facilitate stress-induced anhedonia as well as a separable pathway for the emergence of depressive and anxiety symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaclyn S Kirshenbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - David Pagliaccio
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Randy P Auerbach
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Clinical Developmental Neuroscience, Sackler Institute, New York, NY, USA
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Pegg S, Kujawa A. The effects of stress on reward responsiveness: a systematic review and preliminary meta-analysis of the event-related potential literature. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:42-59. [PMID: 38093157 PMCID: PMC10872339 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01143-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to stressful events is associated with a range of negative physical and mental health outcomes, including depression. It is critical to understand the mechanisms through which stress impacts mental health to identify promising targets for prevention and intervention efforts. Low-reward responsiveness is thought to be a mechanism of effects of stress on negative health outcomes and can be reliably measured at the neurophysiological level by using event-related potentials (ERPs), such as the reward positivity (RewP) component. The goal of this systematic review and preliminary meta-analysis was to examine evidence of associations between stress and alterations in reward responsiveness measured using ERPs. Through a systematic review of the literature, 23 studies examining the effects of laboratory-induced stressors and naturalistic stressors or perceived stress on reward responsiveness met study criteria, 13 of which were included in the meta-analysis. Most studies were conducted in undergraduate and community samples, with three selected for specific conditions, and primarily in adults. The systematic review supported evidence of associations between laboratory-induced stressors and blunted reward responsiveness as measured by the RewP but there were more mixed results when considering direct associations between naturalistic stressors/perceived stress and reward-related ERPs. Given that all studies examined the RewP, the meta-analysis focused on this component and indicated that there was a weak, nonsignificant negative association between stress and RewP. Results emphasize the complex nature of relations between stress and reward-related ERPs and the need to consider alternative models in future research. We also provide reporting recommendations for ERP researchers to facilitate future meta-analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Pegg
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Peabody College #552, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203-5721, USA.
| | - Autumn Kujawa
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Peabody College #552, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203-5721, USA
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Ai Y, Hummel T, Nie H, Yang J, Han P. Reduced neural responses to pleasant odor stimuli after acute psychological stress is associated with cortisol reactivity. Neuroimage 2023; 284:120474. [PMID: 38008298 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute stress alters olfactory perception. However, little is known about the neural processing of olfactory stimuli after acute stress exposure and the role of cortisol in such an effect. Here, we used an event-related olfactory fMRI paradigm to investigate brain responses to odors of different valence (unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral) in healthy young adults following an acute stress (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) induction (N = 22) or a non-stressful resting condition (N = 22). We obtained the odor pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity ratings after the acute stress induction or resting condition. We also measured the participants' perceived stress and salivary cortisol at four time points during the procedure. We found a stress-related decrease in brain activation in response to the pleasant, but not to the neutral or unpleasant odor stimuli in the right piriform cortex extending to the right amygdala, the right orbitofrontal cortex, and the right insula. In addition, activation of clusters within the regions of interest were negatively associated with individual baseline-to-peak increase in salivary cortisol levels after stress. We also found increased functional connectivity between the right piriform cortex and the right insula after stress when the pleasant odor was presented. The strength of the connectivity was positively correlated with increased perceived stress levels immediately after stress exposure. These results provide novel evidence for the effects of acute stress in attenuating the neural processing of a pleasant olfactory stimulus. Together with previous findings, the effect of acute stress on human olfactory perception appears to depend on both the valence and the concentration (e.g., peri-threshold or suprathreshold levels) of odor stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ai
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Interdisciplinary Centre Smell and Taste, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Haoyu Nie
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Pengfei Han
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
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Yi W, Chen Y, Yan L, Kohn N, Wu J. Acute stress selectively blunts reward anticipation but not consumption: An ERP study. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 27:100583. [PMID: 38025282 PMCID: PMC10660484 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress-induced dysfunction of reward processing is documented to be a critical factor associated with mental illness. Although many studies have attempted to clarify the relationship between stress and reward, few studies have investigated the effect of acute stress on the temporal dynamics of reward processing. The present study applied event-related potentials (ERP) to examine how acute stress differently influences reward anticipation and consumption. In this study, seventy-eight undergraduates completed a two-door reward task following a Trier Social Stress Task (TSST) or a placebo task. The TSST group showed higher cortisol levels, perceived stress, anxiety, and negative affect than the control group. For the control group, a higher magnitude of reward elicited a reduced cue-N2 but increased stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN), suggesting that controls were sensitive to reward magnitude. In contrast, these effects were absent in the stress group, suggesting that acute stress reduces sensitivity to reward magnitude during the anticipatory phase. However, the reward positivity (RewP) and P3 of both groups showed similar patterns, which suggests that acute stress has no impact on reward responsiveness during the consummatory phase. These findings suggest that acute stress selectively blunts sensitivity to reward magnitude during the anticipatory rather than the consummatory phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yi
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yantao Chen
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Linlin Yan
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Nils Kohn
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jianhui Wu
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
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Freeman C, Carpentier L, Weinberg A. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Neural Responses to Reward: A Quasi-experiment. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:891-898. [PMID: 36948399 PMCID: PMC10028216 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has been a prolonged period of stress due to social isolation, illness, death, and other major life disruptions. Neural reward sensitivity, essential for healthy functioning, may become reduced under major naturalistic stressors, though few studies have examined this. The present study sought to test whether neural responses to rewards were significantly blunted by the stress of the pandemic. METHODS We compared 2 groups of young adult participants, who completed a monetary reward task while an electroencephalogram was recorded, at 2 time points, 1 to 3 years apart. Our measure of reward sensitivity was the reward positivity (RewP), a neural marker enhanced to gain relative to loss feedback. The magnitude of the RewP is sensitive to stress exposure and can prospectively predict depression. The pre-pandemic group (n = 41) completed both time points before the pandemic, while the pandemic group (n = 39) completed the baseline visit before the pandemic and the follow-up visit during its second year. RESULTS The pandemic group reported having experienced significant stressors over the course of the pandemic. We did not observe a significant decrease in the RewP from baseline to follow-up in the pre-pandemic group. In contrast, in the pandemic group, the RewP was significantly blunted at the follow-up visit to the extent that it no longer distinguished gain from loss feedback. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that prolonged naturalistic stressors can result in adaptations in neural responses to rewards. Our findings also highlight a possible mechanism linking stress to the development of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Freeman
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Loran Carpentier
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Anna Weinberg
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Hiser J, Heilicher M, Botsford C, Crombie KM, Bellani J, Azar A, Fonzo G, Nacewicz BM, Cisler JM. Decision-making for concurrent reward and threat is differentially modulated by trauma exposure and PTSD symptom severity. Behav Res Ther 2023; 167:104361. [PMID: 37393833 PMCID: PMC10370461 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Trauma exposure, particularly interpersonal violence (IPV) traumas, are significant risk factors for development of mental health disorders, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies attempting to disentangle mechanisms by which trauma confers risk and maintenance of PTSD have often investigated threat or reward learning in isolation. However, real-world decision-making often involves navigating concurrent and conflicting probabilities for threat and reward. We sought to understand how threat and reward learning interact to impact decision-making, and how these processes are modulated by trauma exposure and PTSD symptom severity. 429 adult participants with a range of trauma exposure and symptom severities completed an online version of the two stage Markov task, where participants make a series of decisions towards the goal of obtaining a reward, that embedded an intermediate threat or neutral image along the sequence of decisions to be made. This task design afforded the possibility to differentiate between threat avoidance vs diminished reward learning in the presence of threat, and whether these two processes reflect model-based vs model-free decision-making. Results demonstrated that trauma exposure severity, particularly IPV exposure, was associated with impairment in model-based learning for reward independent of threat, as well as with model-based threat avoidance. PTSD symptom severity was associated with diminished model-based learning for reward in the presence of threat, consistent with a threat-induced impairment in cognitively-demanding strategies for reward learning, but no evidence of heightened threat avoidance. These results highlight the complex interactions between threat and reward learning as a function of trauma exposure and PTSD symptom severity. Findings have potential implications for treatment augmentation and suggest a need for continued research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaryd Hiser
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
| | | | - Chloe Botsford
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
| | - Kevin M Crombie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, USA
| | - Jaideep Bellani
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
| | - Ameera Azar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, USA
| | - Greg Fonzo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, USA
| | | | - Josh M Cisler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, USA.
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Burani K, Brush CJ, Shields GS, Klein DN, Nelson B, Slavich GM, Hajcak G. Cumulative lifetime acute stressor exposure interacts with reward responsiveness to predict longitudinal increases in depression severity in adolescence. Psychol Med 2023; 53:4507-4516. [PMID: 37698514 PMCID: PMC10388334 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722001386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Life stress and blunted reward processing each have been associated with the onset and maintenance of major depressive disorder. However, much of this work has been cross-sectional, conducted in separate lines of inquiry, and focused on recent life stressor exposure, despite the fact that theories of depression posit that stressors can have cumulative effects over the lifespan. To address these limitations, we investigated whether acute and chronic stressors occurring over the lifespan interacted with blunted reward processing to predict increases in depression over time in healthy youth. METHOD Participants were 245 adolescent girls aged 8-14 years old (Mage = 12.4, s.d. = 1.8) who were evaluated at baseline and two years later. The reward positivity (RewP), an event-related potential measure of reward responsiveness, was assessed at baseline using the doors task. Cumulative lifetime exposure to acute and chronic stressors was assessed two years later using the Stress and Adversity Inventory for Adolescents (Adolescent STRAIN). Finally, depressive symptoms were assessed at both baseline and follow-up using the Children's Depression Inventory. RESULTS As hypothesized, greater lifetime acute stressor exposure predicted increases in depressive symptoms over two years, but only for youth exhibiting a blunted RewP. This interaction, however, was not found for chronic stressors. CONCLUSIONS Lifetime acute stressor exposure may be particularly depressogenic for youth exhibiting a blunted RewP. Conversely, a robust RewP may be protective in the presence of greater acute lifetime stressor exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kreshnik Burani
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - C. J. Brush
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Grant S. Shields
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Daniel N. Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Brady Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - George M. Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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Pagliaccio D, Pizzagalli D, Auerbach R, Kirshenbaum J. Neural Sensitivity following Stress Predicts Anhedonia Symptoms: A 2-Year Multi-wave, Longitudinal Study. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3060116. [PMID: 37398118 PMCID: PMC10312918 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3060116/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Animal models of depression show that acute stress negatively impacts functioning in neural regions sensitive to reward and punishment, often manifesting as anhedonic behaviors. However, few human studies have probed stress-induced neural activation changes in relation to anhedonia, which is critical for clarifying risk for affective disorders. Participants (N = 85 , 12-14-years-old, 53 female), oversampled for risk of depression, were administered clinical assessments and completed an fMRI guessing task to probe neural response to receipt of rewards and losses. After the initial task run, participants received an acute stressor and then, were re-administered the guessing task. Including baseline, participants provided up to 10 self-report assessments of life stress and symptoms over a 2-year period. Linear mixed-effects models estimated whether change in neural activation (post- vs. pre-acute stressor) moderated the longitudinal associations between life stress and symptoms over time. Primary analyses indicated that adolescents with stress-related reductions in right ventral striatum response to rewards exhibited stronger longitudinal associations between life stress and anhedonia severity p F D R = . 048 . Secondary analyses showed that longitudinal associations among life stress and depression severity were moderated by stress-related increases in dorsal striatum response to rewards p F D R < . 002 . Additionally, longitudinal associations among life stress and anxiety severity were moderated by stress-related reductions in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and right anterior insula response to loss p F D R ≤ . 012 . All results held when adjusting for comorbid symptoms. Results show convergence with animal models, highlighting mechanisms that may facilitate stress-induced anhedonia as well as a separable pathway for the emergence of depressive and anxiety symptoms.
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Lakhlifi C, Rohaut B. Heuristics and biases in medical decision-making under uncertainty: The case of neuropronostication for consciousness disorders. Presse Med 2023; 52:104181. [PMID: 37821058 DOI: 10.1016/j.lpm.2023.104181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropronostication for consciousness disorders can be very complex and prone to high uncertainty. Despite notable advancements in the development of dedicated scales and physiological markers using innovative paradigms, these technical progressions are often overshadowed by factors intrinsic to the medical environment. Beyond the scarcity of objective data guiding medical decisions, factors like time pressure, fatigue, multitasking, and emotional load can drive clinicians to rely more on heuristic-based clinical reasoning. Such an approach, albeit beneficial under certain circumstances, may lead to systematic error judgments and impair medical decisions, especially in complex and uncertain environments. After a brief review of the main theoretical frameworks, this paper explores the influence of clinicians' cognitive biases on clinical reasoning and decision-making in the challenging context of neuroprognostication for consciousness disorders. The discussion further revolves around developing and implementing various strategies designed to mitigate these biases and their impact, aiming to enhance the quality of care and the patient safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Lakhlifi
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France; Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Benjamin Rohaut
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France; AP-HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, MIR Neuro, DMU Neurosciences, Paris, France.
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Behavioral impulsivity moderates the relationship between acute stress and reward sensitivity. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.112040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Adolescents' neural reactivity to acute psychosocial stress: dysfunctional regulation habits are linked to temporal gyrus response. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:332-344. [PMID: 34365995 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421000572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Mid-adolescence is a critical time for the development of stress-related disorders and it is associated with significant social vulnerability. However, little is known about normative neural processes accompanying psychosocial stress at this time. Previous research found that emotion regulation strategies critically influence the relationship between stress and the development of psychiatric symptoms during adolescence. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined neural responses to acute stress and analyzed whether the tendency to use adaptive or maladaptive emotion regulation strategies is related to neural and autonomic stress responses. Results show large linear activation increases from low to medium to high stress levels mainly in medial prefrontal, insulae and temporal areas. Caudate and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, neural areas related to reward and affective valuations, showed linearly decreasing activation. In line with our hypothesis, the current adolescent neural stress profile resembled social rejection and was characterized by pronounced activation in insula, angular and temporal cortices. Moreover, results point to an intriguing role of the anterior temporal gyrus. Stress-related activity in the anterior temporal gyrus was positively related to maladaptive regulation strategies and stress-induced autonomic activity. Maladaptive coping might increase the social threat and reappraisal load of a stressor, relating to higher stress sensitivity of anterior temporal cortices.
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Wang L, Chen S, Xiao W. Effect of real-world fear on risky decision-making in medical school-based students: A quasi-experimental study. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1030098. [PMID: 36935894 PMCID: PMC10017853 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1030098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: To explore the effect of real-world fear on risky decision-making under certainty and uncertainty. Methods: This quasi-experimental study enrolled non-psychology undergraduate volunteers aged between 17 and 20 years old from the Preventive Medical Institute medical school in Xi'an. Participants were randomly divided into two groups, and each group received a two-stage crossover design intervention (of a calm and fearful situation) and completed the tasks of risky decision-making under uncertainty (the balloon analog risk task: BART) and certainty (the Cambridge gambling task: CGT), respectively. The primary outcomes included the behavioral impulsivity measured by the BART value, and the speed of decision-making, the quality of decisions, the adventure index, behavioral impulsivity, and risk adjustment measured by CGT. The secondary outcome was the concentration of cortisol in the saliva. Results: A total of 60 questionnaires and data were obtained from 60 participants (28 males and 32 females, aged 19.55 ± 0.75). Compared with the calm situation, participants were more likely to have a lower BART value (p = 0.013), slower speed of decision-making (p < 0.05), and higher adventure index (p = 0.018) in the fearful situation. The quality of decisions (p = 0.189), behavioral impulsivity index (p = 0.182), and risk adjustment (p = 0.063) between subjects in the fearful and calm situations were comparable. Furthermore, the mean value of the adventure index of CGT in male subjects was significantly higher than that in female subjects (p < 0.05), and the cortisol concentration in saliva during the fearful situation was significantly higher compared to the calm situation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Fear might reduce behavioral impulsivity under uncertainty, and increase the adventure index under certainty in risky decision-making. Risky behavior might be influenced by gender: under certainty in risky decision-making, men were more adventurous. Additionally, fear increased the secretion of cortisol in saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- Department of Medical Psychology, Strategic Support Force Medical Center, Beijing, China
| | - Sheng Chen
- Department of Medical Psychology, Strategic Support Force Medical Center, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Xiao
- Department of Military Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xian, China
- *Correspondence: Wei Xiao
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15
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Stress disrupts insight-driven mnemonic reconfiguration in the medial temporal lobe. Neuroimage 2023; 265:119804. [PMID: 36503160 PMCID: PMC9878442 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Memories are not stored in isolation. Insight into the relationship of initially unrelated events may trigger a flexible reconfiguration of the mnemonic representation of these events. Such representational changes allow the integration of events into coherent episodes and help to build up-to-date-models of the world around us. This process is, however, frequently impaired in stress-related mental disorders resulting in symptoms such as fragmented memories in PTSD. Here, we combined a real life-like narrative-insight task, in which participants learned how initially separate events are linked, with fMRI-based representational similarity analysis to test if and how acute stress interferes with the insight-driven reconfiguration of memories. Our results showed that stress reduced the activity of medial temporal and prefrontal areas when participants gained insight into the link between events. Moreover, stress abolished the insight-related increase in representational dissimilarity for linked events in the anterior part of the hippocampus as well as its association with measures of subsequent memory that we observed in non-stressed controls. However, memory performance, as assessed in a forced-choice recognition test, was even enhanced in the stress group. Our findings suggest that acute stress impedes the neural integration of events into coherent episodes but promotes long-term memory for these integrated narratives and may thus have implications for understanding memory distortions in stress-related mental disorders.
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16
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Beck K, Meir Drexler S, Wolf OT, Merz CJ. Stress effects on memory retrieval of aversive and appetitive instrumental counterconditioning in men. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 196:107697. [PMID: 36336274 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107697] [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: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Extinction training creates a second inhibitory memory trace and effectively reduces conditioned responding. However, acute stress inhibits the retrieval of this extinction memory trace. It is not known whether this also applies to other forms of associative learning such as instrumental counterconditioning, where previously learned associations are reversed and paired with the opposite valence. Therefore, the current preregistered study investigates whether stress decreases the retrieval of instrumental counterconditioning memories with aversive and appetitive consequences. Fifty-two healthy men were randomly assigned to either a stress or control group and took part in a two-day instrumental learning paradigm. During a first phase, participants learned that pressing specific buttons in response to the presentation of four neutral stimuli either leads to gaining or losing money. During a second phase, two stimuli reversed their contingencies (counterconditioning). One day later, participants were exposed to acute stress or a control condition prior to the same task, which no longer included feedback about gains or losses. Stressed participants showed more approach behavior towards appetitive and less avoidance behavior towards aversive stimuli as compared to non-stressed participants. Our findings indicate that stress effects on memory retrieval differ depending on the associative learning approach in men. These differences might be related to stress effects on decision making and different motivational systems involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Beck
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
| | - Shira Meir Drexler
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany; Department of Neurology, Mauritius Hospital Meerbusch, Strümper Straße 111, 40670 Meerbusch, Germany.
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
| | - Christian J Merz
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
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17
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Pechtel P, Belleau EL, Kaiser RH, Whitton AE, Beltzer M, Clegg R, Goer F, Vitaliano G, Teicher MH, Pizzagalli DA. Stress and reward: A multimodal assessment of childhood sexual abuse. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 21:100498. [PMID: 36532372 PMCID: PMC9755059 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Childhood adversity has been found to impact stress and brain reward systems but it is unclear whether interactions between these systems might explain resilient vs. non-resilient trajectories following childhood sexual abuse (CSA). To address this gap, we adopted a multimodal approach in which cortisol reactivity to an acute stressor was assessed in conjunction with behavioral and neural measures of reward responsiveness in females with major depressive disorder (MDD) or no psychiatric disorders (i.e., resilient) who experienced CSA compared to females with and without MDD who did not experience abuse. Methods Latent Class Mixed Modelling (LCMM) identified classes of adults (n = 62; MAge = 26.48, SD = 5.68) characterized by distinct cortisol trajectories in response to a combined social evaluative cold pressor task. Classes were examined for their history of CSA and resilience as well as behavioral and neural measures of reward responsiveness using 128-channel electroencephalography (event-related potentials and source localization analysis). Results LCMM analysis identified two distinct classes of individuals with increased (Responders) or blunted (Non-Responders) cortisol reactivity to an acute stressor. Unlike Responders, Non-Responders did not modulate reward responses throughout the stress manipulation. No differences emerged between Responders and Non-Responders in terms of CSA or resilience. However, exploratory results showed that blunted cortisol response and non-modulation of reward responses emerged for those who experienced CSA at a younger age. Conclusions Co-occurring blunted stress and reward reactivity emerged irrespective of adults' experience of CSA or resilience. However, preliminary findings showed that CSA ending during peripubertal development was associated with blunted cortisol and reward responsiveness. Future research needs to replicate findings in larger samples and could investigate if increasing reward responsiveness during critical times of neurodevelopment could normalize stress reactivity to future stressors and thus promote resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Pechtel
- University of Exeter, Department of Psychology, Exeter, UK
| | - Emily L. Belleau
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Roselinde H. Kaiser
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, USA
| | - Alexis E. Whitton
- Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Miranda Beltzer
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA
| | - Rachel Clegg
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA
| | - Franziska Goer
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA
| | - Gordana Vitaliano
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Diego A. Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA
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18
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Hu W, Zhao X, Liu Y, Ren Y, Wei Z, Tang Z, Tian Y, Sun Y, Yang J. Reward sensitivity modulates the brain reward pathway in stress resilience via the inherent neuroendocrine system. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 20:100485. [PMID: 36132434 PMCID: PMC9483565 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In the previous 10 years, researchers have suggested a critical role for the brain reward system in stress resilience. However, no study has provided an empirical link between activity in the mesostriatal reward regions during stress and the recovery of cortisol stress response. Moreover, although reward sensitivity as a trait has been demonstrated to promote stress resilience, it remains unclear whether it modulates the brain reward system in stress resilience and how this effect is achieved by the inherent neuroendocrine system. To investigate these uncertainties, 70 young adults were recruited to participate in a ScanSTRESS task, and their brain imaging data and saliva samples (for cortisol assay) were collected during the task. In addition, we assessed reward sensitivity, cortisol awakening response, and intrinsic functional connectivity of the brain in all the participants. We found that left putamen activation during stress exposure positively predicted cortisol recovery. In addition, reward sensitivity was positively linked with activation of the left putamen, and this relationship was serially mediated by the cortisol awakening response and right hippocampus-left inferior frontal gyrus intrinsic connectivity. These findings suggest that reward sensitivity modulates reward pathways in stress resilience through the interplay of the diurnal stress response system and network of the hippocampus-prefrontal circuitry. Summarily, the current study built a model to highlight the dynamic and multifaceted interaction between pertinent allostatic factors in the reward-resilience pathway and uncovered new insight into the resilience function of the mesostriatal reward system during stress. Cortisol recovery can be predicted by activation of the left putamen in stress. Activation of the left putamen was positively linked with reward sensitivity. This relationship was serially mediated by the cortisol awakening response and right hippocampus-left inferior frontal gyrus intrinsic coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyu Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yadong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yipeng Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhenni Wei
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zihan Tang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yun Tian
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yadong Sun
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
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19
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Stark R, Markert C, Kruse O, Walter B, Strahler J, Klein S. Individual cortisol response to acute stress influences neural processing of sexual cues. J Behav Addict 2022; 11:506-519. [PMID: 35895611 PMCID: PMC9295234 DOI: 10.1556/2006.2022.00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Problematic pornography use can be conceptualized as an impulse control disorder or alternatively as a behavioral addiction. Stress is an important trigger in addiction, but less is known about the neural effect of stress in problematic pornography use. Therefore, we aimed at investigating the effect of stress during the anticipation and viewing of sexually explicit material while considering person characteristics related to potentially being at risk for developing problematic pornography use. METHODS In an fMRI study (n = 157 men, age: mean = 25.46, SD = 4.11) we used a sexual incentive delay task. A social stress test was used to induce stress in half of the participants. Salivary cortisol was repeatedly measured and person characteristics were considered moderating the effects of cortisol response. RESULTS We found no group differences in the neural responses during the anticipation phase, but a higher reactivity to sexual stimuli in the dACC in the stress group. Acute stress activated a pronounced cortisol response, which positively correlated with neural activations in the reward system (NAcc, dACC) to sexual cues. Further, the individual time spent on pornography use moderated the effect of cortisol in some regions of the reward system (dACC, mOFC). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that acute stress related increases in cortisol can enhance the incentive value of cues announcing sexual stimuli. This might explain why acute stress is considered a trigger of pornography use and relapse and why individual stress response might be a risk factor for developing a problematic pornography use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudolf Stark
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany,Corresponding author. E-mail:
| | - Charlotte Markert
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany
| | - Onno Kruse
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany
| | - Bertram Walter
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany
| | - Jana Strahler
- Sportpsychology, Institute of Sport and Sport Sciences, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sanja Klein
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany,Center of Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Germany
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20
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Dennison JB, Sazhin D, Smith DV. Decision neuroscience and neuroeconomics: Recent progress and ongoing challenges. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2022; 13:e1589. [PMID: 35137549 PMCID: PMC9124684 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In the past decade, decision neuroscience and neuroeconomics have developed many new insights in the study of decision making. This review provides an overarching update on how the field has advanced in this time period. Although our initial review a decade ago outlined several theoretical, conceptual, methodological, empirical, and practical challenges, there has only been limited progress in resolving these challenges. We summarize significant trends in decision neuroscience through the lens of the challenges outlined for the field and review examples where the field has had significant, direct, and applicable impacts across economics and psychology. First, we review progress on topics including reward learning, explore-exploit decisions, risk and ambiguity, intertemporal choice, and valuation. Next, we assess the impacts of emotion, social rewards, and social context on decision making. Then, we follow up with how individual differences impact choices and new exciting developments in the prediction and neuroforecasting of future decisions. Finally, we consider how trends in decision-neuroscience research reflect progress toward resolving past challenges, discuss new and exciting applications of recent research, and identify new challenges for the field. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Reasoning and Decision Making Psychology > Emotion and Motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B Dennison
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel Sazhin
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David V Smith
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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21
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Tarantino V, Tasca I, Giannetto N, Mangano GR, Turriziani P, Oliveri M. Impact of Perceived Stress and Immune Status on Decision-Making Abilities during COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown. Behav Sci (Basel) 2021; 11:167. [PMID: 34940102 PMCID: PMC8698277 DOI: 10.3390/bs11120167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to make risky decisions in stressful contexts has been largely investigated in experimental settings. We examined this ability during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic, when in Italy people were exposed to a prolonged stress condition, mainly caused by a rigid lockdown. Participants among the general population completed two cognitive tasks, an Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which measures individual risk/reward decision-making tendencies, and a Go/No-Go task (GNG), to test impulsivity, together with two questionnaires, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales. The Immune Status Questionnaire was additionally administered to explore the impact of the individual health status on decision making. The effect of the questionnaires scores on task performance was examined. The results showed that higher levels of perceived stress and a more self-reported vulnerable immune status were associated, separately, with less risky/more advantageous choices in the IGT in young male participants but with more risky/less advantageous choices in older male participants. These effects were not found in female participants. Impulsivity errors in the GNG were associated with more anxiety symptoms. These findings bring attention to the necessity of taking into account decision-making processes during stressful conditions, especially in the older and more physically vulnerable male population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza Tarantino
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 15, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (I.T.); (N.G.); (G.R.M.); (P.T.); (M.O.)
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22
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Burani K, Gallyer A, Ryan J, Jordan C, Joiner T, Hajcak G. Acute stress reduces reward-related neural activity: Evidence from the reward positivity. Stress 2021; 24:833-839. [PMID: 33998959 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2021.1929164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress and blunted reward processing are risk factors for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The experience of acute stress reduces fMRI correlates of reward-related neural activity; however, few studies have examined how acute stress impacts measures of reward derived from event-related potentials (ERPs). The current study examined the impact of an acute stressor on the Reward Positivity (RewP), an ERP that indexes reward sensitivity, in twenty-six college students. Participants completed a monetary reward task while they placed their left hand in cold water set at 13 °C (i.e. acute stress condition) and again while their hand was placed in room temperature water (i.e. control condition). These conditions were separated by one week and performed in a counter-balanced order across participants. The results revealed that the RewP amplitude was blunted in the acute stress condition compared to the control condition. Moreover, there was a trend toward this effect interacting with self-reported depressive symptoms: the RewP was reduced only among individuals who reported low depressive symptoms. The current study suggests that an acute stressor reduces the RewP, and that this effect might be moderated by current depressive symptoms. Future studies might examine the temporal association between reward processing and stress, and how they interact to predict depressive symptoms.LAY SUMMARYThe current study examined the impact of acute stress on the brain's reward system. The results indicated that acute stress reduced activity within the brain's reward system, particularly among individuals with low depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kreshnik Burani
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Austin Gallyer
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Jon Ryan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Carson Jordan
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Thomas Joiner
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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23
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Czekalla N, Stierand J, Stolz DS, Mayer AV, Voges JF, Rademacher L, Paulus FM, Krach S, Müller-Pinzler L. Self-beneficial belief updating as a coping mechanism for stress-induced negative affect. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17096. [PMID: 34429447 PMCID: PMC8384941 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96264-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Being confronted with social-evaluative stress elicits a physiological and a psychological stress response. This calls for regulatory processes to manage negative affect and maintain self-related optimistic beliefs. The aim of the current study was to investigate the affect-regulating potential of self-related updating of ability beliefs after exposure to social-evaluative stress, in comparison to non-social physical stress or no stress. We assessed self-related belief updating using trial-by-trial performance feedback and described the updating behavior in a mechanistic way using computational modeling. We found that social-evaluative stress was accompanied by an increase in cortisol and negative affect which was related to a positive shift in self-related belief updating. This self-beneficial belief updating, which was absent after physical stress or control, was associated with a better recovery from stress-induced negative affect. This indicates that enhanced integration of positive self-related feedback can act as a coping strategy to deal with social-evaluative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Czekalla
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Janine Stierand
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - David S. Stolz
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Annalina V. Mayer
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Johanna F. Voges
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Lena Rademacher
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Frieder M. Paulus
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Sören Krach
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Laura Müller-Pinzler
- grid.4562.50000 0001 0057 2672Social Neuroscience Lab at the Translational Psychiatry Unit (TPU), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
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24
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Postpartum Stress and Neural Regulation of Emotion among First-Time Mothers. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:1066-1082. [PMID: 34128217 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00914-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Early parenting relies on emotion regulation capabilities, as mothers are responsible for regulating both their own emotional state and that of their infant during a time of new parenting-related neural plasticity and potentially increased stress. Previous research highlights the importance of frontal cortical regions in facilitating effective emotion regulation, but few studies have investigated the neural regulation of emotion among postpartum women. The current study employed a functional neuroimaging (fMRI) approach to explore the association between perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and the neural regulation of emotion in first-time mothers. Among 59 postpartum mothers, higher perceived stress during the postpartum period was associated with less self-reported use of cognitive reappraisal in everyday life, and greater use of emotion suppression. While viewing standardized aversive images during the Emotion Regulation Task (ERT), mothers were instructed to experience their natural emotional state (Maintain) or to decrease the intensity of their negative emotion by using cognitive reappraisal (Reappraise). Whole-brain analysis revealed a two-way interaction of perceived stress x condition in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at p < .05 cluster-wise corrected, controlling for postpartum months and scanner type. Higher levels of perceived stress were associated with heightened right DLPFC activity while engaging in cognitive reappraisal versus naturally responding to negative stimuli. Higher right DLPFC activity during Reappraise versus Maintain was further associated with elevated parenting stress. Findings suggest that stress and everyday reappraisal use is reflected in mothers' neural regulation of emotion and may have important implications for their adaptation to parenthood.
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Altered behaviour, dopamine and norepinephrine regulation in stressed mice heterozygous in TPH2 gene. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 108:110155. [PMID: 33127424 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Gene-environment interaction (GxE) determines the vulnerability of an individual to a spectrum of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Increased impulsivity, excessive aggression, and other behavioural characteristics are associated with variants within the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2) gene, a key enzyme in brain serotonin synthesis. This phenotype is recapitulated in naïve mice with complete, but not with partial Tph2 inactivation. Tph2 haploinsufficiency in animals reflects allelic variation of Tph2 facilitating the elucidation of respective GxE mechanisms. Recently, we showed excessive aggression and altered serotonin brain metabolism in heterozygous Tph2-deficient male mice (Tph2+/-) after predator stress exposure. Here, we sought to extend these studies by investigating aggressive and anxiety-like behaviours, sociability, and the brain metabolism of dopamine and noradrenaline. Separately, Tph2+/- mice were examined for exploration activity in a novel environment and for the potentiation of helplessness in the modified swim test (ModFST). Predation stress procedure increased measures of aggression, dominancy, and suppressed sociability in Tph2+/- mice, which was the opposite of that observed in control mice. Anxiety-like behaviour was unaltered in the mutants and elevated in controls. Tph2+/- mice exposed to environmental novelty or to the ModFST exhibited increased novelty exploration and no increase in floating behaviour compared to controls, which is suggestive of resilience to stress and despair. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed significant genotype-dependent differences in the metabolism of dopamine, and norepinephrine within the brain tissue. In conclusion, environmentally challenged Tph2+/- mice exhibit behaviours that resemble the behaviour of non-stressed null mutants, which reveals how GxE interaction studies can unmask latent genetically determined predispositions.
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Cooper JA, Nuutinen MR, Lawlor VM, DeVries BAM, Barrick EM, Hossein S, Cole DJ, Leonard CV, Hahn EC, Teer AP, Shields GS, Slavich GM, Ongur D, Jensen JE, Du F, Pizzagalli DA, Treadway MT. Reduced adaptation of glutamatergic stress response is associated with pessimistic expectations in depression. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3166. [PMID: 34039978 PMCID: PMC8155144 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23284-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is a significant risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Preclinically, adaptive and maladaptive stress-induced changes in glutamatergic function have been observed in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Here, we examine stress-induced changes in human mPFC glutamate using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in two healthy control samples and a third sample of unmedicated participants with MDD who completed the Maastricht acute stress task, and one sample of healthy control participants who completed a no-stress control manipulation. In healthy controls, we find that the magnitude of mPFC glutamate response to the acute stressor decreases as individual levels of perceived stress increase. This adaptative glutamate response is absent in individuals with MDD and is associated with pessimistic expectations during a 1-month follow-up period. Together, this work shows evidence for glutamatergic adaptation to stress that is significantly disrupted in MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Elyssa M Barrick
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Shabnam Hossein
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Daniel J Cole
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Emma C Hahn
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Andrew P Teer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Grant S Shields
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - George M Slavich
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Dost Ongur
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - J Eric Jensen
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Fei Du
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Michael T Treadway
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Betts GM, Lipsky LM, Temmen CD, Siega-Riz AM, Faith MS, Nansel TR. Poorer mental health and sleep quality are associated with greater self-reported reward-related eating during pregnancy and postpartum: an observational cohort study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2021; 18:58. [PMID: 33933087 PMCID: PMC8088672 DOI: 10.1186/s12966-021-01124-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression, stress, and poor-quality sleep are common during pregnancy and postpartum, but the relationship of these factors with reward-related eating is not well understood. This observational cohort study examines associations of depression, stress, and sleep quality with self-reported reward-related eating in pregnancy and postpartum. METHODS Participants were enrolled at < 12 weeks gestation and followed through 1 year postpartum. Self-reported measures obtained at baseline and 23-31 weeks postpartum included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; reward-related eating measures included the Power of Food Scale (assessing hedonic hunger), modified Yale Food Addiction Scale (assessing addictive-like eating), and frequency and intensity of cravings. Linear and logistic regression models estimated associations of depressive symptoms, stress, and sleep quality with reward-related eating during pregnancy and postpartum, as well as change in each predictor with change in outcome. RESULTS During pregnancy, greater depressive symptoms (β ± SE = 0.03 ± 0.01, p < .01), higher stress (0.03 ± 0.01, p < .01), and worse sleep quality (0.03 ± 0.01, p = 0.03) were associated with greater hedonic hunger. Similarly, greater depressive symptoms (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.14, p = .01), higher stress (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.14, p = <.01), and worse sleep quality (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.18, p = .04) were associated with greater odds of addictive-like eating. These associations were also significant in postpartum except that sleep quality was not associated with hedonic hunger. Greater depressive symptoms (β ± SE = 0.06 ± 0.02, p < .01; 0.08 ± 0.02, p = <.01), higher stress (0.04 ± 0.01, p < .01; 0.06 ± 0.02, p < .01), and worse sleep quality (0.11 ± 0.03, p < .01; 0.13 ± 0.03, p < .01) during pregnancy were associated with stronger and more frequent cravings, respectively. Increased depressive symptoms from pregnancy to postpartum was associated with increased hedonic hunger (β ± SE = 1.17 ± 0.57, p = 0.01) and addictive-like eating (0.88 ± 0.33, p = 0.01), and increased stress was associated with increased hedonic hunger (1.71 ± 0.76, p = 0.02). Change in stress was not associated with change in addictive-like eating and change in sleep quality was not associated with change in either hedonic hunger or addictive-like eating. CONCLUSIONS Greater depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and poorer sleep quality are associated with greater self-reported reward-related eating during pregnancy and postpartum, suggesting that efforts to improve diet during and after pregnancy may benefit from addressing mental health and sleep. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov Registration ID - NCT02217462 . Date of registration - August 13, 2014.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace M Betts
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710B Rockledge Dr., MSC 7004, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Leah M Lipsky
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710B Rockledge Dr., MSC 7004, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Chelsie D Temmen
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710B Rockledge Dr., MSC 7004, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Anna Maria Siega-Riz
- Departments of Nutrition and Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, 109 Arnold House, 715 Pleasant St, Amherst, MA, 01003-9303, USA
| | - Myles S Faith
- Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education, 420 Baldy Hall, University at Buffalo - SUNY, Buffalo, NY, 14250-1000, USA
| | - Tonja R Nansel
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710B Rockledge Dr., MSC 7004, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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28
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Lee DG, Daunizeau J. Trading mental effort for confidence in the metacognitive control of value-based decision-making. eLife 2021; 10:e63282. [PMID: 33900198 PMCID: PMC8128438 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Why do we sometimes opt for actions or items that we do not value the most? Under current neurocomputational theories, such preference reversals are typically interpreted in terms of errors that arise from the unreliable signaling of value to brain decision systems. But, an alternative explanation is that people may change their mind because they are reassessing the value of alternative options while pondering the decision. So, why do we carefully ponder some decisions, but not others? In this work, we derive a computational model of the metacognitive control of decisions or MCD. In brief, we assume that fast and automatic processes first provide initial (and largely uncertain) representations of options' values, yielding prior estimates of decision difficulty. These uncertain value representations are then refined by deploying cognitive (e.g., attentional, mnesic) resources, the allocation of which is controlled by an effort-confidence tradeoff. Importantly, the anticipated benefit of allocating resources varies in a decision-by-decision manner according to the prior estimate of decision difficulty. The ensuing MCD model predicts response time, subjective feeling of effort, choice confidence, changes of mind, as well as choice-induced preference change and certainty gain. We test these predictions in a systematic manner, using a dedicated behavioral paradigm. Our results provide a quantitative link between mental effort, choice confidence, and preference reversals, which could inform interpretations of related neuroimaging findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas G Lee
- Sorbonne UniversityParisFrance
- Paris Brain Institute (ICM)ParisFrance
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council of ItalyRomeItaly
| | - Jean Daunizeau
- Paris Brain Institute (ICM)ParisFrance
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit (TNU), ETHZurichSwitzerland
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Zhang X, Xun Y, Wang L, Zhang J, Hou W, Ma H, Cai W, Li L, Guo Q, Li Y, Lv Z, Jia R, Tai F, He Z. Involvement of the dopamine system in the effect of chronic social isolation during adolescence on social behaviors in male C57 mice. Brain Res 2021; 1765:147497. [PMID: 33894223 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In the early stage of life, experiencing social isolation can generate long-lasting deleterious effects on behaviors and brain development. However, the effects of chronic social isolation during adolescence on social behaviors and its underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. The present study found that four weeks of social isolation during adolescence impaired social recognition ability in the three-chamber test and five-trial social recognition test, and increased aggressive-like behaviors, but reduced environmental exploration, as showed in the social interaction test. Chronic social isolation decreased levels of dopamine D2 receptor in the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and medial prefrontal cortex. It also reduced TH in the NAcc. Using in vivo fiber photometry, it was also found that isolated mice displayed a reduction in NAcc shell activity upon exploring unfamiliar social stimuli. An injection of a 100 ng dose of the D2R agonist quinpirole into the shell of the NAcc reversed behavioral abnormalities induced by chronic social isolation. These data suggest that the dopamine system is involved in alterations in social behaviors induced by chronic social isolation. This finding sheds light on the mechanism underlying abnormalities in social behavior induced by adolescent chronic social isolation and provides a promising target to treat mental diseases relevant to social isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueni Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yufeng Xun
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Limin Wang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Wenjuan Hou
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Huan Ma
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Wenqi Cai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Laifu Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Qianqian Guo
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yitong Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Zijian Lv
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Rui Jia
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
| | - Zhixiong He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
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30
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Ringwald KG, Meller T, Schmitt S, Andlauer TFM, Stein F, Brosch K, Pfarr JK, Steinsträter O, Meinert S, Lemke H, Waltemate L, Thiel K, Grotegerd D, Enneking V, Klug M, Jansen A, Forstner AJ, Streit F, Witt SH, Rietschel M, Müller-Myhsok B, Nöthen MM, Dannlowski U, Krug A, Nenadić I, Kircher T. Interaction of developmental factors and ordinary stressful life events on brain structure in adults. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 30:102683. [PMID: 34215153 PMCID: PMC8102615 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Stressful life events in adulthood are negatively associated with grey matter volume in the medial orbitofrontal cortex. This association was present for both, positive and negative, life events. Early life risk factors do not interact with current SLEs on brain morphology in healthy subjects.
An interplay of early environmental and genetic risk factors with recent stressful life events (SLEs) in adulthood increases the risk for adverse mental health outcomes. The interaction of early risk and current SLEs on brain structure has hardly been investigated. Whole brain voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed in N = 786 (64.6% female, mean age = 33.39) healthy subjects to identify correlations of brain clusters with commonplace recent SLEs. Genetic and early environmental risk factors, operationalized as those for severe psychopathology (i.e., polygenic scores for neuroticism, childhood maltreatment, urban upbringing and paternal age) were assessed as modulators of the impact of SLEs on the brain. SLEs were negatively correlated with grey matter volume in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC, FWE p = 0.003). This association was present for both, positive and negative, life events. Cognitive-emotional variables, i.e., neuroticism, perceived stress, trait anxiety, intelligence, and current depressive symptoms did not account for the SLE-mOFC association. Further, genetic and environmental risk factors were not correlated with grey matter volume in the left mOFC cluster and did not affect the association between SLEs and left mOFC grey matter volume. The orbitofrontal cortex has been implicated in stress-related psychopathology, particularly major depression in previous studies. We find that SLEs are associated with this area. Important early life risk factors do not interact with current SLEs on brain morphology in healthy subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai G Ringwald
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Tina Meller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Simon Schmitt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Till F M Andlauer
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Brosch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Julia-Katharina Pfarr
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Olaf Steinsträter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Meinert
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Hannah Lemke
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Lena Waltemate
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina Thiel
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Dominik Grotegerd
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Verena Enneking
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Melissa Klug
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Core-Facility BrainImaging, Faculty of Medicine, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
| | - Andreas J Forstner
- Centre for Human Genetics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Baldingerstr., 35033 Marburg, Germany; Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Bertram Müller-Myhsok
- Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Feodor-Lynen-Str. 17, 81377 Munich, Germany; Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital - UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
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Pelletier-Baldelli A, Strauss GP, Kuhney FS, Chun C, Gupta T, Ellman LM, Schiffman J, Mittal VA. Perceived stress influences anhedonia and social functioning in a community sample enriched for psychosis-risk. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 135:96-103. [PMID: 33460840 PMCID: PMC7914219 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Existing animal and human research support the causal role of stress in the emergence of anhedonia, and in turn, the influence of anhedonia in social functioning. However, this model has not been tested in relation to psychosis-risk; this literature gap is notable given that both anhedonia and declining social functioning represent key markers of risk of developing a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia. The current research tested the evidence for this model using structural equation modeling in 240 individuals selected based on a range of psychosis-risk symptomatology from the general community. Results supported this model in comparison with alternative models, and additionally emphasized the direct role of perceived stress in social functioning outcomes. Findings suggest the clinical relevance of targeting early perceptions of stress in individuals meeting psychosis-risk self-report criteria in an effort to prevent subsequent anhedonia and declines in social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Franchesca S Kuhney
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychology, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Charlotte Chun
- Temple University, Department of Psychology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tina Gupta
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychology, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Lauren M Ellman
- Temple University, Department of Psychology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Vijay A Mittal
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychology, Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Department of Psychiatry, Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Institute for Policy Research, Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Department of Medical Social Science, Evanston, IL, USA
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32
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Martin-Soelch C, Guillod M, Gaillard C, Recabarren RE, Federspiel A, Mueller-Pfeiffer C, Homan P, Hasler G, Schoebi D, Horsch A, Gomez P. Increased Reward-Related Activation in the Ventral Striatum During Stress Exposure Associated With Positive Affect in the Daily Life of Young Adults With a Family History of Depression. Preliminary Findings. Front Psychiatry 2021; 11:563475. [PMID: 33584359 PMCID: PMC7873952 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.563475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Being the offspring of a parent with major depression disorder (MDD) is a strong predictor for developing MDD. Blunted striatal responses to reward were identified in individuals with MDD and in asymptomatic individuals with family history of depression (FHD). Stress is a major etiological factor for MDD and was also reported to reduce the striatal responses to reward. The stress-reward interactions in FHD individuals has not been explored yet. Extending neuroimaging results into daily-life experience, self-reported ambulatory measures of positive affect (PA) were shown to be associated with striatal activation during reward processing. A reduction of self-reported PA in daily life is consistently reported in individuals with current MDD. Here, we aimed to test (1) whether increased family risk of depression is associated with blunted neural and self-reported reward responses. (2) the stress-reward interactions at the neural level. We expected a stronger reduction of reward-related striatal activation under stress in FHD individuals compared to HC. (3) the associations between fMRI and daily life self-reported data on reward and stress experiences, with a specific interest in the striatum as a crucial region for reward processing. Method: Participants were 16 asymptomatic young adults with FHD and 16 controls (HC). They performed the Fribourg Reward Task with and without stress induction, using event-related fMRI. We conducted whole-brain analyses comparing the two groups for the main effect of reward (rewarded > not-rewarded) during reward feedback in control (no-stress) and stress conditions. Beta weights extracted from significant activation in this contrast were correlated with self-reported PA and negative affect (NA) assessed over 1 week. Results: Under stress induction, the reward-related activation in the ventral striatum (VS) was higher in the FHD group than in the HC group. Unexpectedly, we did not find significant group differences in the self-reported daily life PA measures. During stress induction, VS reward-related activation correlated positively with PA in both groups and negatively with NA in the HC group. Conclusion: As expected, our results indicate that increased family risk of depression was associated with specific striatum reactivity to reward in a stress condition, and support previous findings that ventral striatal reward-related response is associated with PA. A new unexpected finding is the negative association between NA and reward-related ventral striatal activation in the HC group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantal Martin-Soelch
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Guillod
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Claudie Gaillard
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institutes of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Romina Evelyn Recabarren
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Federspiel
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Mueller-Pfeiffer
- Department of Consultation-Liaison-Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Homan
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, United States
- Division of Psychiatry Research, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Zucker School of Medicine at Northwell/Hofstra, Hempstead, NY, United States
| | - Gregor Hasler
- Unit of Psychiatry Research, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Schoebi
- Unit of Clinical Family Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Antje Horsch
- Department Woman-Mother-Child, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Gomez
- Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Umeoka EHL, van Leeuwen JMC, Vinkers CH, Joëls M. The Role of Stress in Bipolar Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 48:21-39. [PMID: 32748285 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2020_151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Stress is a major risk factor for bipolar disorder. Even though we do not completely understand how stress increases the risk for the onset and poorer course of bipolar disorder, knowledge of stress physiology is rapidly evolving. Following stress, stress hormones - including (nor)adrenaline and corticosteroid - reach the brain and change neuronal function in a time-, region-, and receptor-dependent manner. Stress has direct consequences for a range of cognitive functions which are time-dependent. Directly after stress, emotional processing is increased at the cost of higher brain functions. In the aftermath of stress, the reverse is seen, i.e., increased executive function and contextualization of information. In bipolar disorder, basal corticosteroid levels (under non-stressed conditions) are generally found to be increased with blunted responses in response to experimental stress. Moreover, patients who have bipolar disorder generally show impaired brain function, including reward processing. There is some evidence for a causal role of (dysfunction of) the stress system in the etiology of bipolar disorder and their effects on brain system functionality. However, longitudinal studies investigating the functionality of the stress systems in conjunction with detailed information on the development and course of bipolar disorder are vital to understand in detail how stress increases the risk for bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo H L Umeoka
- Faculty of Medicine, University Center Unicerrado, Goiatuba, GO, Brazil.
| | - Judith M C van Leeuwen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Christiaan H Vinkers
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Harrewijn A, Vidal-Ribas P, Clore-Gronenborn K, Jackson SM, Pisano S, Pine DS, Stringaris A. Associations between brain activity and endogenous and exogenous cortisol - A systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 120:104775. [PMID: 32592873 PMCID: PMC7502528 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
To arrive at a coherent understanding of the relation between glucocorticoids and the human brain, we systematically reviewed the literature for studies examining the associations between endogenous or exogenous cortisol and human brain function. Higher levels of endogenous cortisol during psychological stress were related to increased activity in the middle temporal gyrus and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and altered function (i.e., mixed findings, increased or decreased) in the amygdala, hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus. Moreover, endogenous cortisol response to psychological stress was related to increased activity in the inferior temporal gyrus and altered function in the amygdala during emotional tasks that followed psychological stress. Exogenous cortisol administration was related to increased activity in the postcentral gyrus, superior frontal gyrus and ACC, and altered function in the amygdala and hippocampus during conditioning, emotional and reward-processing tasks after cortisol administration. These findings were in line with those from animal studies on amygdala activity during and after stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Harrewijn
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Pablo Vidal-Ribas
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Katharina Clore-Gronenborn
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, 9501 Euclid Ave. EC10, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA; Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Sarah M Jackson
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Simone Pisano
- Department of Neuroscience, AORN Santobono-Pausilipon, Via Mario Fiore 6, Naples, Italy; Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Federico II University, Via Pansini 5, Naples, Italy
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Argyris Stringaris
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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Bryce CA, Floresco SB. Central CRF and acute stress differentially modulate probabilistic reversal learning in male and female rats. Behav Brain Res 2020; 397:112929. [PMID: 32998044 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress can have variable and sometimes sex-dependent effects on different executive functions, including cognitive flexibility, some of which may be mediated by increased corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). Previous studies on the effects of stress and CRF on cognitive flexibility have used procedures entailing deterministic rewards, yet how they may alter behavior when outcomes are probabilistic is unclear. The present study examined how acute stress and increased CRF activity alters probabilistic reversal learning (PRL) in male and female rats. Rats learned to discriminate between a 'correct' lever rewarded on 80 % of trials, and an "incorrect" lever delivering reward on 20 % of trials, with reward contingencies reversed after 8 consecutive correct choices. Separate groups received either intracerebroventricular infusions of CRF (3 μg) or restraint stress prior to a PRL session. Experiments examined how these manipulations affected learning when given prior to a one-day acquisition test or during performance in well-trained rats. Exogenous CRF, and to a lesser extent acute stress, impaired motivation across sexes, slowing deliberation times and increasing the number of trials omitted, particularly following a switch in reward contingencies. Neither manipulation significantly altered errors or reversal performance. However, increased CRF activity reduced negative feedback sensitivity. Across manipulations, females showed increased omissions and choice latencies, and were less sensitive to feedback than males. These results reveal the complexity with which stress, CRF, sex, and experience interact to alter aspects of motivation and probabilistic reinforcement learning and provide insight into how CRF activity may contribute to symptoms of stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney A Bryce
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Byrne KA, Peters C, Willis HC, Phan D, Cornwall A, Worthy DA. Acute stress enhances tolerance of uncertainty during decision-making. Cognition 2020; 205:104448. [PMID: 32927385 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress has been shown to influence reward sensitivity, feedback learning, and risk-taking during decision-making, primarily through activation of the hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA). However, it is unclear how acute stress affects decision-making among choices that vary in their degree of uncertainty. To address this question, we conducted two experiments in which participants repeatedly chose between two options-a high-uncertainty option that offered highly variable rewards but was advantageous in the long-term, and a low-uncertainty option that offered smaller yet more consistent rewards. The Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Task (SECPT) was utilized to induce acute stress. Participants in Experiment 1 (N = 114) were exposed to either the SECPT or a warm-water control condition and then completed the decision-making under uncertainty task. Compared to the control condition, those exposed to the acute stress manipulation chose the high-uncertainty option that provided highly variable but larger rewards over the option that provided stable, smaller rewards. Experiment 2 (N = 95) incorporated a salivary cortisol measure. Results replicated the behavioral findings in Experiment 1 and demonstrated that the acute stress manipulation increased salivary cortisol. This work suggests that moderate acute stress is associated with tolerance of outcome variability in contexts that depend on learning to maximize rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Dana Phan
- Clemson University, United States of America
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Lim SL, Martin LE, Catley D. Trial-by-Trial Fluctuations in Brain Responses to Stress Predict Subsequent Smoking Decisions That Occur Several Seconds Later. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:1019-1027. [PMID: 32828721 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To investigate the neurobiological mechanisms that determine self-regulation of smoking urges when a person encounters stress, we investigated brain network interactions of smoking self-regulation by employing a real-time smoking (nicotine delivery) decision paradigm and a brain-as-predictor neuroimaging approach. METHODS While in the functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner, 25 cigarette smokers who abstained from smoking overnight made 200 real smoking decisions regarding whether or not to take a puff of an electronic cigarette during 3 different stress conditions (cognitive stress, emotional stress, and no stress). Cognitive stress was induced by a concurrent working memory load, and emotional stress was induced by manipulating a chance of aversive electric shock. RESULTS Behaviorally, both cognitive and emotional stress manipulations increased the probability of making a decision to smoke (i.e., taking a puff). In magnetic resonance imaging trial-by-trial analyses, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity measured at the time of the stress cue significantly predicted future smoking decisions that occurred several seconds later. Furthermore, the influence of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity on smoking decisions was mediated by the ventral striatum activity at the time of smoking decisions. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that brain responses at the time of a stressful moment determine subsequent trial-by-trial smoking decisions by systematically altering brain executive (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and reward (ventral striatum) system network activities. Our results further suggest potential translational importance of neuroscientific approaches to predicting self-regulation failures at critical stressful moments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Lark Lim
- Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri.
| | - Laura E Martin
- Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; Hoglund Biomedical Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
| | - Delwyn Catley
- Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
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Kujawa A, Klein DN, Pegg S, Weinberg A. Developmental trajectories to reduced activation of positive valence systems: A review of biological and environmental contributions. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 43:100791. [PMID: 32510349 PMCID: PMC7225621 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduced activation of positive valence systems (PVS), including blunted neural and physiological responses to pleasant stimuli and rewards, has been shown to prospectively predict the development of psychopathology. Yet, little is known about how reduced PVS activation emerges across development or what implications it has for prevention. We review genetic, temperament, parenting, and naturalistic and laboratory stress research on neural measures of PVS and outline developmentally-informed models of trajectories of PVS activation. PVS function is partly heritable and appears to reflect individual differences in early-emerging temperament traits. Although lab-induced stressors blunt PVS activation, effects of parenting and naturalistic stress on PVS are mixed and depend on the type of stressor, developmental timing, and interactions amongst risk factors. We propose that there may be multiple, dynamic developmental trajectories to reduced PVS activation in which combinations of genes, temperament, and exposure to severe, prolonged, or uncontrollable stress may exert direct and interactive effects on PVS function. Critically, these risk factors may alter PVS developmental trajectories and/or PVS sensitivity to proximal stressors. Distinct factors may converge such that PVS activation proceeds along a typical, accelerated, chronically low, or stress-reactive trajectory. Finally, we present directions for future research with translational implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Autumn Kujawa
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203-5721, United States.
| | - Daniel N Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, United States.
| | - Samantha Pegg
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203-5721, United States.
| | - Anna Weinberg
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 McGill College Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1G1, Canada.
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Han S, Cui Q, Wang X, Chen Y, Li D, Li L, Guo X, Fan YS, Guo J, Sheng W, Lu F, He Z, Chen H. The anhedonia is differently modulated by structural covariance network of NAc in bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 99:109865. [PMID: 31962188 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
During depressive episode, bipolar disorder (BD) patients share indistinguishable depression symptoms with major depressive disorder (MDD).However, whether neural correlates underlying the anhedonia, a core feature of depression, is different between BD and MDD remains unknown. To explore neural correlates underlying the anhedonia in BD and MDD, structural T1-weighted images from 36 depressed BD patients, 40 depressed MDD patients matched for depression severity and 34 health controls (HCs) were scanned. Considering the vital role of nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the anhedonia, we constructed the structural covariance network of NAc for each subject. Then, we explored altered structural covariance network of NAc and its interaction with the anhedonia severity in BD and MDD patients. As a result, BD and MDD patients shared decreased structural covariance of NAc connected to prefrontal gyrus, bilateral striatum extending to bilateral anterior insula. Apart from these regions, BD patients presented specifically increased structural covariance of NAc connected to left hippocampus extending to thalamus. The interaction between structural covariance network of NAc and the anhedonia severity in MDD was mainly associated anterior insula (AIC), amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)and caudate while that in BD was mainly located in striatum and prefrontal cortex. Our results found that BD and MDD patients presented commonly and distinctly altered structural covariance network of NAc. What is more, the neural correlates underlying the anhedonia in BD and MDD might be different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoqiang Han
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Qian Cui
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China; School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, PR China.
| | - Xiao Wang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Yuyan Chen
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Di Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Liang Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Xiaonan Guo
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Yun-Shuang Fan
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Jing Guo
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Wei Sheng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Fengmei Lu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China
| | - Zongling He
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China.
| | - Huafu Chen
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China; MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China.
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von Helversen B, Rieskamp J. Stress-related changes in financial risk taking: Considering joint effects of cortisol and affect. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13560. [PMID: 32133666 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 01/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Many decisions under risk and uncertainty are made under physical or emotional stress. A recent meta-analysis suggested that stress reliably influences risk taking but did not find a relation between single measures of stress such as cortisol and risk taking. One reason for the conflicting findings could be that the influence of stress on risk taking depends not only on physiological but also on psychological stress responses, in particular affective valence. We tested this hypothesis in an exploratory empirical study: Seventy participants worked on a financial risk-taking task. In half of the participants acute stress was induced with a cold pressor task. For all participants we measured cortisol and α-amylase levels, blood pressure, subjective arousal, and affective valence before and after the task. The stress induction increased participants' levels of cortisol, subjective arousal, and systolic blood pressure but did not directly influence negative affect or risky decision making. Examining the interplay between physiological and psychological stress responses, a moderation analysis revealed an interaction between stress induction and affect valence: Negative affect predicted an increase in risk-seeking decision making in the stress condition, but not in the control group. A similar moderation was found with cortisol reactivity, that is, negative affect predicted an increase in risk-seeking decision making in participants with high cortisol reactivity but not in participants with low cortisol reactivity. These results suggest that the effect of stress on risky decision making depends on the interplay of affective valence and cortisol reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina von Helversen
- Department of Psychology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jörg Rieskamp
- Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Bryce CA, Adalbert AJ, Claes MM, van Holstein M, Floresco SB. Differential effects of corticotropin-releasing factor and acute stress on different forms of risk/reward decision-making. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 169:107167. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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42
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Gaillard C, Guillod M, Ernst M, Federspiel A, Schoebi D, Recabarren RE, Ouyang X, Mueller-Pfeiffer C, Horsch A, Homan P, Wiest R, Hasler G, Martin-Soelch C. Striatal reactivity to reward under threat-of-shock and working memory load in adults at increased familial risk for major depression: A preliminary study. Neuroimage Clin 2020; 26:102193. [PMID: 32036303 PMCID: PMC7011085 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Anhedonia, a core symptom of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), manifests as a lack or loss of motivation as reflected by decreased reward responsiveness, at both behavioral and neural (i.e., striatum) levels. Exposure to stressful life events is another important risk factor for MDD. However, the mechanisms linking reward-deficit and stress to MDD remain poorly understood. Here, we explore whether the effects of stress exposure on reward processing might differentiate between Healthy Vulnerable adults (HVul, i.e., positive familial MDD) from Healthy Controls (HCon). Furthermore, the well-described reduction in cognitive resources in MDD might facilitate the stress-induced decrease in reward responsiveness in HVul individuals. Accordingly, this study includes a manipulation of cognitive resources to address the latter possibility. METHODS 16 HVul (12 females) and 16 gender- and age-matched HCon completed an fMRI study, during which they performed a working memory reward task. Three factors were manipulated: reward (reward, no-reward), cognitive resources (working memory at low and high load), and stress level (no-shock, unpredictable threat-of-shock). Only the reward anticipation phase was analyzed. Imaging analyses focused on striatal function. RESULTS Compared to HCon, HVul showed lower activation in the caudate nucleus across all conditions. The HVul group also exhibited lower stress-related activation in the nucleus accumbens, but only in the low working memory (WM) load condition. Moreover, while stress potentiated putamen reactivity to reward cues in HVul when the task was more demanding (high WM load), stress blunted putamen reactivity in both groups when no reward was at stake. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that HVul might be at increased risk of developing anhedonic symptoms due to weaker encoding of reward value, higher difficulty to engage in goal-oriented behaviors and increased sensitivity to negative feedback, particularly in stressful contexts. These findings open new avenues for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying how the complex interaction between the systems of stress and reward responsiveness contribute to the vulnerability to MDD, and how cognitive resources might modulate this interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudie Gaillard
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
| | - Matthias Guillod
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Andrea Federspiel
- Psychiatric Neuroimaging Unit, Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Schoebi
- Unit of Clinical Family Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Romina Evelyn Recabarren
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Xinyi Ouyang
- iBM Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Mueller-Pfeiffer
- Department of Consultation-Liaison-Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Antje Horsch
- Department Woman-Mother-Child, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Homan
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, New York, New York, USA
| | - Roland Wiest
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gregor Hasler
- Unit of Psychiatry Research, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Chantal Martin-Soelch
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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43
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Zhang X, Li P, Chen J, Li H. Acute stress impairs reward positivity effect in probabilistic learning. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13531. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xukai Zhang
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center Shenzhen University Shenzhen China
- Faculty of Education and Psychology University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Peng Li
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center Shenzhen University Shenzhen China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science Shenzhen University Shenzhen China
| | - Jie Chen
- Institute of Psychology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Hong Li
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center Shenzhen University Shenzhen China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science Shenzhen University Shenzhen China
- Center for Emotion and Brain Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience Shenzhen China
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44
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Boyle CC, Stanton AL, Eisenberger NI, Seeman TE, Bower JE. Effects of stress-induced inflammation on reward processing in healthy young women. Brain Behav Immun 2020; 83:126-134. [PMID: 31580931 PMCID: PMC7324155 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anhedonia, or loss of interest or pleasure, is a feature of depression and transdiagnostic construct in psychopathology. Theory and compelling evidence from preclinical models implicates stress-induced inflammation as a psychobiological pathway to anhedonic behavior; however, this pathway has not been tested in human models. Further, although anhedonia may reflect dysregulation in multiple dimensions of reward, the extent to which stress-induced inflammation alters these dimensions is unclear. Thus, the current experimental study used a standardized laboratory stressor task to elicit an inflammatory response and evaluate effects of stress-induced inflammation on multiple behavioral indices of reward processing. METHODS Healthy young women (age 18-25) completed behavioral reward tasks assessing reward learning, motivation, and sensitivity and were randomized to undergo an acute psychosocial stressor (n = 37) or a no-stress active control (n = 17). Tasks were re-administered 90-120 min post-stress to coincide with the peak of the stress-induced inflammatory response. Blood samples were collected for assessment of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) at baseline and 90 and 120 min post stressor. RESULTS Stress-induced IL-6 was associated with increased response bias during reward learning and increased motivation when probability of receiving a reward was low. Sensitivity to reward in the context of a motivation task was not altered in association with stress-induced IL-6. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to hypotheses, mild increases in IL-6 following acute stress were associated with increased reward responsiveness during reward learning and selective increases in motivation. Results contribute to an emerging and nuanced literature linking inflammation to reward processing, and demonstrate that behavioral effects of stress-induced inflammation may be detected in the laboratory setting. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT03828604.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe C. Boyle
- Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States,Corresponding author at: Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior, Medical Plaza 300, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States. (C.C. Boyle)
| | - Annette L. Stanton
- Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States,Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States,Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Naomi I. Eisenberger
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Teresa E. Seeman
- Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Julienne E. Bower
- Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States,Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States,Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
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45
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Health risk behaviours and allostatic load: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:694-711. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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46
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The effects of psychosocial stress on intergroup resource allocation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18620. [PMID: 31819104 PMCID: PMC6901446 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54954-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress changes our social behavior. Traditionally, stress has been associated with “fight-or-flight” – the tendency to attack an aggressor, or escape the stressor. But stress may also promote the opposite pattern, i.e., “tend-and-befriend” – increased prosociality toward others. It is currently unclear which situational or physiological factors promote one or the other. Here, we hypothesized that stress stimulates both tendencies, but that fight-or-flight is primarily directed against a potentially hostile outgroup, moderated by rapid-acting catecholamines, while tend-and-befriend is mainly shown towards a supportive ingroup, regulated by cortisol. To test this hypothesis, we measured stress-related neurohormonal modulators and sex hormones in male and female participants who were exposed to a psychosocial stressor, and subsequently played an intergroup social dilemma game in which they could reveal prosocial motives towards an ingroup (ingroup-love) and hostility towards an outgroup (outgroup-hate). We found no significant effects of stress on social preferences, but stress-related heart-rate increases predicted outgroup-hostile behavior. Furthermore, when controlling for testosterone, cortisol was associated with increased ingroup-love. Other-regarding behavior was overall higher in male than female participants. Our mixed results are of interest to scholars of the effects of stress on prosocial and aggressive behavior, but call for refinement in future replications.
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47
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Gaillard C, Guillod M, Ernst M, Torrisi S, Federspiel A, Schoebi D, Recabarren RE, Ouyang X, Mueller-Pfeiffer C, Horsch A, Homan P, Wiest R, Hasler G, Martin-Soelch C. Striatal responsiveness to reward under threat-of-shock and working memory load: A preliminary study. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01397. [PMID: 31557426 PMCID: PMC6790302 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Reward and stress are important determinants of motivated behaviors. Striatal regions play a crucial role in both motivation and hedonic processes. So far, little is known on how cognitive effort interacts with stress to modulate reward processes. This study examines how cognitive effort (load) interacts with an unpredictable acute stressor (threat-of-shock) to modulate motivational and hedonic processes in healthy adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS A reward task, involving stress with unpredictable mild electric shocks, was conducted in 23 healthy adults aged 20-37 (mean age: 24.7 ± 0.9; 14 females) during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Manipulation included the use of (a) monetary reward for reinforcement, (b) threat-of-shock as the stressor, and (c) a spatial working memory task with two levels of difficulty (low and high load) for cognitive load. Reward-related activation was investigated in a priori three regions of interest, the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), caudate nucleus, and putamen. RESULTS During anticipation, threat-of-shock or cognitive load did not affect striatal responsiveness to reward. Anticipated reward increased activation in the ventral and dorsal striatum. During feedback delivery, both threat-of-shock and cognitive effort modulated striatal activation. Higher working memory load blunted NAcc responsiveness to reward delivery, while stress strengthened caudate nucleus reactivity regardless reinforcement or load. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide initial evidence that both stress and cognitive load modulate striatal responsiveness during feedback delivery but not during anticipation in healthy adults. Of clinical importance, sustained stress exposure might go along with dysregulated arousal, increasing therefore the risk for the development of maladaptive incentive-triggered motivation. This study brings new insight that might help to build a framework to understand common stress-related disorders, given that these psychiatric disorders involve disturbances of the reward system, cognitive deficits, and abnormal stress reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudie Gaillard
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Guillod
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Salvatore Torrisi
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Andrea Federspiel
- Psychiatric Neuroimaging Unit, Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Schoebi
- Unit of Clinical Family Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Romina E Recabarren
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Xinyi Ouyang
- iBM Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Mueller-Pfeiffer
- Department of Consultation-Liaison-Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Antje Horsch
- Department Woman-Mother-Child, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Homan
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, New York, NY
| | - Roland Wiest
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gregor Hasler
- Unit of Psychiatry Research, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Chantal Martin-Soelch
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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van Leeuwen JMC, Vink M, Joëls M, Kahn RS, Hermans EJ, Vinkers CH. Reward-Related Striatal Responses Following Stress in Healthy Individuals and Patients With Bipolar Disorder. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 4:966-974. [PMID: 31471186 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress has a major impact on the onset and recurrence of mood episodes in bipolar disorder (BD), but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Previous studies have shown distinct time-dependent effects of stress on reward processing in healthy individuals. Impaired reward processing is a core characteristic of BD, and altered reward processing during recovery from stress could influence the development and course of bipolar disorder. METHODS We investigated brain responses during reward processing 50 minutes after stress using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 40 healthy control subjects and 40 patients with euthymic BD assigned to either an acute stress test (Trier Social Stress Test) or a no-stress condition. RESULTS Acute stress increased cortisol levels in both healthy control subjects and patients with BD. Ventral striatal responses to reward outcome were increased in healthy control subjects during stress recovery but not in patients with BD. For anticipation, no differences were found between the groups following stress. CONCLUSIONS For the first time, we show altered reward processing in patients with BD during the recovery phase of stress. These data suggest reduced neural flexibility of hedonic signaling in response to environmental challenges. This may increase the susceptibility to stressful life events in the future and play a role in the development of further psychopathology in the longer term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith M C van Leeuwen
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Matthijs Vink
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - René S Kahn
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Erno J Hermans
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Christiaan H Vinkers
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry/GGZ InGeest, Amsterdam UMC (location VUmc), Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC (location VUmc), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Ferreira S, Veiga C, Moreira P, Magalhães R, Coelho A, Marques P, Portugal-Nunes C, Sousa N, Morgado P. Reduced Hedonic Valuation of Rewards and Unaffected Cognitive Regulation in Chronic Stress. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:724. [PMID: 31354423 PMCID: PMC6636668 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognition can influence choices by modulation of decision-making processes. This cognitive regulation is defined as processing information, applying knowledge, and changing preferences to consciously modulate decisions. While cognitive regulation of emotions has been extensively studied in psychiatry, few works have detailed cognitive regulation of decision-making. Stress may influence emotional behavior, cognition, and decision-making. In addition, the brain regions responsible for decision-making are sensitive to stress-induced changes. Thus, we hypothesize that chronic stress may disrupt the ability to regulate choices. Herein, we used a functional magnetic resonance imaging task where fourteen control and fifteen chronically stressed students had to cognitively upregulate or downregulate their craving before placing a bid to obtain food. We found that stressed participants placed lower bids to get the reward and chose less frequently higher bid values for food. Nevertheless, we did not find neural and behavioral differences during cognitive regulation of craving. Our outcomes revealed that chronic stress impacts decision-making after cognitive regulation of craving by reducing the valuation of food rewards but not cognitive modulation itself. Importantly, our results need further validation with larger sample sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sónia Ferreira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carlos Veiga
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Pedro Moreira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Magalhães
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Coelho
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Paulo Marques
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carlos Portugal-Nunes
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal
| | - Pedro Morgado
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal
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50
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Byrne KA, Cornwall AC, Worthy DA. Acute stress improves long-term reward maximization in decision-making under uncertainty. Brain Cogn 2019; 133:84-93. [PMID: 30842035 PMCID: PMC6556131 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2019.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress influences reward-seeking tendencies and risky decision-making. However, it is unclear how acute stress influences decision-making in situations in which individuals must learn to either maximize long-term or immediate rewards from experience. Consequently, this study sought to investigate whether acute stress enhances salience of small, immediate or large, delayed rewards on decision-making under uncertainty. The Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Task (SECPT) was used to induce acute stress. Participants in Experiment 1 (N = 50) were exposed to either the SECPT or a warm-water control condition and then completed a decision-making task in which participants needed to learn to forego immediate rewards in favor of larger delayed rewards. The results demonstrated that acute stress enhanced decisions that maximized long-term, large rewards over immediate, small rewards. Experiment 2 (N = 50) included an assessment of salivary cortisol. Results replicated the behavioral findings in Experiment 1 and demonstrated that the acute stress manipulation increased salivary cortisol, thus providing a potential physiological mechanism for these results. This work suggests that moderate acute stress can improve decision-making under uncertainty that depends on learning to maximize long-term rewards from experience.
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