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Tashjian SM, Cussen J, Deng W, Zhang B, Mobbs D. Adaptive Safety Coding in the Prefrontal Cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.19.604228. [PMID: 39091862 PMCID: PMC11291074 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.19.604228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Pivotal to self-preservation is the ability to identify when we are safe and when we are in danger. Previous studies have focused on safety estimations based on the features of external threats and do not consider how the brain integrates other key factors, including estimates about our ability to protect ourselves. Here we examine the neural systems underlying the online dynamic encoding of safety. The current preregistered study used two novel tasks to test four facets of safety estimation: Safety Prediction, Meta-representation, Recognition, and Value Updating. We experimentally manipulated safety estimation changing both levels of external threats and self-protection. Data were collected in two independent samples (behavioral N=100; fMRI N=30). We found consistent evidence of subjective changes in the sensitivity to safety conferred through protection. Neural responses in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) tracked increases in safety during all safety estimation facets, with specific tuning to protection. Further, informational connectivity analyses revealed distinct hubs of safety coding in the posterior and anterior vmPFC for external threats and protection, respectively. These findings reveal a central role of the vmPFC for coding safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Tashjian
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Joseph Cussen
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Wenning Deng
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Bo Zhang
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Lev-Sagie A, Rayan-Gharra N, Allouche-Kam H, Granot M. Does One Measure Fit All? The Role of Experimentally Induced Pain Tests in the Assessment of Women with Provoked Vestibular Pain. Int J Womens Health 2024; 16:1199-1210. [PMID: 38974514 PMCID: PMC11225990 DOI: 10.2147/ijwh.s441863] [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: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose A diagnostic algorithm was recently suggested to address the underlying mechanisms of provoked-vestibulodynia (PVD). It delineates four subgroups (Hormonal-associated, Augmented-anterior, Hymenal-associated and Hypertonicity-associated), each manifesting a distinctive vulvar pain-hypersensitivity regarding location (circumferential vs posterior-only vestibulodynia) and pain characteristics. We aimed to explore the significance of various experimentally induced vulvar pain measures in the manifestation of pain hypersensitivity in each subgroup. Methods Women with PVD (n = 113) and 43 controls reported pain intensity provoked during vaginal penetration and tampon insertion. Vestibular tenderness (anterior and posterior) was assessed by Q-tip test, and pressure stimulation delivered to the puborectalis assessed muscle tenderness. Pain thresholds were measured using a vulvar-algesiometer. These measures were compared between patients and controls and among the PVD subgroups. Correlations between the clinical and experimentally induced-pain measures were assessed. Finally, to address whether the association between experimentally induced-pain measures and dyspareunia severity is mediated by hypertonicity, the conditional indirect effect was analyzed in each subgroup. Results Compared to controls, augmented vulvar pain-hypersensitivity and hypertonicity were observed among patients (p < 0.001). ANOVA revealed no subgroup differences in dyspareunia severity. Nevertheless, some experimentally induced-pain measures were differently correlated with dyspareunia intensity in each subgroup, allowing discrimination of subgroups according to the unique findings of vulvar pain-hypersensitivity. The degree of pelvic floor muscle-hypertonicity mediated the association between vulvar pain-hypersensitivity and dyspareunia severity, emphasizing the key role of hypertonicity in distinguishing between subgroups. Conclusion The findings offer more evidence of variations among PVD subtypes, demonstrating that insertional dyspareunia may originate from dissimilar alterations in the mucosal and muscular tissues. The results also emphasize the significance of utilizing a wide battery of tests to capture different experimentally induced-pain measures, revealing the unique patterns of vulvar pain-hypersensitivity in each subgroup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahinoam Lev-Sagie
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Clalit Health Organization, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Nosaiba Rayan-Gharra
- Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Hadas Allouche-Kam
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Mount Scopus-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Michal Granot
- Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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3
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Varangot-Reille C, Pezzulo G, Thacker M. The fear-avoidance model as an embodied prediction of threat. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024:10.3758/s13415-024-01199-4. [PMID: 38890209 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01199-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
The fear-avoidance model is a well-established framework in the understanding of persistent pain. It proposes a dichotomous path: either the context is interpreted as safe; there is no fear reaction and, therefore, the individual engages in active (positive) coping; or the context is interpreted as threatening, leading to a self-reinforcing vicious circle of fear and (negative) avoidance. We propose an embodied interpretation of this phenomenon employing the joint framework of predictive coding and active inference. The key idea is that multisensory integration of exteroceptive, proprioceptive, and interoceptive sensory inputs can lead to dysfunctional experiences of threat in nonthreatening situations. Threat inference can promote fear responses, maladaptive strategies (i.e., avoidance) and self-provides evidence for threat in associated or future contexts, or both. Under this treatment, the prediction of nonrealized threat becomes self-evidencing and context-invariant, and hence self-perpetuating. Safety cues are unable to attenuate the interpretation of the negative context as the dominant inference of the context is threatful and gains more precision and becomes resistant over time. Our model provides an explanation for the emergence of a dysfunctional fear response in the clinical setting despite apparent safety based on modern concepts from theoretical (computational) neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clovis Varangot-Reille
- MSc Statistics and Computer Science for Data Science, University Lumière Lyon 2, Bron, France.
| | - Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Mick Thacker
- Department of Physiotherapy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
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Burback L, Forner C, Winkler OK, Al-Shamali HF, Ayoub Y, Paquet J, Verghese M. Survival, Attachment, and Healing: An Evolutionary Lens on Interventions for Trauma-Related Dissociation. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2024; 17:2403-2431. [PMID: 38912158 PMCID: PMC11193433 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s402456] [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: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Dissociation is a necessary part of our threat response system, common to all animal species, normally temporarily activated under conditions of extreme or inescapable threat. Pathological dissociation, however, continues to occur after the initial threat has passed, in response to reminders or inaccessibility of safety and security. Present across the spectrum of psychiatric diagnoses, recurrent dissociative symptoms are linked to severe trauma exposure, insecure attachment, treatment non-response, and maladaptive coping behaviors such as substance use, suicidality, and self-harm. However, empirical studies testing treatments specific to dissociative processes remain scarce. This narrative review summarizes existing studies and provides theoretical, neurobiological, and evolutionary perspectives on dissociative processes and treatments for pathological dissociation. Methods A systematic search of five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL plus, Scopus) was conducted on April 13, 2023. Peer-reviewed clinical studies with adult participants, assessing intervention effects on dissociative symptoms, were included. Results were thematically analyzed and summarized. Results Sixty-nine studies were identified, mainly focused on posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma-exposed populations, and borderline personality disorder. Psychotherapy was studied in 72.5% of studies; other interventions included medications and neurostimulation. The majority reported positive outcomes, despite the heterogeneous spectrum of interventions. However, treatment of dissociative symptoms was the primary objective in only a minority. Conclusion Pathological dissociation is a complex phenomenon involving brain and body systems designed for perceiving and responding to severe threats, requiring an individualized approach. A literature is emerging regarding potentially evidence-based treatments to help those impacted by recurrent dissociative symptoms. When contextualized within a neurobiological and evolutionary perspective, these treatments can be understood as facilitating an internal and/or relational sense of safety, resulting in symptom reduction. Further studies are needed to explore effective treatments for dissociative symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Burback
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (NMHI), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | - Huda F Al-Shamali
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yahya Ayoub
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jacquelyn Paquet
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Myah Verghese
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Escobedo A, Holloway SA, Votoupal M, Cone AL, Skelton H, Legaria AA, Ndiokho I, Floyd T, Kravitz AV, Bruchas MR, Norris AJ. Glutamatergic supramammillary nucleus neurons respond to threatening stressors and promote active coping. eLife 2024; 12:RP90972. [PMID: 38829200 PMCID: PMC11147510 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90972] [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] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Threat-response neural circuits are conserved across species and play roles in normal behavior and psychiatric diseases. Maladaptive changes in these neural circuits contribute to stress, mood, and anxiety disorders. Active coping in response to stressors is a psychosocial factor associated with resilience against stress-induced mood and anxiety disorders. The neural circuitry underlying active coping is poorly understood, but the functioning of these circuits could be key for overcoming anxiety and related disorders. The supramammillary nucleus (SuM) has been suggested to be engaged by threat. SuM has many projections and a poorly understood diversity of neural populations. In studies using mice, we identified a unique population of glutamatergic SuM neurons (SuMVGLUT2+::POA) based on projection to the preoptic area of the hypothalamus (POA) and found SuMVGLUT2+::POA neurons have extensive arborizations. SuMVGLUT2+::POA neurons project to brain areas that mediate features of the stress and threat responses including the paraventricular nucleus thalamus (PVT), periaqueductal gray (PAG), and habenula (Hb). Thus, SuMVGLUT2+::POA neurons are positioned as a hub, connecting to areas implicated in regulating stress responses. Here we report SuMVGLUT2+::POA neurons are recruited by diverse threatening stressors, and recruitment correlated with active coping behaviors. We found that selective photoactivation of the SuMVGLUT2+::POA population drove aversion but not anxiety like behaviors. Activation of SuMVGLUT2+::POA neurons in the absence of acute stressors evoked active coping like behaviors and drove instrumental behavior. Also, activation of SuMVGLUT2+::POA neurons was sufficient to convert passive coping strategies to active behaviors during acute stress. In contrast, we found activation of GABAergic (VGAT+) SuM neurons (SuMVGAT+) neurons did not alter drive aversion or active coping, but termination of photostimulation was followed by increased mobility in the forced swim test. These findings establish a new node in stress response circuitry that has projections to many brain areas and evokes flexible active coping behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham Escobedo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Salli-Ann Holloway
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Megan Votoupal
- Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicagoUnited States
| | - Aaron L Cone
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Hannah Skelton
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Alex A Legaria
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Imeh Ndiokho
- Medical College of WisconsinMilwaukeeUnited States
| | - Tasheia Floyd
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Alexxai V Kravitz
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion University of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine University of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
- Department of Pharmacology University of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
- Department of Bioengineering University of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Aaron J Norris
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
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Liu JL, Yan L, Zhang YH, Gan JH, Yang LC. Lower class competence stereotypes of the upper class increase class conflict: mediation by intergroup envy and moderation by upward social mobility belief. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1360951. [PMID: 38873511 PMCID: PMC11169697 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1360951] [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: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Background With increasing gaps between the rich and poor, potential risk factors for class conflict have attracted increasing attention from researchers. Although cognitive factors are known to be significant predictors of class-conflict behavior, limited attention has been paid to competence stereotypes of the upper class. When considering economic inequality, people pay more attention to competence stereotypes of the upper class, which may have adverse effects. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between competence stereotypes held by the lower class about the upper class and class conflict, and to test the mediating role of intergroup envy in this relationship and the moderating role of upward social mobility belief. Methods Data were collected from a convenience sample from a comprehensive university in China. Based on scores on subjective and objective class scales, 284 lower-class college students (103 males and 181 females) aged 18-24 were selected to participate (both their subjective and objective scores were lower than 3 points). Their endorsement of upper-class competence stereotypes, intergroup envy, upward social mobility beliefs, and class conflict were measured using a well-validated self-report questionnaire. Results The main data were analyzed using correlation analysis, the SPSS macro PROCESS (Model 7), and simple slope analysis. The results show a significant positive correlation between competence stereotypes held by lower-class college students toward the higher class and class conflict, and this connection was mediated by intergroup envy. Moreover, the indirect effect of intergroup envy on this link was moderated by upward social mobility beliefs; this effect was stronger for college students with lower upward social mobility beliefs. Conclusion This study broadens our understanding of how and when competence stereotypes among the lower class concerning the upper class are related to class conflict. Researchers and policymakers should pay special attention to competence stereotypes of the upper class, especially intergroup envy and class conflict among lower-class individuals with lower levels of upward social mobility beliefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Ling Liu
- College of Education and Sports Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
- Social Psychology Research Center of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
| | - Lei Yan
- College of Education and Sports Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
- Social Psychology Research Center of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
| | - Yan-Hong Zhang
- College of Education and Sports Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
- Social Psychology Research Center of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
| | - Jin-Hua Gan
- College of Education and Sports Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
- Social Psychology Research Center of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
| | - Lin-Chuan Yang
- College of Education, Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
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Diaz-Fong JP, Feusner JD. Visual Perceptual Processing Abnormalities in Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 38691313 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2024_472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Phenomenological observations of individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), coupled with evidence from neuropsychological, psychophysical, and neuroimaging studies, support a model of aberrant visual perception characterized by deficient global/holistic, enhanced detail/local processing, and selective visual-attentional biases. These features may contribute to the core symptomatology of distorted perception of their appearance, in addition to misinterpretation of others' facial expressions and poor insight regarding their misperceived appearance defects. Insights from visual processing studies can contribute to the development of novel interventions, such as perceptual retraining and non-invasive neuromodulation. However, much remains to be understood about visual perception in BDD. Future research should leverage brain imaging modalities with high temporal resolutions and employ study designs that induce conflicts in multisensory integration, thereby advancing our mechanistic understanding of distorted visual perception observed in BDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel P Diaz-Fong
- Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jamie D Feusner
- Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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8
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Fox S. Minimizing Entropy and Complexity in Creative Production from Emergent Pragmatics to Action Semantics. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 26:364. [PMID: 38785613 PMCID: PMC11119173 DOI: 10.3390/e26050364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
New insights into intractable industrial challenges can be revealed by framing them in terms of natural science. One intractable industrial challenge is that creative production can be much more financially expensive and time consuming than standardized production. Creative products include a wide range of goods that have one or more original characteristics. The scaling up of creative production is hindered by high financial production costs and long production durations. In this paper, creative production is framed in terms of interactions between entropy and complexity during progressions from emergent pragmatics to action semantics. An analysis of interactions between entropy and complexity is provided that relates established practice in creative production to organizational survival in changing environments. The analysis in this paper is related to assembly theory, which is a recent theoretical development in natural science that addresses how open-ended generation of complex physical objects can emerge from selection in biology. Parallels between assembly practice in industrial production and assembly theory in natural science are explained through constructs that are common to both, such as assembly index. Overall, analyses reported in the paper reveal that interactions between entropy and complexity underlie intractable challenges in creative production, from the production of individual products to the survival of companies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Fox
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, FI-02150 Espoo, Finland
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Holley D, Campos LJ, Drzewiecki CM, Zhang Y, Capitanio JP, Fox AS. Rhesus infant nervous temperament predicts peri-adolescent central amygdala metabolism & behavioral inhibition measured by a machine-learning approach. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:148. [PMID: 38490997 PMCID: PMC10943234 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02858-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders affect millions of people worldwide and impair health, happiness, and productivity on a massive scale. Developmental research points to a connection between early-life behavioral inhibition and the eventual development of these disorders. Our group has previously shown that measures of behavioral inhibition in young rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) predict anxiety-like behavior later in life. In recent years, clinical and basic researchers have implicated the central extended amygdala (EAc)-a neuroanatomical concept that includes the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST)-as a key neural substrate for the expression of anxious and inhibited behavior. An improved understanding of how early-life behavioral inhibition relates to an increased lifetime risk of anxiety disorders-and how this relationship is mediated by alterations in the EAc-could lead to improved treatments and preventive strategies. In this study, we explored the relationships between infant behavioral inhibition and peri-adolescent defensive behavior and brain metabolism in 18 female rhesus monkeys. We coupled a mildly threatening behavioral assay with concurrent multimodal neuroimaging, and related those findings to various measures of infant temperament. To score the behavioral assay, we developed and validated UC-Freeze, a semi-automated machine-learning (ML) tool that uses unsupervised clustering to quantify freezing. Consistent with previous work, we found that heightened Ce metabolism predicted elevated defensive behavior (i.e., more freezing) in the presence of an unfamiliar human intruder. Although we found no link between infant-inhibited temperament and peri-adolescent EAc metabolism or defensive behavior, we did identify infant nervous temperament as a significant predictor of peri-adolescent defensive behavior. Our findings suggest a connection between infant nervous temperament and the eventual development of anxiety and depressive disorders. Moreover, our approach highlights the potential for ML tools to augment existing behavioral neuroscience methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Holley
- University of California, Department of Psychology, Davis, CA, USA
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, USA
| | - L J Campos
- University of California, Department of Psychology, Davis, CA, USA
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, USA
| | - C M Drzewiecki
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Y Zhang
- Columbia University, Department of Statistics, New York, NY, USA
| | - J P Capitanio
- University of California, Department of Psychology, Davis, CA, USA
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, USA
| | - A S Fox
- University of California, Department of Psychology, Davis, CA, USA.
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, USA.
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10
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Levitas DJ, James TW. Dynamic threat-reward neural processing under semi-naturalistic ecologically relevant scenarios. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26648. [PMID: 38445552 PMCID: PMC10915741 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Studies of affective neuroscience have typically employed highly controlled, static experimental paradigms to investigate the neural underpinnings of threat and reward processing in the brain. Yet our knowledge of affective processing in more naturalistic settings remains limited. Specifically, affective studies generally examine threat and reward features separately and under brief time periods, despite the fact that in nature organisms are often exposed to the simultaneous presence of threat and reward features for extended periods. To study the neural mechanisms of threat and reward processing under distinct temporal profiles, we created a modified version of the PACMAN game that included these environmental features. We also conducted two automated meta-analyses to compare the findings from our semi-naturalistic paradigm to those from more constrained experiments. Overall, our results revealed a distributed system of regions sensitive to threat imminence and a less distributed system related to reward imminence, both of which exhibited overlap yet neither of which involved the amygdala. Additionally, these systems broadly overlapped with corresponding meta-analyses, with the notable absence of the amygdala in our findings. Together, these findings suggest a shared system for salience processing that reveals a heightened sensitivity toward environmental threats compared to rewards when both are simultaneously present in an environment. The broad correspondence of our findings to meta-analyses, consisting of more tightly controlled paradigms, illustrates how semi-naturalistic studies can corroborate previous findings in the literature while also potentially uncovering novel mechanisms resulting from the nuances and contexts that manifest in such dynamic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Levitas
- Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
| | - Thomas W. James
- Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
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11
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Leibovitz SE, Sevinc G, Greenberg J, Hölzel B, Gard T, Calahan T, Vangel M, Orr SP, Milad MR, Lazar SW. Mindfulness training and exercise differentially impact fear extinction neurocircuitry. Psychol Med 2024; 54:835-846. [PMID: 37655520 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002593] [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] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to extinguish a maladaptive conditioned fear response is crucial for healthy emotional processing and resiliency to aversive experiences. Therefore, enhancing fear extinction learning has immense potential emotional and health benefits. Mindfulness training enhances both fear conditioning and recall of extinguished fear; however, its effects on fear extinction learning are unknown. Here we investigated the impact of mindfulness training on brain mechanisms associated with fear-extinction learning, compared to an exercise-based program. METHODS We investigated BOLD activations in response to a previously learned fear-inducing cue during an extinction paradigm, before and after an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR, n = 49) or exercise-based stress management education program (n = 27). RESULTS The groups exhibited similar reductions in stress, but the MBSR group was uniquely associated with enhanced activation of salience network nodes and increased hippocampal engagement. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that mindfulness training increases attention to anticipatory aversive stimuli, which in turn facilitates decreased aversive subjective responses and enhanced reappraisal of the memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaked E Leibovitz
- College of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gunes Sevinc
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Jonathan Greenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Britta Hölzel
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich 81675, Germany
| | - Tim Gard
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Thomas Calahan
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mark Vangel
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Scott P Orr
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Psychiatry Department, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Sara W Lazar
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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12
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Sears RM, Andrade EC, Samels SB, Laughlin LC, Moloney DM, Wilson DA, Alwood MR, Moscarello JM, Cain CK. Devaluation of response-produced safety signals reveals circuits for goal-directed versus habitual avoidance in dorsal striatum. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.07.579321. [PMID: 38370659 PMCID: PMC10871355 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.07.579321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Active avoidance responses (ARs) are instrumental behaviors that prevent harm. Adaptive ARs may contribute to active coping, whereas maladaptive avoidance habits are implicated in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The AR learning mechanism has remained elusive, as successful avoidance trials produce no obvious reinforcer. We used a novel outcome-devaluation procedure in rats to show that ARs are positively reinforced by response-produced feedback (FB) cues that develop into safety signals during training. Males were sensitive to FB-devaluation after moderate training, but not overtraining, consistent with a transition from goal-directed to habitual avoidance. Using chemogenetics and FB-devaluation, we also show that goal-directed vs. habitual ARs depend on dorsomedial vs. dorsolateral striatum, suggesting a significant overlap between the mechanisms of avoidance and rewarded instrumental behavior. Females were insensitive to FB-devaluation due to a remarkable context-dependence of counterconditioning. However, degrading the AR-FB contingency suggests that both sexes rely on safety signals to perform goal-directed ARs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Sears
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 1 Park Avenue, 8 Floor, New York, NY 10016
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Erika C Andrade
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Shanna B Samels
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Lindsay C Laughlin
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Danielle M Moloney
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 1 Park Avenue, 8 Floor, New York, NY 10016
| | - Donald A Wilson
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 1 Park Avenue, 8 Floor, New York, NY 10016
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Matthew R Alwood
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, 301 Old Main, TAMU MS 3474, College Station, TX 77843-3474
| | - Justin M Moscarello
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, 301 Old Main, TAMU MS 3474, College Station, TX 77843-3474
| | - Christopher K Cain
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 1 Park Avenue, 8 Floor, New York, NY 10016
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962
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13
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Pessoa L. Noncortical cognition: integration of information for close-proximity behavioral problem-solving. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2024; 55:101329. [PMID: 38655379 PMCID: PMC11034795 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2023.101329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Animals face behavioral problems that can be conceptualized in terms of a gradient of spatial and temporal proximity. I propose that solving close-proximity behavioral problems involves integrating disparate types of information in complex and flexible ways. In this framework, the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) is understood as a key region involved in close-proximity motivated cognition. Anatomically, the PAG has access to signals across the neuroaxis via extensive connectivity with cortex, subcortex, and brainstem. However, the flow of signals is not unidirectional, as the PAG projects to the cortex directly, and further ascending signal flow is attained via the midline thalamus. Overall, the anatomical organization of the PAG allows is to be a critical hub engaged in cognition "here and now".
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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14
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Zhang Y, Ye W, Yin J, Wu Q, Huang Y, Hao N, Cui L, Zhang M, Cai D. Exploring the role of mutual prediction in inter-brain synchronization during competitive interactions: an fNIRS hyperscanning investigation. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad483. [PMID: 38100358 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutual prediction is crucial for understanding the mediation of bodily actions in social interactions. Despite this importance, limited studies have investigated neurobehavioral patterns under the mutual prediction hypothesis in natural competitive scenarios. To address this gap, our study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning to examine the dynamics of real-time rock-paper-scissors games using a computerized paradigm with 54 participants. Firstly, our results revealed activations in the right inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and bilateral frontopolar cortex, each displaying distinct temporal profiles indicative of diverse cognitive processes during the task. Subsequently, a task-related increase in inter-brain synchrony was explicitly identified in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which supported the mutual prediction hypothesis across the two brains. Moreover, our investigation uncovered a close association between the coherence value in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the dynamic predictive performances of dyads using inter-subject representational similarity analysis. Finally, heightened inter-brain synchrony values were observed in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex before a draw compared to a no-draw scenario in the second block, suggesting that cross-brain signal patterns could be reflected in behavioral responses during competition. In summary, these findings provided initial support for expanding the understanding of cognitive processes underpinning natural competitive engagements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxuan Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Weihao Ye
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Zhejiang 321004, China
| | - Junting Yin
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Qin Wu
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Yao Huang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Na Hao
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Liying Cui
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Mingming Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Dan Cai
- School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
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15
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Merscher AS, Gamer M. Fear lies in the eyes of the beholder-Robust evidence for reduced gaze dispersion upon avoidable threat. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14421. [PMID: 37603439 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14421] [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: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
A rapid detection and processing of relevant information in our environment is crucial for survival. The human eyes are drawn to social or threatening stimuli as they may carry essential information on how to behave appropriately in a given context. Recent studies further showed a centralization of gaze that reminded of freezing behaviors in rodents. Probably constituting a component of an adaptive defense mode, centralized eye movements predicted the speed of motor actions. Here we conducted two experiments to examine if and how these presumably survival-relevant gaze patterns interact. Subjects viewed images including social, that is, faces (Experiment 1, N = 50) or threatening stimuli, that is, snakes or spiders (Experiment 2, N = 50) while awaiting an inevitable (shock), no (safety), or an avoidable shock (flight) they could escape from by a fast button press. The social and threatening cues within the scenes differed in their distance from the image center and we acquired eye-tracking and autonomic physiological data. Although we observed an initial orienting toward social and threatening stimulus aspects, this exploration pattern vanished towards the end of flight trials when a pronounced centralization of gaze emerged. Replicating previous findings, the amount of this center bias predicted the speed of motor reactions, and we observed a concurrent activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Taken together, the exploration of potentially relevant cues seems to be part of a reflexive-orienting response regardless of contextual valence. However, centralization of gaze may be a threat-specific action-preparatory response that occurs across a wide range of stimulus contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthias Gamer
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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16
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Füzesi T, Rasiah NP, Rosenegger DG, Rojas-Carvajal M, Chomiak T, Daviu N, Molina LA, Simone K, Sterley TL, Nicola W, Bains JS. Hypothalamic CRH neurons represent physiological memory of positive and negative experience. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8522. [PMID: 38129411 PMCID: PMC10739955 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44163-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Recalling a salient experience provokes specific behaviors and changes in the physiology or internal state. Relatively little is known about how physiological memories are encoded. We examined the neural substrates of physiological memory by probing CRHPVN neurons of mice, which control the endocrine response to stress. Here we show these cells exhibit contextual memory following exposure to a stimulus with negative or positive valence. Specifically, a negative stimulus invokes a two-factor learning rule that favors an increase in the activity of weak cells during recall. In contrast, the contextual memory of positive valence relies on a one-factor rule to decrease activity of CRHPVN neurons. Finally, the aversive memory in CRHPVN neurons outlasts the behavioral response. These observations provide information about how specific physiological memories of aversive and appetitive experience are represented and demonstrate that behavioral readouts may not accurately reflect physiological changes invoked by the memory of salient experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Füzesi
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- CSM Optogenetics Core Facility, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Neilen P Rasiah
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - David G Rosenegger
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Mijail Rojas-Carvajal
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Taylor Chomiak
- CSM Optogenetics Core Facility, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Núria Daviu
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Leonardo A Molina
- CSM Optogenetics Core Facility, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Kathryn Simone
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Toni-Lee Sterley
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Wilten Nicola
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Jaideep S Bains
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute & Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
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17
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Tseng YT, Schaefke B, Wei P, Wang L. Defensive responses: behaviour, the brain and the body. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:655-671. [PMID: 37730910 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00736-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Most animals live under constant threat from predators, and predation has been a major selective force in shaping animal behaviour. Nevertheless, defence responses against predatory threats need to be balanced against other adaptive behaviours such as foraging, mating and recovering from infection. This behavioural balance in ethologically relevant contexts requires adequate integration of internal and external signals in a complex interplay between the brain and the body. Despite this complexity, research has often considered defensive behaviour as entirely mediated by the brain processing threat-related information obtained via perception of the external environment. However, accumulating evidence suggests that the endocrine, immune, gastrointestinal and reproductive systems have important roles in modulating behavioural responses to threat. In this Review, we focus on how predatory threat defence responses are shaped by threat imminence and review the circuitry between subcortical brain regions involved in mediating defensive behaviours. Then, we discuss the intersection of peripheral systems involved in internal states related to infection, hunger and mating with the neurocircuits that underlie defence responses against predatory threat. Through this process, we aim to elucidate the interconnections between the brain and body as an integrated network that facilitates appropriate defensive responses to threat and to discuss the implications for future behavioural research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ting Tseng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behaviour, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bernhard Schaefke
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Pengfei Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liping Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behaviour, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
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18
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Bramson B, Toni I, Roelofs K. Emotion regulation from an action-control perspective. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105397. [PMID: 37739325 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105397] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite increasing interest in emotional processes in cognitive science, theories on emotion regulation have remained rather isolated, predominantly focused on cognitive regulation strategies such as reappraisal. However, recent neurocognitive evidence suggests that early emotion regulation may involve sensorimotor control in addition to other emotion-regulation processes. We propose an action-oriented view of emotion regulation, in which feedforward predictions develop from action-selection mechanisms. Those can account for acute emotional-action control as well as more abstract instances of emotion regulation such as cognitive reappraisal. We argue the latter occurs in absence of overt motor output, yet in the presence of full-blown autonomic, visceral, and subjective changes. This provides an integrated framework with testable neuro-computational predictions and concrete starting points for intervention to improve emotion control in affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Bramson
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 HR Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Ivan Toni
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 HR Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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19
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Lu K, Wong KT, Zhou LN, Shi YT, Yang CJ, Liu RC. Instinct to insight: Neural correlates of ethological strategy learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.11.557240. [PMID: 37745495 PMCID: PMC10515821 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.11.557240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
In ethological behaviors like parenting, animals innately follow stereotyped patterns of choices to decide between uncertain outcomes but can learn to modify their strategies to incorporate new information. For example, female mice in a T-maze instinctively use spatial-memory to search for pups where they last found them but can learn more efficient strategies employing pup-associated acoustic cues. We uncovered neural correlates for transitioning between these innate and learned strategies. Auditory cortex (ACx) was required during learning. ACx firing at the nest increased with learning and correlated with subsequent search speed but not outcome. Surprisingly, ACx suppression rather than facilitation during search was more prognostic of correct sound-cued outcomes - even before adopting a sound-cued strategy. Meanwhile medial prefrontal cortex encoded the last pup location, but this decayed as the spatial-memory strategy declined. Our results suggest a neural competition between a weakening spatial-memory and strengthening sound-cued neural representation to mediate strategy switches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Lu
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Kelvin T. Wong
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Lin N. Zhou
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Yike T. Shi
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | | | - Robert C. Liu
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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20
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Rivi V, Batabyal A, Lukowiak K, Benatti C, Rigillo G, Tascedda F, Blom JMC. LPS-Induced Garcia Effect and Its Pharmacological Regulation Mediated by Acetylsalicylic Acid: Behavioral and Transcriptional Evidence. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1100. [PMID: 37626986 PMCID: PMC10451780 DOI: 10.3390/biology12081100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Lymnaea stagnalis learns and remembers to avoid certain foods when their ingestion is followed by sickness. This rapid, taste-specific, and long-lasting aversion-known as the Garcia effect-can be formed by exposing snails to a novel taste and 1 h later injecting them with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, the exposure of snails to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for 1 h before the LPS injection, prevents both the LPS-induced sickness state and the Garcia effect. Here, we investigated novel aspects of this unique form of conditioned taste aversion and its pharmacological regulation. We first explored the transcriptional effects in the snails' central nervous system induced by the injection with LPS (25 mg), the exposure to ASA (900 nM), as well as their combined presentation in untrained snails. Then, we investigated the behavioral and molecular mechanisms underlying the LPS-induced Garcia effect and its pharmacological regulation by ASA. LPS injection, both alone and during the Garcia effect procedure, upregulated the expression levels of immune- and stress-related targets. This upregulation was prevented by pre-exposure to ASA. While LPS alone did not affect the expression levels of neuroplasticity genes, its combination with the conditioning procedure resulted in their significant upregulation and memory formation for the Garcia effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Rivi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (C.B.); (G.R.)
| | - Anuradha Batabyal
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (A.B.); (K.L.)
- Department of Physical and Natural Sciences, FLAME University, Pune 412115, Maharashtra, India
| | - Ken Lukowiak
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; (A.B.); (K.L.)
| | - Cristina Benatti
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (C.B.); (G.R.)
- Centre of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy;
| | - Giovanna Rigillo
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (C.B.); (G.R.)
| | - Fabio Tascedda
- Centre of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy;
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
- CIB, Consorzio Interuniversitario Biotecnologie, 34148 Trieste, Italy
| | - Joan M. C. Blom
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy; (C.B.); (G.R.)
- Centre of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy;
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21
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Li Y, Zhi W, Qi B, Wang L, Hu X. Update on neurobiological mechanisms of fear: illuminating the direction of mechanism exploration and treatment development of trauma and fear-related disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1216524. [PMID: 37600761 PMCID: PMC10433239 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1216524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear refers to an adaptive response in the face of danger, and the formed fear memory acts as a warning when the individual faces a dangerous situation again, which is of great significance to the survival of humans and animals. Excessive fear response caused by abnormal fear memory can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders. Fear memory has been studied for a long time, which is of a certain guiding effect on the treatment of fear-related disorders. With continuous technological innovations, the study of fear has gradually shifted from the level of brain regions to deeper neural (micro) circuits between brain regions and even within single brain regions, as well as molecular mechanisms. This article briefly outlines the basic knowledge of fear memory and reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of fear extinction and relapse, which aims to provide new insights for future basic research on fear emotions and new ideas for treating trauma and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Zhi
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Qi
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Lifeng Wang
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangjun Hu
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
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22
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Nozadi SS, Aguiar A, Du R, Enright EA, Schantz SL, Miller C, Rennie B, Quetawki M, MacKenzie D, Lewis JL. Cross-cultural applicability of eye-tracking in assessing attention to emotional faces in preschool-aged children. Emotion 2023; 23:1385-1399. [PMID: 36107657 PMCID: PMC10014488 DOI: 10.1037/emo0001124] [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] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Humans show an attention bias toward emotional versus neutral information, which is considered an adaptive pattern of information processing. Deviations from this pattern have been observed in children with socially withdrawn behaviors, with most research being conducted in controlled settings among children from urban areas. The goal of the current study was to examine the cross-cultural applicability of two eye-tracking-based measures in assessing attention biases and their relations to children's symptoms of socially withdrawn behaviors in two independent and diverse samples of preschool children. The cross-cultural comparison was conducted between the Navajo Birth Cohort study (NBCS), an indigenous cohort with relatively low socioeconomic status (SES), and the Illinois Kids Development study (IKIDS), a primarily Non-Hispanic White and high SES cohort. Children in both cohorts completed eye-tracking tasks with pictures of emotional faces, and mothers reported on children's symptoms of socially withdrawn behaviors. Results showed that general patterns of attention biases were mostly the same across samples, reflecting heightened attention toward emotional versus neutral faces. The differences across two samples mostly involved the magnitude of attention biases. NBCS children were slower to disengage from happy faces when these emotional faces were paired with neutral faces. Additionally, socially withdrawn children in the NBCS sample showed a pattern of attentional avoidance for emotional faces. The comparability of overall patterns of attention biases provides initial support for the cross-cultural applicability of the eye-tracking measures and demonstrates the robustness of these methods across clinical and community settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara S. Nozadi
- Community Environmental Health Program, Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico
| | - Andrea Aguiar
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Ruofei Du
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
| | - Elizabeth A. Enright
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Susan L. Schantz
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Curtis Miller
- Community Environmental Health Program, Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico
| | - Brandon Rennie
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico
| | - Mallery Quetawki
- Community Environmental Health Program, Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico
| | - Debra MacKenzie
- Community Environmental Health Program, Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico
| | - Johnnye L. Lewis
- Community Environmental Health Program, Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico
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23
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Grogans SE, Bliss-Moreau E, Buss KA, Clark LA, Fox AS, Keltner D, Cowen AS, Kim JJ, Kragel PA, MacLeod C, Mobbs D, Naragon-Gainey K, Fullana MA, Shackman AJ. The nature and neurobiology of fear and anxiety: State of the science and opportunities for accelerating discovery. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 151:105237. [PMID: 37209932 PMCID: PMC10330657 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Fear and anxiety play a central role in mammalian life, and there is considerable interest in clarifying their nature, identifying their biological underpinnings, and determining their consequences for health and disease. Here we provide a roundtable discussion on the nature and biological bases of fear- and anxiety-related states, traits, and disorders. The discussants include scientists familiar with a wide variety of populations and a broad spectrum of techniques. The goal of the roundtable was to take stock of the state of the science and provide a roadmap to the next generation of fear and anxiety research. Much of the discussion centered on the key challenges facing the field, the most fruitful avenues for future research, and emerging opportunities for accelerating discovery, with implications for scientists, funders, and other stakeholders. Understanding fear and anxiety is a matter of practical importance. Anxiety disorders are a leading burden on public health and existing treatments are far from curative, underscoring the urgency of developing a deeper understanding of the factors governing threat-related emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon E Grogans
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kristin A Buss
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Lee Anna Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Dacher Keltner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | | | - Jeansok J Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Philip A Kragel
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Colin MacLeod
- Centre for the Advancement of Research on Emotion, School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA; Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Kristin Naragon-Gainey
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Miquel A Fullana
- Adult Psychiatry and Psychology Department, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain; Imaging of Mood, and Anxiety-Related Disorders Group, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, CIBERSAM, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
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Lamba N, Khokhlova O, Bhatia A, McHugh C. Mental health hygiene during a health crisis: Exploring factors associated with media-induced secondary trauma in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Psychol Open 2023; 10:20551029231199578. [PMID: 37746585 PMCID: PMC10517610 DOI: 10.1177/20551029231199578] [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] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims Given the risk of developing vicarious trauma through news media has increased during the pandemic, we explored risk factors associated with media induced secondary trauma, and its behavioral and psychological implications. Methods An international study (N = 1066), with a diverse sample, was administered in July 2020. We used standardized and validated questionnaires to measure news consumption, media-related trauma, compliance, and paranoia. Results Greater frequency of news consumption, accessing news via social media and WHO, and believing in conspiracy theories increased likelihood of developing media-induced secondary trauma. News related trauma was associated with greater compliance with safety measures and increased paranoid ideation. Media-trauma however exhibited a greater association with paranoia than compliance. Conclusion Findings highlight the need to facilitate a collaborative intervention, with public, media houses, health safety officials, and social scientists to have a deeper understanding of potential psychological costs of news consumption patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishtha Lamba
- Department of Psychology, Middlesex University Dubai, Dubai, UAE
| | - Olga Khokhlova
- Department of Psychology, Middlesex University Dubai, Dubai, UAE
| | - Aditi Bhatia
- Department of Psychology, Middlesex University Dubai, Dubai, UAE
| | - Cillian McHugh
- Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
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25
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Brown VM, Price R, Dombrovski AY. Anxiety as a disorder of uncertainty: implications for understanding maladaptive anxiety, anxious avoidance, and exposure therapy. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:844-868. [PMID: 36869259 PMCID: PMC10475148 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01080-w] [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: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
In cognitive-behavioral conceptualizations of anxiety, exaggerated threat expectancies underlie maladaptive anxiety. This view has led to successful treatments, notably exposure therapy, but is not consistent with the empirical literature on learning and choice alterations in anxiety. Empirically, anxiety is better described as a disorder of uncertainty learning. How disruptions in uncertainty lead to impairing avoidance and are treated with exposure-based methods, however, is unclear. Here, we integrate concepts from neurocomputational learning models with clinical literature on exposure therapy to propose a new framework for understanding maladaptive uncertainty functioning in anxiety. Specifically, we propose that anxiety disorders are fundamentally disorders of uncertainty learning and that successful treatments, particularly exposure therapy, work by remediating maladaptive avoidance from dysfunctional explore/exploit decisions in uncertain, potentially aversive situations. This framework reconciles several inconsistencies in the literature and provides a path forward to better understand and treat anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa M Brown
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Rebecca Price
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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26
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Dunn JC, Miller R, Balasubramaniam K, Akçay Ç, Wascher CAF. Conceptualization, context, and comparison are key to understanding the evolution of fear. Behav Brain Sci 2023; 46:e61. [PMID: 37154351 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x22001789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The fearful ape hypothesis proposes that heightened fearfulness in humans is adaptive. However, despite its attractive anthropocentric narrative, the evidence presented for greater fearfulness in humans versus other apes is not sufficient to support this claim. Conceptualization, context, and comparison are strongly lacking in Grossmann's proposal, but are key to understanding variation in the fear response among individuals and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob C Dunn
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK ; ; ; ; ://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK
| | - Rachael Miller
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK ; ; ; ; ://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Krishna Balasubramaniam
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK ; ; ; ; ://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher
| | - Çağlar Akçay
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK ; ; ; ; ://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher
| | - Claudia A F Wascher
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK ; ; ; ; ://www.thepeergroup.org.uk; https://aru.ac.uk/people/caglar-akcay; https://aru.ac.uk/people/krishna-n-balasubramaniam; https://aru.ac.uk/people/rachael-miller-harrison; https://aru.ac.uk/people/claudia-wascher
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27
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Sege CT, McTeague LM, Kegley M, Shacklewood C, Halliday CA, Calhoun CD, Joseph JE, Adams ZW, Hajcak G, Danielson CK. Neurophysiology of predictable unpleasant event processing in preadolescents and early adolescents, part I: Event-related potential markers of unpleasant image anticipation and processing. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22383. [PMID: 37073594 PMCID: PMC11071696 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22383] [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: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
The ability to anticipate and process predictable unpleasant events, while also regulating emotional reactivity, is an adaptive skill. The current article and a companion in this issue test for potential changes in predictable event processing across the childhood-to-adolescence transition, a key developmental period for biological systems that support cognitive/emotional abilities. While the companion article focuses on emotion regulation and peripheral attention modulation in predictable unpleasant contexts, the current paper presents neurophysiological markers of predictable event processing itself. 315 third-, sixth-, or ninth-grade individuals saw 5-s cues predicting "scary," "every day," or uncertain image content; in this paper, cue- and picture-locked event-related potentials (ERPs) are analyzed. During the cue, early ERP positivities were increased and later slow-wave negativities were reduced when predicted content was scary as compared with mundane. After picture onset, a picture processing-related positivity was then increased for scary compared with everyday images regardless of predictability. Cue-interval data suggest enhanced processing of scary cues and reduced anticipatory processing of scary images-opposite to adults. After event onset, meanwhile, emotional ERP enhancement regardless of predictability is similar to adults and suggests that even preadolescent individuals maintain preferential engagement with unpleasant events when they are predictable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T. Sege
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Lisa M. McTeague
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Molly Kegley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Psychology Department, University of Tulsa, USA
| | - Curtisha Shacklewood
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Colleen A. Halliday
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Casey D. Calhoun
- Chapel Hill Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, USA
| | - Jane E. Joseph
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | | | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, USA
| | - Carla Kmett Danielson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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28
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Sege CT, McTeague LM, Kegley M, Shacklewood C, Halliday CA, Calhoun CD, Joseph JE, Adams ZW, Hajcak G, Danielson CK. Neurophysiology of predictable unpleasant event processing in pre-adolescents and early adolescents, part II: Reflex and event-related potential markers of defensive reactivity and peripheral attention modulation. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22386. [PMID: 37073586 PMCID: PMC10948024 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22386] [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: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
The ability to anticipate and process predictable unpleasant events, while also regulating emotional reactivity, is an adaptive skill. The current article and a companion in this issue test for potential changes in predictable event processing across the childhood-to-adolescence transition, a key developmental period for biological systems that support cognitive/ emotional abilities. While the companion article focuses on neurophysiology of predictable event processing itself, the present article examines peripheral emotional response regulation and attention modulation that coincides with event processing. A total of 315 third-, sixth-, or ninth-grade individuals saw 5-s cues predicting "scary," "every day," or uncertain pictures, and here, blink reflexes and brain event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by peripheral noise probes are analyzed. During the cue, blink reflexes and probe ERP (P200) amplitudes were increased when the cue predicted scary, compared to everyday, content. After picture onset, reflex enhancement by scary content then disappeared for predictable images, whereas ERP modulation was similar regardless of predictability. Patterns are similar to those in adults and suggest (1) sustained defensive response priming and enhancement of peripheral attention during aversive anticipation, and (2) an ability, even in pre-adolescents, to downregulate defensive priming while maintaining attentional modulation once an awaited predictable aversive event occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T. Sege
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Lisa M. McTeague
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Molly Kegley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Curtisha Shacklewood
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Colleen A. Halliday
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Casey D. Calhoun
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jane E. Joseph
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Zachary W. Adams
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Carla Kmett Danielson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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29
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Murty DVPS, Song S, Surampudi SG, Pessoa L. Threat and Reward Imminence Processing in the Human Brain. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2973-2987. [PMID: 36927571 PMCID: PMC10124955 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1778-22.2023] [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: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. In addition, the extent to which aversive-related and appetitive-related processing engage distinct or overlapping circuits remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive and appetitive processing while male and female participants engaged in comparable trials involving threat avoidance or reward seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence. For example, in the aversive domain, we predicted that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), but not the amygdala, would exhibit anticipatory responses given the role of the former in anxious apprehension. We also predicted that the periaqueductal gray (PAG) would exhibit threat-proximity responses based on its involvement in proximal-threat processes, and that the ventral striatum would exhibit threat-imminence responses given its role in threat escape in rodents. Overall, we uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the BST, PAG, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Whereas the ventral striatum generated anticipatory responses in the proximity of reward as expected, it also exhibited threat-related imminence responses. In fact, across multiple brain regions, we observed a main effect of arousal. In other words, we uncovered extensive temporally evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information regardless of valence, findings further supported by network analysis.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive/appetitive processing while participants engaged in trials involving threat avoidance or reward seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence. We uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, periaqueductal gray, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Overall, we uncovered extensive temporally evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information regardless of valence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Songtao Song
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | | | - Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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30
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Stegmann Y, Andreatta M, Wieser MJ. The effect of inherently threatening contexts on visuocortical engagement to conditioned threat. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14208. [PMID: 36325884 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14208] [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: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Fear and anxiety are crucial for adaptive responding in life-threatening situations. Whereas fear is a phasic response to an acute threat accompanied by selective attention, anxiety is characterized by a sustained feeling of apprehension and hypervigilance during situations of potential threat. In the current literature, fear and anxiety are usually considered mutually exclusive, with partially separated neural underpinnings. However, there is accumulating evidence that challenges this distinction between fear and anxiety, and simultaneous activation of fear and anxiety networks has been reported. Therefore, the current study experimentally tested potential interactions between fear and anxiety. Fifty-two healthy participants completed a differential fear conditioning paradigm followed by a test phase in which the conditioned stimuli were presented in front of threatening or neutral contextual images. To capture defense system activation, we recorded subjective (threat, US-expectancy), physiological (skin conductance, heart rate) and visuocortical (steady-state visual evoked potentials) responses to the conditioned stimuli as a function of contextual threat. Results demonstrated successful fear conditioning in all measures. In addition, threat and US-expectancy ratings, cardiac deceleration, and visuocortical activity were enhanced for fear cues presented in threatening compared with neutral contexts. These results are in line with an additive or interactive rather than an exclusive model of fear and anxiety, indicating facilitated defensive behavior to imminent danger in situations of potential threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannik Stegmann
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias J Wieser
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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31
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Ni B, Wu F, Huang Q. When Artificial Intelligence Voices Human Concerns: The Paradoxical Effects of AI Voice on Climate Risk Perception and Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intention. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3772. [PMID: 36834467 PMCID: PMC9959332 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled text-to-speech transformation has been widely employed to deliver online information in various fields. However, few studies have investigated the effect of the AI voice in environmental risk communication, especially in the field of climate change, an issue that poses a severe threat to global public health. To address this gap, the current study examines how the AI voice impacts the persuasive outcome of climate-related information and the potential mechanism that underlies this process. Based on the social and affect heuristics of voice, we propose a serial mediation model to test the effect of climate-related information delivered by different voice types (AI voice vs. human voice) in eliciting risk perception and motivating pro-environmental behavioral intention. Through an online auditory experiment (N = 397), we found the following. First, the AI voice was as effective as the human voice in eliciting risk perception and motivating pro-environmental behavioral intention. Second, compared with human voice, the AI voice yielded a listener's lower level of perceived identity oneness with the speaker, which decreased risk perception and subsequently inhibited pro-environmental behavioral intention. Third, compared with human voice, the AI voice produced a higher level of auditory fear, which increased risk perception and thereby led to stronger pro-environmental behavioral intention. The paradoxical role of the AI voice and its wise use in environmental risk communication for promoting global public health are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Ni
- College of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Fuzhong Wu
- School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Qing Huang
- College of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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32
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Hajahmadi S, Marfia G. Effects of the Uncertainty of Interpersonal Communications on Behavioral Responses of the Participants in an Immersive Virtual Reality Experience: A Usability Study. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:2148. [PMID: 36850748 PMCID: PMC9965476 DOI: 10.3390/s23042148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Two common difficulties which people face in their daily lives are managing effective communication with others and dealing with what makes them feel uncertain. Past research highlights that the result of not being able to handle these difficulties influences people's performance in the task at hand substantially, especially in the context of a social environment such as a workplace. Perceived uncertainty of information is a key influential factor in this regard, with effects on the quality of the information transfer between sender and receiver. Uncertainty of information can be induced into the communication system in three ways: when there is any kind of information deficit that makes the target message unclear for the receiver, when there are some requested changes that could not be predicted by the receiver, and when the content of the message is so interconnected and complex that it limits understanding. Since uncertainty is an inseparable feature of our lives, studying the effects that different levels of it have on individuals and how individuals nevertheless accomplish the tasks of daily living is of high importance. Modern technologies such as immersive virtual reality (VR) have been successful in providing effective platforms to support human behavioral and social well-being studies. In this paper, we suggest the design, development, and evaluation of an immersive VR serious game platform to study behavioral responses to the uncertain features of interpersonal communications. In addition, we report the result of a within-subject user study with 17 participants aged between 20 and 35 and their behavioral responses to two levels of uncertainty with subjective and objective measures. The results convey that the application successfully and meaningfully measured some behavioral responses related to exposure to different levels of uncertainty and overall, the participants were satisfied with the experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Hajahmadi
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Gustavo Marfia
- Department of the Arts, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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33
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Alexander L, Wood CM, Roberts AC. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex and emotion regulation: lost in translation? J Physiol 2023; 601:37-50. [PMID: 35635793 PMCID: PMC10084434 DOI: 10.1113/jp282627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies implicate the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in a wide range of emotional and cognitive functions, and changes in activity within vmPFC have been linked to the aetiology and successful treatment of depression. However, this is a large, structurally heterogeneous region and the extent to which this structural heterogeneity reflects functional heterogeneity remains unclear. Causal studies in animals should help address this question but attempts to map findings from vmPFC studies in rodents onto human imaging studies highlight cross-species discrepancies between structural homology and functional analogy. Bridging this gap, recent studies in marmosets - a species of new world monkey in which the overall organization of vmPFC is more like humans than that of rodents - have revealed that over-activation of the caudal subcallosal region of vmPFC, area 25, but not neighbouring area 32, heightens reactivity to negatively valenced stimuli whilst blunting responsivity to positively valenced stimuli. These co-occurring states resemble those seen in depressed patients, which are associated with increased activity in caudal subcallosal regions. In contrast, only reward blunting but not heightening of threat reactivity is seen following over-activation of the structurally homologous region in rodents. To further advance understanding of the role of vmPFC in the aetiology and treatment of depression, future work should focus on the behaviourally specific networks by which vmPFC regions have their effects, together with characterization of cross-species similarities and differences in function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laith Alexander
- St Thomas’ HospitalLondonUK
- Department of Psychological MedicineSchool of Academic PsychiatryInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Christian M. Wood
- Department of PhysiologyDevelopment and NeuroscienceUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Angela C. Roberts
- Department of PhysiologyDevelopment and NeuroscienceUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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34
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Cain CK. Beyond Fear, Extinction, and Freezing: Strategies for Improving the Translational Value of Animal Conditioning Research. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 64:19-57. [PMID: 37532965 PMCID: PMC10840073 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_434] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Translational neuroscience for anxiety has had limited success despite great progress in understanding the neurobiology of Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction. This chapter explores the idea that conditioning paradigms have had a modest impact on translation because studies in animals and humans are misaligned in important ways. For instance, animal conditioning studies typically use imminent threats to assess short-duration fear states with single behavioral measures (e.g., freezing), whereas human studies typically assess weaker or more prolonged anxiety states with physiological (e.g., skin conductance) and self-report measures. A path forward may be more animal research on conditioned anxiety phenomena measuring dynamic behavioral and physiological responses in more complex environments. Exploring transitions between defensive brain states during extinction, looming threats, and post-threat recovery may be particularly informative. If care is taken to align paradigms, threat levels, and measures, this strategy may reveal stable patterns of non-conscious defense in animals and humans that correlate better with conscious anxiety. This shift in focus is also warranted because anxiety is a bigger problem than fear, even in disorders defined by dysfunctional fear or panic reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher K Cain
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
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35
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Luo D, Eicher M, White K. Resilience in adults with colorectal cancer: Refining a conceptual model using a descriptive qualitative approach. J Adv Nurs 2023; 79:254-268. [PMID: 36239211 PMCID: PMC10092807 DOI: 10.1111/jan.15464] [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: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To examine and refine a conceptual model of resilience in adult cancer care based on the perspectives and experiences of resilience in adults with colorectal cancer. DESIGN A descriptive qualitative study was performed. METHODS Twelve participants diagnosed with colorectal cancer that had completed cancer treatment with curative intent were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Australia from July to December 2019. The meaning of individual resilience was explored using in-depth individual interviews. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Following data analysis, the elements of the conceptual model of resilience were mapped against the themes and subthemes to refine the model. RESULTS Five themes were identified as key elements of individual resilience in adults with colorectal cancer: (1) seeking motivations to move forward; (2) striving for normality; (3) adapting and managing self; (4) drawing on external supports; (5) redefining self. A refined conceptual model of individual resilience in adults with colorectal cancer was developed based on the integration of the themes and the elements of the conceptual model of individual resilience. CONCLUSIONS Our refined conceptual model of individual resilience in adults with colorectal cancer could facilitate nurses' and other health professionals' understanding of the process of how resilient individuals with colorectal cancer overcome their illness-related adversity. This refined model may be used to further develop and test cancer-specific resilience measures and develop interventions to facilitate resilience in people living with colorectal cancer. IMPACT This research identified five features of resilience in adults with colorectal cancer and refined a conceptual model of resilience in adults with colorectal cancer. The findings could help nurses and other health professionals with identifying individuals who are at risk of adaptation difficulties and contribute to an early referral to psychosocial support services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Luo
- Cancer Care Research Unit, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,The Daffodil Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Manuela Eicher
- Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kate White
- Cancer Care Research Unit, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,The Daffodil Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Wang Z, Wang X, Zeng Z. Memristive Circuit Design of Brain-Like Emotional Learning and Generation. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CYBERNETICS 2023; 53:222-235. [PMID: 34260370 DOI: 10.1109/tcyb.2021.3090811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this work, a bionic memristive circuit with the functions of emotional learning and generation is proposed, which can perform brain-like emotional learning and generation based on various types of input information. The proposed circuit is designed based on the brain emotional learning theory in the limbic system, which mainly includes three layers of design: 1) the bottom layer is the design of the basic unit modules, such as neuron and synapse; 2) the middle layer is the design of the functional modules related to emotional learning in the limbic system, such as the amygdala, thalamus, and so on; and 3) the top layer is the design of the overall circuit, which is used to realize the function of the emotional generation. A 2-D emotional space composed of valence and arousal signals is adopted. According to the above bottom-up circuit design method, the valence and arousal signals can be generated, respectively, by designing corresponding emotional learning circuits, so as to form continuous emotions. The volatile and nonvolatile memristors are mainly used to mimic the functions of the neuron and synapse at the bottom layer of the circuit to achieve the core emotional learning function of the middle layer, thereby constructing a brain-like information processing architecture to realize the function of the emotional generation in the top layer. The simulation results in PSPICE show that the proposed circuit can learn and generate emotions like humans. If the proposed circuit is applied to a humanoid robot platform through further research, the robot may have the ability of personalized emotional interaction with humans, so that it can be effectively used in emotional companionship and other aspects.
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Alvarez-Galvez J, Anastasiou A, Lamnisos D, Constantinou M, Nicolaou C, Papacostas S, Vasiliou VS, McHugh L, Lubenko J, Ruiz FJ, Paez-Blarrina M, Montesinos F, Valdivia-Salas S, Merwin RM, Karekla M, Gloster AT, Kassianos AP. The impact of government actions and risk perception on the promotion of self-protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284433. [PMID: 37068083 PMCID: PMC10109472 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We aim to understand the factors that drive citizens of different countries to adhere to recommended self-protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Survey data was obtained through the COVID-19 Impact project. We selected countries that presented a sufficiently complete time series and a statistically relevant sample for running the analysis: Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. To identify country-specific differences in self-protective behaviors, we used previous evidence and change-point detection analysis to establish variations across participating countries whose effect was then assessed by means of interrupted series analysis. RESULTS A high level of compliance with health and governmental authorities' recommendations were generally observed in all included countries. The level of stress decreased near the period when countries such as Cyprus, Greece or the United Kingdom relaxed their prevention behavior recommendations. However, this relaxation of behaviors did not occur in countries such as Germany, Ireland, or the United States. As observed in the change-point detection analysis, when the daily number of recorded COVID-19 cases decreased, people relaxed their protective behaviors (Cyprus, Greece, Ireland), although the opposite trend was observed in Switzerland. DISCUSSION COVID-19 self-protective behaviors were heterogeneous across countries examined. Our findings show that there is probably no single winning strategy for exiting future health crises, as similar interventions, aimed to promote self-protective behaviors, may be received differently depending on the specific population groups and on the particular geographical context in which they are implemented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Alvarez-Galvez
- Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, University of Cadiz, Cadiz, Spain
| | - Andreas Anastasiou
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Demetris Lamnisos
- Department of Health Sciences, European University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | | | - Christiana Nicolaou
- Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
| | | | - Vasilis S Vasiliou
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Louise McHugh
- School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jelena Lubenko
- Psychological Laboratory, Faculty of Public Health and Social Welfare, Riga Stradings University, Riga, Latvia
| | | | | | | | | | - Rhonda M Merwin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Maria Karekla
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Andrew T Gloster
- Division of Clinical Psychology & Intervention Science, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Angelos P Kassianos
- Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Gowda SB, Banu A, Salim S, Peker KA, Mohammad F. Serotonin distinctly controls behavioral states in restrained and freely moving Drosophila. iScience 2022; 26:105886. [PMID: 36654863 PMCID: PMC9840979 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
When trapped in a physical restraint, animals must select an escape strategy to increase their chances of survival. After falling into an inescapable trap, they react with stereotypical behaviors that differ from those displayed in escapable situations. Such behaviors involve either a wriggling response to unlock the trap or feigning death to fend off a predator attack. The neural mechanisms that regulate animal behaviors have been well characterized for escapable situations but not for inescapable traps. We report that restrained vinegar flies exhibit alternating flailing and immobility to free themselves from the trap. We used optogenetics and intersectional genetic approaches to show that, while broader serotonin activation promotes immobility, serotonergic cells in the ventral nerve cord (VNC) regulate immobility states majorly via 5-HT7 receptors. Restrained and freely moving locomotor states are controlled by distinct mechanisms. Taken together, our study has identified serotonergic switches of the VNC that promote environment-specific adaptive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetha B.M. Gowda
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health & Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha 34110, Qatar
| | - Ayesha Banu
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health & Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha 34110, Qatar
| | - Safa Salim
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health & Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha 34110, Qatar
| | | | - Farhan Mohammad
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health & Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha 34110, Qatar,Corresponding author
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The pleasantness and unpleasantness of an object distinctively drives its grasping prediction: behavioral evidence. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022; 87:1491-1500. [PMID: 36346479 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01765-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Action and perception share a common sensorimotor network permitting a functional action-perception coupling. This coupling would permit to predict the outcome of others' actions. Moreover, recent findings suggest that action-perception linkage could be sensitive to emotional content of the visual scene. The present study sought to address how emotion inherent to an object (pleasantness and unpleasantness) affects action prediction processing. To this end, we compared the participants' temporal estimative of the hand contact with emotional objects in occlusion and full vision conditions. We found that the emotion strongly interfered in the prediction of its grasping. Indeed, the participants highly anticipated the touch instant for unpleasant valence compared to pleasant and neutral ones. Moreover, the visual conditions (i.e., occlusion and full vision) affect the magnitude of the predictive error except to unpleasant object. Accordingly, the present results unveil that pleasantness and unpleasantness of an object distinctively drive the prediction of its touch instant.
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Li W, Zhang L, Qin Z, Chen J, Liu C. Childhood Trauma and Malevolent Creativity in Chinese College Students: Moderated Mediation by Psychological Resilience and Aggression. J Intell 2022; 10:jintelligence10040097. [PMID: 36412777 PMCID: PMC9680388 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence10040097] [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: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Although a previous study has shown that childhood trauma influences malevolent creativity, aggression and psychological resilience have been linked with childhood trauma and creativity. However, little is known about the complex correlations among these factors in Chinese college students. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of aggression and the moderating role of psychological resilience between childhood trauma and malevolent creativity. A total of 389 undergraduates were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The moderated mediation model was conducted to explore whether aggression mediated the correlation between childhood trauma and malevolent creativity and whether psychological resilience moderated the indirect role of childhood trauma. The results showed that childhood trauma positively correlated with aggression and malevolent creativity and was negatively associated with psychological resilience. Aggression partly mediated the association of childhood trauma with malevolent creativity. Resilience moderated the indirect effect of the mediation model, such that the indirect effect of childhood trauma on malevolent creativity through aggression increased as the level of resilience increased. The study indicated that childhood trauma exposure is associated with malevolent creativity behavior, and aggression mediated this association. The level of psychological resilience differentiates the indirect paths of childhood trauma on malevolent creativity. These results have important implications for preventing and containing expressions of malevolent creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfu Li
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
- Correspondence: (W.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Linghui Zhang
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, Jining 272051, China
| | - Zhilei Qin
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
| | - Jingting Chen
- Labour Union, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
- Correspondence: (W.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Chuanxin Liu
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
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Holley D, Fox AS. The central extended amygdala guides survival-relevant tradeoffs: Implications for understanding common psychiatric disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104879. [PMID: 36115597 PMCID: PMC11178236 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
To thrive in challenging environments, individuals must pursue rewards while avoiding threats. Extensive studies in animals and humans have identified the central extended amygdala (EAc)-which includes the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST)-as a conserved substrate for defensive behavior. These studies suggest the EAc influences defensive responding and assembles fearful and anxious states. This has led to the proliferation of a view that the EAc is fundamentally a defensive substrate. Yet mechanistic work in animals has implicated the EAc in numerous appetitive and consummatory processes, yielding fresh insights into the microcircuitry of survival- and emotion-relevant response selection. Coupled with the EAc's centrality in a conserved network of brain regions that encode multisensory environmental and interoceptive information, these findings suggest a broader role for the EAc as an arbiter of survival- and emotion-relevant tradeoffs for action selection. Determining how the EAc optimizes these tradeoffs promises to improve our understanding of common psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety, depression, alcohol- and substance-use disorders, and anhedonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Holley
- Department of Psychology and the California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology and the California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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Starita F, Garofalo S, Dalbagno D, Degni LAE, di Pellegrino G. Pavlovian threat learning shapes the kinematics of action. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1005656. [PMID: 36304859 PMCID: PMC9592852 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1005656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prompt response to environmental threats is critical to survival. Previous research has revealed mechanisms underlying threat-conditioned physiological responses, but little is known about how threats shape action. Here we tested if threat learning shapes the kinematics of reaching in human adults. In two different experiments conducted on independent samples of participants, after Pavlovian threat learning, in which a stimulus anticipated the delivery of an aversive shock, whereas another did not, the peak velocity and acceleration of reaching increased for the shocked-paired stimulus, relative to the unpaired one. These kinematic changes appeared as a direct consequence of learning, emerging even in absence of an actual threat to body integrity, as no shock occurred during reaching. Additionally, they correlated with the strength of sympathetic response during threat learning, establishing a direct relationship between previous learning and subsequent changes in action. The increase in velocity and acceleration of action following threat learning may be adaptive to facilitate the implementation of defensive responses. Enhanced action invigoration may be maladaptive, however, when defensive responses are inappropriately enacted in safe contexts, as exemplified in a number of anxiety-related disorders.
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Honeycutt JA, Young JW, Porcu A, Sabariego M. Editorial: Negative valence systems. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:1014745. [PMID: 36211592 PMCID: PMC9532944 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.1014745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Honeycutt
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States
| | - Jared W. Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Alessandra Porcu
- Drug Discovery & Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Marta Sabariego
- Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Marta Sabariego
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The infralimbic mineralocorticoid blockage prevents the stress-induced impairment of aversive memory extinction in rats. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:343. [PMID: 35999226 PMCID: PMC9399104 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02118-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals deal with adversity and return to a normal lifestyle when adversity ends. Nevertheless, in specific cases, traumas may be preceded by memory distortions in stress-related malaises, and memory extinction impairment is strictly associated with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Glucocorticoids (GCs), the central stress mediator, target mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors and coordinate stress responses. Despite MRs being present in brain regions essential to cognition, emotions, and initial stress processing, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), most studies attempt to elucidate the stress-induced deleterious actions of GCs via GR. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the relationship between stress, infralimbic mPFC (IL), and memory and how MR-mediated intracellular signaling influences this relationship and modulates memory extinction. We observed that acutely restraint-stressed male Wistar rats showed high corticosterone (CORT) levels, and previous intra-IL-spironolactone administration (a selective MR antagonist) decreased it 60 min after the stress started. Intra-IL-CORT118335, a novel mixed MR/GR selective modulator, increased CORT throughout stress exposure. Ten days after stress, all rats increased freezing in the memory retrieval test and acquired the aversive contextual memory. During the extinction test, intra-IL injection of spironolactone, but not CORT118335, prevented the stress-impaired memory extinction, suggesting that the IL-MR activity controls CORT concentration, and it is crucial to the establishment of late extinction impairment. Also, the concomitant GR full activation overrode MR blockage. It increased CORT levels leading to the stress-induced extinction memory impairment, reinforcing that the MR/GR balance is crucial to predicting stress-induced behavioral outcomes.
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Role of noradrenergic arousal for fear extinction processes in rodents and humans. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 194:107660. [PMID: 35870717 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Fear extinction is a learning mechanism that is pivotal for the inhibition of fear responses towards cues or contexts that no longer predict the occurrence of a threat. Failure of fear extinction leads to fear expression under safe conditions and is regarded to be a cardinal characteristic of many anxiety-related disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Importantly, the neurotransmitter noradrenaline was shown to be a potent modulator of fear extinction. Rodent studies demonstrated that excessive noradrenaline transmission after acute stress opens a time window of vulnerability, in which fear extinction learning results in attenuated long-term extinction success. In contrast, when excessive noradrenergic transmission subsides, well-coordinated noradrenaline transmission is necessary for the formation of a long-lasting extinction memory. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that the neuropeptide corticotropin releasing hormone (CRF), which strongly regulates noradrenaline transmission under conditions of acute stress, also impedes long-term extinction success. Recent rodent work - using sophisticated methods - provides evidence for a hypothetical mechanistic framework of how noradrenaline and CRF dynamically orchestrate the neural fear and extinction circuitry to attenuate or to improve fear extinction and extinction recall. Accordingly, we review the evidence from rodent studies linking noradrenaline and CRF to fear extinction learning and recall and derive the hypothetical mechanistic framework of how different levels of noradrenaline and CRF may create a time window of vulnerability which impedes successful long-term fear extinction. We also address evidence from human studies linking noradrenaline and fear extinction success. Moreover, we accumulate emerging approaches to non-invasively measure and manipulate the noradrenergic system in healthy humans. Finally, we emphasize the importance of future studies to account for sex (hormone) differences when examining the interaction between fear extinction, noradrenaline, and CRF. To conclude, NA's effects on fear extinction recall strongly depend on the arousal levels at the onset of fear extinction learning. Our review aimed at compiling the available (mainly rodent) data in a neurobiological framework, suited to derive testable hypotheses for future work in humans.
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Nawyn S, Karaoğlu E, Gasteyer S, Mansour R, Ghassani A, Marquart-Pyatt S. Resilience to Nested Crises: The Effects of the Beirut Explosion on COVID-19 Safety Protocol Adherence During Humanitarian Assistance to Refugees. Front Public Health 2022; 10:870158. [PMID: 35865250 PMCID: PMC9294164 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.870158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To provide services safely to refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have instituted public health safety protocols to mitigate the risk of spreading the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, it can be difficult for people to adhere to protocols under the best of circumstances, and in situations of nested crises, in which one crisis contributes to a cascade of additional crises, adherence can further deteriorate. Such a nested crises situation occurred in Beirut, Lebanon, when a massive explosion in the city injured or killed thousands and destroyed essential infrastructure. Using data from a study on COVID-19 safety protocol adherence during refugee humanitarian assistance in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, we conduct a cross-country comparison to determine whether the nested crises in Beirut led to a deterioration of protocol adherence–the “fragile rationalism” orientation–or whether adherence remained robust–the “collective resilience” orientation. We found greater evidence for collective resilience, and from those findings make public health recommendations for service provision occurring in disaster areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Nawyn
- Department of Sociology, College of Social Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- *Correspondence: Stephanie Nawyn
| | - Ezgi Karaoğlu
- Department of Sociology, College of Social Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Stephen Gasteyer
- Department of Sociology, College of Social Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Rania Mansour
- Program of Social Work, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha, Qatar
| | - Ali Ghassani
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Amel Association International, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Sandra Marquart-Pyatt
- Department of Geography College of Social Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences and Department of Political Science, College of Social Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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Smith NJ, Markowitz SY, Hoffman AN, Fanselow MS. Adaptation of Threat Responses Within the Negative Valence Framework. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:886771. [PMID: 35694043 PMCID: PMC9178277 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.886771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
External threats are a major source of our experience of negatively valanced emotion. As a threat becomes closer and more real, our specific behavior patterns and our experiences of negative affect change in response to the perceived imminence of threat. Recognizing this, the National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Negative Valence system is largely based around different levels of threat imminence. This perspective describes the correspondence between the RDoC Negative Valence System and a particular neurobiological/neuroecological model of reactions to threat, the Predatory Imminence Continuum (PIC) Theory. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as an illustration, we describe both adaptive and maladaptive behavior patterns from this perspective to illustrate how behavior in response to a crisis may get shaped. We end with suggestions on how further consideration of the PIC suggests potential modifications of the negative valence systems RDoC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy J. Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Sara Y. Markowitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Ann N. Hoffman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Michael S. Fanselow
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Merscher AS, Tovote P, Pauli P, Gamer M. Centralized gaze as an adaptive component of defensive states in humans. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220405. [PMID: 35582796 PMCID: PMC9114933 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Adequate defensive responding is crucial for mental health but scientifically not well understood. Specifically, it seems difficult to dissociate defense and approach states based on autonomic response patterns. We thus explored the robustness and threat-specificity of recently described oculomotor dynamics upon threat in anticipation of either threatening or rewarding stimuli in humans. While visually exploring naturalistic images, participants (50 per experiment) expected an inevitable, no, or avoidable shock (Experiment 1) or a guaranteed, no, or achievable reward (Experiment 2) that could be averted or gained by a quick behavioural response. We observed reduced heart rate (bradycardia), increased skin conductance, pupil dilation and globally centralized gaze when shocks were inevitable but, more pronouncedly, when they were avoidable. Reward trials were not associated with globally narrowed visual exploration, but autonomic responses resembled characteristics of the threat condition. While bradycardia and concomitant sympathetic activation reflect not only threat-related but also action-preparatory states independent of valence, global centralization of gaze seems a robust phenomenon during the anticipation of avoidable threat. Thus, instead of relying on single readouts, translational research in animals and humans should consider the multi-dimensionality of states in aversive and rewarding contexts, especially when investigating ambivalent, conflicting situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alma-Sophia Merscher
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Marcusstr. 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Philip Tovote
- Systems Neurobiology, Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Versbacher Str. 5, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Marcusstr. 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Gamer
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Marcusstr. 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
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In vivo defensive behaviors, fear, and attention bias to physical and negative evaluation threats. Behav Res Ther 2022; 154:104108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Thurston MD, Cassaday HJ. Safety Learning in Anxiety, Pavlovian Conditioned Inhibition and COVID Concerns. Front Psychol 2022; 13:866771. [PMID: 35444592 PMCID: PMC9014209 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.866771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental studies of fear conditioning have identified the effectiveness of safety signals in inhibiting fear and maintaining fear-motivated behaviors. In fear conditioning procedures, the presence of safety signals means that the otherwise expected feared outcome will not now occur. Differences in the inhibitory learning processes needed to learn safety are being identified in various psychological and psychiatric conditions. However, despite early theoretical interest, the role of conditioned inhibitors as safety signals in anxiety has been under-investigated to date, in part because of the stringent test procedures required to confirm the demonstration of conditioned inhibition as such. Nonetheless, the theoretical implications of an inhibitory learning perspective continue to influence clinical practice. Moreover, our understanding of safety signals is of additional importance in the context of the increased health anxiety and safety behaviors generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan D Thurston
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Department of Clinical Psychology, The Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Helen J Cassaday
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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