1
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Monachesi B, Deruti A, Grecucci A, Vaes J. Electrophysiological, emotional and behavioural responses of female targets of sexual objectification. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5777. [PMID: 37031255 PMCID: PMC10082788 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32379-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexual objectification and the interiorized objectifying gaze (self-objectification) are dangerous phenomena for women's psychological wellness. However, their specific effects on women's socio-affective reactions are still poorly understood, and their neural activity has never been explored before. In the present study, we investigated women's emotional and electrophysiological responses during simulated computer-based objectifying social interactions, and we examined consequent punishing behaviours towards the perpetrator using the ultimatum game. Behavioural results (N = 36) showed that during objectifying encounters women generally felt angrier/disgusted and tended to punish the perpetrator in later interactions. However, the more the women self-objectified, the more they felt ashamed (p = 0.011) and tended to punish the perpetrators less (p = 0.008). At a neural level (N = 32), objectifying interactions modulated female participants' neural signal elicited during the processing of the perpetrator, increasing early (N170) and later (EPN, LPP) ERP components. In addition, only the amplitude of the LPP positively correlated with shame (p = 0.006) and the level of self-objectification (p = 0.018). This finding provides first evidence for the specific time-course of sexual objectification, self-objectification and its associated shame response, and proves that emotional and social consequences of sexual objectification in women may depend on their tendency to self-objectify.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Monachesi
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
| | - Alice Deruti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Alessandro Grecucci
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Centre for Medical Sciences, CISMed, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Jeroen Vaes
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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2
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Xu Z, Zhu R, Zhang S, Zhang S, Liang Z, Mai X, Liu C. Mortality salience enhances neural activities related to guilt and shame when recalling the past. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5145-5162. [PMID: 35102376 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortality salience (MS) influences cognition and behavior. However, its effect on emotion (especially moral emotions) and the underlying neural correlates are unclear. We investigated how MS priming modulated guilt and shame in a later recall task using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The behavioral results indicated that MS increased self-reported guilt but not shame. The neural results showed that MS strengthened neural activities related to the psychological processes of guilt and shame. Specifically, for both guilt and shame, MS increased activation in a region associated with self-referential processing (ventral medial prefrontal cortex). For guilt but not shame, MS increased the activation of regions associated with cognitive control (orbitofrontal cortex) and emotion processing (amygdala). For shame but not guilt, MS decreased brain functional connectivity related to self-referential processing. A direct comparison showed that MS more strongly decreased a functional connectivity related to self-referential processing in the shame than in the guilt condition. Additionally, the activation of insula during MS priming was partly predictive of neural activities related to guilt and shame in the subsequent recall task. Our study sheds light on the psychological and neural mechanisms of MS effects on moral emotions and provides theoretical insights for enriching terror management theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhua Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ruida Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Business School, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Shen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Sihui Zhang
- Department of General Adult Psychiatry, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69115, Germany
| | - Zilu Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiaoqin Mai
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
| | - Chao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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3
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Weerasekera A, Ion‐Mărgineanu A, Green C, Mody M, Nolan GP. Predictive models demonstrate age-dependent association of subcortical volumes and cognitive measures. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 44:801-812. [PMID: 36222055 PMCID: PMC9842902 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26100] [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: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether brain matter volume is correlated with cognitive functioning and higher intelligence is controversial. We explored this relationship by analysis of data collected on 193 healthy young and older adults through the "Leipzig Study for Mind-Body-Emotion Interactions" (LEMON) study. Our analysis involved four cognitive measures: fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Brain subregion volumes were determined by magnetic resonance imaging. We normalized each subregion volume to the estimated total intracranial volume and conducted training simulations to compare the predictive power of normalized volumes of large regions of the brain (i.e., gray matter, cortical white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid), normalized subcortical volumes, and combined normalized volumes of large brain regions and normalized subcortical volumes. Statistical tests showed significant differences in the performance accuracy and feature importance of the subregion volumes in predicting cognitive skills for young and older adults. Random forest feature selection analysis showed that cortical white matter was the key feature in predicting fluid intelligence in both young and older adults. In young adults, crystallized intelligence was best predicted by caudate nucleus, thalamus, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens volumes, whereas putamen, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus volumes were selected for older adults. Cognitive flexibility was best predicted by the caudate, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus in young adults and caudate and amygdala in older adults. Finally, working memory was best predicted by the putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens in the younger group, whereas amygdala and hippocampus volumes were predictive in the older group. Thus, machine learning predictive models demonstrated an age-dependent association between subcortical volumes and cognitive measures. These approaches may be useful in predicting the likelihood of age-related cognitive decline and in testing of approaches for targeted improvement of cognitive functioning in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akila Weerasekera
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical ImagingMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Christopher Green
- Department of Diagnostic RadiologyDetroit Medical Center & Wayne State School of MedicineDetroitMichiganUSA
| | - Maria Mody
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical ImagingMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Garry P. Nolan
- Department of Microbiology & ImmunologyStanford University School of MedicinePalo AltoCaliforniaUSA
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4
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Knowing Who You Are: Neural Correlates of Self-concept Clarity and Happiness. Neuroscience 2022; 490:264-274. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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5
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Dadomo H, Salvato G, Lapomarda G, Ciftci Z, Messina I, Grecucci A. Structural Features Predict Sexual Trauma and Interpersonal Problems in Borderline Personality Disorder but Not in Controls: A Multi-Voxel Pattern Analysis. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:773593. [PMID: 35280205 PMCID: PMC8904389 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.773593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Child trauma plays an important role in the etiology of Bordeline Personality Disorder (BPD). Of all traumas, sexual trauma is the most common, severe and most associated with receiving a BPD diagnosis when adult. Etiologic models posit sexual abuse as a prognostic factor in BPD. Here we apply machine learning using Multiple Kernel Regression to the Magnetic Resonance Structural Images of 20 BPD and 13 healthy control (HC) to see whether their brain predicts five sources of traumas: sex abuse, emotion neglect, emotional abuse, physical neglect, physical abuse (Child Trauma Questionnaire; CTQ). We also applied the same analysis to predict symptom severity in five domains: affective, cognitive, impulsivity, interpersonal (Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder; Zan-BPD) for BPD patients only. Results indicate that CTQ sexual trauma is predicted by a set of areas including the amygdala, the Heschl area, the Caudate, the Putamen, and portions of the Cerebellum in BPD patients only. Importantly, interpersonal problems only in BPD patients were predicted by a set of areas including temporal lobe and cerebellar regions. Notably, sexual trauma and interpersonal problems were not predicted by structural features in matched healthy controls. This finding may help elucidate the brain circuit affected by traumatic experiences and connected with interpersonal problems BPD suffer from.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold Dadomo
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- *Correspondence: Harold Dadomo,
| | - Gerardo Salvato
- Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Milan Center for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Cognitive Neuropsychology Centre, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | - Gaia Lapomarda
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab – Cli.A.N. Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Zafer Ciftci
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab – Cli.A.N. Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Grecucci
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab – Cli.A.N. Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Centre for Medical Sciences, CISMed, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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6
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Lo Buono V, Bonanno L, Palmeri R, Cammaroto S, Morabito R, De Cola MC, Sessa E, Marino S, Bramanti P, Corallo F. Neuropsychological implication in possible antibody-negative limbic encephalitis: a clinical case report. J Int Med Res 2022; 50:3000605221078715. [PMID: 35137608 PMCID: PMC8832620 DOI: 10.1177/03000605221078715] [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] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune limbic encephalitis is an antibody-mediated brain inflammatory process, which typically involves the medial temporal lobe. Diagnosis requires the presence of antineuronal antibodies, but sometimes patients present clinical features of limbic encephalitis despite negative serology. Thus, the diagnosis of antibody-negative limbic encephalitis is difficult to make, and it must often rely largely on exclusion of other causes. This current case report describes a 28-year-old male that presented 2 months after the acute event with radiological changes typical of limbic encephalitis, but with no identifiable antibody and neuropsychological impairment. Antibody responses to neurotropic viruses and antibody-mediated encephalitis were negative in serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Magnetic resonance imaging showed signs of hyperintensity in the hippocampus bilaterally, amygdala and left pulvinar. The neuropsychological evaluation showed a deficit in emotional face recognition and severe autobiographical amnesia. Bilateral damage to the medial temporal lobe and hippocampus, including the amygdala, is associated with alterations in autobiographical memories. The neuropsychological impairment documented in this current case expands the range of clinical features of antibody-negative encephalitis and provides evidence that the memory deficit in this disorder is more extensive than was previously recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lilla Bonanno
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, Messina, Italy
| | | | | | - Rosa Morabito
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, Messina, Italy
| | | | - Edoardo Sessa
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, Messina, Italy
| | - Silvia Marino
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, Messina, Italy
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7
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Sorella S, Vellani V, Siugzdaite R, Feraco P, Grecucci A. Structural and functional brain networks of individual differences in trait anger and anger control: An unsupervised machine learning study. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:510-527. [PMID: 34797003 PMCID: PMC9303475 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The ability to experience, use and eventually control anger is crucial to maintain well-being and build healthy relationships. Despite its relevance, the neural mechanisms behind individual differences in experiencing and controlling anger are poorly understood. To elucidate these points, we employed an unsupervised machine learning approach based on independent component analysis to test the hypothesis that specific functional and structural networks are associated with individual differences in trait anger and anger control. Structural and functional resting state images of 71 subjects as well as their scores from the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory entered the analyses. At a structural level, the concentration of grey matter in a network including ventromedial temporal areas, posterior cingulate, fusiform gyrus and cerebellum was associated with trait anger. The higher the concentration, the higher the proneness to experience anger in daily life due to the greater tendency to orient attention towards aversive events and interpret them with higher hostility. At a functional level, the activity of the default mode network (DMN) was associated with anger control. The higher the DMN temporal frequency, the stronger the exerted control over anger, thus extending previous evidence on the role of the DMN in regulating cognitive and emotional functions in the domain of anger. Taken together, these results show, for the first time, two specialized brain networks for encoding individual differences in trait anger and anger control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Sorella
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (DiPSCo)University of TrentoRoveretoItaly
| | - Valentina Vellani
- Affective Brain Lab, Department of Experimental PsychologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Paola Feraco
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES)University of BolognaBolognaItaly
| | - Alessandro Grecucci
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (DiPSCo)University of TrentoRoveretoItaly,Centre for Medical Sciences (CISMed)University of TrentoTrentoItaly
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Chen B, Yadav M, Mulkalwar M, Saikrishna L, Verma H, Ye W, Bhaskar LVKS. Meta-Analysis on the Association of Neuropeptide Y rs16139 Variant With the Risk of Alcoholism. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:737440. [PMID: 34777047 PMCID: PMC8583313 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.737440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The neuropeptide-Y (NPY) is involved in the development of alcoholism through NPY receptors. A T>C mutation causes substitution of leucine to proline at codon 7 (L7P; rs16139) in the signal peptide of neuropeptide Y is known to cause a 42% increase in plasma NPY levels. Studies that analyzed the association between NPY rs16139 and alcoholism risk did not demonstrate conclusive evidence for this relationship. The present study aims to evaluate the association between NPY gene rs16139 variant and alcohol dependence. Method: An electronic search of databases including PubMed and Google Scholar was performed to retrieve studies investigating the association between NPY rs16139 and alcoholism. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated in allelic and dominant genetic models. Sensitivity analyses and publication bias were assessed in our meta-analysis. The meta-analysis was conducted using the MetaGenyo web tool. Result: Significant heterogeneity was observed across studies (p < 0.001). Our results have shown that there is no significant association between NPY rs16139 variant and the risk of alcoholism in allelic (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.70-1.38, p = 0.921) and dominant models (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.69-1.40, p = 0.919). Begg's funnel plot and Egger's test have not shown publication bias (p = 0.332). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis that evaluates the relationship between the NPY rs16139 polymorphism and the risk of alcoholism. Our large-scale meta-analysis suggests that NPY rs16139 polymorphism is not associated with alcoholism. However, further studies are needed to increase our understanding of the relationship between NPY variants in alcoholism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biqing Chen
- Department of Sports Operation and Management, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, China
| | - Manish Yadav
- Department of Zoology, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur, India
| | - Madhubala Mulkalwar
- Department of Pathology, Shri Shankaracharya Institute of Medical Sciences (SSIMS), Bhilai, India
| | | | - Henu Verma
- Department of Immunopathology, Institute of Lungs Biology and Disease, Comprehensive Pneumology Center, Helmholtz Zentrum, Munich, Germany
| | - Weibing Ye
- Exercise and Metabolism Research Center, College of Physical Education and Health Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - L V K S Bhaskar
- Department of Zoology, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur, India
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