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Tiego J, Verdejo-Garcia A, Anderson A, Koutoulogenis J, Bellgrove MA. Mechanisms of cognitive disinhibition explain individual differences in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder traits. Cortex 2023; 167:178-196. [PMID: 37567053 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.013] [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: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is strongly associated with psychiatric comorbidity and functional impairment. Here, we aimed to use a newly developed online cognitive battery with strong psychometric properties for measuring individual differences in three cognitive mechanisms proposed to underlie ADHD traits in adults: 1) attentional control - the ability to mobilize cognitive resources to stop a prepotent motor response; 2) information sampling/gathering - adequate sampling of information in a stimulus detection task prior to making a decision; and 3) shifting - the ability to adapt behavior in response to positive and negative contingencies. METHODS This cross-sectional and correlational study recruited 650 adults (330 males) aged 18-69 years (M = 33.06; MD = 31.00; SD = 10.50), with previously diagnosed ADHD (n = 329) and those from the general community without a history of ADHD (n = 321). Self-report measures of ADHD traits (i.e., inattention/disorganization, impulsivity, hyperactivity) and the cognitive battery were completed online. RESULTS Latent class analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling and factor mixture modeling revealed self-reported ADHD traits formed a unidimensional and approximately normally distributed phenotype. Bayesian structural equation modeling demonstrated that all three mechanisms measured by the cognitive battery, explained unique, incremental variance in ADHD traits, with a total of 15.9% explained in the ADHD trait factor. CONCLUSIONS Attentional control and shifting, as well as the less researched cognitive process of information gathering, explain individual difference variance in self-reported ADHD traits with potential to yield genetic and neurobiological insights into adult ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeggan Tiego
- School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800.
| | - Antonio Verdejo-Garcia
- School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800.
| | - Alexandra Anderson
- School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800.
| | - Julia Koutoulogenis
- School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800.
| | - Mark A Bellgrove
- School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Level 5, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800.
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Dingemans AE, Volkmer SA, Mulkens S, Vuijk R, van Rood YR. The obsessive-compulsive spectrum: A network analysis. Psychiatry Res 2022; 308:114351. [PMID: 34979379 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have shown that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders (ED), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) share obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms and often co-occur, which could be seen as indicative of a common etiological basis. In addition, they also appear to have similarities in executive functioning. The present study investigated disorder-specific symptoms and executive functioning as a possible joint factor in individuals with OCD (n=53), BDD (n=95), ED (n=171) and ASD (n=73), and in healthy controls (n=110). The participants completed online questionnaires measuring OCD, ED, ASD and BDD related symptoms as well as executive functioning. The clinical groups were first compared to the healthy controls. Subsequently, a network analysis was performed only with the OC-groups. This network approach assumes that psychopathological disorders are the result of causal symptom interactions. As expected, the healthy controls reported less severe symptoms compared to the OC patient groups. The network analysis suggested that the executive functioning skill set shifting/attention switching and the ASD symptoms, social and communication skills were the most central nodes in the model. Difficulty with cognitive flexibility and social factors are central in OC-spectrum disorders and may be perpetuating factors and thus a relevant focus of treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sandra Mulkens
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, and Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Yanda R van Rood
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Coussement C, de Vega MR, Heeren A. The Impact of Anodal tDCS on the Attentional Networks as a Function of Trait Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms: A Preregistered Double-Blind Sham-Controlled Experiment. CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHIATRY 2020; 17:225-235. [PMID: 34908998 PMCID: PMC8629077 DOI: 10.36131/cnfioritieditore20200404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Attention is a multifaceted construct, including three distinct attentional networks: the alerting, orienting, and executive conflict networks. Recently, researchers have started to envision strategies to enhance the attentional networks, and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a promising tool to do so, especially regarding the executive conflict network. On the other hand, other research lines have suggested that anodal tDCS might yield more substantial impacts among depressive and anxious participants. METHOD In this preregistered study, we thus examined two questions. First, we wanted to replicate previous observations and tested whether anodal tDCS does improve the executive conflict network's efficiency. Second, we set out to clarify the impact of anxiety and depressive symptoms on this effect. To do so, we adopted a double-blind within-subject protocol in an unselected sample (n = 50) and delivered a single session of anodal- applied over the dorsolateral part of the left prefrontal cortex-versus sham tDCS during the completion of a task assessing the attentional networks. We assessed anxiety and depressive symptoms at baseline. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Although there were no significant direct effects of tDCS on the attentional networks, we found that the higher the levels of depression and trait anxiety, the larger the executive conflict network's enhancement during tDCS. By highlighting the importance of trait anxiety and depression when considering the impact of tDCS on the attentional networks, this study fulfills a valuable niche in clinical neuroscience, wherein preclinical data provide critical clues for larger, more definitive future translational efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Coussement
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium,Department of Clinical Research and Scientific Publications, Le Beau Vallon – Psychiatric Hospital, Namur, Belgium
| | | | - Alexandre Heeren
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium,Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium,Corresponding author Alexandre Heeren, Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, 10 Place du Cardinal Mercier, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. E-mail:
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Unfolding the Complex Dynamic Interplay Between Attentional Processes and Anxiety: A Commentary on Ghassemzadeh, Rothbart, and Posner. Cogn Behav Neurol 2019; 32:63-66. [PMID: 30896579 DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Theories about the involvement of attention in feelings of fear and anxiety have been debated in philosophical circles since long before the foundation of experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience. In this issue, Ghassemzadeh, Rothbart, and Posner (2019) provide a much-needed historical and conceptual review of the relations between attention and anxiety disorders. Throughout their paper, they argue that insights from the study of brain networks of attention offer a particularly viable prospect for best clarifying the complex relations between attentional processes and anxiety. We fully share this view. Moreover, we believe that the computational and conceptual tools of network analysis (also known as graph theory) can enable researchers to move even closer to elucidating the complex dynamic interplay between those phenomena. In this commentary, we explain why and how to use network analysis for this purpose.
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Does Change in Attention Control Mediate the Impact of tDCS on Attentional Bias for Threat? Limited Evidence from a Double-blind Sham-controlled Experiment in an Unselected Sample. Psychol Belg 2019; 59:16-32. [PMID: 31328008 PMCID: PMC6625550 DOI: 10.5334/pb.449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurocognitive models of attentional bias for threat posit that attentional bias may result from a decreased activation of the left prefrontal cortex, and especially of its dorsolateral part (dlPFC), resulting in an impaired attention control. Consequently, a transient increase of neural activity within the left dlPFC via non-invasive brain stimulation reduces attentional bias among both anxious and nonanxious participants. Yet, it is still unclear whether the impact of dlPFC activation on attentional bias is mediated by improvement in attention control. In this experiment, we sought to test this hypothesis in an unselected sample (n = 20). Accordingly, we adopted a double-blind within-subject protocol in which we delivered a single-session of anodal versus sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the left dlPFC during the completion of a task assessing attention control. We also assessed its subsequent impact on attentional bias. Neither attention control nor attentional bias did significantly improve following anodal tDCS. Although our results do not support our main hypothesis, we believe the present null results to be particularly useful for future meta-research in the field. We also formulated a series of methodological recommendations for future research aiming at testing the tDCS-induced modification of attentional bias.
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Philippot P, Bouvard M, Baeyens C, Dethier V. Case conceptualization from a process-based and modular perspective: Rationale and application to mood and anxiety disorders. Clin Psychol Psychother 2018; 26:175-190. [PMID: 30338874 DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
This article presents the theoretical, clinical, and practical arguments supporting a process-based transdiagnostic approach to psychotherapy. A working definition of "psychological process" is provided, as well as a tri-dimensional categorization of psychological processes potentially involved in psychopathology. Guidelines are proposed to select psychological interventions based on the active psychopathological processes evidenced in a given case. We also provide a rationale to organize treatment as a set of modules, each addressing a specific psychopathological process. Next, we review the main processes that may be active in mood and anxiety disorders, and that are accessible to clinicians in regular practice. For each process, we propose a validated assessment questionnaire. Finally, we offer a free-access web-based instrument that allows clients to fill in these questionnaires via an internet survey, and that provides therapists with a tool to easily decode and interpret the questionnaire results and to present them to the clients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Philippot
- Laboratoire de Psychopathologie Expérimentale, Université catholique of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Martine Bouvard
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Savoie Mont Blanc, Chambéry, France
| | - Céline Baeyens
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, LIP/PC2S, Grenoble, France
| | - Vincent Dethier
- Laboratoire de Psychopathologie Expérimentale, Université catholique of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Forcadell E, Torrents-Rodas D, Treen D, Fullana MA, Tortella-Feliu M. Attentional Control and Fear Extinction in Subclinical Fear: An Exploratory Study. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1654. [PMID: 29018384 PMCID: PMC5622961 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Attentional control (AC) and fear extinction learning are known to be involved in pathological anxiety. In this study we explored whether individual differences in non-emotional AC were associated with individual differences in the magnitude and gradient of fear extinction (learning and recall). In 50 individuals with fear of spiders, we collected measures of non-emotional AC by means of self-report and by assessing the functioning of the major attention networks (executive control, orienting, and alerting). The participants then underwent a paradigm assessing fear extinction learning and extinction recall. The two components of the orienting network functioning (costs and benefits) were significantly associated with fear extinction gradient over and above the effects of trait anxiety. Specifically, participants with enhanced orienting costs (i.e., difficulties in disengaging attention from cues not relevant for the task) showed faster extinction learning, while those with enhanced orienting benefits (i.e., attention facilitated by valid cues) exhibited faster extinction recall as measured by fear-potentiated startle and Unconditioned Stimulus expectancies, respectively. Our findings suggest that, in non-emotional conditions, the orienting component of attention may be predictive of fear extinction. They also show that the use of fear extinction gradients and the exploration of individual differences in non-emotional AC (using performance-based measures of attentional network functioning) can provide a better understanding of individual differences in fear learning. Our findings also may help to understand differences in exposure therapy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduard Forcadell
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Mental Health, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí I3PT, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Sabadell, Spain
| | - David Torrents-Rodas
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Specialized Department in Mental Health and Intellectual Disability, Institut Assistència Sanitària (IAS), Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Girona, Parc Hospitalari Martí i Julià, Salt, Spain
| | - Devi Treen
- Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions, Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miquel A Fullana
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Anxiety Unit, Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions, Hospital del Mar, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain.,IMIM, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miquel Tortella-Feliu
- University Research Institute on Health Sciencies (IUNICS), Universitat de les Illes Balears, Mallorca, Spain.,PROMOSAM Red de Investigación en Procesos, Mecanismos y Tratamientos Psicológicos para la Promoción de la Salud Mental, Mallorca, Spain
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Differential impairments across attentional networks in binge drinking. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:1059-1068. [PMID: 28144707 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4538-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The cognitive deficits observed in young binge drinkers have been largely documented during the last decade. Yet, these earlier studies have mainly focused on high-level cognitive abilities (particularly memory and executive functions), and uncertainty thus still abounds regarding the integrity of less complex cognitive processes in binge drinking. This is particularly true for attentional abilities, which play a crucial role in behavior regulation and are impaired in other alcohol-related disorders. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS To specify the attentional deficits associated with binge drinking, two groups of university students (40 binge drinkers and 40 matched controls) performed the Attention Network Task, a theoretically grounded test assessing three independent attentional networks: alerting, orienting, and executive control. RESULTS Binge drinkers displayed preserved orienting performance but impaired alerting and executive control. Binge drinking is thus not related to a general attentional impairment but rather to specific impairments of the alerting and executive control networks. CONCLUSIONS These results underline that, beyond the already explored high-level deficits, binge drinking is also related to impairments for attentional abilities. In view of the role played by attentional impairments in alcohol dependence, the present data also suggest that rehabilitation programs should be developed to improve attentional abilities at the early stages of alcohol-related disorders.
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