1
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Lavalley CA, Mehta MM, Taylor S, Chuning AE, Stewart JL, Huys QJM, Khalsa SS, Paulus MP, Smith R. Computational Mechanisms Underlying Multi-Step Planning Deficits in Methamphetamine Use Disorder. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.06.27.24309581. [PMID: 38978681 PMCID: PMC11230339 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.27.24309581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Current theories suggest individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (iMUDs) have difficulty considering long-term outcomes in decision-making, which could contribute to risk of relapse. Aversive interoceptive states (e.g., stress, withdrawal) are also known to increase this risk. The present study analyzed computational mechanisms of planning in iMUDs, and examined the potential impact of an aversive interoceptive state induction. A group of 40 iMUDs and 49 healthy participants completed two runs of a multi-step planning task, with and without an anxiogenic breathing resistance manipulation. Computational modeling revealed that iMUDs had selective difficulty identifying the best overall plan when this required enduring negative short-term outcomes - a mechanism referred to as aversive pruning. Increases in reported craving before and after the induction also predicted greater aversive pruning in iMUDs. These results highlight a novel mechanism that could promote poor choice in recovering iMUDs and create vulnerability to relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samuel Taylor
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Anne E Chuning
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Jennifer L Stewart
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
- University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Quentin J M Huys
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sahib S Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
- University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Martin P Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
- University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Ryan Smith
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
- University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
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2
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Li N, Lavalley CA, Chou KP, Chuning AE, Taylor S, Goldman CM, Torres T, Hodson R, Wilson RC, Stewart JL, Khalsa SS, Paulus MP, Smith R. Directed exploration is elevated in affective disorders but reduced by an aversive interoceptive state induction. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.06.19.24309110. [PMID: 38947082 PMCID: PMC11213056 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.19.24309110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Elevated anxiety and uncertainty avoidance are known to exacerbate maladaptive choice in individuals with affective disorders. However, the differential roles of state vs. trait anxiety remain unclear, and underlying computational mechanisms have not been thoroughly characterized. In the present study, we investigated how a somatic (interoceptive) state anxiety induction influences learning and decision-making under uncertainty in individuals with clinically significant levels of trait anxiety. A sample of 58 healthy comparisons (HCs) and 61 individuals with affective disorders (iADs; i.e., depression and/or anxiety) completed a previously validated explore-exploit decision task, with and without an added breathing resistance manipulation designed to induce state anxiety. Computational modeling revealed a pattern in which iADs showed greater information-seeking (i.e., directed exploration; Cohen's d=.39, p=.039) in resting conditions, but that this was reduced by the anxiety induction. The affective disorders group also showed slower learning rates across conditions (Cohen's d=.52, p=.003), suggesting more persistent uncertainty. These findings highlight a complex interplay between trait anxiety and state anxiety. Specifically, while elevated trait anxiety is associated with persistent uncertainty, acute somatic anxiety can paradoxically curtail exploratory behaviors, potentially reinforcing maladaptive decision-making patterns in affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Li
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
| | | | - Ko-Ping Chou
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
| | | | | | | | | | - Rowan Hodson
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
| | - Robert C. Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
- Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | | | - Sahib S. Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
- Oxley College of Health and Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
| | - Martin P. Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
- Oxley College of Health and Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
| | - Ryan Smith
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
- Oxley College of Health and Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
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3
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Yan X, Ebitz RB, Grissom N, Darrow DP, Herman AB. Individual differences in uncertainty evaluation explain opposing exploratory behaviors in anxiety and apathy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.04.597412. [PMID: 38895240 PMCID: PMC11185698 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.04.597412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Navigating uncertain environments is a fundamental challenge for adaptive behavior, and affective states such as anxiety and apathy can profoundly influence an individual's response to uncertainty. Uncertainty encompasses both volatility and stochasticity, where volatility refers to how rapidly the environment changes and stochasticity describes outcomes resulting from random chance. This study investigates how anxiety and apathy modulate perceptions of environmental volatility and stochasticity and how these perceptions impact exploratory behavior. In a large online sample (N = 1001), participants completed a restless three-armed bandit task, and their choices were analyzed using latent state models to quantify the computational processes. We found that anxious individuals attributed uncertainty more to environmental volatility than stochasticity, leading to increased exploration, particularly after reward omission. Conversely, apathetic individuals perceived uncertainty as more stochastic than volatile, resulting in decreased exploration. The ratio of perceived volatility to stochasticity mediated the relationship between anxiety and exploratory behavior following adverse outcomes. These findings reveal distinct computational mechanisms underlying anxiety and apathy in uncertain environments. Our results provide a novel framework for understanding the cognitive and affective processes driving adaptive and potentially maladaptive behaviors under uncertainty, with implications for the characterization and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyuan Yan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - R. Becket Ebitz
- Department of Neuroscience, Universite de Montreal, 2900 Edouard Montpetit Blvd, Montreal, Quebec H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Nicola Grissom
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - David P. Darrow
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alexander B. Herman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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4
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Goldman CM, Takahashi T, Lavalley CA, Li N, Taylor S, Chuning AE, Hodson R, Stewart JL, Wilson RC, Khalsa SS, Paulus MP, Smith R. Individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder Show Reduced Directed Exploration and Learning Rates Independent of an Aversive Interoceptive State Induction. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.05.17.24307491. [PMID: 38826438 PMCID: PMC11142260 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.17.24307491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD) is associated with substantially reduced quality of life. Yet, decisions to use persist, due in part to avoidance of anticipated withdrawal states. However, the specific cognitive mechanisms underlying this decision process, and possible modulatory effects of aversive states, remain unclear. Here, 56 individuals with MUD and 58 healthy comparisons (HCs) performed a decision task, both with and without an aversive interoceptive state induction. Computational modeling measured the tendency to test beliefs about uncertain outcomes (directed exploration) and the ability to update beliefs in response to outcomes (learning rates). Compared to HCs, those with MUD exhibited less directed exploration and slower learning rates, but these differences were not affected by aversive state induction. These results suggest novel, state-independent computational mechanisms whereby individuals with MUD may have difficulties in testing beliefs about the tolerability of abstinence and in adjusting behavior in response to consequences of continued use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Toru Takahashi
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Ning Li
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
| | | | | | - Rowan Hodson
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
| | - Jennifer L. Stewart
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
- Oxley College of Health and Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
| | - Robert C. Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
- Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | - Sahib S. Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
- Oxley College of Health and Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
| | - Martin P. Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
- Oxley College of Health and Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
| | - Ryan Smith
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
- Oxley College of Health and Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
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5
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Hagan KE, Aimufua I, Haynos AF, Walsh BT. The explore/exploit trade-off: An ecologically valid and translational framework that can advance mechanistic understanding of eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord 2024; 57:1102-1108. [PMID: 38385592 DOI: 10.1002/eat.24173] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The explore/exploit trade-off is a decision-making process that is conserved across species and balances exploring unfamiliar choices of unknown value with choosing familiar options of known value to maximize reward. This framework is rooted in behavioral ecology and has traditionally been used to study maladaptive versus adaptive non-human animal foraging behavior. Researchers have begun to recognize the potential utility of understanding human decision-making and psychopathology through the explore/exploit trade-off. In this article, we propose that explore/exploit trade-off holds promise for advancing our mechanistic understanding of decision-making processes that confer vulnerability for and maintain eating pathology due to its neurodevelopmental bases, conservation across species, and ability to be mathematically modeled. We present a model for how suboptimal explore/exploit decision-making can promote disordered eating and present recommendations for future research applying this framework to eating pathology. Taken together, the explore/exploit trade-off provides a translational framework for expanding etiologic and maintenance models of eating pathology, given developmental changes in explore/exploit decision-making that coincide in time with the emergence of eating pathology and evidence of biased explore/exploit decision-making in psychopathology. Additionally, understanding explore/exploit decision-making in eating disorders may improve knowledge of their underlying pathophysiology, informing targeted clinical interventions such as neuromodulation and pharmacotherapy. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The explore/exploit trade-off is a cross-species decision-making process whereby organisms choose between a known option with a known reward or sampling unfamiliar options. We hypothesize that imbalanced explore/exploit decision-making can promote disordered eating and present preliminary data. We propose that explore/exploit trade-off has significant potential to advance understanding of the neurocognitive and neurodevelopmental mechanisms of eating pathology, which could ultimately guide revisions of etiologic models and inform novel interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey E Hagan
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Institute for Women's Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Ivieosa Aimufua
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ann F Haynos
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - B Timothy Walsh
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
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6
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Lloyd A, Roiser JP, Skeen S, Freeman Z, Badalova A, Agunbiade A, Busakhwe C, DeFlorio C, Marcu A, Pirie H, Saleh R, Snyder T, Fearon P, Viding E. Reviewing explore/exploit decision-making as a transdiagnostic target for psychosis, depression, and anxiety. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024:10.3758/s13415-024-01186-9. [PMID: 38653937 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01186-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
In many everyday decisions, individuals choose between trialling something novel or something they know well. Deciding when to try a new option or stick with an option that is already known to you, known as the "explore/exploit" dilemma, is an important feature of cognition that characterises a range of decision-making contexts encountered by humans. Recent evidence has suggested preferences in explore/exploit biases are associated with psychopathology, although this has typically been examined within individual disorders. The current review examined whether explore/exploit decision-making represents a promising transdiagnostic target for psychosis, depression, and anxiety. A systematic search of academic databases was conducted, yielding a total of 29 studies. Studies examining psychosis were mostly consistent in showing that individuals with psychosis explored more compared with individuals without psychosis. The literature on anxiety and depression was more heterogenous; some studies found that anxiety and depression were associated with more exploration, whereas other studies demonstrated reduced exploration in anxiety and depression. However, examining a subset of studies that employed case-control methods, there was some evidence that both anxiety and depression also were associated with increased exploration. Due to the heterogeneity across the literature, we suggest that there is insufficient evidence to conclude whether explore/exploit decision-making is a transdiagnostic target for psychosis, depression, and anxiety. However, alongside our advisory groups of lived experience advisors, we suggest that this context of decision-making is a promising candidate that merits further investigation using well-powered, longitudinal designs. Such work also should examine whether biases in explore/exploit choices are amenable to intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Lloyd
- Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK.
| | - Jonathan P Roiser
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah Skeen
- Institute for Life Course Health Research, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Ze Freeman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Aygun Badalova
- Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Anna Marcu
- Young People's Advisor Group, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Pasco Fearon
- Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK
- Centre for Family Research, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Essi Viding
- Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK
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7
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Sazhin D, Dachs A, Smith DV. Meta-Analysis Reveals That Explore-Exploit Decisions are Dissociable by Activation in the Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal Cortex and the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.21.563317. [PMID: 37961286 PMCID: PMC10634720 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.21.563317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Explore-exploit research has challenges in generalizability due to a limited theoretical basis of exploration and exploitation. Neuroimaging can help identify whether explore-exploit decisions use an opponent processing system to address this issue. Thus, we conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis (N=23 studies) where we found activation in the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex during exploration versus exploitation, providing some evidence for opponent processing. However, the conjunction of explore-exploit decisions was associated with activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, and anterior insula, suggesting that these brain regions do not engage in opponent processing. Further, exploratory analyses revealed heterogeneity in brain responses between task types during exploration and exploitation respectively. Coupled with results suggesting that activation in exploration and exploitation decisions is generally more similar than it is different suggests there remain significant challenges toward characterizing explore-exploit decision making. Nonetheless, dlPFC and ACC activation differentiate explore and exploit decisions and identifying these responses can help in targeted interventions aimed at manipulating these decisions.
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8
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Shen X, Helion C, Smith DV, Murty VP. Motivation as a Lens for Understanding Information-seeking Behaviors. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:362-376. [PMID: 37944120 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Most prior research characterizes information-seeking behaviors as serving utilitarian purposes, such as whether the obtained information can help solve practical problems. However, information-seeking behaviors are sensitive to different contexts (i.e., threat vs. curiosity), despite having equivalent utility. Furthermore, these search behaviors can be modulated by individuals' life history and personality traits. Yet the emphasis on utilitarian utility has precluded the development of a unified model, which explains when and how individuals actively seek information. To account for this variability and flexibility, we propose a unified information-seeking framework that examines information-seeking through the lens of motivation. This unified model accounts for integration across individuals' internal goal states and the salient features of the environment to influence information-seeking behavior. We propose that information-seeking is determined by motivation for information, invigorated either by instrumental utility or hedonic utility, wherein one's personal or environmental context moderates this relationship. Furthermore, we speculate that the final common denominator in guiding information-seeking is the engagement of different neuromodulatory circuits centered on dopaminergic and noradrenergic tone. Our framework provides a unified framework for information-seeking behaviors and generates several testable predictions for future studies.
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9
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Kent L. Mental Gravity: Depression as Spacetime Curvature of the Self, Mind, and Brain. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 25:1275. [PMID: 37761574 PMCID: PMC10528036 DOI: 10.3390/e25091275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The principle of mental gravity contends that the mind uses physical gravity as a mental model or simulacrum to express the relation between the inner self and the outer world in terms of "UP"-ness and "DOWN"-ness. The simulation of increased gravity characterises a continuum of mental gravity which states includes depression as the paradigmatic example of being down, low, heavy, and slow. The physics of gravity can also be used to model spacetime curvature in depression, particularly gravitational time dilation as a property of MG analogous to subjective time dilation (i.e., the slowing of temporal flow in conscious experience). The principle has profound implications for the Temporo-spatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC) with regard to temporo-spatial alignment that establishes a "world-brain relation" that is centred on embodiment and the socialisation of conscious states. The principle of mental gravity provides the TTC with a way to incorporate the structure of the world into the structure of the brain, conscious experience, and thought. In concert with other theories of cognitive and neurobiological spacetime, the TTC can also work towards the "common currency" approach that also potentially connects the TTC to predictive processing frameworks such as free energy, neuronal gauge theories, and active inference accounts of depression. It gives the up/down dimension of space, as defined by the gravitational field, a unique status that is connected to both our embodied interaction with the physical world, and also the inverse, reflective, emotional but still embodied experience of ourselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan Kent
- Mental Wellbeing Initiatives, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
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10
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Hochbaum DR, Dubinsky AC, Farnsworth HC, Hulshof L, Kleinberg G, Urke A, Wang W, Hakim R, Robertson K, Park C, Solberg A, Yang Y, Baynard C, Nadaf NM, Beron CC, Girasole AE, Chantranupong L, Cortopassi M, Prouty S, Geistlinger L, Banks A, Scanlan T, Greenberg ME, Boulting GL, Macosko EZ, Sabatini BL. Thyroid hormone rewires cortical circuits to coordinate body-wide metabolism and exploratory drive. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.10.552874. [PMID: 37609206 PMCID: PMC10441422 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.10.552874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Animals adapt to varying environmental conditions by modifying the function of their internal organs, including the brain. To be adaptive, alterations in behavior must be coordinated with the functional state of organs throughout the body. Here we find that thyroid hormone- a prominent regulator of metabolism in many peripheral organs- activates cell-type specific transcriptional programs in anterior regions of cortex of adult mice via direct activation of thyroid hormone receptors. These programs are enriched for axon-guidance genes in glutamatergic projection neurons, synaptic regulators across both astrocytes and neurons, and pro-myelination factors in oligodendrocytes, suggesting widespread remodeling of cortical circuits. Indeed, whole-cell electrophysiology recordings revealed that thyroid hormone induces local transcriptional programs that rewire cortical neural circuits via pre-synaptic mechanisms, resulting in increased excitatory drive with a concomitant sensitization of recruited inhibition. We find that thyroid hormone bidirectionally regulates innate exploratory behaviors and that the transcriptionally mediated circuit changes in anterior cortex causally promote exploratory decision-making. Thus, thyroid hormone acts directly on adult cerebral cortex to coordinate exploratory behaviors with whole-body metabolic state.
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11
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Benrimoh D, Fisher V, Mourgues C, Sheldon AD, Smith R, Powers AR. Barriers and solutions to the adoption of translational tools for computational psychiatry. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2189-2196. [PMID: 37280282 PMCID: PMC10611570 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02114-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Computational psychiatry is a field aimed at developing formal models of information processing in the human brain, and how alterations in this processing can lead to clinical phenomena. There has been significant progress in the development of tasks and how to model them, presenting an opportunity to incorporate computational psychiatry methodologies into large- scale research projects or into clinical practice. In this viewpoint, we explore some of the barriers to incorporation of computational psychiatry tasks and models into wider mainstream research directions. These barriers include the time required for participants to complete tasks, test-retest reliability, limited ecological validity, as well as practical concerns, such as lack of computational expertise and the expense and large sample sizes traditionally required to validate tasks and models. We then discuss solutions, such as the redesigning of tasks with a view toward feasibility, and the integration of tasks into more ecologically valid and standardized game platforms that can be more easily disseminated. Finally, we provide an example of how one task, the conditioned hallucinations task, might be translated into such a game. It is our hope that interest in the creation of more accessible and feasible computational tasks will help computational methods make more positive impacts on research as well as, eventually, clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Benrimoh
- McGill University School of Medicine, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Victoria Fisher
- Yale University School of Medicine and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Catalina Mourgues
- Yale University School of Medicine and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Andrew D Sheldon
- Yale University School of Medicine and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ryan Smith
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Albert R Powers
- Yale University School of Medicine and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
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12
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Wang S, Gerken B, Wieland JR, Wilson RC, Fellous JM. The effects of time horizon and guided choices on explore-exploit decisions in rodents. Behav Neurosci 2023; 137:127-142. [PMID: 36633987 PMCID: PMC10787949 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Humans and animals have to balance the need for exploring new options with exploiting known options that yield good outcomes. This tradeoff is known as the explore-exploit dilemma. To better understand the neural mechanisms underlying how humans and animals address the explore-exploit dilemma, a good animal behavioral model is critical. Most previous rodents explore-exploit studies used ethologically unrealistic operant boxes and reversal learning paradigms in which the decision to abandon a bad option is confounded by the need for exploring a novel option for information collection, making it difficult to separate different drives and heuristics for exploration. In this study, we investigated how rodents make explore-exploit decisions using a spatial navigation horizon task (Wilson et al., 2014) adapted to rats to address the above limitations. We compared the rats' performance to that of humans using identical measures. We showed that rats use prior information to effectively guide exploration. In addition, rats use information-driven directed exploration like humans, but the extent to which they explore has the opposite dependance on time horizon than humans. Moreover, we found that free choices and guided choices have different influences on exploration in rodents, a finding that has not yet been tested in humans. This study reveals that the explore-exploit spatial behavior of rats is more complex than previously thought. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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13
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Trait somatic anxiety is associated with reduced directed exploration and underestimation of uncertainty. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:102-113. [PMID: 36192493 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01455-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety has been related to decreased physical exploration, but past findings on the interaction between anxiety and exploration during decision making were inconclusive. Here we examined how latent factors of trait anxiety relate to different exploration strategies when facing volatility-induced uncertainty. Across two studies (total N = 985), we demonstrated that people used a hybrid of directed, random and undirected exploration strategies, which were respectively sensitive to relative uncertainty, total uncertainty and value difference. Trait somatic anxiety, that is, the propensity to experience physical symptoms of anxiety, was inversely correlated with directed exploration and undirected exploration, manifesting as a lesser likelihood for choosing the uncertain option and reducing choice stochasticity regardless of uncertainty. Somatic anxiety is also associated with underestimation of relative uncertainty. Together, these results reveal the selective role of trait somatic anxiety in modulating both uncertainty-driven and value-driven exploration strategies.
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14
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Urbanska N, Simko P, Leskanicova A, Karasova M, Jendzelovska Z, Jendzelovsky R, Rucova D, Kolesarova M, Goga M, Backor M, Kiskova T. Atranorin, a Secondary Metabolite of Lichens, Exhibited Anxiolytic/Antidepressant Activity in Wistar Rats. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12111850. [PMID: 36430984 PMCID: PMC9697363 DOI: 10.3390/life12111850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Atranorin (ATR) is one of lichens' many known secondary metabolites. Most current studies have investigated the various effects of ATR in vitro and only sporadically in vivo. The latest data indicate that ATR may have anxiolytic/antidepressive effects. This study aimed to analyze the potential of ATR in a depression-like state in male Wistar rats. Pregnant females were stressed by restricting their mobility in the final week of pregnancy three times a day for 45 min each, for three following days. After birth, progeny aged 60 days was stressed repeatedly. The male progeny was divided into three groups as follows: CTR group as a healthy control (n = 10), DEP group as a progeny of restricted mothers (n = 10), and ATR group as a progeny of restricted mothers, treated daily for one month with ATR (n = 10; 10 mg/kg of body weight, p.o.). Our results show that ATR acts as an antioxidant and markedly changes animal behavior. Concomitantly, hippocampal neurogenesis increases in the hilus and subgranular zone, together with the number of NeuN mature neurons in the hilus and CA1 regions. Our results indicate a potential antidepressant/anxiolytic effect of ATR. However, further studies in this area are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicol Urbanska
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Patrik Simko
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Andrea Leskanicova
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Martina Karasova
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, 04180 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Jendzelovska
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Rastislav Jendzelovsky
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Dajana Rucova
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Mariana Kolesarova
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Michal Goga
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Martin Backor
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Terezia Kiskova
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 04154 Košice, Slovakia
- Correspondence:
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Simko P, Leskanicova A, Suvakova M, Blicharova A, Karasova M, Goga M, Kolesarova M, Bojkova B, Majerova P, Zidekova N, Barvik I, Kovac A, Kiskova T. Biochemical Properties of Atranorin-Induced Behavioral and Systematic Changes of Laboratory Rats. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12071090. [PMID: 35888178 PMCID: PMC9316313 DOI: 10.3390/life12071090] [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: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Atranorin (ATR) is a secondary metabolite of lichens. While previous studies investigated the effects of this substance predominantly in an in vitro environment, in our study we investigated the basic physicochemical properties, the binding affinity to human serum albumin (HSA), basic pharmacokinetics, and, mainly, on the systematic effects of ATR in vivo. Sporadic studies describe its effects during, predominantly, cancer. This project is original in terms of testing the efficacy of ATR on a healthy organism, where we can possibly attribute negative effects directly to ATR and not to the disease. For the experiment, 24 Sprague Dawley rats (Velaz, Únetice, Czech Republic) were used. The animals were divided into four groups. The first group (n = 6) included healthy males as control intact rats (♂INT) and the second group (n = 6) included healthy females as control intact rats (♀INT). Groups three and four (♂ATR/n = 6 and ♀ATR/n = 6) consisted of animals with daily administered ATR (10mg/kg body weight) in an ethanol-water solution per os for a one-month period. Our results demonstrate that ATR binds to HSA near the binding site TRP214 and acts on a systemic level. ATR caused mild anemia during the treatment. However, based on the levels of hepatic enzymes in the blood (ALT, ALP, or bilirubin levels), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), or liver histology, no impact on liver was recorded. Significantly increased creatinine and lactate dehydrogenase levels together with increased defecation activity during behavioral testing may indicate the anabolic effect of ATR in skeletal muscles. Interestingly, ATR changed some forms of behavior. ATR at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight is non-toxic and, therefore, could be used in further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Simko
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia; (P.S.); (A.L.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Andrea Leskanicova
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia; (P.S.); (A.L.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Maria Suvakova
- Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia;
| | - Alzbeta Blicharova
- Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia;
| | - Martina Karasova
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, 041 81 Kosice, Slovakia;
| | - Michal Goga
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia; (P.S.); (A.L.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Mariana Kolesarova
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia; (P.S.); (A.L.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Bianka Bojkova
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia; (P.S.); (A.L.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Petra Majerova
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 831 01 Bratislava, Slovakia; (P.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Nela Zidekova
- Biomedical Center Martin (BioMed), Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University, 814 99 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Ivan Barvik
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Andrej Kovac
- Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 831 01 Bratislava, Slovakia; (P.M.); (A.K.)
| | - Terezia Kiskova
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia; (P.S.); (A.L.); (M.G.); (M.K.); (B.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +421-55-234-1216
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