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Casalvera A, Goodwin M, Lynch KG, Teferi M, Patel M, Grillon C, Ernst M, Balderston NL. Threat of shock increases distractor susceptibility during the short-term maintenance of visual information. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae036. [PMID: 38809714 PMCID: PMC11173208 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae036] [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: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Elevated arousal in anxiety is thought to affect attention control. To test this, we designed a visual short-term memory (VSTM) task to examine distractor suppression during periods of threat and no-threat. We hypothesized that threat would impair performance when subjects had to filter out large numbers of distractors. The VSTM task required subjects to attend to one array of squares while ignoring a separate array. The number of target and distractor squares varied systematically, with high (four squares) and low (two squares) target and distractor conditions. This study comprised two separate experiments. Experiment 1 used startle responses and white noise as to directly measure threat-induced anxiety. Experiment 2 used BOLD to measure brain responses. For Experiment 1, subjects showed significantly larger startle responses during threat compared to safe period, supporting the validity of the threat manipulation. For Experiment 2, we found that accuracy was affected by threat, such that the distractor load negatively impacted accuracy only in the threat condition. We also found threat-related differences in parietal cortex activity. Overall, these findings suggest that threat affects distractor susceptibility, impairing filtering of distracting information. This effect is possibly mediated by hyperarousal of parietal cortex during threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Casalvera
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Madeline Goodwin
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kevin G Lynch
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marta Teferi
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Milan Patel
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas L Balderston
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Teferi M, Gura H, Patel M, Casalvera A, Lynch KG, Makhoul W, Deng ZD, Oathes DJ, Sheline YI, Balderston NL. Intermittent theta-burst stimulation to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may increase potentiated startle in healthy individuals. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024:10.1038/s41386-024-01871-w. [PMID: 38740902 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01871-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment protocols targeting the right dlPFC have been effective in reducing anxiety symptoms comorbid with depression. However, the mechanism behind these effects is unclear. Further, it is unclear whether these results generalize to non-depressed individuals. We conducted a series of studies aimed at understanding the link between anxiety potentiated startle and the right dlPFC, following a previous study suggesting that continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to the right dlPFC can make people more anxious. Based on these results we hypothesized that intermittent TBS (iTBS), which is thought to have opposing effects on plasticity, may reduce anxiety when targeted at the same right dlPFC region. In this double-blinded, cross-over design, 28 healthy subjects underwent 12 study visits over a 4-week period. During each of their 2 stimulation weeks, they received four 600 pulse iTBS sessions (2/day), with a post-stimulation testing session occurring 24 h following the final iTBS session. One week they received active stimulation, one week they received sham. Stimulation weeks were separated by a 1-week washout period and the order of active/sham delivery was counterbalanced across subjects. During the testing session, we induced anxiety using the threat of unpredictable shock and measured anxiety potentiated startle. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, subjects showed increased startle reactivity following active compared to sham stimulation. These results replicate work from our two previous trials suggesting that TMS to the right dlPFC increases anxiety potentiated startle, independent of both the pattern of stimulation and the timing of the post stimulation measure. Although these results confirm a mechanistic link between right dlPFC excitability and startle, capitalizing upon this link for the benefit of patients will require future exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Teferi
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hannah Gura
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Group Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Milan Patel
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Abigail Casalvera
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kevin G Lynch
- Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Walid Makhoul
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zhi-De Deng
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch National Institute of Mental Health National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Desmond J Oathes
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Brain Imaging and Stimulation Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Penn Brain Science, Translation, Innovation, and Modulation Center University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yvette I Sheline
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nicholas L Balderston
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Center for Brain Imaging and Stimulation Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Penn Brain Science, Translation, Innovation, and Modulation Center University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Casalvera A, Goodwin M, Lynch K, Teferi M, Patel M, Grillon C, Ernst M, Balderston NL. Threat of shock increases distractor susceptibility during the short-term maintenance of visual information. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.11.22.23298914. [PMID: 38045307 PMCID: PMC10690351 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.22.23298914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Work on anxiety related attention control deficits suggests that elevated arousal impacts the ability to filter out distractors. To test this, we designed a task to look at distractor suppression during periods of threat. We administered trials of a visual short-term memory (VSTM) task, during periods of unpredictable threat, and hypothesized that threat would impair performance during trials where subjects were required to filter out large numbers of distractors. METHOD Experiment 1 involved fifteen healthy participants who completed one study visit. They performed four runs of a VSTM task comprising 32 trials each. Participants were presented with an arrow indicating left or right, followed by an array of squares. They were instructed to remember the target side and disregard the distractors on the off-target side. A subsequent target square was shown, and participants indicated whether it matched one of the previously presented target squares. The trial conditions included 50% matches and 50% mismatches, with an equal distribution of left and right targets. The number of target and distractor squares varied systematically, with high (4 squares) and low (2 squares) target and distractor conditions. Trials alternated between periods of safety and threat, with startle responses recorded using electromyography (EMG) following white noise presentations. Experiment 2 involved twenty-seven healthy participants who completed the same VSTM task inside an MRI scanner during a single study visit. The procedure mirrored that of Experiment 1, except for the absence of white noise presentations. RESULTS For Experiment 1, subjects showed significantly larger startle responses during threat compared to safe period, supporting the validity of the threat manipulation. However, results suggested that the white noise probes interfered with performance. For Experiment 2, we found that both accuracy was affected by threat, such that distractor load negatively impacted accuracy only in the threat condition. CONCLUSION Overall, these findings suggest that threat affects distractor susceptibility during the short-term maintenance of visual information. The presence of threat makes it more difficult to filter out distracting information. We believe that this is related to hyperarousal of parietal cortex, which has been observed during unpredictable threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Casalvera
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Madeline Goodwin
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kevin Lynch
- Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marta Teferi
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Milan Patel
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas L Balderston
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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White LK, Makhoul W, Teferi M, Sheline YI, Balderston NL. The role of dlPFC laterality in the expression and regulation of anxiety. Neuropharmacology 2023; 224:109355. [PMID: 36442650 PMCID: PMC9790039 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder. Therefore, elucidating brain mechanisms implicated in anxiety disorders is important avenue for developing novel treatments and improving care. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is thought to be critically involved in working memory processes (i.e. maintenance, manipulation, suppression, etc.). In addition, there is evidence that this region is involved in anxiety regulation. However, it is unclear how working memory related dlPFC processes contribute to anxiety regulation. Furthermore, we know that laterality plays an important role in working memory related dlPFC processing, however there is no current model of dlPFC mediated anxiety regulation that accounts for potential laterality effects. To address this gap, we propose a potential framework where the dlPFC contributes to emotion regulation via working memory processing. According to this framework, working memory is a fundamental process executed by the dlPFC. However, the domain of content differs across the left and right dlPFC, with the left dlPFC sensitive to primarily verbal content, and the right dlPFC sensitive to primarily non-verbal (affective content). Critically, working memory processes allow for both the retention and suppression of affective information in working memory and the overall net effect of processing on mood will depend on the balance of retention and suppression, the valence of the information being processed (positive vs. negative), and the domain of the information (verbal vs. non-verbal). If accurate, the proposed framework predicts that effects of neuromodulation targeting the dlPFC may be dependent upon the context during which the stimulation is presented. This article is part of the Special Issue on 'Fear, Anxiety and PTSD'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren K White
- Lifespan Brain Institute Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Walid Makhoul
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marta Teferi
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yvette I Sheline
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nicholas L Balderston
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress Department of Psychiatry University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Teferi M, Makhoul W, Deng ZD, Oathes DJ, Sheline Y, Balderston NL. Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation to the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex may increase Potentiated Startle in healthy individuals. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2022. [PMID: 37519467 PMCID: PMC10382694 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Convergent neuroimaging and neuromodulation studies implicate the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) as a key region involved in anxiety-cognition interactions. However, neuroimaging data are correlational, and neuromodulation studies often lack appropriate methodological controls. Accordingly, this work was designed to explore the role of right prefrontal cognitive control mechanisms in the expression/regulation of anxiety using continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) and threat of unpredictable shock. Based on prior neuromodulation studies, we hypothesized that the right dlPFC contributed to anxiety expression, and that cTBS should downregulate this expression. Methods We measured potentiated startle and performance on the Sternberg working memory paradigm in 28 healthy participants before and after 4 sessions (600 pulses/session) of active or sham cTBS. Stimulation was individualized to the right dlPFC site of maximal working memory-related activity and optimized using electric-field modeling. Results Compared with sham cTBS, active cTBS, which is thought to induce long-term depression-like synaptic changes, increased startle during threat of shock, but the effect was similar for predictable and unpredictable threat. As a measure of target (dis)engagement, we also showed that active but not sham cTBS decreased accuracy on the Sternberg task. Conclusions Counter to our initial hypothesis, cTBS to the right dlPFC made individuals more anxious, rather than less anxious. Although preliminary, these results are unlikely to be due to transient effects of the stimulation, because anxiety was measured 24 hours after cTBS. In addition, these results are unlikely to be due to off-target effects, because target disengagement was evident from the Sternberg performance data.
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Balderston NL, Roberts C, Beydler EM, Deng ZD, Radman T, Luber B, Lisanby SH, Ernst M, Grillon C. A generalized workflow for conducting electric field-optimized, fMRI-guided, transcranial magnetic stimulation. Nat Protoc 2020; 15:3595-3614. [PMID: 33005039 PMCID: PMC8123368 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0387-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive method to stimulate the cerebral cortex that has applications in psychiatry, such as in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Although many TMS targeting methods that use figure-8 coils exist, many do not account for individual differences in anatomy or are not generalizable across target sites. This protocol combines functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and iterative electric-field (E-field) modeling in a generalized approach to subject-specific TMS targeting that is capable of optimizing the stimulation site and TMS coil orientation. To apply this protocol, the user should (i) operationally define a region of interest (ROI), (ii) generate the head model from the structural MRI data, (iii) preprocess the functional MRI data, (iv) identify the single-subject stimulation site within the ROI, and (iv) conduct E-field modeling to identify the optimal coil orientation. In comparison with standard targeting methods, this approach demonstrates (i) reduced variability in the stimulation site across subjects, (ii) reduced scalp-to-cortical-target distance, and (iii) reduced variability in optimal coil orientation. Execution of this protocol requires intermediate-level skills in structural and functional MRI processing. This protocol takes ~24 h to complete and demonstrates how constrained fMRI targeting combined with iterative E-field modeling can be used as a general method to optimize both the TMS coil site and its orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas L Balderston
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Camille Roberts
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Emily M Beydler
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Zhi-De Deng
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Thomas Radman
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Bruce Luber
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sarah H Lisanby
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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