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Bashford-Largo J, Blair RJR, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Elowsky J, Dominguez A, Hatch M, Bajaj S. Cortical volume alterations in the limbic network in adolescents with high reactive aggression. Dev Psychopathol 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38584251 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579424000750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies show aggression-related structural alterations in frontal and limbic brain regions. Most studies have focused on overall aggression, instead of its subtypes, and on specific regions instead of networks. This study aims to identify both brain networks and regions that are associated with reactive and proactive subtypes of aggression. Structural MRI data were collected from 340 adolescents (125 F/215 M) with a mean age of 16.29 (SD = 1.20). Aggression symptomology was indexed via the Reactive Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ). Freesurfer was used to estimate Cortical Volume (CV) from seven networks and regions within specific networks associated with aggression. Two multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) were conducted on groups for low versus higher reactive and proactive RPQ scores. Our reactive aggression MANCOVA showed a main effect in CV [F(14,321) = 1.935, p = 0.022,ηp2 = 0.078] across all the 7-Networks. Unpacking this main effect revealed significant volumetric differences in the right Limbic Network (LN) (p = 0.029) and the Temporal Pole (p = 0.011), where adolescents in the higher reactive aggression group showed higher cortical volumes. Such findings are consistent with region/voxel-specific analyses that have associated atypical structure within the LN and reactive aggression. Moreover, the temporal pole is highly interconnected with regions important in the regulation and initiation of reactive aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - R James R Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Karina S Blair
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Clinical Psychology Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Ahria Dominguez
- Clinical Health, Emotion, and Neuroscience (CHEN) Laboratory, Department of Neurological Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Melissa Hatch
- Mind and Brain Health Laboratories (MBHL), Department of Neurological Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, MD Anderson Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
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Bashford-Largo J, Nakua H, Blair RJR, Dominguez A, Hatch M, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Ameis S, Bajaj S. A Shared Multivariate Brain-Behavior Relationship in a Transdiagnostic Sample of Adolescents. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 2024; 9:377-386. [PMID: 37572936 PMCID: PMC10858974 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Internalizing and externalizing psychopathology typically present in early childhood and can have negative implications on general functioning and quality of life. Prior work has linked increased psychopathology symptoms with altered brain structure. Multivariate analysis such as partial least squares correlation can help identify patterns of covariation between brain regions and psychopathology symptoms. This study examined the relationship between gray matter volume (GMV) and psychopathology symptoms in adolescents with various psychiatric diagnoses. METHODS Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 490 participants with various internalizing and externalizing diagnoses (197 female/293 male; age = 14.68 ± 2.35 years; IQ = 104.05 ± 13.11). Cortical and subcortical volumes were parcellated using the Desikan-Killiany atlas. Partial least squares correlation was used to identify multivariate linear relationships between GMV and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire difficulties domains (emotional, peer, conduct, and hyperactivity issues). Resampling approaches were used to determine significance (permutation test), stability (bootstrap resampling), and reproducibility (split-half resampling) of identified relationships. RESULTS We found a significant, stable, and largely reproducible dimension that linked lower Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire scores (less impairment) across all difficulties domains with greater widespread GMV (singular value = 1.17, accounts for 87.1% of the covariance; p < .001). This dimension emphasized the relationship between lower conduct problems and greater GMV in frontotemporal regions. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that the most significant and stable brain-behavior relationship in a transdiagnostic sample is a domain-general relationship, linking lower psychopathology symptom scores to greater global GMV. This finding suggests that a shared brain-behavior relationship may be present across adolescents with and without clinically significant psychopathology symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska; Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska.
| | - Hajer Nakua
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - R James R Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ahria Dominguez
- Clinical Health, Emotion, and Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neurological Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Melissa Hatch
- Mind and Brain Health Labs. Department of Neurological Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Karina S Blair
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska; Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Stephanie Ameis
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, University of Texas, MD Anderson Center, Houston, Texas
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Dobbertin M, Blair KS, Aloi J, Bajaj S, Bashford-Largo J, Mathur A, Zhang R, Carollo E, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Ringle JL, Tyler P, Blair RJ. Correction: Neural correlates of automatic emotion regulation and their association with suicidal ideation in adolescents during the first 90-days of residential care. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:100. [PMID: 38374005 PMCID: PMC10876519 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02817-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Avantika Mathur
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ru Zhang
- USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Erin Carollo
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA
| | | | - Jaimie Elowsky
- University of Nebraska Department of Psychology, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - J L Ringle
- Child and Family Translational Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Patrick Tyler
- Child and Family Translational Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - R James Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Dobbertin M, Blair KS, Aloi J, Bajaj S, Bashford-Largo J, Mathur A, Zhang R, Carollo E, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Ringle JL, Tyler P, Blair RJ. Neural correlates of automatic emotion regulation and their association with suicidal ideation in adolescents during the first 90-days of residential care. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:54. [PMID: 38263400 PMCID: PMC10806086 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02723-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States. However, relatively little is known about the forms of atypical neuro-cognitive function that are correlates of suicidal ideation (SI). One form of cognitive/affective function that, when dysfunctional, is associated with SI is emotion regulation. However, very little work has investigated the neural correlates of emotion dysregulation in adolescents with SI. METHODS Participants (N = 111 aged 12-18, 32 females, 31 [27.9%] reporting SI) were recruited shortly after their arrival at a residential care facility where they had been referred for behavioral and mental health problems. Daily reports of SI were collected during the participants' first 90-days in residential care. Participants were presented with a task-fMRI measure of emotion regulation - the Affective Number Stroop task shortly after recruitment. Participants were divided into two groups matched for age, sex and IQ based on whether they demonstrated SI. RESULTS Participants who demonstrated SI showed increased recruitment of regions including dorsomedial prefrontal cortex/supplemental motor area and parietal cortex during task (congruent and incongruent) relative to view trials in the context of emotional relative to neutral distracters. CONCLUSIONS Participants with SI showed increased recruitment of regions implicated in executive control during the performance of a task indexing automatic emotion regulation. Such data might suggest a relative inefficiency in the recruitment of these regions in individuals with SI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Avantika Mathur
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ru Zhang
- USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Erin Carollo
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA
| | | | - Jaimie Elowsky
- University of Nebraska Department of Psychology, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - J L Ringle
- Child and Family Translational Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Patrick Tyler
- Child and Family Translational Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - R James Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Zhang R, Blair RJR, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Elowsky J, Bashford-Largo J, Dominguez AJ, Hatch M, Bajaj S. Reduced grey matter volume in adolescents with conduct disorder: a region-of-interest analysis using multivariate generalized linear modeling. Discov Ment Health 2023; 3:25. [PMID: 37975932 PMCID: PMC10656392 DOI: 10.1007/s44192-023-00052-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conduct disorder (CD) involves a group of behavioral and emotional problems that usually begins during childhood or adolescence. Structural brain alterations have been observed in CD, including the amygdala, insula, ventrolateral and medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and fusiform gyrus. The current study developed a multivariate generalized linear model (GLM) to differentiate adolescents with CD from typically developing (TD) adolescents in terms of grey matter volume (GMV). METHODS The whole-brain structural MRI data were collected from 96 adolescents with CD (mean age = [Formula: see text] years; mean IQ = [Formula: see text]; 63 males) and 90 TD individuals (mean age = [Formula: see text] years; mean IQ = [Formula: see text]; 59 males) matched on age, IQ, and sex. Region-wise GMV was extracted following whole-brain parcellation into 68 cortical and 14 subcortical regions for each participant. A multivariate GLM was developed to predict the GMV of the pre-hypothesized regions-of-interest (ROIs) based on CD diagnosis, with intracranial volume, age, sex, and IQ serving as the covariate. RESULTS A diagnosis of CD was a significant predictor for GMV in the right pars orbitalis, right insula, right superior temporal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus, and left amygdala (F(1, 180) = 5.460-10.317, p < 0.05, partial eta squared = 0.029-0.054). The CD participants had smaller GMV in these regions than the TD participants (MCD-MTD = [- 614.898] mm3-[- 53.461] mm3). CONCLUSIONS Altered GMV within specific regions may serve as a biomarker for the development of CD in adolescents. Clinical work can potentially target these biomarkers to treat adolescents with CD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru Zhang
- Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
| | - R James R Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Inpatient Psychiatric Care Unit, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | | | - Ahria J Dominguez
- Clinical Health, Emotion, and Neuroscience (CHEN) Laboratory, Department of Neurological Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Melissa Hatch
- Mind and Brain Health Labs (MBHL), Department of Neurological Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Zhang R, Blair RJR, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Elowsky J, Bashford-Largo J, Dominguez AJ, Hatch M, Bajaj S. Reduced Grey Matter Volume in Adolescents with Conduct Disorder: A Region-of-Interest Analysis Using Multivariate Generalized Linear Modeling. Res Sq 2023:rs.3.rs-3425545. [PMID: 37961148 PMCID: PMC10635381 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3425545/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Background Conduct disorder (CD) involves a group of behavioral and emotional problems that usually begins during childhood or adolescence. Structural brain alterations have been observed in CD, including the amygdala, insula, ventrolateral and medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and fusiform gyrus. The current study developed a multivariate generalized linear model (GLM) to differentiate adolescents with CD from typically developing (TD) adolescents in terms of grey matter volume (GMV). Methods The whole-brain structural MRI data were collected from 96 adolescents with CD (mean age = years; mean IQ = ; 63 males) and 90 TD individuals (mean age = years; mean IQ = ; 59 males) matched on age, IQ, and sex. Region-wise GMV was extracted following whole-brain parcellation into 68 cortical and 14 subcortical regions for each participant. A multivariate GLM was developed to predict the GMV of the pre-hypothesized regions-of-interest (ROIs) based on CD diagnosis, with intracranial volume, age, sex, and IQ serving as the covariate. Results A diagnosis of CD was a significant predictor for GMV in the right pars orbitalis, right insula, right superior temporal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus, and left amygdala (F(1, 180) = 5.460 - 10.317, p < 0.05, partial eta squared = 0.029 - 0.054). The CD participants had smaller GMV in these regions than the TD participants (MCD - MTD = [-614.898] mm3 - [-53.461] mm3). Conclusions Altered GMV within specific regions may serve as a biomarker for the development of CD in adolescents. Clinical work can potentially target these biomarkers to treat adolescents with CD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru Zhang
- University of Southern California
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sahil Bajaj
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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Crum KI, Aloi J, Blair KS, Bashford-Largo J, Bajaj S, Zhang R, Hwang S, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Filbey FM, Dobbertin M, Blair RJ. Latent profiles of substance use, early life stress, and attention/externalizing problems and their association with neural correlates of reinforcement learning in adolescents. Psychol Med 2023; 53:7358-7367. [PMID: 37144406 PMCID: PMC10625649 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723000971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescent substance use, externalizing and attention problems, and early life stress (ELS) commonly co-occur. These psychopathologies show overlapping neural dysfunction in the form of reduced recruitment of reward processing neuro-circuitries. However, it is unclear to what extent these psychopathologies show common v. different neural dysfunctions as a function of symptom profiles, as no studies have directly compared neural dysfunctions associated with each of these psychopathologies to each other. METHODS In study 1, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted in a sample of 266 adolescents (aged 13-18, 41.7% female, 58.3% male) from a residential youth care facility and the surrounding community to investigate substance use, externalizing and attention problems, and ELS psychopathologies and their co-presentation. In study 2, we examined a subsample of 174 participants who completed the Passive Avoidance learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine differential and/or common reward processing neuro-circuitry dysfunctions associated with symptom profiles based on these co-presentations. RESULTS In study 1, LPA identified profiles of substance use plus rule-breaking behaviors, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and ELS. In study 2, the substance use/rule-breaking profile was associated with reduced recruitment of reward processing and attentional neuro-circuitries during the Passive Avoidance task (p < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate that there is reduced responsivity of striato-cortical regions when receiving outcomes on an instrumental learning task within a profile of adolescents with substance use and rule-breaking behaviors. Mitigating reward processing dysfunction specifically may represent a potential intervention target for substance-use psychopathologies accompanied by rule-breaking behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen I Crum
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Division of Neuroimaging, Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Soonjo Hwang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Francesca M Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - R James Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
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Bashford-Largo J, R Blair RJ, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Dominguez A, Hatch M, Bajaj S. Identification of structural brain alterations in adolescents with depressive symptomatology. Brain Res Bull 2023; 201:110723. [PMID: 37536609 PMCID: PMC10451038 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Depressive symptoms can emerge as early as childhood and may lead to adverse situations in adulthood. Studies have examined structural brain alternations in individuals with depressive symptoms, but findings remain inconclusive. Furthermore, previous studies have focused on adults or used a categorical approach to assess depression. The current study looks to identify grey matter volumes (GMV) that predict depressive symptomatology across a clinically concerning sample of adolescents. METHODS Structural MRI data were collected from 338 clinically concerning adolescents (mean age = 15.30 SD=2.07; mean IQ = 101.01 SD=12.43; 132 F). Depression symptoms were indexed via the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ). Freesurfer was used to parcellate the brain into 68 cortical regions and 14 subcortical regions. GMV was extracted from all 82 brain areas. Multiple linear regression was used to look at the relationship between MFQ scores and region-specific GMV parameter. Follow up regressions were conducted to look at potential effects of psychiatric diagnoses and medication intake. RESULTS Our regression analysis produced a significant model (R2 = 0.446, F(86, 251) = 2.348, p < 0.001). Specifically, there was a negative association between GMV of the left parahippocampal (B = -0.203, p = 0.005), right rostral anterior cingulate (B = -0.162, p = 0.049), and right frontal pole (B = -0.147, p = 0.039) and a positive association between GMV of the left bank of the superior temporal sulcus (B = 0.173, p = 0.029). Follow up analyses produced results proximal to the main analysis. CONCLUSIONS Altered regional brain volumes may serve as biomarkers for the development of depressive symptoms during adolescence. These findings suggest a homogeneity of altered cortical structures in adolescents with depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
| | - R James R Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Karina S Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Ahria Dominguez
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Melissa Hatch
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Mathur A, Bashford-Largo J, Elowsky J, Zhang R, Dobbertin M, Tyler PM, Bajaj S, Blair KS, Blair RJR. Association Between Aggression and Differential Functional Activity of Neural Regions Implicated in Retaliation. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2023; 62:805-815. [PMID: 36889505 PMCID: PMC10330338 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The goal of the current study was to determine the extent to which atypical neural responsiveness during retaliation is associated with observed aggression in youth in residential care. METHOD This functional magnetic resonance imaging study involved 83 adolescents (56 male and 27 female; mean age, 16.18 years) in residential care performing a retaliation task. Of the 83 adolescents, 42 displayed aggressive behavior within the first 3 months of residential care, whereas 41 did not. During the retaliation task, participants were offered either fair or unfair divisions of $20 pots (allocation phase) and could either accept the offer or reject it, and, by spending $1, $2, or $3, punish the partner (retaliation phase). RESULTS The study's main findings were that aggressive adolescent showed the following: reduced down-regulation of activity within regions involved in representing the expected value of choice options (left ventromedial prefrontal cortex and left posterior cingulate cortex) as a function of offer unfairness and retaliation level; and reduced recruitment of regions implicated in response control (right inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral anterior insular cortex) and associated fronto-parietal regions as a function of retaliation level. The aggressive adolescents were also significantly more likely to have been aggressive prior to residential care and showed a strong trend for increased retaliation on the task. CONCLUSION We suggest that individuals with a greater propensity for aggression show reduced representation of the negative consequences of retaliation and associated reduced recruitment of regions potentially involved in over-ruling these negative consequences to engage in retaliation. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT We worked to ensure sex and gender balance in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure sex balance in the selection of non-human subjects. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our reference list. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our reference list. We actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our author group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avantika Mathur
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | | | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - R James R Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center Research Center, Genthofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark.
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Zhang R, Aloi J, Bajaj S, Bashford-Largo J, Lukoff J, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Dobbertin M, Blair KS, Blair RJR. Dysfunction in differential reward-punishment responsiveness in conduct disorder relates to severity of callous-unemotional traits but not irritability. Psychol Med 2023; 53:1870-1880. [PMID: 34467836 PMCID: PMC8885913 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721003500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conduct disorder (CD) has been associated with dysfunction in reinforcement-based decision-making. Two forms of affective traits that reflect the components of CD severity are callous-unemotional (CU; reduced guilt/empathy) traits and irritability. The form of the reinforcement-based decision-making dysfunction with respect to CD and CU traits remains debated and has not been examined with respect to irritability in cases with CD. The goals of the current study were to determine the extent of dysfunction in differential (reward v. punishment) responsiveness in CD, and CU traits and irritability in participants with CD. METHODS The study involved 178 adolescents [typically developing (TD; N = 77) and cases with CD (N = 101)]. Participants were scanned with fMRI during a passive avoidance task that required participants to learn to respond to (i.e. approach) stimuli that engender reward and refrain from responding to (i.e. passively avoid) stimuli that engender punishment. RESULTS Adolescents with CD showed reduced differential reward-punishment responsiveness within the striatum relative to TD adolescents. CU traits, but not irritability, were associated with reduced differential reward-punishment responsiveness within the striatum, rostromedial, and lateral frontal cortices. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest CD is associated with reduced differential reward-punishment responsiveness and the extent of this dysfunction in participants with CD is associated with the severity of CU traits but not irritability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jamie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - R. James R. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
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11
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Groenewold NA, Bas-Hoogendam JM, Amod AR, Laansma MA, Van Velzen LS, Aghajani M, Hilbert K, Oh H, Salas R, Jackowski AP, Pan PM, Salum GA, Blair JR, Blair KS, Hirsch J, Pantazatos SP, Schneier FR, Talati A, Roelofs K, Volman I, Blanco-Hinojo L, Cardoner N, Pujol J, Beesdo-Baum K, Ching CRK, Thomopoulos SI, Jansen A, Kircher T, Krug A, Nenadić I, Stein F, Dannlowski U, Grotegerd D, Lemke H, Meinert S, Winter A, Erb M, Kreifelts B, Gong Q, Lui S, Zhu F, Mwangi B, Soares JC, Wu MJ, Bayram A, Canli M, Tükel R, Westenberg PM, Heeren A, Cremers HR, Hofmann D, Straube T, Doruyter AGG, Lochner C, Peterburs J, Van Tol MJ, Gur RE, Kaczkurkin AN, Larsen B, Satterthwaite TD, Filippi CA, Gold AL, Harrewijn A, Zugman A, Bülow R, Grabe HJ, Völzke H, Wittfeld K, Böhnlein J, Dohm K, Kugel H, Schrammen E, Zwanzger P, Leehr EJ, Sindermann L, Ball TM, Fonzo GA, Paulus MP, Simmons A, Stein MB, Klumpp H, Phan KL, Furmark T, Månsson KNT, Manzouri A, Avery SN, Blackford JU, Clauss JA, Feola B, Harper JC, Sylvester CM, Lueken U, Veltman DJ, Winkler AM, Jahanshad N, Pine DS, Thompson PM, Stein DJ, Van der Wee NJA. Volume of subcortical brain regions in social anxiety disorder: mega-analytic results from 37 samples in the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1079-1089. [PMID: 36653677 PMCID: PMC10804423 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01933-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
There is limited convergence in neuroimaging investigations into volumes of subcortical brain regions in social anxiety disorder (SAD). The inconsistent findings may arise from variations in methodological approaches across studies, including sample selection based on age and clinical characteristics. The ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group initiated a global mega-analysis to determine whether differences in subcortical volumes can be detected in adults and adolescents with SAD relative to healthy controls. Volumetric data from 37 international samples with 1115 SAD patients and 2775 controls were obtained from ENIGMA-standardized protocols for image segmentation and quality assurance. Linear mixed-effects analyses were adjusted for comparisons across seven subcortical regions in each hemisphere using family-wise error (FWE)-correction. Mixed-effects d effect sizes were calculated. In the full sample, SAD patients showed smaller bilateral putamen volume than controls (left: d = -0.077, pFWE = 0.037; right: d = -0.104, pFWE = 0.001), and a significant interaction between SAD and age was found for the left putamen (r = -0.034, pFWE = 0.045). Smaller bilateral putamen volumes (left: d = -0.141, pFWE < 0.001; right: d = -0.158, pFWE < 0.001) and larger bilateral pallidum volumes (left: d = 0.129, pFWE = 0.006; right: d = 0.099, pFWE = 0.046) were detected in adult SAD patients relative to controls, but no volumetric differences were apparent in adolescent SAD patients relative to controls. Comorbid anxiety disorders and age of SAD onset were additional determinants of SAD-related volumetric differences in subcortical regions. To conclude, subtle volumetric alterations in subcortical regions in SAD were detected. Heterogeneity in age and clinical characteristics may partly explain inconsistencies in previous findings. The association between alterations in subcortical volumes and SAD illness progression deserves further investigation, especially from adolescence into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nynke A Groenewold
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
- South African Medical Research Council (SA-MRC) Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Alyssa R Amod
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Max A Laansma
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Laura S Van Velzen
- Orygen & Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Moji Aghajani
- Leiden University, Institute of Education & Child Studies, Section Forensic Family & Youth Care, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Kevin Hilbert
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hyuntaek Oh
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ramiro Salas
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Andrea P Jackowski
- LiNC, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Pedro M Pan
- LiNC, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Giovanni A Salum
- Section on Negative Affect and Social Processes, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - James R Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Joy Hirsch
- Departments of Psychiatry & Neurobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Spiro P Pantazatos
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Franklin R Schneier
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ardesheer Talati
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Inge Volman
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Laura Blanco-Hinojo
- MRI Research Unit, Department of Radiology, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM G21, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Narcís Cardoner
- Department of Mental Health, University Hospital Parc Taulí-I3PT, Barcelona, Spain, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesus Pujol
- MRI Research Unit, Department of Radiology, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM G21, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Katja Beesdo-Baum
- Behavioral Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Psycholog and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Christopher R K Ching
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Sophia I Thomopoulos
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Core-Facility Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Dominik Grotegerd
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hannah Lemke
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Susanne Meinert
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Alexandra Winter
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Michael Erb
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Kreifelts
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Research Unit of Psychoradiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Su Lui
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Research Unit of Psychoradiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Fei Zhu
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Research Unit of Psychoradiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Benson Mwangi
- Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jair C Soares
- Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mon-Ju Wu
- Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ali Bayram
- Department of Neuroscience, Aziz Sancar Institute of Experimental Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Mesut Canli
- Department of Physiology, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Raşit Tükel
- Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - P Michiel Westenberg
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Alexandre Heeren
- Psychological Science Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Henk R Cremers
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - David Hofmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Christine Lochner
- SA-MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Jutta Peterburs
- Institute of Systems Medicine and Faculty of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marie-José Van Tol
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Raquel E Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Bart Larsen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Courtney A Filippi
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Andrea L Gold
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Anita Harrewijn
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - André Zugman
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Robin Bülow
- Institute for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Hans J Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Henry Völzke
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Katharina Wittfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Joscha Böhnlein
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina Dohm
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Harald Kugel
- University Clinic for Radiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Schrammen
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Peter Zwanzger
- KBO-Inn-Salzach-Klinikum, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth J Leehr
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lisa Sindermann
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Tali M Ball
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Gregory A Fonzo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Alan Simmons
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Murray B Stein
- Departments of Psychiatry & School of Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Heide Klumpp
- Departments of Psychology & Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Tomas Furmark
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | | - Suzanne N Avery
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | | | - Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Chad M Sylvester
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ulrike Lueken
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dick J Veltman
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC location VUMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Anderson M Winkler
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Neda Jahanshad
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Dan J Stein
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- SA-MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nic J A Van der Wee
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands
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12
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Bajaj S, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Patil KR, Tyler PM, Ringle JL, Bashford-Largo J, Mathur A, Elowsky J, Dominguez A, Schmaal L, Blair RJR. Machine learning based identification of structural brain alterations underlying suicide risk in adolescents. Discov Ment Health 2023; 3:6. [PMID: 37861863 PMCID: PMC10501026 DOI: 10.1007/s44192-023-00033-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for individuals between 15 and 19 years of age. The high suicide mortality rate and limited prior success in identifying neuroimaging biomarkers indicate that it is crucial to improve the accuracy of clinical neural signatures underlying suicide risk. The current study implements machine-learning (ML) algorithms to examine structural brain alterations in adolescents that can discriminate individuals with suicide risk from typically developing (TD) adolescents at the individual level. Structural MRI data were collected from 79 adolescents who demonstrated clinical levels of suicide risk and 79 demographically matched TD adolescents. Region-specific cortical/subcortical volume (CV/SCV) was evaluated following whole-brain parcellation into 1000 cortical and 12 subcortical regions. CV/SCV parameters were used as inputs for feature selection and three ML algorithms (i.e., support vector machine [SVM], K-nearest neighbors, and ensemble) to classify adolescents at suicide risk from TD adolescents. The highest classification accuracy of 74.79% (with sensitivity = 75.90%, specificity = 74.07%, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 87.18%) was obtained for CV/SCV data using the SVM classifier. Identified bilateral regions that contributed to the classification mainly included reduced CV within the frontal and temporal cortices but increased volume within the cuneus/precuneus for adolescents at suicide risk relative to TD adolescents. The current data demonstrate an unbiased region-specific ML framework to effectively assess the structural biomarkers of suicide risk. Future studies with larger sample sizes and the inclusion of clinical controls and independent validation data sets are needed to confirm our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Bajaj
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA.
| | - Karina S Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Kaustubh R Patil
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Patrick M Tyler
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jay L Ringle
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Avantika Mathur
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Ahria Dominguez
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Lianne Schmaal
- Center for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Orygen, Parkville, Australia
| | - R James R Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
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13
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Dobbertin M, Blair KS, Carollo E, Blair JR, Dominguez A, Bajaj S. Neuroimaging alterations of the suicidal brain and its relevance to practice: an updated review of MRI studies. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1083244. [PMID: 37181903 PMCID: PMC10174251 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1083244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. Historically, scientific inquiry has focused on psychological theory. However, more recent studies have started to shed light on complex biosignatures using MRI techniques, including task-based and resting-state functional MRI, brain morphometry, and diffusion tensor imaging. Here, we review recent research across these modalities, with a focus on participants with depression and Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior (STB). A PubMed search identified 149 articles specific to our population of study, and this was further refined to rule out more diffuse pathologies such as psychotic disorders and organic brain injury and illness. This left 69 articles which are reviewed in the current study. The collated articles reviewed point to a complex impairment showing atypical functional activation in areas associated with perception of reward, social/affective stimuli, top-down control, and reward-based learning. This is broadly supported by the atypical morphometric and diffusion-weighted alterations and, most significantly, in the network-based resting-state functional connectivity data that extrapolates network functions from well validated psychological paradigms using functional MRI analysis. We see an emerging picture of cognitive dysfunction evident in task-based and resting state fMRI and network neuroscience studies, likely preceded by structural changes best demonstrated in morphometric and diffusion-weighted studies. We propose a clinically-oriented chronology of the diathesis-stress model of suicide and link other areas of research that may be useful to the practicing clinician, while helping to advance the translational study of the neurobiology of suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Dobbertin
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
- *Correspondence: Matthew Dobbertin,
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Program for Trauma and Anxiety in Children (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Erin Carollo
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - James R. Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ahria Dominguez
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
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14
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Bashford‐Largo J, Zhang R, Mathur A, Elowsky J, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR, Blair KS, Bajaj S. Reduced cortical volume of the default mode network in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety 2022; 39:485-495. [PMID: 35312127 PMCID: PMC9246827 DOI: 10.1002/da.23252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Widespread structural alterations have been shown to be implicated in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, there have been inconsistent findings in cortical volume (CV) differences. Most structural neuroimaging studies looking at GAD used region-based approach with relatively small sample sizes, let alone be specific to adolescents with GAD. We believe this is the first study to look at CV measures using a network-based approach in a larger sample of adolescents with GAD. The goal of the current study was to focus on three different brain networks (i.e., Limbic, Frontoparietal, and Default Mode Network [DMN]) in adolescents with GAD. METHOD The study involved 81 adolescents with GAD and 112 typically developing (TD) comparison individuals matched on age (15.98 and 15.63 respective means), sex (42F/39M and 45F/67M), and IQ (101.90 and 103.94 respective means). Participants underwent structural MRI. Freesurfer was used to estimate CV (both network-specific and region-specific within networks) and region-specific sub-cortical volume measures. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA; with sex, age, IQ, and intracranial volume [ICV] as potential covariates) was used to estimate group differences. RESULTS We found significantly lower CV for the DMN in adolescents with GAD, compared with TD individuals. Adolescents with GAD also showed significantly lower hemispheric mean CV of the default-mode regions (particularly the prefrontal and temporal regions) and the hippocampus, compared with TD individuals. CONCLUSION The current findings suggest structural alterations in adolescents with GAD. These structural alterations will need to be addressed when implementing and developing treatments for patients with GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannah Bashford‐Largo
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA,Center for Brain, Biology, and BehaviorUniversity of Nebraska‐LincolnLincolnNebraskaUSA
| | - Ru Zhang
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Avantika Mathur
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of North DakotaGrand ForksNorth DakotaUSA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Inpatient Psychiatric Care UnitBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Robert James R. Blair
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health ServicesCapital Region of DenmarkCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
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15
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Zugman A, Harrewijn A, Cardinale EM, Zwiebel H, Freitag GF, Werwath KE, Bas‐Hoogendam JM, Groenewold NA, Aghajani M, Hilbert K, Cardoner N, Porta‐Casteràs D, Gosnell S, Salas R, Blair KS, Blair JR, Hammoud MZ, Milad M, Burkhouse K, Phan KL, Schroeder HK, Strawn JR, Beesdo‐Baum K, Thomopoulos SI, Grabe HJ, Van der Auwera S, Wittfeld K, Nielsen JA, Buckner R, Smoller JW, Mwangi B, Soares JC, Wu M, Zunta‐Soares GB, Jackowski AP, Pan PM, Salum GA, Assaf M, Diefenbach GJ, Brambilla P, Maggioni E, Hofmann D, Straube T, Andreescu C, Berta R, Tamburo E, Price R, Manfro GG, Critchley HD, Makovac E, Mancini M, Meeten F, Ottaviani C, Agosta F, Canu E, Cividini C, Filippi M, Kostić M, Munjiza A, Filippi CA, Leibenluft E, Alberton BAV, Balderston NL, Ernst M, Grillon C, Mujica‐Parodi LR, van Nieuwenhuizen H, Fonzo GA, Paulus MP, Stein MB, Gur RE, Gur RC, Kaczkurkin AN, Larsen B, Satterthwaite TD, Harper J, Myers M, Perino MT, Yu Q, Sylvester CM, Veltman DJ, Lueken U, Van der Wee NJA, Stein DJ, Jahanshad N, Thompson PM, Pine DS, Winkler AM. Mega-analysis methods in ENIGMA: The experience of the generalized anxiety disorder working group. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:255-277. [PMID: 32596977 PMCID: PMC8675407 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The ENIGMA group on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (ENIGMA-Anxiety/GAD) is part of a broader effort to investigate anxiety disorders using imaging and genetic data across multiple sites worldwide. The group is actively conducting a mega-analysis of a large number of brain structural scans. In this process, the group was confronted with many methodological challenges related to study planning and implementation, between-country transfer of subject-level data, quality control of a considerable amount of imaging data, and choices related to statistical methods and efficient use of resources. This report summarizes the background information and rationale for the various methodological decisions, as well as the approach taken to implement them. The goal is to document the approach and help guide other research groups working with large brain imaging data sets as they develop their own analytic pipelines for mega-analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Zugman
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Anita Harrewijn
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Elise M. Cardinale
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Hannah Zwiebel
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Gabrielle F. Freitag
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Katy E. Werwath
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Janna M. Bas‐Hoogendam
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of PsychiatryLeidenThe Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC)LeidenThe Netherlands
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Developmental and Educational PsychologyLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Nynke A. Groenewold
- Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Moji Aghajani
- Department. of PsychiatryAmsterdam UMC/VUMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- GGZ InGeestDepartment of Research & InnovationAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Kevin Hilbert
- Department of PsychologyHumboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Narcis Cardoner
- Department of Mental HealthUniversity Hospital Parc Taulí‐I3PTBarcelonaSpain
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic MedicineUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud MentalCarlos III Health InstituteMadridSpain
| | - Daniel Porta‐Casteràs
- Department of Mental HealthUniversity Hospital Parc Taulí‐I3PTBarcelonaSpain
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic MedicineUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud MentalCarlos III Health InstituteMadridSpain
| | - Savannah Gosnell
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Ramiro Salas
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesBaylor College of MedicineHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - James R. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownNebraskaUSA
| | - Mira Z. Hammoud
- Department of PsychiatryNew York UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Mohammed Milad
- Department of PsychiatryNew York UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Katie Burkhouse
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - K. Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral HealthThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Heidi K. Schroeder
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral NeuroscienceUniversity of CincinnatiCincinnatiOhioUSA
| | - Jeffrey R. Strawn
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral NeuroscienceUniversity of CincinnatiCincinnatiOhioUSA
| | - Katja Beesdo‐Baum
- Behavioral EpidemiologyInstitute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Sophia I. Thomopoulos
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Hans J. Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medicine GreifswaldGreifswaldGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Site Rostock/GreifswaldGreifswaldGermany
| | - Sandra Van der Auwera
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medicine GreifswaldGreifswaldGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Site Rostock/GreifswaldGreifswaldGermany
| | - Katharina Wittfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medicine GreifswaldGreifswaldGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)Site Rostock/GreifswaldGreifswaldGermany
| | - Jared A. Nielsen
- Department of PsychologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Center for Brain ScienceHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Randy Buckner
- Department of PsychologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Center for Brain ScienceHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
- Department of PsychiatryMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Jordan W. Smoller
- Department of PsychiatryMassachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Benson Mwangi
- Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesThe University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Jair C. Soares
- Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesThe University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Mon‐Ju Wu
- Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesThe University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Giovana B. Zunta‐Soares
- Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesThe University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Andrea P. Jackowski
- LiNC, Department of PsychiatryFederal University of São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Pedro M. Pan
- LiNC, Department of PsychiatryFederal University of São PauloSão PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Giovanni A. Salum
- Section on Negative Affect and Social Processes, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Michal Assaf
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research CenterInstitute of Living, Hartford HospitalHartfordConnecticutUSA
- Department of PsychiatryYale School of MedicineNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Gretchen J. Diefenbach
- Anxiety Disorders CenterInstitute of Living, Hartford HospitalHartfordConnecticutUSA
- Yale School of MedicineNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental HealthFondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore PoliclinicoMilanItaly
| | - Eleonora Maggioni
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental HealthFondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore PoliclinicoMilanItaly
| | - David Hofmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of MuensterMuensterGermany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of MuensterMuensterGermany
| | - Carmen Andreescu
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Rachel Berta
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Erica Tamburo
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Rebecca Price
- Department of Psychiatry & PsychologyUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Gisele G. Manfro
- Anxiety Disorder ProgramHospital de Clínicas de Porto AlegrePorto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
- Department of PsychiatryFederal University of Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - Hugo D. Critchley
- Department of NeuroscienceBrighton and Sussex Medical School, University of SussexBrightonUK
| | - Elena Makovac
- Centre for Neuroimaging ScienceKings College LondonLondonUK
| | - Matteo Mancini
- Department of NeuroscienceBrighton and Sussex Medical School, University of SussexBrightonUK
| | | | | | - Federica Agosta
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of NeuroscienceIRCCS San Raffaele Scientific InstituteMilanItaly
- Vita‐Salute San Raffaele UniversityMilanItaly
| | - Elisa Canu
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of NeuroscienceIRCCS San Raffaele Scientific InstituteMilanItaly
| | - Camilla Cividini
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of NeuroscienceIRCCS San Raffaele Scientific InstituteMilanItaly
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of NeuroscienceIRCCS San Raffaele Scientific InstituteMilanItaly
- Vita‐Salute San Raffaele UniversityMilanItaly
- Neurology and Neurophysiology UnitIRCCS San Raffaele Scientific InstituteMilanItaly
| | - Milutin Kostić
- Institute of Mental Health, University of BelgradeBelgradeSerbia
- Department of Psychiatry, School of MedicineUniversity of BelgradeBelgradeSerbia
| | - Ana Munjiza
- Institute of Mental Health, University of BelgradeBelgradeSerbia
| | - Courtney A. Filippi
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Bianca A. V. Alberton
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do ParanáCuritibaPuerto RicoBrazil
| | - Nicholas L. Balderston
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and StressUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Monique Ernst
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Christian Grillon
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | | | | | - Gregory A. Fonzo
- Department of PsychiatryThe University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical SchoolAustinTexasUSA
| | | | - Murray B. Stein
- Department of Psychiatry & Family Medicine and Public HealthUniversity of CaliforniaLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Raquel E. Gur
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Ruben C. Gur
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Bart Larsen
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Jennifer Harper
- Department of PsychiatryWashington UniversitySt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Michael Myers
- Department of PsychiatryWashington UniversitySt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | | | - Qiongru Yu
- Department of PsychiatryWashington UniversitySt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | | | - Dick J. Veltman
- Department. of PsychiatryAmsterdam UMC/VUMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Ulrike Lueken
- Department of PsychologyHumboldt‐Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Nic J. A. Van der Wee
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of PsychiatryLeidenThe Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC)LeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Dan J. Stein
- Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- SAMRC Unite on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Neda Jahanshad
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Paul M. Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Anderson M. Winkler
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH)BethesdaMarylandUSA
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16
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Blair KS, Aloi J, Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Elowsky J, Lukoff J, Vogel S, Carollo E, Schwartz A, Pope K, Bajaj S, Tottenham N, Dobbertin M, Blair RJ. Different forms of childhood maltreatment have different impacts on the neural systems involved in the representation of reinforcement value. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 53:101051. [PMID: 34953316 PMCID: PMC8714998 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The current study aimed to address two gaps in the literature on child maltreatment, reinforcement processing and psychopathology. First, the extent to which compromised reinforcement processing might be particularly associated with either neglect or abuse. Second, the extent to which maltreatment-related compromised reinforcement processing might be associated with particular symptom sets (depression, conduct problems, anxiety) or symptomatology more generally. Methods A sample of adolescents (N = 142) aged between 14 and 18 years with varying levels of prior maltreatment participated in this fMRI study. They were scanned while performing a passive avoidance learning task, where the participant learns to respond to stimuli that engender reward and avoid responding to stimuli that engender punishment. Maltreatment (abuse and neglect) levels were assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Results We found that: (i) level of neglect, but not abuse, was negatively associated with differential BOLD responses to reward-punishment within the striatum and medial frontal cortex; and (ii) differential reward-punishment responses within these neglect-associated regions were particularly negatively associated with level of conduct problems. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate the adverse neurodevelopmental impact of childhood maltreatment, particularly neglect, on reinforcement processing. Moreover, they suggest a neurodevelopmental route by which neglect might increase the risk for conduct problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Steven Vogel
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Erin Carollo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Kayla Pope
- Department of Psychiatry, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - R James Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
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17
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Crum KI, Hwang S, Blair KS, Aloi JM, Meffert H, White SF, Tyler PM, Leibenluft E, Pope K, Blair RJR. Interaction of irritability and anxiety on emotional responding and emotion regulation: a functional MRI study. Psychol Med 2021; 51:2778-2788. [PMID: 32584213 PMCID: PMC7759590 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720001397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Irritability and anxiety frequently co-occur in pediatric populations. Studies separately looking at the neural correlates of these symptoms have identified engagement of similar neural systems - particularly those implicated in emotional processing. Both irritability and anxiety can be considered negative valence emotional states that might relate to emotion dysregulation. However, previous work has not examined the neural responding during the performance of an emotion regulation task as a function of interaction between irritability and anxiety simultaneously. METHODS This fMRI study involved 155 participants (90 with significant psychopathologies and 92 male) who performed the Affective Stroop Task, designed to engage emotion regulation as a function of task demands. The Affective Reactivity Index (ARI) was used to index irritability and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) was used to index anxiety. RESULTS Levels of irritability, but not anxiety, was positively correlated with responses to visual images within the right rostro-medial prefrontal cortex and left anterior cingulate cortex during view trials. The second region of ventral anterior cingulate cortex showed a condition-by-emotion-by-ARI score-by-SCARED score interaction. Specifically, anxiety level was significantly correlated with a decreased differential BOLD response to negative relative to neutral view trials but only in the presence of relatively high irritability. CONCLUSIONS Atypical maintenance of emotional stimuli within the rostro-medial prefrontal cortex may exacerbate the difficulties faced by adolescents with irritability. Moreover, increased anxiety combined with significant irritability may disrupt an automatic emotional conflict-based form of emotion regulation that is particularly associated with the ventral anterior cingulate cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen I. Crum
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Soonjo Hwang
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | | | | | - Stuart F. White
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Patrick M. Tyler
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kayla Pope
- Medical College of Wisconsin, Northeastern Wisconsin Psychiatry Training Program, Winnebago, Wisconsin, USA
| | - R. J. R. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
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18
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Harrewijn A, Cardinale EM, Groenewold NA, Bas-Hoogendam JM, Aghajani M, Hilbert K, Cardoner N, Porta-Casteràs D, Gosnell S, Salas R, Jackowski AP, Pan PM, Salum GA, Blair KS, Blair JR, Hammoud MZ, Milad MR, Burkhouse KL, Phan KL, Schroeder HK, Strawn JR, Beesdo-Baum K, Jahanshad N, Thomopoulos SI, Buckner R, Nielsen JA, Smoller JW, Soares JC, Mwangi B, Wu MJ, Zunta-Soares GB, Assaf M, Diefenbach GJ, Brambilla P, Maggioni E, Hofmann D, Straube T, Andreescu C, Berta R, Tamburo E, Price RB, Manfro GG, Agosta F, Canu E, Cividini C, Filippi M, Kostić M, Munjiza Jovanovic A, Alberton BAV, Benson B, Freitag GF, Filippi CA, Gold AL, Leibenluft E, Ringlein GV, Werwath KE, Zwiebel H, Zugman A, Grabe HJ, Van der Auwera S, Wittfeld K, Völzke H, Bülow R, Balderston NL, Ernst M, Grillon C, Mujica-Parodi LR, van Nieuwenhuizen H, Critchley HD, Makovac E, Mancini M, Meeten F, Ottaviani C, Ball TM, Fonzo GA, Paulus MP, Stein MB, Gur RE, Gur RC, Kaczkurkin AN, Larsen B, Satterthwaite TD, Harper J, Myers M, Perino MT, Sylvester CM, Yu Q, Lueken U, Veltman DJ, Thompson PM, Stein DJ, Van der Wee NJA, Winkler AM, Pine DS. Cortical and subcortical brain structure in generalized anxiety disorder: findings from 28 research sites in the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:502. [PMID: 34599145 PMCID: PMC8486763 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01622-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of this study was to compare brain structure between individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and healthy controls. Previous studies have generated inconsistent findings, possibly due to small sample sizes, or clinical/analytic heterogeneity. To address these concerns, we combined data from 28 research sites worldwide through the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group, using a single, pre-registered mega-analysis. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data from children and adults (5-90 years) were processed using FreeSurfer. The main analysis included the regional and vertex-wise cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and subcortical volume as dependent variables, and GAD, age, age-squared, sex, and their interactions as independent variables. Nuisance variables included IQ, years of education, medication use, comorbidities, and global brain measures. The main analysis (1020 individuals with GAD and 2999 healthy controls) included random slopes per site and random intercepts per scanner. A secondary analysis (1112 individuals with GAD and 3282 healthy controls) included fixed slopes and random intercepts per scanner with the same variables. The main analysis showed no effect of GAD on brain structure, nor interactions involving GAD, age, or sex. The secondary analysis showed increased volume in the right ventral diencephalon in male individuals with GAD compared to male healthy controls, whereas female individuals with GAD did not differ from female healthy controls. This mega-analysis combining worldwide data showed that differences in brain structure related to GAD are small, possibly reflecting heterogeneity or those structural alterations are not a major component of its pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Harrewijn
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Elise M Cardinale
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nynke A Groenewold
- Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Moji Aghajani
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Research & Innovation, GGZ InGeest, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin Hilbert
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Narcis Cardoner
- Department of Mental Health, University Hospital Parc Taulí-I3PT, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Porta-Casteràs
- Department of Mental Health, University Hospital Parc Taulí-I3PT, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Savannah Gosnell
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ramiro Salas
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Andrea P Jackowski
- LiNC, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro M Pan
- LiNC, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Giovanni A Salum
- Section on Negative Affect and Social Processes, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Mira Z Hammoud
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohammed R Milad
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katie L Burkhouse
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Heidi K Schroeder
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Strawn
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Katja Beesdo-Baum
- Behavioral Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Neda Jahanshad
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Sophia I Thomopoulos
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Randy Buckner
- Center for Brain Science & Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jared A Nielsen
- Center for Brain Science & Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Psychology Department & Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, USA
| | - Jordan W Smoller
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jair C Soares
- Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Benson Mwangi
- Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mon-Ju Wu
- Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Giovana B Zunta-Soares
- Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michal Assaf
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Gretchen J Diefenbach
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Anxiety Disorders Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Eleonora Maggioni
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - David Hofmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Carmen Andreescu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rachel Berta
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Erica Tamburo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rebecca B Price
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Gisele G Manfro
- Anxiety Disorder Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Federica Agosta
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Canu
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Camilla Cividini
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Neurophysiology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Milutin Kostić
- Institute of Mental Health, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Bianca A V Alberton
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Puerto Rico, Brazil
| | - Brenda Benson
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gabrielle F Freitag
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Courtney A Filippi
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Andrea L Gold
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Grace V Ringlein
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kathryn E Werwath
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Hannah Zwiebel
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - André Zugman
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Hans J Grabe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sandra Van der Auwera
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Katharina Wittfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Henry Völzke
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Robin Bülow
- Institute for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Nicholas L Balderston
- Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Hugo D Critchley
- Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Elena Makovac
- Centre for Neuroimaging Science, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Matteo Mancini
- Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Frances Meeten
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Cristina Ottaviani
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Tali M Ball
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Gregory A Fonzo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Murray B Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Raquel E Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ruben C Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Bart Larsen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Harper
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael Myers
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael T Perino
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chad M Sylvester
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Qiongru Yu
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ulrike Lueken
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dick J Veltman
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Dan J Stein
- South African Medical Research Council Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nic J A Van der Wee
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anderson M Winkler
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Blair RJ, Zhang RU, Bashford-Largo J, Bajaj S, Mathur A, Ringle J, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Dobbertin M, Blair KS, Tyler PM. Reduced neural responsiveness to looming stimuli is associated with increased aggression. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:1091-1099. [PMID: 33960389 PMCID: PMC8483278 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While neuro-cognitive work examining aggression has examined patients with conditions at increased risk for aggression or individuals self-reporting past aggression, little work has attempted to identify neuro-cognitive markers associated with observed/recorded aggression. The goal of the current study was to determine the extent to which aggression by youth in the first three months of residential care was associated with atypical responsiveness to threat stimuli. This functional MRI study involved 98 (68 male; mean age = 15.96 [sd = 1.52]) adolescents in residential care performing a looming threat task involving images of threatening and neutral human faces or animals that appeared to be either loom or recede. Level of aggression was negatively associated with responding to looming stimuli (irrespective of whether these were threatening or neutral) within regions including bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, right inferior parietal lobule, right superior/middle temporal gyrus and a region of right uncus proximal to the amygdala. These data indicate that aggression level is associated with a decrease in responsiveness to a basic threat cue-looming stimuli. Reduced threat responsiveness likely results in the individual being less able to represent the negative consequences that may result from engaging in aggression, thereby increasing the risk for aggressive episodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R James Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - R u Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Avantika Mathur
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Jay Ringle
- Translational Research Center, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
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20
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Blair RJR, Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Mathur A, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Tyler P, Hammond CJ, Filbey FM, Dobbertin M, Bajaj S, Blair KS. Alcohol and Cannabis Use Disorder Symptom Severity, Conduct Disorder, and Callous-Unemotional Traits and Impairment in Expression Recognition. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:714189. [PMID: 34616316 PMCID: PMC8488132 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.714189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Alcohol and cannabis are commonly used by adolescents in the United States. Both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have been associated with reduced emotion expression recognition ability. However, this work has primarily occurred in adults and has not considered neuro-cognitive risk factors associated with conduct problems that commonly co-occur with, and precede, substance use. Yet, conduct problems are also associated with reduced emotion expression recognition ability. The current study investigated the extent of negative association between AUD and CUD symptom severity and expression recognition ability over and above any association of expression recognition ability with conduct problems [conduct disorder (CD) diagnostic status]. Methods: In this study, 152 youths aged 12.5-18 years (56 female; 60 diagnosed with CD) completed a rapid presentation morphed intensity facial expression task to investigate the association between relative severity of AUD/CUD and expression recognition ability. Results: Cannabis use disorder identification test (CUDIT) scores were negatively associated with recognition accuracy for higher intensity (particularly sad and fearful) expressions while CD diagnostic status was independently negatively associated with recognition of sad expressions. Alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT) scores were not significantly associated with expression recognition ability. Conclusions: These data indicate that relative severity of CUD and CD diagnostic status are statistically independently associated with reduced expression recognition ability. On the basis of these data, we speculate that increased cannabis use during adolescence may exacerbate a neuro-cognitive risk factor for the emergence of aggression and antisocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert James R. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Avantika Mathur
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Patrick Tyler
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | | | - Francesca M. Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
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21
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Bashford-Largo J, Aloi J, Zhang R, Bajaj S, Carollo E, Elowsky J, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR, Blair KS. Reduced neural differentiation of rewards and punishment during passive avoidance learning in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety 2021; 38:794-803. [PMID: 33739566 PMCID: PMC8328882 DOI: 10.1002/da.23150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It has been proposed that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) show dysfunctional computations related to approach-avoidance decision-making. However, few studies have examined the neural basis of this impairment, particularly in adolescents with GAD. The goal of the current study was to address this gap in the literature. METHOD The study involved 51 adolescents with GAD and 51 typically developing (TD) comparison individuals matched on age (16.10 and 15.75 respective means), gender (30 F/21 M and 24 F/27 M), and IQ (103.20 and 103.18 respective means). Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a passive avoidance task. RESULTS We found a significant Group-by-Reinforcement interaction within reward-related brain regions including the caudate, putamen, mid cingulate/paracentral lobule, and superior and middle frontal gyrus. TD adolescents showed a greater differential response to reward versus punishment feedback within these regions relative to adolescents with GAD. In particular, this reflected reduced responses to rewards in the adolescents with GAD. There were no group differences in neural responses when making approach/avoidance responses. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest reduced differential responsiveness to reinforcement as a component of the pathophysiology seen in adolescents with GAD. This dysfunction likely underpins decision-making impairments that may exacerbate the participants' worry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Erin Carollo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - R. James R. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
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22
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Aloi J, Crum KI, Blair KS, Zhang R, Bashford-Largo J, Bajaj S, Schwartz A, Carollo E, Hwang S, Leiker E, Filbey FM, Averbeck BB, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR. Individual associations of adolescent alcohol use disorder versus cannabis use disorder symptoms in neural prediction error signaling and the response to novelty. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 48:100944. [PMID: 33773241 PMCID: PMC8024914 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Two of the most commonly used illegal substances by adolescents are alcohol and cannabis. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) are associated with poorer decision-making in adolescents. In adolescents, level of AUD symptomatology has been negatively associated with striatal reward responsivity. However, little work has explored the relationship with striatal reward prediction error (RPE) representation and the extent to which any augmentation of RPE by novel stimuli is impacted. One-hundred fifty-one adolescents participated in the Novelty Task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this task, participants learn to choose novel or non-novel stimuli to gain monetary reward. Level of AUD symptomatology was negatively associated with both optimal decision-making and BOLD response modulation by RPE within striatum and regions of prefrontal cortex. The neural alterations in RPE representation were particularly pronounced when participants were exploring novel stimuli. Level of CUD symptomatology moderated the relationship between novelty propensity and RPE representation within inferior parietal lobule and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. These data expand on an emerging literature investigating individual associations of AUD symptomatology levels versus CUD symptomatology levels and RPE representation during reinforcement processing and provide insight on the role of neuro-computational processes underlying reinforcement learning/decision-making in adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States; College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - Kathleen I Crum
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Adolescent Behavioral Health Research Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Erin Carollo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Soonjo Hwang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Emily Leiker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Francesca M Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Bruno B Averbeck
- Section on Learning and Decision Making, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - R James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research in Children, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
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23
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Bashford-Largo J, Aloi J, Lukoff J, Johnson K, White SF, Dobbertin M, Blair RJ, Blair KS. Reduced top-down attentional control in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder. Brain Behav 2021; 11:e01994. [PMID: 33369286 PMCID: PMC7882153 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) can significantly impair quality of life and is associated with a relatively poor long-term prognosis. Anxiety disorders are often associated with hyper-responsiveness to threat, perhaps coupled with impaired executive functioning. However, GAD, particularly adolescent GAD, has been the focus of little functional neuroimaging work compared to other anxiety disorders. Here, we examine the neural association of adolescent GAD with responsiveness to threat and response control. METHODS The study involved 35 adolescents with GAD and 34 healthy comparison individuals (N = 69) matched on age, gender, and IQ. Participants were scanned during an affective number Stroop task. RESULTS We found significant Group-by-Task Condition interactions in regions involved in response control/motor responding (bilateral precentral gyri and cerebellum) and/or cognitive control/attention (dorsomedial and lateral frontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, cuneus, and precuneus). In line with predictions, the youth with GAD showed significantly less recruitment during task trials than the healthy comparison individuals. However, no indications of specific heightened responses to threat were seen. CONCLUSIONS GAD involves reduced capacity for engaging regions involved in response control/motor responding and/or cognitive control/attention. This might reflect either a secondary consequence of the patient's worry or an early risk factor for the development of worry.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Kimberly Johnson
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Stuart F White
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Robert James Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA
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24
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Aloi J, Blair KS, Meffert H, White SF, Hwang S, Tyler PM, Crum KI, Thornton LC, Mobley A, Killanin AD, Filbey FM, Pope K, Blair RJ. Alcohol use disorder and cannabis use disorder symptomatology in adolescents is associated with dysfunction in neural processing of future events. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12885. [PMID: 32135572 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Two of the most commonly used substances by adolescents in the United States are cannabis and alcohol. Cannabis use disorder (CUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are associated with impairments in decision-making processes. One mechanism for impaired decision-making in these individuals is thought to be an inability to adequately represent future events during decision-making. In the current study involving 112 adolescents, we used a comparative optimism task to examine the relationship between relative severity of CUD/AUD (as indexed by the CUD/AUD Identification Tests [CUDIT/AUDIT]) and atypical function within neural systems underlying affect-based neural represenation future events. Greater CUDIT scores were negatively related to responses within subgenual anterior and posterior cingulate cortex when processing high-intensity potential future positive and negative events. There was also a particularly marked negative relationship between CUD symptoms and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses within visual and premotor cortices to high-intensity, negatively valenced potential future events. However, AUD symptom severity was not associated with dysfunction within these brain regions. These data indicate that relative risk/severity of CUD is associated with reduced responsiveness to future high-intensity events. This may impair decision-making where future significant consequences should guide response choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
| | - Harma Meffert
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
| | - Stuart F. White
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
| | - Soonjo Hwang
- Department of Psychiatry University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska
| | - Patrick M. Tyler
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
| | - Kathleen I. Crum
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina
| | - Laura C. Thornton
- Louisiana Department of Health Bureau of Family Health New Orleans Louisiana
| | - Alita Mobley
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
| | - Abraham D. Killanin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
| | - Francesca M. Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences University of Texas at Dallas Dallas Texas
| | - Kayla Pope
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
- Department of Psychiatry University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska
- Department of Psychiatry Creighton University Omaha Nebraska
| | - R. James Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research Boys Town National Research Hospital Boys Town Nebraska
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Zhang R, Bashford-Largo J, Lukoff J, Elowsky J, Carollo E, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Bajaj S, Blair KS, Leibenluft E, Blair RJR. Callous-Unemotional Traits Moderate the Relationship Between Irritability and Threatening Responding. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:617052. [PMID: 34867494 PMCID: PMC8635046 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.617052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Irritability and callous-unemotional (CU; reduced guilt/empathy) traits vary dimensionally in the typically developing population but may be particularly marked in youth with conduct disorder (CD). While these dimensional traits are positively correlated, they have been associated with divergent forms of dysfunction, particularly with respect to threat processing (i.e., irritability with increased, and CU traits with decreased, threat responsiveness). This suggests that interactions between these two dimensions may be complex at the neurobiological level. However, this issue has received minimal empirical attention. Methods: The study included 105 adolescents (typically developing and cases with CD; N = 59). They were scanned with fMRI during a looming threat task that involved images of threatening and neutral human faces or animals that appeared to be either looming or receding. Results: Significant irritability-by-CU traits-by-Direction-by-Emotion interactions were seen within right thalamus/PAG, left lingual gyrus and right fusiform gyrus; irritability was positively associated with the BOLD response for Looming Threatening vs. Receding Threatening trials, particularly for youth with low CU traits. In contrast, CU traits were negatively associated with the same differential BOLD response but particularly for youth showing higher levels of irritability. Similar findings were seen within left ventral anterior and posterior cingulate cortices, though the addition of the interaction with CU traits was only seen at slightly more lenient thresholds. Conclusions: The results support previous work linking irritability to increased, and CU traits to reduced, threat responsiveness. However, for adolescents with high irritability, if CU traits are also high, the underlying neuropathology appears to relate to reduced, rather than increased, threat responsiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Erin Carollo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - R James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
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26
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Blair RJR, Bajaj S, Sherer N, Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Aloi J, Hammond C, Lukoff J, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Tyler P, Filbey FM, Dobbertin M, Blair KS. Alcohol Use Disorder and Cannabis Use Disorder Symptomatology in Adolescents and Aggression: Associations With Recruitment of Neural Regions Implicated in Retaliation. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2020; 6:536-544. [PMID: 33712378 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol and cannabis are commonly used by adolescents in the United States. Both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have been associated with an increased risk of aggression. One form of aggression seen during retaliation is reactive aggression to social provocation. This study investigated the association between AUD and CUD symptom severity and recruitment of neural regions implicated in retaliation. METHODS In this study, 102 youths aged 13-18 years (67 male; 84 in residential care) completed self-report measures of aggression-related constructs and participated in a retaliation task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the association between relative severity of AUD/CUD and atypical recruitment of regions implicated in retaliation. RESULTS AUD Identification Test scores were positively associated with irritability and reactive aggression scores. CUD Identification Test scores were positively associated with callous-unemotional traits and both proactive and reactive aggression scores. In functional magnetic resonance imaging analyses, only AUD Identification Test (not CUD Identification Test) scores were associated with an exaggerated recruitment of regions implicated in retaliation (dorsomedial frontal, anterior insula cortices, caudate, and, to a lesser extent, periaqueductal gray). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that relative severity of AUD is associated with a disinhibited, exaggerated retaliation response that relates to an increased risk for reactive aggression. Similar findings were not related to severity of CUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- R James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska.
| | - Sahil Bajaj
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Noah Sherer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, New York City, New York
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Chris Hammond
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Patrick Tyler
- Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Francesca M Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
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Bajaj S, Blair KS, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR. Worry and insomnia as risk factors for depression during initial stages of COVID-19 pandemic in India. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0243527. [PMID: 33301508 PMCID: PMC7728274 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The biggest nationwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdown worldwide was enforced in India for an initial period of 21-days. Emerging evidence suggests that pandemic situations and associated lockdowns have an adverse impact on sleep and mental health. However, prediction of sleep health from sociodemographic characteristics and the public’s worry during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic has not been extensively explored so far. It’s also unclear whether sleep outcomes mediate the association between worry and mental health during pandemic situations. A web-survey (N = 391) on sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 related worry, sleep health (insomnia and daytime sleepiness), and depression was conducted during the initial 21-days of the COVID-19 stringent lockdown in India. Multiple regression analyses showed that variables, including sex, age, income level, and worry score, contributed to the significant regression equation for insomnia but not for daytime sleepiness. Specifically, the female, younger, lower income, and highly worried populations contributed significantly more than the male, elderly, higher income, and less worried populations, respectively, to the prediction of insomnia. Mediation analyses showed that insomnia, but not daytime sleepiness, fully mediated the relationship between worry score and severity of depressive symptoms. We provide evidence that the female, younger, lower income, and worried populations may be at higher risk for insomnia during pandemic situations. Current evidence gives hope that improving sleep may reduce depressive symptoms during a pandemic situation. This underscores the importance of the implementation of effective public health policies in conjunction with strategical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Bajaj
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
- Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
- Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
| | - Amanda Schwartz
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
- Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
- Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
| | - R. James R. Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
- Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States of America
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28
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Blair RJR, Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Lukoff J, Elowsky JS, Leibenluft E, Hwang S, Dobbertin M, Blair KS. Temporal Discounting Impulsivity and Its Association with Conduct Disorder and Irritability. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2020; 30:542-548. [PMID: 32882144 PMCID: PMC7699000 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2020.0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Objectives: Temporal reward discounting impulsivity (TDI) reflects a propensity to choose smaller immediate rather than larger delayed rewards relative to age/IQ-matched peers. Previous work with adults has linked TDI to an increased risk for antisocial behavior but also psychopathology in general. However, little work has examined TDI in adolescents with conduct disorder (CD), or considered whether TDI might be associated dimensionally with traits associated with antisocial behavior, that is, impulsivity, irritability, and/or callous-unemotional traits. In this study TDI was investigated in a large adolescent group with varying levels of antisocial behavior. Methods: Participants consisted of 195 adolescents (67 with CD, 77 in a psychiatric comparison group and 51 typically developing adolescents). Participants performed a temporal discounting task and individual differences were measured through the Connors rating scale for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (impulsivity), Affective Reactivity Index (irritability), and Inventory of Callous-Unemotional traits. Results: The adolescents with CD and those in the psychiatric comparison group showed significantly greater TDI than typically developing adolescents. However, these group differences were abolished when dimensional covariates were included. Irritability was significantly associated with TDI. Conclusions: We conclude that TDI reflects a transdiagnostic form of dysfunction that particularly manifests in adolescents with increased irritability.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. James R. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA.,Address correspondence to: R. James R. Blair, PhD, Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, NE 68154, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Jamie S. Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Soonjo Hwang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA
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29
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Aloi J, Blair KS, Crum KI, Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Lukoff J, Carollo E, White SF, Hwang S, Filbey FM, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR. Alcohol Use Disorder, But Not Cannabis Use Disorder, Symptomatology in Adolescents Is Associated With Reduced Differential Responsiveness to Reward Versus Punishment Feedback During Instrumental Learning. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2020; 5:610-618. [PMID: 32299790 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The two most commonly used illegal substances by adolescents in the United States are alcohol and cannabis. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have been associated with dysfunction in decision-making processes in adolescents. One potential mechanism for these impairments is thought to be related to abnormalities in reward and punishment processing. However, very little work has directly examined potential differential relationships between AUD and CUD symptom severity and neural dysfunction during decision making in adolescents. METHODS In the current study, 154 youths participated in a passive avoidance learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the relationship between relative severity of AUD/CUD and dysfunction in processing reward and punishment feedback. RESULTS Increasing Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test scores were associated with reduced neural differentiation between reward and punishment feedback within regions of striatum, posterior cingulate cortex, and parietal cortex. However, increasing Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test scores were not associated with any neural dysfunction during the passive avoidance task. CONCLUSIONS These data expand on emerging literature that relative severity of AUD is associated with reduced responsivity to rewards in adolescents and that there are differential associations between AUD and CUD symptoms and neurocircuitry dysfunction in the developing adolescent brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska; MD/PhD Scholars Program, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Kathleen I Crum
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Erin Carollo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Stuart F White
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Soonjo Hwang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Francesca M Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - R James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
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30
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Blair KS, Bashford-Largo J, Shah N, Lukoff J, Elowsky J, Vogel S, Emmert A, Zhang R, Dobbertin M, Pollak S, Blair JR. Sexual Abuse in Adolescents Is Associated With Atypically Increased Responsiveness Within Regions Implicated in Self-Referential and Emotional Processing to Approaching Animate Threats. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:345. [PMID: 32612545 PMCID: PMC7308525 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood sexual abuse is associated with significant subsequent pathology and neurodevelopmental disruption. In particular, childhood sexual abuse has been associated with heightened threat sensitivity. However, little work has directly investigated this issue. In this study, we examine the association of childhood sexual abuse to neural and behavioral responses to looming, threatening face stimuli. The study involved 23 adolescents with significant past sexual abuse and 24 comparison individuals matched on IQ, age, and sex. Participants were scanned during a looming threat task that involved negative and neutral, human faces and animals that appeared to either loom toward or recede from the participant. We found that adolescents who had been previously subjected to sexual abuse, relative to comparison adolescents, showed increased neural responses to threatening looming stimuli in regions including rostral and superior frontal gyrus as well as posterior cingulate gyrus. In addition, they were significantly more slowed by looming stimuli, particularly if these were human faces, than adolescents who had not been exposed. These data demonstrate that prior sexual abuse was associated with heightened neural responsiveness to looming threats in a series of regions beyond the amygdala. These data are interpreted within models of rostromedial frontal and posterior cingulate cortices that stress their role in self-referential emotional processing and emotional maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Niraj Shah
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Jaimie Elowsky
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Steven Vogel
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Amanda Emmert
- Department of Psychiatry, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Ru Zhang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Seth Pollak
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
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31
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Bajaj S, Blair KS, Zhang R, Bashford-Largo J, Dobbertin M, Blair RJ. Impact of Sleep Quality on the Association Between Unease and Physical Exercise During Initial Stages of COVID-19 Pandemic in India. Nat Sci Sleep 2020; 12:705-708. [PMID: 33117006 PMCID: PMC7567547 DOI: 10.2147/nss.s273380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Bajaj
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.,Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Karina S Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.,Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Ru Zhang
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.,Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Johannah Bashford-Largo
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.,Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.,Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - R James Blair
- Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA.,Program for Trauma and Anxiety (PTAC), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
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32
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Lago TR, Blair KS, Alvarez G, Thongdarong A, Blair JR, Ernst M, Grillon C. Threat-of-shock decreases emotional interference on affective stroop performance in healthy controls and anxiety patients. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 55:2519-2528. [PMID: 31738835 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Patients with anxiety disorders suffer from impaired concentration, potentially as a result of stronger emotional interference on attention. Studies using behavioural measures provide conflicting support for this hypothesis. Elevated state anxiety may be necessary to reliably document differences in emotional interference in patients versus healthy controls. The present study examines the effect of experimentally induced state anxiety (threat-of-shock) on attention interference by emotional stimuli. Anxiety patients (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 32) completed a modified affective Stroop task during periods of safety and threat-of-shock. Results indicated that in both patients and controls, threat decreased negative, but not positive or neutral, emotional interference on attention (both p < .001). This finding supports a threat-related narrowing of attention whereby a certain level of anxiety decreases task-irrelevant processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany R Lago
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE
| | - Gabriella Alvarez
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Amanda Thongdarong
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
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33
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Leiker EK, Meffert H, Thornton LC, Taylor BK, Aloi J, Abdel-Rahim H, Shah N, Tyler PM, White SF, Blair KS, Filbey F, Pope K, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR. Alcohol use disorder and cannabis use disorder symptomatology in adolescents are differentially related to dysfunction in brain regions supporting face processing. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2019; 292:62-71. [PMID: 31541926 PMCID: PMC6992382 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Despite extensive behavioral evidence of impairments in face processing and expression recognition in adults with alcohol or cannabis use disorders (AUD/CUD), neuroimaging findings have been inconsistent. Moreover, relatively little work has examined the relationship of AUD or CUD symptoms with face or expression processing within adolescents. Given the high prevalence of alcohol and cannabis use during adolescence, understanding how these usage behaviors interact with neural mechanisms supporting face and expression processing could have important implications for youth social and emotional functioning. In this study, adolescents (N = 104) responded to morphed fearful and happy expressions during fMRI and their level of AUD and/or CUD symptoms were related to the BOLD response data. We found that AUD and CUD symptom severity were both negatively related to responses to faces generally. However, whereas this relationship was shown for AUD within ventromedial prefrontal cortex and lingual gyrus, it was shown for CUD within rostromedial prefrontal cortex including anterior cingulate cortex. Additionally, AUD symptom levels were associated with differential responses within medial temporal pole and inferior parietal lobule as a function of expression. These results have potential implications for understanding the social and emotional functioning of adolescents with AUD and CUD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Leiker
- Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Harma Meffert
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | - Laura C Thornton
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | - Brittany K Taylor
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Heba Abdel-Rahim
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | - Niraj Shah
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | - Patrick M Tyler
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | - Stuart F White
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | - Francesca Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kayla Pope
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA
| | - R James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA.
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Blair RJR, White SF, Tyler PM, Johnson K, Lukoff J, Thornton LC, Leiker EK, Filbey F, Dobbertin M, Blair KS. Threat Responsiveness as a Function of Cannabis and Alcohol Use Disorder Severity. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2019; 29:526-534. [PMID: 31170004 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2019.0004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Two of the most commonly abused substances by adolescents in the United States are alcohol and cannabis, both of which are associated with adverse medical and psychiatric outcomes throughout the lifespan. Both are assumed to impact the development of emotional processing although findings on the direction of this impact have been mixed. Preclinical animal work and some functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) work with humans have suggested cannabis use disorder (CUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are associated with increased threat responsiveness. However, other fMRI work has indicated CUD/AUD are associated with diminished threat responsiveness. In this study, we report on a study examining the relationship of severity of CUD/AUD and threat responsiveness in an adolescent population. Methods: The study involved 87 (43 male) adolescents with varying levels of CUD/AUD symptomatology (N = 45 above clinical cutoffs for CUD or AUD). They were scanned with fMRI during a looming threat task that involved images of threatening and neutral human faces or animals that appeared to be either looming or receding. Results: Increasing levels of CUD symptomatology were associated with decreased responding to looming stimuli within regions, including rostral frontal and fusiform gyrus as well as the amygdala. There were no relationships with AUD symptomatology. Conclusions: These data indicate that CUD in particular is associated with a decrease in responsiveness to the looming threat cue possibly relating to the putative neurotoxic impact of cannabis abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Stuart F White
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Patrick M Tyler
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Kimberly Johnson
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Laura C Thornton
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Emily K Leiker
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Francesca Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas
| | - Matt Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
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Blair KS, Aloi J, Crum K, Meffert H, White SF, Taylor BK, Leiker EK, Thornton LC, Tyler PM, Shah N, Johnson K, Abdel-Rahim H, Lukoff J, Dobbertin M, Pope K, Pollak S, Blair RJ. Association of Different Types of Childhood Maltreatment With Emotional Responding and Response Control Among Youths. JAMA Netw Open 2019; 2:e194604. [PMID: 31125109 PMCID: PMC6632148 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Childhood maltreatment is associated with serious developmental consequences that may be different depending on the form of maltreatment. However, relatively little research has investigated this issue despite implications for understanding the development of psychiatric disorders after maltreatment. Objective To determine the association of childhood maltreatment and potential differential associations of childhood abuse or neglect with neural responsiveness within regions of the brain implicated in emotional responding and response control. Design, Setting, and Participants In this cross-sectional study, participants aged 10 to 18 years with varying levels of prior maltreatment as indexed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were recruited from a residential care facility and the surrounding community. Blood oxygen level-dependent response data were analyzed via 2 analyses of covariance that examined 2 (sex) × 3 (task condition [view, congruent, incongruent]) × 3 (valence [negative, neutral, positive]) with Blom-transformed covariates: (1) total CTQ score; and (2) abuse and neglect subscores. Data were collected from April 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018. Data analyses occurred from June 10, 2018, to October 31, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Blood oxygenation level-dependent signals in response to an Affective Stroop task were measured via functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results The sample included 116 youths (mean [SD] age, 15.0 [2.2] years; 70 [60.3%] male). Fifteen participants reported no prior maltreatment. The remaining 101 participants (87.1%) reported at least some prior maltreatment, and 55 (54.5%) reported significant maltreatment, ie, total CTQ scores were greater than the validated CTQ score threshold of 40. There were significant total CTQ score × task condition associations within the bilateral postcentral gyrus, left precentral gyrus, midcingulate cortex, middle temporal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus (left postcentral gyrus: F = 11.73; partial η2 = 0.14; right postcentral and precentral gyrus: F = 9.81; partial η2 = 0.10; midcingulate cortex: F = 12.76; partial η2 = 0.12; middle temporal gyrus: F = 13.24; partial η2 = 0.10; superior temporal gyrus: F = 10.33; partial η2 = 0.11). In all examined regions of the brain, increased maltreatment was associated with decreased differential responsiveness to incongruent task trials compared with view trials (left postcentral gyrus: r = -0.34; 95% CI, -0.17 to -0.51; right postcentral and precentral gyrus: r = -0.31; 95% CI, -0.14 to -0.49; midcingulate cortex: r = -0.36; 95% CI, -0.18 to -0.53; middle temporal gyrus: r = -0.35; 95% CI, -0.17 to -0.52; superior temporal gyrus: r = -0.37; 95% CI, -0.20 to -0.55). These interactions were particularly associated with level of abuse rather than neglect. A second analysis of covariance revealed significant abuse × task condition (but not neglect × task) interactions within the midcingulate cortex (F = 13.96; partial η2 = 0.11), right postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule (F = 15.21; partial η2 = 0.12), left postcentral and precentral gyri (F = 11.16; partial η2 = 0.12), and rostromedial frontal cortex (F = 10.36; partial η2 = 0.08)). In all examined regions of the brain, increased abuse was associated with decreased differential responsiveness to incongruent task trials compared with view trials (midcingulate cortex: partial r = -0.33; P < .001; right postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule: partial r = -0.41; P < .001; left postcentral and precentral gyri: partial r = -0.40; P < .001; and rostromedial frontal cortex: partial r = -0.40; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance These data document associations of different forms of childhood maltreatment with atypical neural response. This suggests that forms of maltreatment may differentially influence the development of psychiatric pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S. Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Joseph Aloi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha
| | - Kathleen Crum
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston
| | | | - Stuart F. White
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Brittany K. Taylor
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha
| | - Emily K. Leiker
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Laura C. Thornton
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Patrick M. Tyler
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Niraj Shah
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Kimberly Johnson
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Heba Abdel-Rahim
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Jennie Lukoff
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Matthew Dobbertin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
| | - Kayla Pope
- Department of Psychiatry, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska
| | - Seth Pollak
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | - R. James Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska
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Aloi J, Blair KS, Crum KI, Meffert H, White SF, Tyler PM, Thornton LC, Mobley AM, Killanin AD, Adams KO, Filbey F, Pope K, Blair RJR. Adolescents show differential dysfunctions related to Alcohol and Cannabis Use Disorder severity in emotion and executive attention neuro-circuitries. Neuroimage Clin 2018; 19:782-792. [PMID: 29988822 PMCID: PMC6031867 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol and cannabis are two substances that are commonly abused by adolescents in the United States and which, when abused, are associated with negative medical and psychiatric outcomes across the lifespan. These negative psychiatric outcomes may reflect the detrimental impact of substance abuse on neural systems mediating emotion processing and executive attention. However, work indicative of this has mostly been conducted either in animal models or adults with Alcohol and/or Cannabis Use Disorder (AUD/CUD). Little work has been conducted in adolescent patients. In this study, we used the Affective Stroop task to examine the relationship in 82 adolescents between AUD and/or CUD symptom severity and the functional integrity of neural systems mediating emotional processing and executive attention. We found that AUD symptom severity was positively related to amygdala responsiveness to emotional stimuli and negatively related to responsiveness within regions implicated in executive attention and response control (i.e., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, precuneus) as a function of task performance. In contrast, CUD symptom severity was unrelated to amygdala responsiveness but positively related to responsiveness within regions including precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal lobule as a function of task performance. These data suggest differential impacts of alcohol and cannabis abuse on the adolescent brain. Alcohol and cannabis are the most widely abused substances by adolescents. AUDIT scores are related to amygdala hyperactivity to emotional stimuli. AUDIT scores are related to hypoactivity in executive attention neuro-circuitry. CUDIT scores are related to hyperactivity in executive attention neuro-circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Aloi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States.
| | - Karina S Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Kathleen I Crum
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Harma Meffert
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Stuart F White
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Patrick M Tyler
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Laura C Thornton
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Alita M Mobley
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Abraham D Killanin
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Kathryn O Adams
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
| | - Francesca Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Kayla Pope
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - R James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, United States
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Blair KS, Otero M, Teng C, Geraci M, Ernst M, Blair R, Grillon C, Pine DS. Reduced optimism and a heightened neural response to everyday worries are specific to generalized anxiety disorder, and not seen in social anxiety. Psychol Med 2017; 47:1806-1815. [PMID: 28290265 PMCID: PMC5582689 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717000265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) are co-morbid and associated with similar neural disruptions during emotion regulation. In contrast, the lack of optimism examined here may be specific to GAD and could prove an important biomarker for that disorder. METHOD Unmedicated individuals with GAD (n = 18) and age-, intelligence quotient- and gender-matched SAD (n = 18) and healthy (n = 18) comparison individuals were scanned while contemplating likelihoods of high- and low-impact negative (e.g. heart attack; heartburn) or positive (e.g. winning lottery; hug) events occurring to themselves in the future. RESULTS As expected, healthy subjects showed significant optimistic bias (OB); they considered themselves significantly less likely to experience future negative but significantly more likely to experience future positive events relative to others (p < 0.001). This was also seen in SAD, albeit at trend level for positive events (p < 0.001 and p < 0.10, respectively). However, GAD patients showed no OB for positive events (t 17 = 0.82, n.s.) and showed significantly reduced neural modulation relative to the two other groups of regions including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and caudate to these events (p < 0.001 for all). The GAD group further differed from the other groups by showing increased neural responses to low-impact events in regions including the rostral mPFC (p < 0.05 for both). CONCLUSIONS The neural dysfunction identified here may represent a unique feature associated with reduced optimism and increased worry about everyday events in GAD. Consistent with this possibility, patients with SAD did not show such dysfunction. Future studies should consider if this dysfunction represents a biomarker for GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S. Blair
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Marcela Otero
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Cindy Teng
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Marilla Geraci
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - R.J.R. Blair
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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White SF, Geraci M, Lewis E, Leshin J, Teng C, Averbeck B, Meffert H, Ernst M, Blair JR, Grillon C, Blair KS. Prediction Error Representation in Individuals With Generalized Anxiety Disorder During Passive Avoidance. Am J Psychiatry 2017; 174:110-117. [PMID: 27631963 PMCID: PMC5572647 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.15111410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Deficits in reinforcement-based decision making have been reported in generalized anxiety disorder. However, the pathophysiology of these deficits is largely unknown; published studies have mainly examined adolescents, and the integrity of core functional processes underpinning decision making remains undetermined. In particular, it is unclear whether the representation of reinforcement prediction error (PE) (the difference between received and expected reinforcement) is disrupted in generalized anxiety disorder. This study addresses these issues in adults with the disorder. METHOD Forty-six unmedicated individuals with generalized anxiety disorder and 32 healthy comparison subjects group-matched on IQ, gender, and age performed a passive avoidance task while undergoing functional MRI. Data analyses were performed using a computational modeling approach. RESULTS Behaviorally, individuals with generalized anxiety disorder showed impaired reinforcement-based decision making. Imaging results revealed that during feedback, individuals with generalized anxiety disorder relative to healthy subjects showed a reduced correlation between PE and activity within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, and other structures implicated in decision making. In addition, individuals with generalized anxiety disorder relative to healthy participants showed a reduced correlation between punishment PEs, but not reward PEs, and activity within the left and right lentiform nucleus/putamen. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to identify computational impairments during decision making in generalized anxiety disorder. PE signaling is significantly disrupted in individuals with the disorder and may lead to their decision-making deficits and excessive worry about everyday problems by disrupting the online updating ("reality check") of the current relationship between the expected values of current response options and the actual received rewards and punishments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart F. White
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, NIMH, NIH,Correspondence to: Stuart F. White, Ph.D., 9000 Rockville Pike, Bldg. 15k, MSC 2670, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA, 301-451-4406,
| | | | | | | | - Cindy Teng
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, NIMH, NIH
| | | | - Harma Meffert
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, NIMH, NIH
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Bas-Hoogendam JM, Blackford JU, Brühl AB, Blair KS, van der Wee NJ, Westenberg PM. Neurobiological candidate endophenotypes of social anxiety disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 71:362-378. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Teng C, Otero M, Geraci M, Blair R, Pine DS, Grillon C, Blair KS. Abnormal decision-making in generalized anxiety disorder: Aversion of risk or stimulus-reinforcement impairment? Psychiatry Res 2016; 237:351-6. [PMID: 26822065 PMCID: PMC4988522 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
There is preliminary data indicating that patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) show impairment on decision-making tasks requiring the appropriate representation of reinforcement value. The current study aimed to extend this literature using the passive avoidance (PA) learning task, where the participant has to learn to respond to stimuli that engender reward and avoid responding to stimuli that engender punishment. Six stimuli engendering reward and six engendering punishment are presented once per block for 10 blocks of trials. Thirty-nine medication-free patients with GAD and 29 age-, IQ and gender matched healthy comparison individuals performed the task. In addition, indexes of social functioning as assessed by the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale were obtained to allow for correlational analyzes of potential relations between cognitive and social impairments. The results revealed a Group-by-Error Type-by-Block interaction; patients with GAD committed significantly more commission (passive avoidance) errors than comparison individuals in the later blocks (blocks 7,8, and 9). In addition, the extent of impairment on these blocks was associated with their functional impairment as measured by the GAF scale. These results link GAD with anomalous decision-making and indicate that a potential problem in reinforcement representation may contribute to the severity of expression of their disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Karina S. Blair
- Correspondence to: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 15K North Drive, Rm 115A, MSC 2670, Bethesda, MA 20892-2670, USA
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Blair KS, Otero M, Teng C, Jacobs M, Odenheimer S, Pine DS, Blair RJR. Dissociable roles of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) in value representation and optimistic bias. Neuroimage 2013; 78:103-10. [PMID: 23567883 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.03.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2012] [Revised: 02/10/2013] [Accepted: 03/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Optimistic bias (OB) is seen when individuals underestimate their probability of experiencing negative life events and overestimate their probability of experiencing positive life events. A reduced OB has been linked with increased depression symptoms. However, given the relevance of this information to mood and anxiety disorders, little is currently known regarding the neurobiology of OB. In the current study, we examine the neural basis of OB in healthy individuals (n=33) during probability estimation of future positive and negative events occurring to themselves relative to other, comparable individuals. In line with previous work, subjects showed significant OB; they considered themselves significantly more likely to experience future positive and significantly less likely to experience future negative events relative to comparable others. Positive, relative to negative events, un-modulated by subjects' probability estimates, were associated with significantly greater activity within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Moreover, responses within both regions to positive events negatively related to the healthy subjects' self reports of depression symptoms. However, there was no significant modulation of activity in either region by the subject's OB, objectified as the level to which they thought the event was more likely [positive events] or less likely [negative events] to occur to them relative to comparable others. In contrast, activity within the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) was positively modulated by OB for positive events and activity within the anterior insula and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) was negatively modulated by OB for negative events. However, there was no significant relationship between responsiveness within these regions and self reports of depression symptoms. The data are discussed with reference to current models of vmPFC, rACC and anterior insula functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S Blair
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Meffert H, Blanken L, Blair KS, White SF, Blair JR. The influence of valence and decision difficulty on self-referential processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:46. [PMID: 23450237 PMCID: PMC3584295 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2012] [Accepted: 02/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-referential processing is defined as the process by which a person becomes aware that specific contents are related to his or her own self. Cortical midline structures (CMS), such as dorsal and medial prefrontal cortex, and regions such as inferior frontal cortex, insula, and temporal pole have been implicated in self-referential processing. However, the specific contribution of each of these areas is still largely unknown. More particularly, not many studies have examined the influence of valence and decision making difficulty on regions involved in self-referential processing. In this study, participants evaluated how well personality traits, differing in valence and decision difficulty, described themselves or the current US President. In line with predictions, ventral, rostral, and dorsal parts of medial prefrontal cortex showed greater activity when participants judged traits about themselves relative to judging traits about the current US President. However, none of these regions showed significant modulation by trait valence. Increasing trait decision difficulty was associated with increased activity within dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and bilateral anterior insula. However, there was very minimal overlap (6/119 voxels, i.e., 5%) of the regions of dorsal medial prefrontal cortex implicated in self-referential processing and those implicated in trait decision difficulty. The results are interpreted within current accounts of self-referential processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harma Meffert
- Section of Affective and Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD, USA
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Blair KS, Geraci M, Smith BW, Hollon N, DeVido J, Otero M, Blair JR, Pine DS. Reduced dorsal anterior cingulate cortical activity during emotional regulation and top-down attentional control in generalized social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and comorbid generalized social phobia/generalized anxiety disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 72:476-82. [PMID: 22592057 PMCID: PMC3424322 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2011] [Revised: 03/13/2012] [Accepted: 04/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Generalized social phobia (GSP) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are both associated with emotion dysregulation. Research implicates dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in both explicit emotion regulation (EER) and top-down attentional control (TAC). Although studies have examined these processes in GSP or GAD, no work compares findings across the two disorders or examines functioning in cases comorbid for both disorders (GSP/GAD). Here we compare the neural correlates of EER and TAC in GSP, GAD, and GSP/GAD. METHODS Medication-free adults with GSP (EER n = 19; TAC n = 18), GAD (EER n = 17; TAC n = 17), GSP/GAD (EER n = 17; TAC n = 15), and no psychopathology (EER n = 18; TAC n = 18) participated. During EER, individuals alternatively viewed and upregulated and downregulated responses to emotional pictures. During TAC, they performed an emotional Stroop task. RESULTS For both tasks, significant group × condition interactions emerged in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and parietal cortices. Healthy adults showed significantly increased recruitment during emotion regulation, relative to emotion-picture viewing. GAD, GSP, and GSP/GAD subjects showed no such increases, with all groups differing from healthy adults but not from each other. Evidence of emotion-related disorder-specificity emerged in medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala. This disorder-specific responding varied as a function of emotion content but not emotion-regulatory demands. CONCLUSIONS GSP and GAD both involve reduced capacity for engaging emotion-regulation brain networks, whether explicitly or via TAC. A reduced ability to recruit regions implicated in top-down attention might represent a general risk factor for anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S Blair
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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Abstract
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social phobia (SP) are major anxiety disorders identified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV). They are comorbid, overlap in symptoms, yet present with distinct features (worry in GAD and fear of embarrassment in SP). Both have also been explained in terms of conditioning-based models. However, there is little reasoning currently to believe that GAD in adulthood reflects heightened conditionability or heightened threat processing—though patients with SP may show heightened processing of social threat stimuli. Moreover, the computational architectures that maintain these disorders in adulthood are different. For GAD this may reflect the development of an inefficient “worrying” strategy of emotional regulation. For SP this appears to reflect the atypical processing of self-referential information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S. Blair
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, USA
| | - R. J. R. Blair
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, USA
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Blair KS, Geraci M, Korelitz K, Otero M, Towbin K, Ernst M, Leibenluft E, Blair RJR, Pine DS. The pathology of social phobia is independent of developmental changes in face processing. Am J Psychiatry 2011; 168:1202-9. [PMID: 21632650 PMCID: PMC3248999 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10121740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE While social phobia in adolescence predicts the illness in adulthood, no study has directly compared the neural responses in social phobia in adults and adolescents. The authors examined neural responses to facial expressions in adults and adolescents with social phobia to determine whether the neural correlates of adult social phobia during face processing also manifest in adolescent social phobia. METHOD Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses were compared in 39 medication-free participants with social phobia (25 adults and 14 adolescents) and 39 healthy comparison subjects (23 adults and 16 adolescents) matched on age, IQ, and gender. During fMRI scans, participants saw angry, fearful, and neutral expression stimuli while making a gender judgment. RESULTS Significant diagnosis-by-emotion interactions were observed within the amygdala and the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, as has previously been hypothesized. In these regions, both the adolescent and adult social phobia patients showed significantly increased BOLD responses relative to their respective age-matched comparison subjects, and there was no evidence of age-related modulation of between-group differences. These enhanced responses occurred specifically when viewing angry (rostral anterior cingulate cortex) and fearful (amygdala and rostral anterior cingulate cortex) expressions but not when viewing neutral expressions. In addition, the severity of social phobia was significantly correlated with the enhanced rostral anterior cingulate cortex response in the adults. CONCLUSIONS The neural correlates of adult social phobia during face processing also manifest in adolescents. Neural correlates that are observed in adult social phobia may represent the persistence of profiles established earlier in life rather than adaptive responses to such earlier perturbations or maturational changes. These cross-sectional observations might encourage longitudinal fMRI studies of adolescent social phobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S. Blair
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
,Correspondence concerning the article should be addressed to Karina S. Blair, Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, 15K North Drive, MSC 2670, Bethesda, Maryland 20892; ; phone (301) 451-5088
| | - Marilla Geraci
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Katherine Korelitz
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Marcela Otero
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ken Towbin
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Monique Ernst
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - RJR Blair
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
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Blair KS, Geraci M, Otero M, Majestic C, Odenheimer S, Jacobs M, Blair RJR, Pine DS. Atypical modulation of medial prefrontal cortex to self-referential comments in generalized social phobia. Psychiatry Res 2011; 193:38-45. [PMID: 21601433 PMCID: PMC3105197 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2010] [Revised: 11/26/2010] [Accepted: 12/30/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Generalized social phobia (GSP) involves the fear of being negatively evaluated. Previous work suggests that self-referentiality, mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex (MFPC), plays an important role in the disorder. However, it is not clear whether this anomalous MPFC response to self-related information in patients with GSP concerns an increased representation of their own or others' opinions. In this article, we examine whether GSP is associated with increased response to own (1st person) or other individuals' (2nd person) opinions relative to healthy individuals. Unmedicated individuals with GSP (n=15) and age-, IQ-, and gender-matched comparison individuals (n=15) read 1st (e.g., I'm ugly), and 2nd (e.g., You're ugly) person viewpoint comments during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We observed significant group-by-viewpoint interactions within the ventral MPFC. Whereas the healthy comparison individuals showed significantly increased (or less decreased) BOLD responses to 1st relative to 2nd person viewpoints, the patients showed significantly increased responses to 2nd relative to 1st person viewpoints. The reduced BOLD responses to 1st person viewpoint comments shown by the patients correlated significantly with severity of social anxiety symptom severity. These results underscore the importance of dysfunctional self-referential processing and MPFC in GSP. We believe that these data reflect a reorganization of self-referential reasoning in the disorder with a self-concept perhaps atypically related to the view of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S. Blair
- Correspondence concerning the article should be addressed to Karina S. Blair, Mood & Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, 15K North Drive, MSC 2670, Bethesda, Maryland 20892; ; phone (301) 451-5088
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Finger EC, Marsh AA, Blair KS, Reid ME, Sims C, Ng P, Pine DS, Blair RJR. Disrupted reinforcement signaling in the orbitofrontal cortex and caudate in youths with conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder and a high level of psychopathic traits. Am J Psychiatry 2011; 168:152-62. [PMID: 21078707 PMCID: PMC3908480 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.10010129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Dysfunction in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex has been reported in youths and adults with psychopathic traits. The specific nature of the functional irregularities within these structures remains poorly understood. The authors used a passive avoidance task to examine the responsiveness of these systems to early stimulus-reinforcement exposure, when prediction errors are greatest and learning maximized, and to reward in youths with psychopathic traits and comparison youths. METHOD While performing the passive avoidance learning task, 15 youths with conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder plus a high level of psychopathic traits and 15 healthy subjects completed a 3.0-T fMRI scan. RESULTS Relative to the comparison youths, the youths with a disruptive behavior disorder plus psychopathic traits showed less orbitofrontal responsiveness both to early stimulus-reinforcement exposure and to rewards, as well as less caudate response to early stimulus-reinforcement exposure. There were no group differences in amygdala responsiveness to these two task measures, but amygdala responsiveness throughout the task was lower in the youths with psychopathic traits. CONCLUSIONS Compromised sensitivity to early reinforcement information in the orbitofrontal cortex and caudate and to reward outcome information in the orbitofrontal cortex of youths with conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder plus psychopathic traits suggests that the integrated functioning of the amygdala, caudate, and orbitofrontal cortex may be disrupted. This provides a functional neural basis for why such youths are more likely to repeat disadvantageous decisions. New treatment possibilities are raised, as pharmacologic modulations of serotonin and dopamine can affect this form of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Finger
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
| | - Abigail A. Marsh
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Karina S. Blair
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Marguerite. E. Reid
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Courtney Sims
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Pamela Ng
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - R. James. R. Blair
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
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Blair KS, Geraci M, Hollon N, Otero M, DeVido J, Majestic C, Jacobs M, Blair R, Pine DS. Social norm processing in adult social phobia: atypically increased ventromedial frontal cortex responsiveness to unintentional (embarrassing) transgressions. Am J Psychiatry 2010; 167:1526-32. [PMID: 20889651 PMCID: PMC3175630 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.09121797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Little is known about the neural underpinnings of generalized social phobia, which is defined by a persistent heightened fear of social disapproval. Using event-related functional MRI (fMRI), the authors examined whether the intent of an event, which mediates the neural response to social disapproval in healthy individuals, differentially affects response in generalized social phobia. METHOD Sixteen patients with generalized social phobia and 16 healthy comparison subjects group-matched on age, gender, and IQ underwent fMRI scans while reading stories that involved neutral social events, unintentional social transgressions (e.g., choking on food at a party and coughing it up), or intentional social transgressions (e.g., disliking food at a party and spitting it out). RESULTS Significant group-by-transgression interactions were observed in ventral regions of the medial prefrontal cortex. Healthy individuals tended to show increased blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses to intentional relative to unintentional transgressions. Patients with generalized social phobia, however, showed significantly increased responses to the unintentional transgressions. They also rated the unintentional transgressions as significantly more embarrassing than did the comparison subjects. Results also revealed significant group main effects in the amygdala and insula bilaterally, reflecting elevated generalized social phobia responses in these regions to all event types. CONCLUSIONS These results further implicate the medial prefrontal cortex in the pathophysiology of generalized social phobia, specifically through its involvement in distorted self-referential processing. These results also further underscore the extended role of the amygdala and insula in the processing of social stimuli more generally in generalized social phobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina S. Blair
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland,Correspondence concerning the article should be addressed to Karina S. Blair, Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, 15K North Drive, MSC 2670, Bethesda, Maryland 20892; ; phone (301) 451-5088
| | - Marilla Geraci
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Nick Hollon
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Marcela Otero
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jeffrey DeVido
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Catherine Majestic
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Madeline Jacobs
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - R.J.R Blair
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland
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Marsh AA, Blair KS, Jones MM, Soliman N, Blair RJR. Dominance and submission: the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and responses to status cues. J Cogn Neurosci 2009; 21:713-24. [PMID: 18578604 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2009.21052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Status hierarchies constitute a fundamental organizing principle of human society. However, little is known about the neural systems that process nonverbal cues that indicate status. Preliminary neuropsychological work has suggested a role for the ventrolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VLPFC/VMPFC) and the superior temporal cortex (STC). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to delineate the nature of these roles. Analyses revealed signal changes in the right VLPFC in connection with two primary functions attributed to status cues. Status cues moderate behavior and the right VLPFC showed increased signal for high-status relative to neutral and low-status cues. The VLPFC also showed increased signal for high-status cues displayed by individuals of the opposite gender to the perceiver; this may be relevant to the role status cues play in moderating mate choice behavior. Connectivity results indicated significant positive connectivity between the VLPFC and both the VMPFC and the STC. We suggest that the VLPFC retrieves information from these regions when processing hierarchy cues to facilitate socially adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail A Marsh
- Mood & Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Rau G, Blair KS, Berghorst L, Knopf L, Skup M, Luckenbaugh DA, Pine DS, Blair RJ, Leibenluft E. Processing of differentially valued rewards and punishments in youths with bipolar disorder or severe mood dysregulation. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2008; 18:185-96. [PMID: 18439115 PMCID: PMC2683389 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2007.0053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Youths with chronic irritability and hyperarousal (i.e., severe mood dysregulation, SMD) have reward- and punishment-processing deficits distinct from those exhibited by children with episodic symptoms of mania (i.e., narrow-phenotype bipolar disorder, BD). Additionally, youths with SMD, like those with psychopathy, have prominent reactive aggression. Therefore, we hypothesized that SMD, but not BD, youths would be impaired on a decision-making task that has identified reward- and punishment-processing deficits in individuals with psychopathy. METHODS A decision-making task was used in which BD (n = 23), SMD (n = 37), and control subjects (n = 31) were asked to choose between two images associated with different levels of reward or punishment. RESULTS No between-group differences in task performance were found. CONCLUSION These results suggest that BD, SMD, and normal youths do not differ in their ability to select between rewards and punishments of different value. Effect-size analyses suggest that this finding is not secondary to a type II error. Unlike individuals with psychopathy, neither SMD subjects nor those with BD differ from controls in their ability to select between differentially valued rewards and punishments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff Rau
- Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1289, USA.
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