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Kuijer EJ, Steenbergen L. The microbiota-gut-brain axis in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory: current state and future challenges. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105296. [PMID: 37380040 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental shift in neuroscience suggests bidirectional interaction of gut microbiota with the healthy and dysfunctional brain. This microbiota-gut-brain axis has mainly been investigated in stress-related psychopathology (e.g. depression, anxiety). The hippocampus, a key structure in both the healthy brain and psychopathologies, is implicated by work in rodents that suggests gut microbiota substantially impact hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. However, understanding microbiota-hippocampus mechanisms in health and disease, and translation to humans, is hampered by the absence of a coherent evaluative approach. We review the current knowledge regarding four main gut microbiota-hippocampus routes in rodents: through the vagus nerve; via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-axis; by metabolism of neuroactive substances; and through modulation of host inflammation. Next, we suggest an approach including testing (biomarkers of) the four routes as a function of the influence of gut microbiota (composition) on hippocampal-dependent (dys)functioning. We argue that such an approach is necessary to proceed from the current state of preclinical research to beneficial application in humans to optimise microbiota-based strategies to treat and enhance hippocampal-dependent memory (dys)functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloise J Kuijer
- Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, United Kingdom.
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Clinical Psychology Unit, Leiden University & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
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2
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Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, Hommel B, Lindenberger U, Kühn S, Colzato LS. Editorial Expression of Concern: "Unfocus" on foc.us: commercial tDCS headset impairs working memory. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:2523. [PMID: 35831641 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06418-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Simone Kühn
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
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3
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Johnson KVA, Steenbergen L. Do common antibiotic treatments influence emotional processing? Physiol Behav 2022; 255:113900. [PMID: 35810835 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113900] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed medications worldwide, yet research in recent years has revealed the detrimental effect they can have on the human microbiome, with implications for health. The community of microorganisms inhabiting the gut has been shown to regulate physiological and neural processes. Since studies in both humans and animal models have revealed that the gut microbiome can affect the brain, influencing emotion and cognition, here we investigate whether antibiotic treatment is associated with changes in emotional processing and mood with a between-subject design in 105 young healthy adult volunteers, using both psychological tests and questionnaires. As both the immune system and vagal signalling can mediate the microbiome-gut-brain axis, we also assess whether there is any evidence of such changes in participant physiology. We find that individuals who have taken antibiotics in the past three months show a stronger emotional bias towards sadness and at a physiological level they have a higher heart rate (though this does not mediate the relationship with negative bias). While we cannot rule out a possible role of prior infection, our findings are in any case highly relevant in light of research revealing that antibiotics are linked to increased susceptibility to depression and anxiety. Our results also have implications for listing antibiotic use as an exclusion criterion in studies on emotional processing and psychophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina V-A Johnson
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Unit, Leiden, 2333 AK, The Netherlands.
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Unit, Leiden, 2333 AK, The Netherlands
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4
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Johnson KVA, Steenbergen L. Gut feelings: vagal stimulation reduces emotional biases. Neuroscience 2022; 494:119-131. [PMID: 35550161 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The vagus nerve is a key physical constituent of the gut-brain axis. Increasing attention has recently been paid to the role that the gut, and the microorganisms inhabiting it, play in emotion and cognition. Animal studies have revealed the importance of the vagus nerve in mediating communication between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system, resulting in changes in emotional behaviour. This has renewed interest in understanding the role of vagal signalling in human emotion, particularly since human studies have also shown that alterations in gut microbiome composition can affect emotion. While stimulating the vagus nerve can help treat some cases of severe depression, here we investigate whether vagal afferent signalling can influence emotional processing in healthy subjects. We use the dot-probe task to determine the effect of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation on attentional biases towards emotional stimuli in 42 volunteers. Participants received both active and sham treatments using a within-subject design. We show that transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation reduces the emotional bias towards faces expressing sadness and happiness, indicating a decrease in emotional reactivity. While our novel findings reveal the effect that vagal signalling can have on emotional biases in healthy subjects, future studies should seek to develop our understanding of the ways in which the microbiome interacts with, and stimulates, the vagus nerve. Since we find a reduction in emotional bias, most notably towards sadness, this may partly account for the effective use of vagus nerve stimulation in treatment-resistant depression. While its clinical application currently involves surgical stimulation, our results support the potential benefit of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation as a non-invasive, intermittent adjunctive therapy for patients with depression given its frequent association with emotional biases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina V A Johnson
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Unit, Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands.
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Unit, Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands
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5
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Farmer AD, Strzelczyk A, Finisguerra A, Gourine AV, Gharabaghi A, Hasan A, Burger AM, Jaramillo AM, Mertens A, Majid A, Verkuil B, Badran BW, Ventura-Bort C, Gaul C, Beste C, Warren CM, Quintana DS, Hämmerer D, Freri E, Frangos E, Tobaldini E, Kaniusas E, Rosenow F, Capone F, Panetsos F, Ackland GL, Kaithwas G, O'Leary GH, Genheimer H, Jacobs HIL, Van Diest I, Schoenen J, Redgrave J, Fang J, Deuchars J, Széles JC, Thayer JF, More K, Vonck K, Steenbergen L, Vianna LC, McTeague LM, Ludwig M, Veldhuizen MG, De Couck M, Casazza M, Keute M, Bikson M, Andreatta M, D'Agostini M, Weymar M, Betts M, Prigge M, Kaess M, Roden M, Thai M, Schuster NM, Montano N, Hansen N, Kroemer NB, Rong P, Fischer R, Howland RH, Sclocco R, Sellaro R, Garcia RG, Bauer S, Gancheva S, Stavrakis S, Kampusch S, Deuchars SA, Wehner S, Laborde S, Usichenko T, Polak T, Zaehle T, Borges U, Teckentrup V, Jandackova VK, Napadow V, Koenig J. International Consensus Based Review and Recommendations for Minimum Reporting Standards in Research on Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Version 2020). Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 14:568051. [PMID: 33854421 PMCID: PMC8040977 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.568051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Given its non-invasive nature, there is increasing interest in the use of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) across basic, translational and clinical research. Contemporaneously, tVNS can be achieved by stimulating either the auricular branch or the cervical bundle of the vagus nerve, referred to as transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(VNS) and transcutaneous cervical VNS, respectively. In order to advance the field in a systematic manner, studies using these technologies need to adequately report sufficient methodological detail to enable comparison of results between studies, replication of studies, as well as enhancing study participant safety. We systematically reviewed the existing tVNS literature to evaluate current reporting practices. Based on this review, and consensus among participating authors, we propose a set of minimal reporting items to guide future tVNS studies. The suggested items address specific technical aspects of the device and stimulation parameters. We also cover general recommendations including inclusion and exclusion criteria for participants, outcome parameters and the detailed reporting of side effects. Furthermore, we review strategies used to identify the optimal stimulation parameters for a given research setting and summarize ongoing developments in animal research with potential implications for the application of tVNS in humans. Finally, we discuss the potential of tVNS in future research as well as the associated challenges across several disciplines in research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D. Farmer
- Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Stoke on Trent, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Strzelczyk
- Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Alexander V. Gourine
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, Centre for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alireza Gharabaghi
- Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, University Hospital and University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Alkomiet Hasan
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas M. Burger
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Ann Mertens
- Department of Neurology, Institute for Neuroscience, 4Brain, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium
| | - Arshad Majid
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Bart Verkuil
- Clinical Psychology and the Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Bashar W. Badran
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Carlos Ventura-Bort
- Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Charly Gaul
- Migraine and Headache Clinic Koenigstein, Königstein im Taunus, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Daniel S. Quintana
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Medical Faculty, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg (CBBS), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Elena Freri
- Department of Pediatric Neuroscience, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Eleni Frangos
- Pain and Integrative Neuroscience Branch, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Eleonora Tobaldini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Eugenijus Kaniusas
- Institute of Electrodynamics, Microwave and Circuit Engineering, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
- SzeleSTIM GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Felix Rosenow
- Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Fioravante Capone
- Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Fivos Panetsos
- Faculty of Biology and Faculty of Optics, Complutense University of Madrid and Institute for Health Research, San Carlos Clinical Hospital (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gareth L. Ackland
- Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gaurav Kaithwas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow, India
| | - Georgia H. O'Leary
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Hannah Genheimer
- Department of Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Heidi I. L. Jacobs
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Ilse Van Diest
- Research Group Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Schoenen
- Headache Research Unit, Department of Neurology-Citadelle Hospital, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Jessica Redgrave
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Jiliang Fang
- Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Radiology, Guang An Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jim Deuchars
- School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Jozsef C. Széles
- Division for Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julian F. Thayer
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Kaushik More
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Neuromodulatory Networks, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Kristl Vonck
- Department of Neurology, Institute for Neuroscience, 4Brain, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Clinical and Cognitive Psychology and the Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lauro C. Vianna
- NeuroV̇ASQ̇ - Integrative Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Physical Education, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Lisa M. McTeague
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Mareike Ludwig
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey
| | - Maria G. Veldhuizen
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marijke De Couck
- Faculty of Health Care, University College Odisee, Aalst, Belgium
- Division of Epileptology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Marina Casazza
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marius Keute
- Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, University Hospital and University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Marom Bikson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City College of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Marta Andreatta
- Department of Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Martina D'Agostini
- Research Group Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mathias Weymar
- Department of Biological Psychology and Affective Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Matthew Betts
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Prigge
- Neuromodulatory Networks, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Michael Kaess
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Roden
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research, Munich, Germany
| | - Michelle Thai
- Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Nathaniel M. Schuster
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Pain Medicine, University of California, San Diego Health System, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Nicola Montano
- Department of Internal Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Niels Hansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience and Imaging in Psychiatry (SNIPLab), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nils B. Kroemer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peijing Rong
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rico Fischer
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Robert H. Howland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Roberta Sclocco
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States
- Department of Radiology, Logan University, Chesterfield, MO, United States
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Ronald G. Garcia
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sebastian Bauer
- Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sofiya Gancheva
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Heart Rhythm Institute, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Stavros Stavrakis
- Faculty of Biological Science, School of Biomedical Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan Kampusch
- Institute of Electrodynamics, Microwave and Circuit Engineering, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
- SzeleSTIM GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susan A. Deuchars
- School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Sven Wehner
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sylvain Laborde
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Deutsche Sporthochschule, Köln, Germany
| | - Taras Usichenko
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Thomas Polak
- Laboratory of Functional Neurovascular Diagnostics, AG Early Diagnosis of Dementia, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tino Zaehle
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Uirassu Borges
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Deutsche Sporthochschule, Köln, Germany
- Department of Social and Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Deutsche Sporthochschule, Köln, Germany
| | - Vanessa Teckentrup
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vera K. Jandackova
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
- Department of Human Movement Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
| | - Vitaly Napadow
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States
- Department of Radiology, Logan University, Chesterfield, MO, United States
| | - Julian Koenig
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Section for Experimental Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Colzato LS, Steenbergen L, Sellaro R. Retraction Note to: The effect of gamma-enhancing binaural beats on the control of feature bindings. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:363. [PMID: 33469706 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-06018-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza S Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,Institute for Sports and Sport Science, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
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7
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Colzato LS, Steenbergen L, Hommel B. Rumination impairs the control of stimulus-induced retrieval of irrelevant information, but not attention, control, or response selection in general. Psychol Res 2020; 84:204-216. [PMID: 29362887 PMCID: PMC6994548 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-018-0986-7] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to throw more light on the relationship between rumination and cognitive-control processes. Seventy-eight adults were assessed with respect to rumination tendencies by means of the LEIDS-r before performing a Stroop task, an event-file task assessing the automatic retrieval of irrelevant information, an attentional set-shifting task, and the Attentional Network Task, which provided scores for alerting, orienting, and executive control functioning. The size of the Stroop effect and irrelevant retrieval in the event-five task were positively correlated with the tendency to ruminate, while all other scores did not correlate with any rumination scale. Controlling for depressive tendencies eliminated the Stroop-related finding (an observation that may account for previous failures to replicate), but not the event-file finding. Taken altogether, our results suggest that rumination does not affect attention, executive control, or response selection in general, but rather selectively impairs the control of stimulus-induced retrieval of irrelevant information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza S Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
- Institute for Sports and Sport Science, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany.
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition (ABC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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8
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Steenbergen L, Colzato LS, Maraver MJ. Vagal signaling and the somatic marker hypothesis: The effect of transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation on delay discounting is modulated by positive mood. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 148:84-92. [PMID: 31734442 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.10.010] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Controlling impulsivity and delaying gratifications are key features of effective self-control. Delay Discounting (DD) indexes the ability to delay rewards and previous research has shown that discounting is influenced by affective states such as mood. According to the Somatic Marker Hypothesis (SMH), afferent somatic signals, such as mood, are carried by the vagus and can influence decision making. In the current study, we employed transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), a novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique that stimulates the auricular branch of the afferent vagus nerve (located in the outer ear), to assess its effects on decision impulsivity, while taking into account individuals' mood and resting-state HRV as a possible confounding factor. Employing a within-subjects cross-over design, 94 participants received active or sham tVNS while performing delay discounting in two separate sessions. As compared to sham, active tVNS increased discounting, but only for individuals reporting lower positive mood, regardless of the level of negative mood reported. We evidence that the effect of tVNS on reward discounting depends on the level of positive mood. This result suggests that positive mood state might be a proxy of task-relevant arousal, likely influencing the effectiveness of afferent vagal stimulation on self-control processes, as temporal discounting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Leiden University, Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Leiden University, Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; Institute for Sports and Sport Science, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany; Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - María J Maraver
- Leiden University, Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands; University of Lisbon, Faculty of Psychology & Research Center for Psychological Science, Lisbon, Portugal
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9
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Hutten NRPW, Steenbergen L, Colzato LS, Hommel B, Theunissen EL, Ramaekers JG, Kuypers KPC. Cocaine enhances figural, but impairs verbal 'flexible' divergent thinking. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 29:813-824. [PMID: 31255395 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Anecdotal evidence suggests that cocaine use will help overcome creative 'blocks' by enhancing flexible thinking. Given that cocaine is likely to enhance dopamine (DA) levels, which in turn are positively associated with divergent thinking (DT); is a possibility that is tested in the present study. Furthermore, the impact of cocaine is tested on convergent thinking (CT), another aspect of creative thinking, which has been reported to be impaired with high DA levels. It was hypothesized that cocaine would enhance DT and impair CT. A placebo-controlled within-subjects study including 24 healthy poly-drug users was set up to test the influence of oral cocaine (300 mg) on creativity. Verbal CT was assessed with the Remote Associates Task (RAT); figural CT was assessed with the Picture Concepts Task (PCT) and the Tower of London (TOL). Verbal DT was assessed with the Alternative Uses Task (AUT); figural DT was assessed with the Pattern/Line Meanings Task (PLMT). Findings showed that, compared to placebo, cocaine impaired figural CT (TOL) and flexible DT of verbal stimuli (AUT), while it enhanced figural DT (PLMT). No significant effects of cocaine were observed regarding the PCT and RAT. It was demonstrated that cocaine-induced effects on creativity in poly-drug users are stimulus-dependent. Cocaine enhanced performance on figural DT but impaired performance on verbal (flexible) DT. Cocaine impaired CT on only one figural task and but not on the other tasks. As creativity is an important aspect in cognitive therapies, it is important to further understand these discrepancies in creativity task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia R P W Hutten
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Eef L Theunissen
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Johannes G Ramaekers
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Kim P C Kuypers
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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10
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Yakın D, Gençöz T, Steenbergen L, Arntz A. An integrative perspective on the interplay between early maladaptive schemas and mental health: The role of self-compassion and emotion regulation. J Clin Psychol 2019; 75:1098-1113. [PMID: 30735580 PMCID: PMC6593850 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We aimed to test whether negative emotion regulation difficulties and self-compassion mediate the relationship between early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and symptoms of psychopathology and life satisfaction. METHODS Data were collected from 296 adults (179 females, 117 males), whose age ranged from 17 to 52 years. The mediating roles of self-compassion and negative emotion regulation were examined via Hayes' procedure (PROCESS) for multiple mediation. RESULTS Negative emotion regulation was the only mediator to psychopathological symptoms, with no additional role for self-compassion, whereas self-compassion mediated only to life satisfaction, with no additional role for negative emotion regulation. CONCLUSIONS The results provide evidence for unique mediating roles of negative emotion regulation and self-compassion, depending on the outcome variable. That helps to understand how problems that may be identified in terms of positive and negative domains are related to EMSs, and allows to put forward potential strategies within the frame of schema therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duygu Yakın
- Department of Psychology, Istanbul Arel UniversityIstanbulTurkey
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Tülin Gençöz
- Department of Psychology, Middle East Technical UniversityAnkaraTurkey
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Arnoud Arntz
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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11
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Colzato LS, Ritter SM, Steenbergen L. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) enhances divergent thinking. Neuropsychologia 2018; 111:72-76. [PMID: 29326067 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [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: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Creativity is one of the most important cognitive skills in our complex and fast-changing world. Previous correlative evidence showed that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is involved in divergent but not convergent thinking. In the current study, a placebo/sham-controlled, randomized between-group design was used to test a causal relation between vagus nerve and creativity. We employed transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), a novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique to stimulate afferent fibers of the vagus nerve and speculated to increase GABA levels, in 80 healthy young volunteers. Creative performance was assessed in terms of divergent thinking (Alternate Uses Task) and convergent thinking tasks (Remote Associates Test, Creative Problem Solving Task, Idea Selection Task). Results demonstrate active tVNS, compared to sham stimulation, enhanced divergent thinking. Bayesian analysis reported the data to be inconclusive regarding a possible effect of tVNS on convergent thinking. Therefore, our findings corroborate the idea that the vagus nerve is causally involved in creative performance. Even thought we did not directly measure GABA levels, our results suggest that GABA (likely to be increased in active tVNS condition) supports the ability to select among competing options in high selection demand (divergent thinking) but not in low selection demand (convergent thinking).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza S Colzato
- Leiden University, Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; Institute for Sports and Sport Science, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany.
| | - Simone M Ritter
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Leiden University, Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
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12
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Leonte A, Colzato LS, Steenbergen L, Hommel B, Akyürek EG. Supplementation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) affects temporal, but not spatial visual attention. Brain Cogn 2017; 120:8-16. [PMID: 29222993 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2017.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [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: 07/07/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
In a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled experiment, the acute effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) supplementation on temporal and spatial attention in young healthy adults were investigated. A hybrid two-target rapid serial visual presentation task was used to measure temporal attention and integration. Additionally, a visual search task was used to measure the speed and accuracy of spatial attention. While temporal attention depends primarily on the distribution of limited attentional resources across time, spatial attention represents the engagement and disengagement by relevant and irrelevant stimuli across the visual field. Although spatial attention was unaffected by GABA supplementation altogether, we found evidence supporting improved performance in the temporal attention task. The attentional blink was numerically, albeit not significantly, attenuated at Lag 3, and significantly fewer order errors were committed at Lag 1, compared to the placebo condition. No effect was found on temporal integration rates. Although there is controversy about whether oral GABA can cross the blood-brain barrier, our results offer preliminary evidence that GABA intake might help to distribute limited attentional resources more efficiently, and can specifically improve the identification and ordering of visual events that occur in close temporal succession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Leonte
- Department of Psychology, Experimental Psychology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Elkan G Akyürek
- Department of Psychology, Experimental Psychology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
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13
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Steenbergen L, Colzato LS. Overweight and Cognitive Performance: High Body Mass Index Is Associated with Impairment in Reactive Control during Task Switching. Front Nutr 2017; 4:51. [PMID: 29164126 PMCID: PMC5671535 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2017.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [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: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of weight problems is increasing worldwide. There is growing evidence that high body mass index (BMI) is associated with frontal lobe dysfunction and deficits in cognitive control. The present study aims to clarify the association between weight status and the degree of impairment in cognitive flexibility, i.e., the ability to efficiently switch from one task to another, by disentangling the preparatory and residual domains of task switching. Twenty-six normal weight (BMI < 25, five males) and twenty-six overweight (BMI ≥ 25, seven males) university students performed a task-switching paradigm that provides a relatively well-established diagnostic measure of proactive vs. reactive control with regard to cognitive flexibility. Compared to individuals with a BMI lower than 25, overweight (i.e., ≥25) was associated with increased switching costs in the reactive switching condition (i.e., when preparation time is short), representing reduced cognitive flexibility in the preparatory domain. In addition, the overweight group reported significantly more depression and binge eating symptoms, although still indicating minimal depression. No between-group differences were found with regard to self-reported autism spectrum symptoms, impulsiveness, state- and trait anxiety, and cognitive reactivity to depression. The present findings are consistent with and extend previous literature showing that elevated BMI in young, otherwise healthy individuals is associated with significantly more switching costs due to inefficiency in the retrieval, implementation, and maintenance of task sets, indicating less efficient cognitive control functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,Institute of Sports and Sport Science, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
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14
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Jongkees BJ, Steenbergen L, Colzato LS. Color vision predicts processing modes of goal activation during action cascading. Cortex 2017; 94:123-130. [PMID: 28759802 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Revised: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
One of the most important functions of cognitive control is action cascading: the ability to cope with multiple response options when confronted with various task goals. A recent study implicates a key role for dopamine (DA) in this process, suggesting higher D1 efficiency shifts the action cascading strategy toward a more serial processing mode, whereas higher D2 efficiency promotes a shift in the opposite direction by inducing a more parallel processing mode (Stock, Arning, Epplen, & Beste, 2014). Given that DA is found in high concentration in the retina and modulation of retinal DA release displays characteristics of D2-receptors (Peters, Schweibold, Przuntek, & Müller, 2000), color vision discrimination might serve as an index of D2 efficiency. We used color discrimination, assessed with the Lanthony Desaturated Panel D-15 test, to predict individual differences (N = 85) in a stop-change paradigm that provides a well-established measure of action cascading. In this task it is possible to calculate an individual slope value for each participant that estimates the degree of overlap in task goal activation. When the stopping process of a previous task goal has not finished at the time the change process toward a new task goal is initiated (parallel processing), the slope value becomes steeper. In case of less overlap (more serial processing), the slope value becomes flatter. As expected, participants showing better color vision were more prone to activate goals in a parallel manner as indicated by a steeper slope. Our findings suggest that color vision might represent a predictor of D2 efficiency and the predisposed processing mode of goal activation during action cascading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryant J Jongkees
- Institute of Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Institute of Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Institute of Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; Institute for Sports and Sport Science, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
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15
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Colzato LS, Steenbergen L, Sellaro R. The effect of gamma-enhancing binaural beats on the control of feature bindings. Exp Brain Res 2017; 235:2125-2131. [PMID: 28409319 PMCID: PMC5486945 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-4957-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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: 01/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Binaural beats represent the auditory experience of an oscillating sound that occurs when two sounds with neighboring frequencies are presented to one’s left and right ear separately. Binaural beats have been shown to impact information processing via their putative role in increasing neural synchronization. Recent studies of feature-repetition effects demonstrated interactions between perceptual features and action-related features: repeating only some, but not all features of a perception–action episode hinders performance. These partial-repetition (or binding) costs point to the existence of temporary episodic bindings (event files) that are automatically retrieved by repeating at least one of their features. Given that neural synchronization in the gamma band has been associated with visual feature bindings, we investigated whether the impact of binaural beats extends to the top-down control of feature bindings. Healthy adults listened to gamma-frequency (40 Hz) binaural beats or to a constant tone of 340 Hz (control condition) for ten minutes before and during a feature-repetition task. While the size of visuomotor binding costs (indicating the binding of visual and action features) was unaffected by the binaural beats, the size of visual feature binding costs (which refer to the binding between the two visual features) was considerably smaller during gamma-frequency binaural beats exposure than during the control condition. Our results suggest that binaural beats enhance selectivity in updating episodic memory traces and further strengthen the hypothesis that neural activity in the gamma band is critically associated with the control of feature binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza S Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands. .,Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. .,Institute for Sports and Sport Science, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany.
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
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16
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Beste C, Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, Grigoriadou S, Zhang R, Chmielewski W, Stock AK, Colzato L. Effects of Concomitant Stimulation of the GABAergic and Norepinephrine System on Inhibitory Control – A Study Using Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Brain Stimul 2016; 9:811-818. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2016.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 06/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/17/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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17
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Stock AK, Steenbergen L, Colzato L, Beste C. The system neurophysiological basis of non-adaptive cognitive control: Inhibition of implicit learning mediated by right prefrontal regions. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:4511-4522. [PMID: 27477001 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [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: 04/11/2016] [Revised: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive control is adaptive in the sense that it inhibits automatic processes to optimize goal-directed behavior, but high levels of control may also have detrimental effects in case they suppress beneficial automatisms. Until now, the system neurophysiological mechanisms and functional neuroanatomy underlying these adverse effects of cognitive control have remained elusive. This question was examined by analyzing the automatic exploitation of a beneficial implicit predictive feature under conditions of high versus low cognitive control demands, combining event-related potentials (ERPs) and source localization. It was found that cognitive control prohibits the beneficial automatic exploitation of additional implicit information when task demands are high. Bottom-up perceptual and attentional selection processes (P1 and N1 ERPs) are not modulated by this, but the automatic exploitation of beneficial predictive information in case of low cognitive control demands was associated with larger response-locked P3 amplitudes and stronger activation of the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG, BA47). This suggests that the rIFG plays a key role in the detection of relevant task cues, the exploitation of alternative task sets, and the automatic (bottom-up) implementation and reprogramming of action plans. Moreover, N450 amplitudes were larger under high cognitive control demands, which was associated with activity differences in the right medial frontal gyrus (BA9). This most likely reflects a stronger exploitation of explicit task sets which hinders the exploration of the implicit beneficial information in case of high cognitive control demands. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4511-4522, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lorenza Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Experimental Neurobiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
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18
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Colzato LS, Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, Stock AK, Arning L, Beste C. Effects of l-Tyrosine on working memory and inhibitory control are determined by DRD2 genotypes: A randomized controlled trial. Cortex 2016; 82:217-224. [PMID: 27403851 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2016] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
l-Tyrosine (TYR), the precursor of dopamine (DA), has been shown to enhance facets of cognitive control in situations with high cognitive demands. However some previous outcomes were mixed: some studies reported significant improvements, while other did not. Given that TYR increases DA level in the brain, we investigated, in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled design, whether the C957T genotypes of a functional synonymous polymorphism in the human dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene (rs6277) contribute to individual differences in the reactivity to TYR administration and whether this factor predicts the magnitude of TYR-induced performance differences on inhibiting behavioral responses in a stop-signal task and working memory (WM) updating in a N-back task. Our findings show that T/T homozygotes (i.e., individuals potentially associated with lower striatal DA level) showed larger beneficial effects of TYR supplementation than C/C homozygotes (i.e., individuals potentially associated with higher striatal DA level), suggesting that genetically determined differences in DA function may explain inter-individual differences in response to TYR supplementation. These findings reinforce the idea that genetic predisposition modulates the effect of TYR in its role as cognitive enhancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenza S Colzato
- Leiden University, Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Leiden University, Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Leiden University, Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Larissa Arning
- Department of Human Genetics, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Experimental Neurobiology, National Institute of Mental Healthy, Klecany, Czech Republic
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19
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Steenbergen L, Jongkees BJ, Sellaro R, Colzato LS. Tryptophan supplementation modulates social behavior: A review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 64:346-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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20
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Kuypers KPC, Steenbergen L, Theunissen EL, Toennes SW, Ramaekers JG. Emotion recognition during cocaine intoxication. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 25:1914-21. [PMID: 26328908 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 02/11/2015] [Revised: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Chronic or repeated cocaine use has been linked to impairments in social skills. It is not clear whether cocaine is responsible for this impairment or whether other factors, like polydrug use, distort the observed relation. We aimed to investigate this relation by means of a placebo-controlled experimental study. Additionally, associations between stressor-related activity (cortisol, cardiovascular parameters) induced by the biological stressor cocaine, and potential cocaine effects on emotion recognition were studied. Twenty-four healthy recreational cocaine users participated in this placebo-controlled within-subject study. Participants were tested between 1 and 2 h after treatment with oral cocaine (300 mg) or placebo. Emotion recognition of low and high intensity expressions of basic emotions (fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and happiness) was tested. Findings show that cocaine impaired recognition of negative emotions; this was mediated by the intensity of the presented emotions. When high intensity expressions of Anger and Disgust were shown, performance under influence of cocaine 'normalized' to placebo-like levels while it made identification of Sadness more difficult. The normalization of performance was most notable for participants with the largest cortisol responses in the cocaine condition compared to placebo. It was demonstrated that cocaine impairs recognition of negative emotions, depending on the intensity of emotion expression and cortisol response.
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Affiliation(s)
- K P C Kuypers
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - L Steenbergen
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - E L Theunissen
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - S W Toennes
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Institute of Legal Medicine, Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - J G Ramaekers
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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21
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Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, Hommel B, Lindenberger U, Kühn S, Colzato LS. "Unfocus" on foc.us: commercial tDCS headset impairs working memory. Exp Brain Res 2015; 234:637-43. [PMID: 26280313 PMCID: PMC4751189 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4391-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [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: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we tested whether the commercial transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) headset foc.us improves cognitive performance, as advertised in the media. A single-blind, sham-controlled, within-subject design was used to assess the effect of online and off-line foc.us tDCS-applied over the prefrontal cortex in healthy young volunteers (n = 24) on working memory (WM) updating and monitoring. WM updating and monitoring, as assessed by means of the N-back task, is a cognitive-control process that has been shown to benefit from interventions with CE-certified tDCS devices. For both online and off-line stimulation protocols, results showed that active stimulation with foc.us, compared to sham stimulation, significantly decreased accuracy performance in a well-established task tapping WM updating and monitoring. These results provide evidence for the important role of the scientific community in validating and testing far-reaching claims made by the brain training industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Simone Kühn
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, van Hemert S, Bosch JA, Colzato LS. A randomized controlled trial to test the effect of multispecies probiotics on cognitive reactivity to sad mood. Brain Behav Immun 2015; 48:258-64. [PMID: 25862297 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2015.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 427] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.4] [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: 12/12/2014] [Revised: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 04/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent insights into the role of the human microbiota in cognitive and affective functioning have led to the hypothesis that probiotic supplementation may act as an adjuvant strategy to ameliorate or prevent depression. OBJECTIVE Heightened cognitive reactivity to normal, transient changes in sad mood is an established marker of vulnerability to depression and is considered an important target for interventions. The present study aimed to test if a multispecies probiotic containing Bifidobacterium bifidum W23, Bifidobacterium lactis W52, Lactobacillus acidophilus W37, Lactobacillus brevis W63, Lactobacillus casei W56, Lactobacillus salivarius W24, and Lactococcus lactis (W19 and W58) may reduce cognitive reactivity in non-depressed individuals. DESIGN In a triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, pre- and post-intervention assessment design, 20 healthy participants without current mood disorder received a 4-week probiotic food-supplement intervention with the multispecies probiotics, while 20 control participants received an inert placebo for the same period. In the pre- and post-intervention assessment, cognitive reactivity to sad mood was assessed using the revised Leiden index of depression sensitivity scale. RESULTS Compared to participants who received the placebo intervention, participants who received the 4-week multispecies probiotics intervention showed a significantly reduced overall cognitive reactivity to sad mood, which was largely accounted for by reduced rumination and aggressive thoughts. CONCLUSION These results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. Probiotics supplementation warrants further research as a potential preventive strategy for depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Leiden University, Institute for Psychological Research, Cognitive Psychology, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Leiden University, Institute for Psychological Research, Cognitive Psychology, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Saskia van Hemert
- Winclove Probiotics, Hulstweg 11, 1032 LB Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Jos A Bosch
- University of Amsterdam, Psychology Department, Clinical Psychology, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Leiden University, Institute for Psychological Research, Cognitive Psychology, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, Stock AK, Beste C, Colzato LS. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration improves action selection processes: a randomised controlled trial. Sci Rep 2015; 5:12770. [PMID: 26227783 PMCID: PMC4521208 DOI: 10.1038/srep12770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 05/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to accomplish a task goal, real-life environments require us to develop different action control strategies in order to rapidly react to fast-moving visual and auditory stimuli. When engaging in complex scenarios, it is essential to prioritise and cascade different actions. Recent studies have pointed to an important role of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic system in the neuromodulation of action cascading. In this study we assessed the specific causal role of the GABA-ergic system in modulating the efficiency of action cascading by administering 800 mg of synthetic GABA or 800 mg oral of microcrystalline cellulose (placebo). In a double-blind, randomised, between-group design, 30 healthy adults performed a stop-change paradigm. Results showed that the administration of GABA, compared to placebo, increased action selection when an interruption (stop) and a change towards an alternative response were required simultaneously, and when such a change had to occur after the completion of the stop process. These findings, involving the systemic administration of synthetic GABA, provide the first evidence for a possible causal role of the GABA-ergic system in modulating performance in action cascading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Lorenza S. Colzato
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, Stock AK, Verkuil B, Beste C, Colzato LS. RETRACTED: Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) enhances response selection during action cascading processes. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 25:773-8. [PMID: 25869158 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [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: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This retraction comes after a thorough and time-consuming analysis of the published article and the data it reports, following an investigation from the University of Leiden. On date 15th November 2021 European Neuropsychopharmacology received advice from University of Leiden, containing allegations of misconduct concerning the data reported in this article. Due to the nature of the concerns raised about this paper, the Editor-in-Chief examined all documents provided, all aspects of the peer review and editorial process and requested the view of each of the authors. The Editor-in-Chief wishes to acknowledge the co-operation of all parties. The Editor-in-Chief considers that there is a legitimate cause for concern regarding deletion of participants from datasets. The Editor-in-Chief commends the authors for their willingness in participating in this dialogue. However, given the concerns raised, the suggestion of the University of Leiden, and the view expressed by some of the authors, Retraction of this paper is inevitable. The Editor-in-Chief and the entire editorial board will use this case as a reminder to be as diligent as possible in the peer review process and to support transparency and openness in data sharing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Bart Verkuil
- Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, de Rover M, Hommel B, Colzato L. No role of beta receptors in cognitive flexibility: Evidence from a task-switching paradigm in a randomized controlled trial. Neuroscience 2015; 295:237-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.03.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Sellaro R, Steenbergen L, Verkuil B, van IJzendoorn MH, Colzato LS. Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) does not increase prosocial behavior in Cyberball. Front Psychol 2015; 6:499. [PMID: 25972825 PMCID: PMC4411970 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging research suggests that individuals experience vicarious social pain (i.e., ostracism). It has been proposed that observing ostracism increases activity in the insula and in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), two key brain regions activated by directly experiencing ostracism. Here, we assessed the causal role of the insula and PFC in modulating neural activity in these areas by applying transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS), a new non-invasive and safe method to stimulate the vagus nerve that has been shown to activate the insula and PFC. A single-blind, sham-controlled, within-subjects design was used to assess the effect of on-line (i.e., stimulation overlapping with the critical task) tVNS in healthy young volunteers (n = 24) on the prosocial Cyberball game, a virtual ball-tossing game designed to measure prosocial compensation of ostracism. Active tVNS did not increase prosocial helping behavior toward an ostracized person, as compared to sham (placebo) stimulation. Corroborated by Bayesian inference, we conclude that tVNS does not modulate reactions to vicarious ostracism, as indexed by performance in a Cyberball game.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Sellaro
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands ; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands ; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Bart Verkuil
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands ; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands ; Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands ; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
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Steenbergen L, Sellaro R, Hommel B, Colzato LS. Tyrosine promotes cognitive flexibility: evidence from proactive vs. reactive control during task switching performance. Neuropsychologia 2015; 69:50-5. [PMID: 25598314 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [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: 10/20/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Tyrosine (TYR), an amino acid found in various foods, has been shown to increase dopamine (DA) levels in the brain. Recent studies have provided evidence that TYR supplementation can improve facets of cognitive control in situations with high cognitive demands. Here we investigated whether TYR promotes cognitive flexibility, a cognitive-control function that is assumed to be modulated by DA. We tested the effect of TYR on proactive vs. reactive control during task switching performance, which provides a relatively well-established diagnostic of cognitive flexibility. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled design, 22 healthy adults performed in a task-switching paradigm. Compared to a neutral placebo, TYR promoted cognitive flexibility (i.e. reduced switching costs). This finding supports the idea that TYR can facilitate cognitive flexibility by repleting cognitive resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands
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Abstract
The link between serotonin (5-HT) and one of the most important elements of prosocial behavior, charity, has remained largely uninvestigated. In the present study, we tested whether charitable donating can be promoted by administering the food supplement L-Tryptophan (TRP), the biochemical precursor of 5-HT. Participants were compared with respect to the amount of money they donated when given the opportunity to make a charitable donation. As expected, compared to a neutral placebo, TRP appears to increase the participants’ willingness to donate money to a charity. This result supports the idea that the food we eat may act as a cognitive enhancer modulating the way we think and perceive the world and others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Steenbergen
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Roberta Sellaro
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lorenza S Colzato
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Leiden, Netherlands
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Christoffels IK, de Haan AM, Steenbergen L, van den Wildenberg WPM, Colzato LS. Two is better than one: bilingual education promotes the flexible mind. Psychol Res 2014; 79:371-9. [PMID: 24849283 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-014-0575-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The interest in the influence of bilingualism on our daily life is constantly growing. Speaking two languages (or more) requires people to develop a flexible mindset to rapidly switch back and forth between languages. This study investigated whether and to what extent attending bilingual education benefits cognitive control. We tested two groups of Dutch high-school students who either followed regular classes in Dutch or were taught in both English and Dutch. They performed on a global-local switching paradigm that provides well-established measures of cognitive flexibility and attentional processing style. As predicted, the bilingually educated group showed smaller switching costs (i.e., greater cognitive flexibility) and a decreased global precedence effect than the regular group. Our findings support the idea that bilingual education promotes cognitive flexibility and a bias towards a more focused "scope" of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid K Christoffels
- Institute for Psychological Research and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands,
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Abstract
PURPOSE To review the anatomic and physiologic considerations in repetitive strain injuries (RSI) in youth in relation to normal growth and development. DATA SOURCES Extensive review of scientific literature, laws relating to youth labor, and the authors' experience. CONCLUSIONS Early detection of youth at risk for RSIs is crucial for prevention and treatment. Physical maturity and size are more important than chronological age in the safe performance of work tasks or sports. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Interventions that reduce injury in youth include gradually increasing training load, improving flexibility, and strength, improving biomechanics, and correcting malalignment. Assessments should include tests of flexibility, laxity, and muscle symmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- P S Kidd
- Arizona State University College of Nursing, USA.
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