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Spielberg JM, De Leon AA, Bredemeier K, Heller W, Engels AS, Warren SL, Crocker LD, Sutton BP, Miller GA. Anxiety type modulates immediate versus delayed engagement of attention-related brain regions. Brain Behav 2013; 3:532-51. [PMID: 24392275 PMCID: PMC3869982 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Habituation of the fear response, critical for the treatment of anxiety, is inconsistently observed during exposure to threatening stimuli. One potential explanation for this inconsistency is differential attentional engagement with negatively valenced stimuli as a function of anxiety type. Methods The present study tested this hypothesis by examining patterns of neural habituation associated with anxious arousal, characterized by panic symptoms and immediate engagement with negatively valenced stimuli, versus anxious apprehension, characterized by engagement in worry to distract from negatively valenced stimuli. Results As predicted, the two anxiety types evidenced distinct patterns of attentional engagement. Anxious arousal was associated with immediate activation in attention-related brain regions that habituated over time, whereas anxious apprehension was associated with delayed activation in attention-related brain regions that occurred only after habituation in a worry-related brain region. Conclusions Results further elucidate mechanisms involved in attention to negatively valenced stimuli and indicate that anxiety is a heterogeneous construct with regard to attention to such stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Spielberg
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois ; University of California Berkeley, California
| | - Angeline A De Leon
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois ; The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio
| | | | - Wendy Heller
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois
| | - Anna S Engels
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois ; Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Stacie L Warren
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois
| | - Laura D Crocker
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois
| | | | - Gregory A Miller
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois ; University of Delaware Newark, Delaware ; University of Konstanz Konstanz, Germany
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Warren SL, Crocker LD, Spielberg JM, Engels AS, Banich MT, Sutton BP, Miller GA, Heller W. Cortical organization of inhibition-related functions and modulation by psychopathology. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:271. [PMID: 23781192 PMCID: PMC3680711 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00271] [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] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual differences in inhibition-related functions have been implicated as risk factors for a broad range of psychopathology, including anxiety and depression. Delineating neural mechanisms of distinct inhibition-related functions may clarify their role in the development and maintenance of psychopathology. The present study tested the hypothesis that activity in common and distinct brain regions would be associated with an ecologically sensitive, self-report measure of inhibition and a laboratory performance measure of prepotent response inhibition. Results indicated that sub-regions of DLPFC distinguished measures of inhibition, whereas left inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral inferior parietal cortex were associated with both types of inhibition. Additionally, co-occurring anxiety and depression modulated neural activity in select brain regions associated with response inhibition. Results imply that specific combinations of anxiety and depression dimensions are associated with failure to implement top-down attentional control as reflected in inefficient recruitment of posterior DLPFC and increased activation in regions associated with threat (MTG) and worry (BA10). Present findings elucidate possible neural mechanisms of interference that could help explain executive control deficits in psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacie L. Warren
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL, USA
- Department of Mental Health, St. Louis VA Medical CenterSt. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Laura D. Crocker
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL, USA
| | - Jeffery M. Spielberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL, USA
- School of Public Health, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, USA
| | - Anna S. Engels
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL, USA
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA, USA
| | - Marie T. Banich
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at BoulderBoulder, CO, USA
| | - Bradley P. Sutton
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUrbana, IL, USA
| | - Gregory A. Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of DelawareNewark, DE, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany
| | - Wendy Heller
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL, USA
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3
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Beltz AM, Gates KM, Engels AS, Molenaar PCM, Pulido C, Turrisi R, Berenbaum SA, Gilmore RO, Wilson SJ. Changes in alcohol-related brain networks across the first year of college: a prospective pilot study using fMRI effective connectivity mapping. Addict Behav 2013; 38:2052-9. [PMID: 23395930 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2012] [Revised: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The upsurge in alcohol use that often occurs during the first year of college has been convincingly linked to a number of negative psychosocial consequences and may negatively affect brain development. In this longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) pilot study, we examined changes in neural responses to alcohol cues across the first year of college in a normative sample of late adolescents. Participants (N=11) were scanned three times across their first year of college (summer, first semester, second semester), while completing a go/no-go task in which images of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages were the response cues. A state-of-the-art effective connectivity mapping technique was used to capture spatiotemporal relations among brain regions of interest (ROIs) at the level of the group and the individual. Effective connections among ROIs implicated in cognitive control were greatest at the second assessment (when negative consequences of alcohol use increased), and effective connections among ROIs implicated in emotion processing were lower (and response times were slower) when participants were instructed to respond to alcohol cues compared to non-alcohol cues. These preliminary findings demonstrate the value of a prospective effective connectivity approach for understanding adolescent changes in alcohol-related neural processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriene M Beltz
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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Spielberg JM, Miller GA, Warren SL, Engels AS, Crocker LD, Banich MT, Sutton BP, Heller W. A brain network instantiating approach and avoidance motivation. Psychophysiology 2012; 49:1200-14. [PMID: 22845892 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01443.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2011] [Accepted: 06/13/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Research indicates that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is important for pursuing goals, and areas of DLPFC are differentially involved in approach and avoidance motivation. Given the complexity of the processes involved in goal pursuit, DLPFC is likely part of a network that includes orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), cingulate, amygdala, and basal ganglia. This hypothesis was tested with regard to one component of goal pursuit, the maintenance of goals in the face of distraction. Examination of connectivity with motivation-related areas of DLPFC supported the network hypothesis. Differential patterns of connectivity suggest a distinct role for DLPFC areas, with one involved in selecting approach goals, one in selecting avoidance goals, and one in selecting goal pursuit strategies. Finally, differences in trait motivation moderated connectivity between DLPFC and OFC, suggesting that this connectivity is important for instantiating motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Spielberg
- Department of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
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Sadeh N, Spielberg JM, Heller W, Herrington JD, Engels AS, Warren SL, Crocker LD, Sutton BP, Miller GA. Emotion disrupts neural activity during selective attention in psychopathy. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2011; 8:235-46. [PMID: 22210673 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsr092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dimensions of psychopathy are theorized to be associated with distinct cognitive and emotional abnormalities that may represent unique neurobiological risk factors for the disorder. This hypothesis was investigated by examining whether the psychopathic personality dimensions of fearless-dominance and impulsive-antisociality moderated neural activity and behavioral responses associated with selective attention and emotional processing during an emotion-word Stroop task in 49 adults. As predicted, the dimensions evidenced divergent selective-attention deficits and sensitivity to emotional distraction. Fearless-dominance was associated with disrupted attentional control to positive words, and activation in right superior frontal gyrus mediated the relationship between fearless-dominance and errors to positive words. In contrast, impulsive-antisociality evidenced increased behavioral interference to both positive and negative words and correlated positively with recruitment of regions associated with motivational salience (amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, insula), emotion regulation (temporal cortex, superior frontal gyrus) and attentional control (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex). Individuals high on both dimensions had increased recruitment of regions related to attentional control (temporal cortex, rostral anterior cingulate cortex), response preparation (pre-/post-central gyri) and motivational value (orbitofrontal cortex) in response to negative words. These findings provide evidence that the psychopathy dimensions represent dual sets of risk factors characterized by divergent dysfunction in cognitive and affective processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Sadeh
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 East Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61801, USA.
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Silton RL, Heller W, Engels AS, Towers DN, Spielberg JM, Edgar JC, Sass SM, Stewart JL, Sutton BP, Banich MT, Miller GA. Depression and anxious apprehension distinguish frontocingulate cortical activity during top-down attentional control. J Abnorm Psychol 2011; 120:272-85. [PMID: 21553941 DOI: 10.1037/a0023204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A network consisting of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) has been implicated in top-down attentional control. Few studies have systematically investigated how this network is altered in psychopathology, despite evidence that depression and anxiety are associated with attentional control impairments. Functional MRI and dense-array event-related brain potential (ERP) data were collected in separate sessions from 100 participants during a color-word Stroop task. Functional MRI results guided ERP source modeling to characterize the time course of activity in LDLPFC (300-440 ms) and dACC (520-680 ms). At low levels of depression, LDLPFC activity was indirectly related to Stroop interference and only via dACC activity. In contrast, at high levels of depression, dACC did not play an intervening role, and increased LDLPFC activity was directly related to decreased Stroop interference. Specific to high levels of anxious apprehension, higher dACC activity was related to more Stroop interference. Results indicate that depression and anxious apprehension modulate temporally and functionally distinct aspects of the frontocingulate network involved in top-down attention control.
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Warren SL, Bost KK, Roisman GI, Silton RL, Spielberg JM, Engels AS, Choi E, Sutton BP, Miller GA, Heller W. Effects of adult attachment and emotional distractors on brain mechanisms of cognitive control. Psychol Sci 2010; 21:1818-26. [PMID: 21098213 DOI: 10.1177/0956797610388809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Using data from 34 participants who completed an emotion-word Stroop task during functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the effects of adult attachment on neural activity associated with top-down cognitive control in the presence of emotional distractors. Individuals with lower levels of secure-base-script knowledge--reflected in an adult's inability to generate narratives in which attachment-related threats are recognized, competent help is provided, and the problem is resolved--demonstrated more activity in prefrontal cortical regions associated with emotion regulation (e.g., right orbitofrontal cortex) and with top-down cognitive control (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and superior frontal gyrus). Less efficient performance and related increases in brain activity suggest that insecure attachment involves a vulnerability to distraction by attachment-relevant emotional information and that greater cognitive control is required to attend to task-relevant, nonemotional information. These results contribute to the understanding of mechanisms through which attachment-related experiences may influence developmental adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacie L Warren
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E Daniel St, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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8
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Spielberg JM, Miller GA, Engels AS, Herrington JD, Sutton BP, Banich MT, Heller W. Trait approach and avoidance motivation: lateralized neural activity associated with executive function. Neuroimage 2010; 54:661-70. [PMID: 20728552 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2010] [Revised: 07/14/2010] [Accepted: 08/12/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Motivation and executive function are both necessary for the completion of goal-directed behavior. Research investigating the manner in which these processes interact is beginning to emerge and has implicated middle frontal gyrus (MFG) as a site of interaction for relevant neural mechanisms. However, this research has focused on state motivation, and it has not examined functional lateralization. The present study examined the impact of trait levels of approach and avoidance motivation on neural processes associated with executive function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted while participants performed a color-word Stroop task. Analyses identified brain regions in which trait approach and avoidance motivation (measured by questionnaires) moderated activation associated with executive control. Approach was hypothesized to be associated with left-lateralized MFG activation, whereas avoidance was hypothesized to be associated with right-lateralized MFG activation. Results supported both hypotheses. Present findings implicate areas of middle frontal gyrus in top-down control to guide behavior in accordance with motivational goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Spielberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
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9
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Abstract
Although numerous EEG studies have shown that depression is associated with abnormal functional asymmetries in frontal cortex, fMRI and PET studies have largely failed to identify specific brain areas showing this effect. The present study tested the hypothesis that emotion processes are related to asymmetric patterns of fMRI activity, particularly within dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Eleven depressed and 18 control participants identified the color in which pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant words were printed. Both groups showed a leftward lateralization for pleasant words in DLPFC. In a neighboring DLPFC area, the depression group showed more right-lateralized activation than controls, replicating EEG findings. These data confirm that emotional stimulus processing and trait depression are associated with asymmetric brain functions in distinct subregions of the DLPFC that may go undetected unless appropriate analytic procedures are used.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Herrington
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, USA.
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10
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Silton RL, Heller W, Towers DN, Engels AS, Spielberg JM, Edgar JC, Sass SM, Stewart JL, Sutton BP, Banich MT, Miller GA. The time course of activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex during top-down attentional control. Neuroimage 2009; 50:1292-302. [PMID: 20035885 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.12.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2009] [Revised: 11/25/2009] [Accepted: 12/15/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A network of brain regions has been implicated in top-down attentional control, including left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The present experiment evaluated predictions of the cascade-of-control model (Banich, 2009), which predicts that during attentionally-demanding tasks, LDLPFC imposes a top-down attentional set which precedes late-stage selection performed by dACC. Furthermore, the cascade-of-control model argues that dACC must increase its activity to compensate when top-down control by LDLPFC is poor. The present study tested these hypotheses using fMRI and dense-array ERP data collected from the same 80 participants in separate sessions. fMRI results guided ERP source modeling to characterize the time course of activity in LDLPFC and dACC. As predicted, dACC activity subsequent to LDLPFC activity distinguished congruent and incongruent conditions on the Stroop task. Furthermore, when LDLPFC activity was low, the level of dACC activity was related to performance outcome. These results demonstrate that dACC responds to attentional demand in a flexible manner that is dependent on the level of LDLPFC activity earlier in a trial. Overall, results were consistent with the temporal course of regional brain function proposed by the cascade-of-control model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Levin Silton
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA
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11
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Engels AS, Heller W, Mohanty A, Herrington JD, Banich MT, Webb AG, Miller GA. Specificity of regional brain activity in anxiety types during emotion processing. Psychophysiology 2007; 44:352-63. [PMID: 17433094 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00518.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The present study tested the hypothesis that anxious apprehension involves more left- than right-hemisphere activity and that anxious arousal is associated with the opposite pattern. Behavioral and fMRI responses to threat stimuli in an emotional Stroop task were examined in nonpatient groups reporting anxious apprehension, anxious arousal, or neither. Reaction times were longer for negative than for neutral words. As predicted, brain activation distinguished anxious groups in a left inferior frontal region associated with speech production and in a right-hemisphere inferior temporal area. Addressing a second hypothesis about left-frontal involvement in emotion, distinct left frontal regions were associated with anxious apprehension versus processing of positive information. Results support the proposed distinction between the two types of anxiety and resolve an inconsistency about the role of left-frontal activation in emotion and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S Engels
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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Mohanty A, Engels AS, Herrington JD, Heller W, Ho MHR, Banich MT, Webb AG, Warren SL, Miller GA. Differential engagement of anterior cingulate cortex subdivisions for cognitive and emotional function. Psychophysiology 2007; 44:343-51. [PMID: 17433093 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00515.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Functional differentiation of dorsal (dACC) and rostral (rACC) anterior cingulate cortex for cognitive and emotional function has received considerable indirect support. Using fMRI, parallel tasks, and within-subject analysis, the present study directly tested the proposed specialization of ACC subdivisions. A Task x Region interaction confirmed more dACC activation during color-word distractors and more rACC activation during emotion-word distractors. Activity in ACC subdivisions differentially predicted behavioral performance. Connectivity with prefrontal and limbic regions also supported distinct dACC and rACC roles. Findings provide direct evidence for differential engagement of ACC subdivisions in cognitive and emotional processing and for differential functional connectivity in the implementation of cognitive control and emotion regulation. Results point to an anatomical and functional continuum rather than segregated operations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aprajita Mohanty
- Institute for Neuroscience and Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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