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Pais ML, Martins J, Castelo-Branco M, Gonçalves J. Sex Differences in Tryptophan Metabolism: A Systematic Review Focused on Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24066010. [PMID: 36983084 PMCID: PMC10057939 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24066010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Tryptophan (Tryp) is an essential amino acid and the precursor of several neuroactive compounds within the central nervous system (CNS). Tryp metabolism, the common denominator linking serotonin (5-HT) dysfunctions and neuroinflammation, is involved in several neuropsychiatric conditions, including neurological, neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric diseases. Interestingly, most of those conditions occur and progress in a sex-specific manner. Here, we explore the most relevant observations about the influence of biological sex on Tryp metabolism and its possible relation to neuropsychiatric diseases. Consistent evidence suggests that women have a higher susceptibility than men to suffer serotoninergic alterations due to changes in the levels of its precursor Tryp. Indeed, female sex bias in neuropsychiatric diseases is involved in a reduced availability of this amino acid pool and 5-HT synthesis. These changes in Tryp metabolism could lead to sexual dimorphism on the prevalence and severity of some neuropsychiatric disorders. This review identifies gaps in the current state of the art, thus suggesting future research directions. Specifically, there is a need for further research on the impact of diet and sex steroids, both involved in this molecular mechanism as they have been poorly addressed for this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Lapo Pais
- Doctoral Program in Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João Martins
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel Castelo-Branco
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana Gonçalves
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
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2
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Molins F, Sahin F, Serrano MÁ. The Genetics of Risk Aversion: A Systematic Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14307. [PMID: 36361187 PMCID: PMC9657847 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Risk and loss aversion are phenomena with an important influence on decision-making, especially in economic contexts. At present, it remains unclear whether both are related, as well as whether they could have an emotional origin. The objective of this review, following the PRISMA statements, is to find consistencies in the genetic bases of risk and loss aversion with the aim of understanding their nature and shedding light on the above issues. A total of 23 empirical research met the inclusion criteria and were included from PubMed and ScienceDirect. All of them reported genetic measures from human samples and studied risk and loss aversion within an economic framework. The results for risk aversion, although with many limitations, attributed mainly to their heterogeneity and the lack of control in the studies, point to the implication of multiple polymorphisms related to the regulation of the serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways. In general, studies found the highest levels of risk aversion were associated with alleles that are linked to lower (higher) sensitivity or levels of dopamine (serotonin). For loss aversion, the scarcity of results prevents us from drawing clear conclusions, although the limited evidence seems to point in the same direction as for risk aversion. Therefore, it seems that risk aversion could have a stable genetical base which, in turn, is closely linked to emotions, but more research is needed to answer whether this phenomenon is related to loss aversion, as well as if the latter could also have an emotional origin. We also provide recommendations for future studies on genetics and economic behavior.
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Emotional context effect on recognition of varying facial emotion expression intensities in depression. J Affect Disord 2022; 308:141-146. [PMID: 35429533 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has indicated that Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients have deficits in the process of facial emotion recognition. In most of these studies, isolated emotional faces were used, and the effect of the surrounding context of the face was neglected. We aimed to investigate how context emotion (sad or happy) affects facial emotion recognition and whether this effect is different in depressive individuals compared to the control group. METHODS Happy, sad, neutral facial expressions with congruent and incongruent visual contexts were presented to 51 MDD patients and 42 matched healthy controls. Emotional facial expressions are presented as morphs gradually expressing happiness or sadness with 40% and 80% intensity levels. Mean reaction time, mean accuracy rate, and mean emotion intensity rating score was calculated for each condition. RESULTS The performances on facial emotion intensity rating and accuracy rate were similar between MDD patients and controls. MDD patients were slower to recognize all facial emotions and to recognize facial emotions with emotionally incongruent backgrounds compared to congruent ones. LIMITATIONS Antidepressant therapy of patients might have affected our results. CONCLUSIONS Emotional contextual features have an important role in facial emotion recognition but this effect is independent of depression. Longer reaction time in depression may be related to some cognitive impairments.
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Wong NM, Dipasquale O, Turkheimer F, Findon JL, Wichers RH, Dimitrov M, Murphy CM, Stoencheva V, Robertson DM, Murphy DG, Daly E, McAlonan GM. Differences in social brain function in autism spectrum disorder are linked to the serotonin transporter: A randomised placebo-controlled single-dose crossover trial. J Psychopharmacol 2022; 36:723-731. [PMID: 35491679 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221092509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alterations in the serotonergic control of brain pathways responsible for facial emotion processing in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be a target for intervention. However, the molecular underpinnings of autistic-neurotypical serotonergic differences are challenging to access in vivo. Receptor-Enriched Analysis of functional Connectivity by Targets (REACT) has helped define molecular-enriched functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain networks based on a priori information about the spatial distribution of neurochemical systems from available PET templates. METHODS We used REACT to estimate the dominant fMRI signal related to the serotonin (5-HT) transporter (SERT) distribution during processing of aversive facial emotion in adults with and without ASD. We first predicted a group difference in baseline (placebo) functioning of this system. We next used a single 20 mg oral dose of citalopram, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, to test the hypothesis that network activity in people with and without ASD would respond differently to inhibition of SERT. To confirm the specificity of our findings, we also repeated the analysis with 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A and 5-HT4 receptor maps. RESULTS Using REACT with the SERT map, we found a baseline group difference in the SERT-enriched response to faces in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. A single oral dose of citalopram 'shifted' the response in the ASD group towards the neurotypical baseline but did not alter response in the control group. Similar differences in SERT-enriched response were observed after controlling for other 5-HT maps. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the SERT-enriched functional network is dynamically different in ASD during processing of socially relevant stimuli. Whether this acute neurobiological response to citalopram in ASD translates to a clinical target will be an important next step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichol Ml Wong
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK.,Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Ottavia Dipasquale
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - James L Findon
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Robert H Wichers
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Behavioural Genetics Clinic, Adult Autism and ADHD Service, Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Mihail Dimitrov
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Clodagh M Murphy
- Behavioural Genetics Clinic, Adult Autism and ADHD Service, Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Vladimira Stoencheva
- Behavioural Genetics Clinic, Adult Autism and ADHD Service, Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Dene M Robertson
- Behavioural Genetics Clinic, Adult Autism and ADHD Service, Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Declan G Murphy
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK.,MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Eileen Daly
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Grainne M McAlonan
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK.,MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
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5
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Zamoscik V, Schmidt SNL, Bravo R, Ugartemendia L, Plieger T, Rodríguez AB, Reuter M, Kirsch P. Tryptophan-enriched diet or 5-hydroxytryptophan supplementation given in a randomized controlled trial impacts social cognition on a neural and behavioral level. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21637. [PMID: 34737364 PMCID: PMC8568973 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01164-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding of emotions and intentions are key processes in social cognition at which serotonin is an important neuromodulator. Its precursor is the essential amino acid tryptophan (TRP). Reduced TRP availability leads to weaker impulse control ability and higher aggression, while TRP supplementation promotes confidence. In a double-blind placebo-controlled fMRI study with 77 healthy adults, we investigated the influence of a 4 week TRP enriched diet and an acute 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) intake on two social-cognitive tasks, a moral evaluation and an emotion recognition task. With 5-HTP, immoral behavior without negative consequences was rated as more reprehensible. Additionally, during story reading, activation in insula and supramarginal gyrus was increased after TRP intake. No significant effects of TRP on emotion recognition were identified for the whole sample. Importantly, emotion recognition ability decreased with age which was for positive emotions compensated by TRP. Since the supramarginal gyrus is associated with empathy, pain and related information integration results could be interpreted as reflecting stricter evaluation of negative behavior due to better integration of information. Improved recognition of positive emotions with TRP in older participants supports the use of a TRP-rich diet to compensate for age related decline in social-cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Zamoscik
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J 5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany. .,Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - S N L Schmidt
- Research Group of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - R Bravo
- Chrononutrition Laboratory, Neuroimmunephysiology and Chrononutrition Research Group, Faculty of Science, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
| | - L Ugartemendia
- Chrononutrition Laboratory, Neuroimmunephysiology and Chrononutrition Research Group, Faculty of Science, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
| | - T Plieger
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - A B Rodríguez
- Chrononutrition Laboratory, Neuroimmunephysiology and Chrononutrition Research Group, Faculty of Science, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
| | - M Reuter
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - P Kirsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J 5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
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Overman MJ, Browning M, O'Shea J. Inducing Affective Learning Biases with Cognitive Training and Prefrontal tDCS: A Proof-of-Concept Study. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2021; 45:869-884. [PMID: 34720259 PMCID: PMC8550254 DOI: 10.1007/s10608-020-10146-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Background Cognitive models of mood disorders emphasize a causal role of negative affective biases in depression. Computational work suggests that these biases may stem from a belief that negative events have a higher information content than positive events, resulting in preferential processing of and learning from negative outcomes. Learning biases therefore represent a promising target for therapeutic interventions. In this proof-of-concept study in healthy volunteers, we assessed the malleability of biased reinforcement learning using a novel cognitive training paradigm and concurrent transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Methods In two studies, young healthy adults completed two sessions of negative (n = 20) or positive (n = 20) training designed to selectively increase learning from loss or win outcomes, respectively. During training active or sham tDCS was applied bilaterally to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Analyses tested for changes both in learning rates and win- and loss-driven behaviour. Potential positive/negative emotional transfer of win/loss learning was assessed by a facial emotion recognition task and mood questionnaires. Results Negative and positive training increased learning rates for losses and wins, respectively. With negative training, there was also a trend for win (but not loss) learning rates to decrease over successive task blocks. After negative training, there was evidence for near transfer in the form of an increase in loss-driven choices when participants performed a similar (untrained) task. There was no change in far transfer measures of emotional face processing or mood. tDCS had no effect on any aspect of behaviour. Discussion and Conclusions Negative training induced a mild negative bias in healthy adults as reflected in loss-driven choice behaviour. Prefrontal tDCS had no effect. Further research is needed to assess if this training procedure can be adapted to enhance learning from positive outcomes and whether effects translate to affective disorders. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s10608-020-10146-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margot Juliëtte Overman
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU England
| | - Michael Browning
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX England.,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford, OX3 7JX England
| | - Jacinta O'Shea
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU England.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX England.,Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (OHBA), Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX England
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7
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Pasquereau B, Drui G, Saga Y, Richard A, Millot M, Météreau E, Sgambato V, Tobler PN, Tremblay L. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment retunes emotional valence in primate ventral striatum. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2073-2082. [PMID: 33692476 PMCID: PMC8505611 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-00991-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely used to treat psychiatric disorders with affective biases such as depression and anxiety. How SSRIs exert a beneficial action on emotions associated with life events is still unknown. Here we ask whether and how the effectiveness of the SSRI fluoxetine is underpinned by neural mechanisms in the ventral striatum. To address these issues, we studied the spiking activity of neurons in the ventral striatum of monkeys during an approach-avoidance task in which the valence assigned to sensory stimuli was manipulated. Neural responses to positive and negative events were measured before and during a 4-week treatment with fluoxetine. We conducted PET scans to confirm that fluoxetine binds within the ventral striatum at a therapeutic dose. In our monkeys, fluoxetine facilitated approach of rewards and avoidance of punishments. These beneficial effects were associated with changes in tonic and phasic activities of striatal neurons. Fluoxetine increased the spontaneous firing rate of striatal neurons and amplified the number of cells responding to rewards versus punishments, reflecting a drug-induced positive shift in the processing of emotionally valenced information. These findings reveal how SSRI treatment affects ventral striatum neurons encoding positive and negative valence and striatal signaling of emotional information. In addition to a key role in appetitive processing, our results shed light on the involvement of the ventral striatum in aversive processing. Together, the ventral striatum appears to play a central role in the action of SSRIs on emotion processing biases commonly observed in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Pasquereau
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron Cedex, France. .,Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Guillaume Drui
- grid.465537.6Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron Cedex, France ,grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Yosuke Saga
- grid.465537.6Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron Cedex, France ,grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Augustin Richard
- grid.465537.6Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron Cedex, France ,grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Mathilde Millot
- grid.465537.6Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron Cedex, France ,grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Elise Météreau
- grid.465537.6Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron Cedex, France ,grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Véronique Sgambato
- grid.465537.6Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron Cedex, France ,grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Philippe N. Tobler
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Léon Tremblay
- grid.465537.6Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron Cedex, France ,grid.7849.20000 0001 2150 7757Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
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8
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Blomberg M, Schlegel K, Stoll L, Febry H, Wünsch-Leiteritz W, Leiteritz A, Brockmeyer T. Reduced emotion recognition from nonverbal cues in anorexia nervosa. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2021; 29:868-878. [PMID: 34431168 DOI: 10.1002/erv.2860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Recent models of anorexia nervosa (AN) emphasise the role of reduced emotion recognition ability (ERA) in the development and maintenance of the disorder. However, methodological limitations impede conclusions from prior research. The current study tries to overcome these limitations by examining ERA with an audio-visual measure that focuses strictly on multimodal nonverbal cues and allows to differentiate between ERA for different emotion categories. METHOD Forty women with AN and 40 healthy women completed the Geneva Emotion Recognition Test. This test includes 83 video clips in which 10 actors express 14 different emotions while saying a pseudo-linguistic sentence without semantic meaning. All clips contain multimodal nonverbal cues (i.e., prosody, facial expression, gestures, and posture). RESULTS Patients with AN showed poorer ERA than the healthy control group (d = 0.71), particularly regarding emotions of negative valence (d = 0.26). Furthermore, a lower body weight (r = 0.41) and longer illness duration (ρ = -0.32) were associated with poorer ERA in the AN group. CONCLUSIONS Using an ecologically valid instrument, the findings of the study support illness models emphasising poor ERA in AN. Directly addressing ERA in the treatment of AN with targeted interventions may be promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Blomberg
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Katja Schlegel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Linda Stoll
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Hagen Febry
- Klinik Lueneburger Heide, Bad Bevensen, Germany
| | | | | | - Timo Brockmeyer
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
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9
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Boscoe A, Stanbury R, Harrison A. Social-emotional functioning in young people with symptoms of eating disorders: A gender inclusive analogue study. Brain Behav 2021; 11:e02017. [PMID: 33423399 PMCID: PMC7994675 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Contemporary models of eating disorders (EDs) suggest that EDs are maintained by social-emotional difficulties. However, supporting evidence is derived largely from female, clinic-based samples. This study, which refrained from gender specific inclusion criteria, aimed to improve understanding of social-emotional functioning in a large community-based analogue sample of young adults aged 16-26. METHODS Five hundred and forty-four participants (85.1% female; mean age 21, SD = 4.3) completed the Eating Attitudes Test, Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Social Phobia Inventory, Revised Social Anhedonia Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task. RESULTS One hundred and sixty-four participants scored over the EAT-26 clinical cutoff, and a two-way multivariate analysis of covariance found a medium-sized, statistically significant main effect of group on social-emotional functioning (F(5, 530) = 6.204, p ≤ .001, Wilks' Λ = 0.945, d = 0.48.), suggesting that individuals with significant ED symptoms found it more challenging to notice, label, and regulate emotions in themselves and recognize emotions in others. Gender did not significantly impact social-emotional functioning (F(10, 1,060) = 0.556, p = .850, Wilks' Λ = 0.990), and there was no significant group by gender interaction (F(10, 1,060) = 0.688, p = .737, Wilks' Λ = 0.987). CONCLUSION These data suggest that the social-emotional difficulties, particularly with emotion recognition and regulation, present in clinical samples are also evident in young people of all genders with significant disordered eating. Future work could aim to recruit an even more gender-diverse community sample to further elucidate social-emotional functioning in individuals in the community with significant disordered eating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Boscoe
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Stanbury
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
| | - Amy Harrison
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
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10
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Kanen JW, Arntz FE, Yellowlees R, Christmas DM, Price A, Apergis-Schoute AM, Sahakian BJ, Cardinal RN, Robbins TW. Effect of Tryptophan Depletion on Conditioned Threat Memory Expression: Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 6:590-598. [PMID: 33631385 PMCID: PMC8099731 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Background Responding emotionally to danger is critical for survival. Normal functioning also requires flexible alteration of emotional responses when a threat becomes safe. Aberrant threat and safety learning occur in many psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia, in which emotional responses can persist pathologically. While there is evidence that threat and safety learning can be modulated by the serotonin systems, there have been few studies in humans. We addressed a critical clinically relevant question: How does lowering serotonin affect memory retention of conditioned threat and safety memory? Methods Forty-seven healthy participants underwent conditioning to two stimuli predictive of threat on day 1. One stimulus but not the other was subsequently presented in an extinction session. Emotional responding was assessed by the skin conductance response. On day 2, we employed acute dietary tryptophan depletion to lower serotonin temporarily, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized between-groups design. We then tested for the retention of conditioned threat and extinction memory. We also measured self-reported intolerance of uncertainty, known to modulate threat memory expression. Results The expression of emotional memory was attenuated in participants who had undergone tryptophan depletion. Individuals who were more intolerant of uncertainty showed even greater attenuation of emotion following depletion. Conclusions These results support the view that serotonin is involved in predicting aversive outcomes and refine our understanding of the role of serotonin in the persistence of emotional responsivity, with implications for individual differences in vulnerability to psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan W Kanen
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Frederique E Arntz
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Robyn Yellowlees
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David M Christmas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Annabel Price
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Annemieke M Apergis-Schoute
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Rudolf N Cardinal
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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11
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Serotonin differentially modulates the temporal dynamics of the limbic response to facial emotions in male adults with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a randomised placebo-controlled single-dose crossover trial. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:2248-2256. [PMID: 32388538 PMCID: PMC7784897 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0693-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Emotion processing-including signals from facial expressions-is often altered in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The biological basis of this is poorly understood but may include neurochemically mediated differences in the responsivity of key 'limbic' regions (including amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc)). Emerging evidence also suggests that ASD may be a disorder of brain temporal dynamics. Moreover, serotonin (5-HT) has been shown to be a key regulator of both facial-emotion processing and brain dynamics, and 5-HT abnormalities have been consistently implicated in ASD. To date, however, no one has examined how 5-HT influences the dynamics of facial-emotion processing in ASD. Therefore, we compared the influence of 5-HT on the responsivity of brain dynamics during facial-emotion processing in individuals with and without ASD. Participants completed a facial-emotion processing fMRI task at least 8 days apart using a randomised double-blind crossover design. At each visit they received either a single 20-mg oral dose of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram or placebo. We found that citalopram (which increases levels of 5-HT) caused sustained activation in key limbic regions during processing of negative facial emotions in adults with ASD-but not in neurotypical adults. The neurotypical adults' limbic response reverted more rapidly to baseline following a 5-HT-challenge. Our results suggest that serotonergic homoeostatic control of the temporal dynamics in limbic regions is altered in adults with ASD, and provide a fresh perspective on the biology of ASD.
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12
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Psychological mechanisms and functions of 5-HT and SSRIs in potential therapeutic change: Lessons from the serotonergic modulation of action selection, learning, affect, and social cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:138-167. [PMID: 32931805 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Uncertainty regarding which psychological mechanisms are fundamental in mediating SSRI treatment outcomes and wide-ranging variability in their efficacy has raised more questions than it has solved. Since subjective mood states are an abstract scientific construct, only available through self-report in humans, and likely involving input from multiple top-down and bottom-up signals, it has been difficult to model at what level SSRIs interact with this process. Converging translational evidence indicates a role for serotonin in modulating context-dependent parameters of action selection, affect, and social cognition; and concurrently supporting learning mechanisms, which promote adaptability and behavioural flexibility. We examine the theoretical basis, ecological validity, and interaction of these constructs and how they may or may not exert a clinical benefit. Specifically, we bridge crucial gaps between disparate lines of research, particularly findings from animal models and human clinical trials, which often seem to present irreconcilable differences. In determining how SSRIs exert their effects, our approach examines the endogenous functions of 5-HT neurons, how 5-HT manipulations affect behaviour in different contexts, and how their therapeutic effects may be exerted in humans - which may illuminate issues of translational models, hierarchical mechanisms, idiographic variables, and social cognition.
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13
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Du Y, Gao XR, Peng L, Ge JF. Crosstalk between the microbiota-gut-brain axis and depression. Heliyon 2020; 6:e04097. [PMID: 32529075 PMCID: PMC7276434 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Nutritional and microbiological psychiatry, especially the contribution of the gut microbiota to depression, has become a promising research field over the past several decades. An imbalance in the "microbiota-gut-brain axis", which reflects the constant bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract, has been used as a hypothesis to interpret the pathogenesis of depression. Alterations in gut microbiota composition could increase the permeability of the gut barrier, activate systemic inflammation and immune responses, regulate the release and efficacy of monoamine neurotransmitters, alter the activity and function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and modify the abundance of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), eventually leading to depression. In this article, we review changes in gut microbiota in depressive states, the association between these changes and depression-like behavior, the potential mechanism linking gut microbiota disruptions and depression, and preliminary attempts at using gut microbiota intervention for the treatment of depression. In summary, although the link between gut microbiota and depression and the potential mechanism have been discussed, a more detailed mechanistic understanding is needed to fully realize the importance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in depression. Future efforts should aim to determine the potential causative mechanisms, which will require further animal and clinical research as well as the development of analytical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Du
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xin-Ran Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, Hefei, China.,The Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Lei Peng
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, Hefei, China.,The Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Jin-Fang Ge
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Institute of Innovative Drugs, Hefei, China.,The Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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14
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Weinberg-Wolf H, Chang SWC. Differences in how macaques monitor others: Does serotonin play a central role? WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2019; 10:e1494. [PMID: 30775852 PMCID: PMC6570566 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Primates must balance the need to monitor other conspecifics to gain social information while not losing other resource opportunities. We consolidate evidence across the fields of primatology, psychology, and neuroscience to examine individual, population, and species differences in how primates, particularly macaques, monitor conspecifics. We particularly consider the role of serotonin in mediating social competency via social attention, aggression, and dominance behaviors. Finally, we consider how the evolution of variation in social tolerance, aggression, and social monitoring might be explained by differences in serotonergic function in macaques. This article is categorized under: Economics > Interactive Decision-Making Psychology > Comparative Psychology Neuroscience > Behavior Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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15
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Brockmeyer T, Pellegrino J, Maier C, Münch HM, Harmer CJ, Walther S, Herzog W, Friederich HC. Blunted emotion-modulated startle reflex in anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 2019; 52:270-277. [PMID: 30653688 DOI: 10.1002/eat.23022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) often show difficulties in the perception, expression, and regulation of emotions and a strong avoidance of aversive feelings. According to psychobiological models, dietary restraint and accompanying weight loss may serve as a maladaptive mechanism of emotion regulation by attenuating aversive emotional states in AN, thereby contributing to the maintenance of the disorder. METHOD Twenty-seven women with AN and 26 age-matched healthy women were shown short film-clips to elicit fear, sadness, amusement, and neutral emotional states. Eyeblink startle response was measured by electromyography in reaction to startle-eliciting acoustic stimuli presented 12 times binaurally during each film-clip. RESULTS As compared to healthy controls, patients with AN showed a blunted startle response to the fear- but not to the sadness-eliciting stimulus. DISCUSSION The findings support the assumption that underweight is associated with attenuated emotional reactivity to fear-eliciting material in AN. This is in line with the hypothesis that starvation and low body weight constitute a maladaptive mechanism of emotion regulation in AN, contributing to the maintenance of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Brockmeyer
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Judith Pellegrino
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Maier
- Faculty of Informatics, Heilbronn University, Heilbronn, Germany
| | - Hannah M Münch
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Catherine J Harmer
- University Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Stephan Walther
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Herzog
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hans-Christoph Friederich
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
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16
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Hornboll B, Macoveanu J, Nejad A, Rowe J, Elliott R, Knudsen GM, Siebner HR, Paulson OB. Neuroticism predicts the impact of serotonin challenges on fear processing in subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17889. [PMID: 30559408 PMCID: PMC6297157 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36350-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The personality trait neuroticism is associated with increased vulnerability to anxiety and mood disorders, conditions linked with abnormal serotonin neurotransmission and emotional processing. The interaction between neuroticism and serotonin during emotional processing is however not understood. Here we investigate how individual neuroticism scores influence the neural response to negative emotional faces and their sensitivity to serotonergic tone. Twenty healthy participants performed an emotional face task under functional MRI on three occasions: increased serotonin tone following infusion of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), decreased serotonin tone following acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) protocol, and no serotonin challenge (control). During the task, participants performed a gender-discrimination task of neutral, fearful or angry facial expressions. Individual variations in neuroticism scores were associated with neural response of subgenual anterior cingulate cortex to fearful facial expressions. The association was however opposite under the two serotoninergic challenges. The fear-related response in this region and individual neuroticism scores correlated negatively during citalopram challenge and positively during ATD. Thus, neuroticism scores were associated with the relative impact of serotonin challenges on fear processing in subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. This finding may link to a neural mechanism for the variable therapeutic effect of SSRI treatment observed in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Hornboll
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark.,University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Science and Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Julian Macoveanu
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ayna Nejad
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Capital Region Psychiatry, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - James Rowe
- Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Science and Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rebecca Elliott
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Gitte M Knudsen
- Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark.,Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Science and Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hartwig R Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark.,University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Science and Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Olaf B Paulson
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark. .,Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Science and Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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17
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Dissociable effects of acute SSRI (escitalopram) on executive, learning and emotional functions in healthy humans. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:2645-2651. [PMID: 30305705 PMCID: PMC6224451 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0229-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Serotonin is implicated in multiple executive functions including goal-directed learning, cognitive flexibility, response inhibition and emotional regulation. These functions are impaired in several psychiatric disorders, such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We tested the cognitive effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram, using an acute and clinically relevant dose (20 mg), in 66 healthy male and female volunteers in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants performed a cognitive test battery including a probabilistic and reversal learning task, the CANTAB intra-dimensional/extra-dimensional shift test of cognitive flexibility, a response inhibition task with interleaved stop-signal and No-Go trials and tasks measuring emotional processing. We showed that acute escitalopram administration impaired learning and cognitive flexibility, but improved the ability to inhibit responses in stop-signal trials while leaving unaffected acute emotional processing. Our findings suggest a dissociation of effects of acute escitalopram on cognitive functions, possibly mediated by differential modulation of brain serotonin levels in distinct functional neural circuits.
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18
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Lago TR, Hsiung A, Leitner BP, Duckworth CJ, Balderston NL, Chen KY, Grillon C, Ernst M. Exercise modulates the interaction between cognition and anxiety in humans. Cogn Emot 2018; 33:863-870. [PMID: 30032703 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2018.1500445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Despite interest in exercise as a treatment for anxiety disorders the mechanism behind the anxiolytic effects of exercise is unclear. Two observations motivate the present work. First, engagement of attention control during increased working memory (WM) load can decrease anxiety. Second, exercise can improve attention control. Therefore, exercise could boost the anxiolytic effects of increased WM load via its strengthening of attention control. Anxiety was induced by threat of shock and was quantified with anxiety-potentiated startle (APS). Thirty-five healthy volunteers (19 male, age M = 26.11, SD = 5.52) participated in two types of activity, exercise (biking at 60-70% of heart rate reserve) and control-activity (biking at 10-20% of heart rate reserve). After each activity, participants completed a WM task (n-back) at low- and high-load during safe and threat. Results were not consistent with the hypothesis: exercise vs. control-activity increased APS in high-load (p = .03). However, this increased APS was not accompanied with threat-induced impairment in WM performance (p = .37). Facilitation of both task-relevant stimulus processing and task-irrelevant threat processing, concurrent with prevention of threat interference on cognition, suggests that exercise increases cognitive ability. Future studies should explore how exercise affects the interplay of cognition and anxiety in patients with anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany R Lago
- a Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety , National Institute of Mental Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Abigail Hsiung
- a Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety , National Institute of Mental Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Brooks P Leitner
- b Energy Metabolism Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch , National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Courtney J Duckworth
- b Energy Metabolism Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch , National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Nicholas L Balderston
- a Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety , National Institute of Mental Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Kong Y Chen
- b Energy Metabolism Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch , National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- a Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety , National Institute of Mental Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- a Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety , National Institute of Mental Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
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19
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Martin DM, Teng JZ, Lo TY, Alonzo A, Goh T, Iacoviello BM, Hoch MM, Loo CK. Clinical pilot study of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with Cognitive Emotional Training for medication resistant depression. J Affect Disord 2018; 232:89-95. [PMID: 29477590 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While the clinical results from transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for the treatment of depression have been promising, antidepressant effects in patients with medication resistance have been suboptimal. There is therefore a need to further optimise tDCS for medication resistant patients. In this clinical pilot study we examined the feasibility, safety, and clinical efficacy of combining tDCS with a psychological intervention which targets dysfunctional circuitry related to emotion regulation in depression, Cognitive Emotional Training (CET). METHODS tDCS was administered during CET three times a week for a total of 18 sessions over 6 weeks. Mood, cognition and emotion processing outcomes were examined at baseline and after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment. RESULTS Twenty patients with medication resistant depression participated, of whom 17 were study completers. tDCS combined with CET was found to be feasible, safe, and associated with significant antidepressant efficacy at 6 weeks, with 41% of study completers showing treatment response (≥ 50% improvement in depression score). There were no significant cognitive enhancing effects with the exception of improved emotion recognition. Responders demonstrated superior recognition for the emotions fear and surprise at pre-treatment compared to non-responders, suggesting that better pre-treatment emotion recognition may be associated with antidepressant efficacy. LIMITATIONS This was an open label study. CONCLUSIONS tDCS combined with CET has potential as a novel method for optimising the antidepressant efficacy of tDCS in medication resistant patients. Future controlled studies are required to determine whether tDCS combined with CET has greater antidepressant efficacy compared to either intervention alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Martin
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; The Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia.
| | - J Z Teng
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; The Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
| | - T Y Lo
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; The Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
| | - A Alonzo
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; The Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
| | - T Goh
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; The Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
| | - B M Iacoviello
- Click Therapeutics, Inc., New York, United States; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - M M Hoch
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - C K Loo
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; The Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia
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20
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Tryptophan supplementation and serotonin function: genetic variations in behavioural effects. Proc Nutr Soc 2018; 77:174-188. [DOI: 10.1017/s0029665117004451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The neurotransmitter serotonin has a role in affective disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as sleep, cognitive function and appetite. This review examines the evidence that serotonin-related genotypes may moderate the behavioural effects of supplementation with the serotonin precursor amino acidl-tryptophan (TRP), on which synthesis of serotonin (or 5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) depends. However, 95 % of serotonin is synthesised and used in the periphery, and TRP is also metabolised via non-5-HT routes such as the kynurenine pathway. Moreover, understanding of genotypes involved in regulation of serotonin raises questions over the generalisability of TRP effects on behaviour across individuals with varied serotonergic genotypes. To date, only differences between variants of the 5-HT transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) have been investigated in relation to behavioural effects of TRP supplementation. Effects of 5-HTTLPR genotypes are usually compared between the alleles that are either high (L/L′) or low (S/S′) expressing of mRNA for the 5-HT transporter receptor. Yet, another key genetic variable is sex: in women, the S/S′ genotype predicts sensitivity to improved mood and reduced cortisol by TRP supplementation, during stressful challenges, whereas the L/L′ genotype protects against stress-induced mood deterioration. In men, the L/L′ genotype may confer risk of stress-induced increases in negative affect; there are insufficient data to assess effects on male S/S′ genotypes. However, better-powered studies to detect sex by genotype by stress by TRP interactions, as well as consideration of more genotypes, are needed before strong conclusions and recommendations for behavioural effects of TRP treatment can be reached.
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21
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Cecilione JL, Rappaport LM, Verhulst B, Carney DM, Blair RJR, Brotman MA, Leibenluft E, Pine DS, Roberson-Nay R, Hettema JM. Test-retest reliability of the facial expression labeling task. Psychol Assess 2017; 29:1537-1542. [PMID: 28230406 PMCID: PMC5568997 DOI: 10.1037/pas0000439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Recognizing others' emotional expressions is vital for socioemotional development; impairments in this ability occur in several psychiatric disorders. Further study is needed to map the development of this ability and to evaluate its components as potential transdiagnostic endophenotypes. Before doing so, however, research is required to substantiate the test-retest reliability of scores of the face emotion identification tasks linked to developmental psychopathology. The current study estimated test-retest reliability of scores of one such task, the facial expression labeling task (FELT) among a sample of twin children (N = 157; ages 9-14). Participants completed the FELT at two visits two to five weeks apart. Participants discerned the emotion presented of faces depicting six emotions (i.e., happiness, anger, sadness, fear, surprise, and disgust) morphed with a neutral face to provide 10 levels of increasing emotional expressivity. The present study found strong test-retest reliability (Pearson r) of the FELT scores across all emotions. Results suggested that data from this task may be effectively analyzed using a latent growth curve model to estimate overall ability (i.e., intercept; r's = 0.76-0.85) and improvement as emotions become clearer (i.e., linear slope; r's = 0.69-0.83). Evidence of high test-retest reliability of this task's scores informs future developmental research and the potential identification of transdiagnostic endophenotypes for child psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Cecilione
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Lance M Rappaport
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Brad Verhulst
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Dever M Carney
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - R J R Blair
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Melissa A Brotman
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Roxann Roberson-Nay
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - John M Hettema
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University
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22
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Grillon C, O'Connell K, Lieberman L, Alvarez G, Geraci M, Pine DS, Ernst M. Distinct responses to predictable and unpredictable threat in anxiety pathologies: effect of panic attack. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2017; 2:575-581. [PMID: 29104945 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2016.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Background Delineating specific clinical phenotypes of anxiety disorders is a crucial step toward better classification and understanding of these conditions. The present study sought to identify differential aversive responses to predictable and unpredictable threat of shock in healthy comparisons and in non-medicated anxiety patients with and without a history of panic attacks (PAs). Method 143 adults (72 healthy controls; 71 patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or/and social anxiety disorder (SAD), 24 with and 47 without PAs) were exposed to three conditions: 1) predictable shocks signaled by a cue, 2) unpredictable shocks, and 3) no shock. Startle magnitude was used to assess aversive responses. Results Across disorders, a PA history was specifically associated with hypersensitivity to unpredictable threat. By disorder, SAD was associated with hypersensitivity to predictable threat, whereas GAD was associated with exaggerated baseline startle. Conclusions These results identified three physiological patterns. The first is hypersensitivity to unpredictable threat in individuals with PAs. The second is hypersensitivity to predictable threat, which characterizes SAD. The third is enhanced baseline startle in GAD, which may reflect propensity for self-generated anxious thoughts in the absence of imminent danger. These results inform current thinking by linking specific clinical features to particular physiology profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Daniel S Pine
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD
| | - Monique Ernst
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD
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The role of serotonin in personality inference: tryptophan depletion impairs the identification of neuroticism in the face. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:2139-2147. [PMID: 28488040 PMCID: PMC5486943 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4619-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Serotonergic mechanisms mediate the expression of personality traits (such as impulsivity, aggression and anxiety) that are linked to vulnerability to psychological illnesses, and modulate the identification of emotional expressions in the face as well as learning about broader classes of appetitive and aversive signals. Faces with neutral expressions signal a variety of socially relevant information, such that inferences about the big five personality traits, including Neuroticism, Extraversion and Agreeableness, can be accurately made on the basis of emotionally neutral facial photographs. Given the close link between Neuroticism and psychological distress, we investigated the effects of diminished central serotonin activity (achieved by tryptophan depletion) upon the accuracy of 52 healthy (non-clinical) adults' discriminations of personality from facial characteristics. All participants were able to discriminate reliably four of the big five traits. However, the tryptophan-depleted participants were specifically less accurate in discriminating Neuroticism than the matched non-depleted participants. These data suggest that central serotonin activity modulates the identification of not only negative facial emotional expression but also a broader class of signals about personality characteristics linked to psychological distress.
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Pera-Guardiola V, Contreras-Rodríguez O, Batalla I, Kosson D, Menchón JM, Pifarré J, Bosque J, Cardoner N, Soriano-Mas C. Brain Structural Correlates of Emotion Recognition in Psychopaths. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149807. [PMID: 27175777 PMCID: PMC4866737 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals with psychopathy present deficits in the recognition of facial emotional expressions. However, the nature and extent of these alterations are not fully understood. Furthermore, available data on the functional neural correlates of emotional face recognition deficits in adult psychopaths have provided mixed results. In this context, emotional face morphing tasks may be suitable for clarifying mild and emotion-specific impairments in psychopaths. Likewise, studies exploring corresponding anatomical correlates may be useful for disentangling available neurofunctional evidence based on the alleged neurodevelopmental roots of psychopathic traits. We used Voxel-Based Morphometry and a morphed emotional face expression recognition task to evaluate the relationship between regional gray matter (GM) volumes and facial emotion recognition deficits in male psychopaths. In comparison to male healthy controls, psychopaths showed deficits in the recognition of sad, happy and fear emotional expressions. In subsequent brain imaging analyses psychopaths with better recognition of facial emotional expressions showed higher volume in the prefrontal cortex (orbitofrontal, inferior frontal and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices), somatosensory cortex, anterior insula, cingulate cortex and the posterior lobe of the cerebellum. Amygdala and temporal lobe volumes contributed to better emotional face recognition in controls only. These findings provide evidence suggesting that variability in brain morphometry plays a role in accounting for psychopaths’ impaired ability to recognize emotional face expressions, and may have implications for comprehensively characterizing the empathy and social cognition dysfunctions typically observed in this population of subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Pera-Guardiola
- Child-Juvenile Mental Health Center of Sant Joan de Déu, Lleida, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute (IRB), Lleida, Spain
- Medicine Department, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Oren Contreras-Rodríguez
- Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iolanda Batalla
- Biomedical Research Institute (IRB), Lleida, Spain
- Medicine Department, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
- GSS, Hospital Santa Maria, Psychiatry Department, Lleida, Spain
| | - David Kosson
- Department of Psychology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, United States of America
| | - José M Menchón
- Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
- Department Clinical Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Pifarré
- Biomedical Research Institute (IRB), Lleida, Spain
- Medicine Department, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
- GSS, Hospital Santa Maria, Psychiatry Department, Lleida, Spain
| | - Javier Bosque
- Medical Department of Ponent Penitentiary Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Narcís Cardoner
- Depression and anxiety program, Department of Mental Health, Parc Tauli Sabadell, Hospital Universitari, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Carles Soriano-Mas
- Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma, Barcelona, Spain
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Bocchio M, McHugh SB, Bannerman DM, Sharp T, Capogna M. Serotonin, Amygdala and Fear: Assembling the Puzzle. Front Neural Circuits 2016; 10:24. [PMID: 27092057 PMCID: PMC4820447 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2016.00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The fear circuitry orchestrates defense mechanisms in response to environmental threats. This circuitry is evolutionarily crucial for survival, but its dysregulation is thought to play a major role in the pathophysiology of psychiatric conditions in humans. The amygdala is a key player in the processing of fear. This brain area is prominently modulated by the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT). The 5-HT input to the amygdala has drawn particular interest because genetic and pharmacological alterations of the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) affect amygdala activation in response to emotional stimuli. Nonetheless, the impact of 5-HT on fear processing remains poorly understood.The aim of this review is to elucidate the physiological role of 5-HT in fear learning via its action on the neuronal circuits of the amygdala. Since 5-HT release increases in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) during both fear memory acquisition and expression, we examine whether and how 5-HT neurons encode aversive stimuli and aversive cues. Next, we describe pharmacological and genetic alterations of 5-HT neurotransmission that, in both rodents and humans, lead to altered fear learning. To explore the mechanisms through which 5-HT could modulate conditioned fear, we focus on the rodent BLA. We propose that a circuit-based approach taking into account the localization of specific 5-HT receptors on neurochemically-defined neurons in the BLA may be essential to decipher the role of 5-HT in emotional behavior. In keeping with a 5-HT control of fear learning, we review electrophysiological data suggesting that 5-HT regulates synaptic plasticity, spike synchrony and theta oscillations in the BLA via actions on different subcellular compartments of principal neurons and distinct GABAergic interneuron populations. Finally, we discuss how recently developed optogenetic tools combined with electrophysiological recordings and behavior could progress the knowledge of the mechanisms underlying 5-HT modulation of fear learning via action on amygdala circuits. Such advancement could pave the way for a deeper understanding of 5-HT in emotional behavior in both health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Bocchio
- MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
| | - Stephen B McHugh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
| | - David M Bannerman
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
| | - Trevor Sharp
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
| | - Marco Capogna
- MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford Oxford, UK
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Empathic accuracy and oxytocin after tryptophan depletion in adults at risk for depression. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:111-20. [PMID: 26462806 PMCID: PMC4700075 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4093-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with disturbances in social functioning and in the brain serotonin system. Reduced levels of serotonin may negatively influence social functioning, for example by impairing the recognition of facial emotion expressions. OBJECTIVES The present study investigated the effect of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD), which reduces brain serotonin, on a related component of social functioning, empathic accuracy (EA), and oxytocin levels. METHODS Individuals with (FH+) and without (FH−) a family history of MDD participated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study. On two separate test days, participants ingested tryptophan-deficient and nutritionally balanced amino acid mixtures. Six hours later, they performed an EA task, which involved watching videos of people recounting autobiographical emotional events. While watching, participants continuously rated how these people felt during the recounting. Mood state was repeatedly assessed using the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule and a series of visual analogue scales. Blood samples obtained at baseline and 5 h after mixture ingestion were assessed for tryptophan and oxytocin levels. RESULTS ATD decreased circulating levels of tryptophan and oxytocin. Nevertheless, there were no significant effects of ATD on EA or mood in either FH group. CONCLUSIONS While previous studies have shown that acute reductions in brain serotonin alter the recognition of facial emotion expressions in never-depressed individuals, the present study suggests that empathic abilities may remain unaffected.
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Corchs F, Nutt DJ, Hince DA, Davies SJC, Bernik M, Hood SD. Evidence for serotonin function as a neurochemical difference between fear and anxiety disorders in humans? J Psychopharmacol 2015; 29:1061-9. [PMID: 26187054 DOI: 10.1177/0269881115590603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The relationships between serotonin and fear and anxiety disorders have been much studied yet many important questions remain, despite selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors having been the primary treatments for these disorders for some time. In order to explore this issue we performed a pooled analysis of six of our studies in remitted patients with a fear/anxiety disorder who were exposed to syndrome-specific aversive stimulation under acute tryptophan depletion. We based our analysis on the hypothesis that the inconsistencies observed in the studies could be predicted by Deakin and Graeff's theory about the dual role of serotonin in responses to threats, whereby serotonin is critical to prevent fear (panic) but not anxiety. In accordance with this view, our results give support to a dissociation of the disorders traditionally grouped under fear and anxiety-related disorders in terms of different roles of serotonin in modulation of responses to aversive stimulation. Implications for future studies and psychiatric nosology are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Corchs
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - David J Nutt
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Division of Experimental Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dana A Hince
- School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences (M521), The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Simon J C Davies
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marcio Bernik
- Institute and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sean D Hood
- School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences (M521), The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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28
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Moreno FA, Erickson RP, Garriock HA, Gelernter J, Mintz J, Oas-Terpstra J, Davies MA, Delgado PL. Association Study of Genotype by Depressive Response during Tryptophan Depletion in Subjects Recovered from Major Depression. MOLECULAR NEUROPSYCHIATRY 2015; 1:165-174. [PMID: 26528486 DOI: 10.1159/000439114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The brief and reversible mood response to acute tryptophan (TRP) depletion (ATD) is being studied as a trait marker in subjects considered at risk for major depression (MD). PROCEDURES ATD was administered to 64 subjects (54 European-Americans, and10 from other races) with personal and family history of MD. They were in remission and had been medication-free for at least three months. Subjects received an active and sham condition in a random assignment, double-blind crossover design. They were genotyped for serotonin-related candidate genes, and mood response was quantified with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Data were analyzed using Poisson regression with repeated measures and latent trajectory models. RESULTS Compared to the sham control, active ATD caused modest depressive changes showing significant main effects of test condition (χ2=5.14, df=1, p=0.023) and time (χ2=12.22, df=3, p=0.007), but no significant interaction of time and test condition. Latent trajectory analysis revealed two groups, identified as depletion responders and non-responders. Those with the HTR2A rs6313 CC genotype had significantly higher HDRS scores during ATD (χ2=11.72, df=1, p=.0006). CONCLUSIONS AND MESSAGE ATD may help the identification of biological subtypes of MD. These data are consistent with imaging reports implicating 5-HT2A receptor function in ATD phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco A Moreno
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, USA
| | - Robert P Erickson
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, USA
| | - Holly A Garriock
- Division of Translational Research (DTR), National Institute of Mental Health, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, VA Connecticut Health Care Center, USA
| | - Jim Mintz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Sciences Center San Antonio, USA
| | - Jennifer Oas-Terpstra
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, USA
| | - Marilyn A Davies
- Health and Community Systems, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, USA
| | - Pedro L Delgado
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, USA
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Bamford S, Penton-Voak I, Pinkney V, Baldwin DS, Munafò MR, Garner M. Early effects of duloxetine on emotion recognition in healthy volunteers. J Psychopharmacol 2015; 29:634-41. [PMID: 25759400 PMCID: PMC4876427 DOI: 10.1177/0269881115570085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) duloxetine is an effective treatment for major depression and generalised anxiety disorder. Neuropsychological models of antidepressant drug action suggest therapeutic effects might be mediated by the early correction of maladaptive biases in emotion processing, including the recognition of emotional expressions. Sub-chronic administration of duloxetine (for two weeks) produces adaptive changes in neural circuitry implicated in emotion processing; however, its effects on emotional expression recognition are unknown. Forty healthy participants were randomised to receive either 14 days of duloxetine (60 mg/day, titrated from 30 mg after three days) or matched placebo (with sham titration) in a double-blind, between-groups, repeated-measures design. On day 0 and day 14 participants completed a computerised emotional expression recognition task that measured sensitivity to the six primary emotions. Thirty-eight participants (19 per group) completed their course of tablets and were included in the analysis. Results provide evidence that duloxetine, compared to placebo, may reduce the accurate recognition of sadness. Drug effects were driven by changes in participants' ability to correctly detect subtle expressions of sadness, with greater change observed in the placebo relative to the duloxetine group. These effects occurred in the absence of changes in mood. Our preliminary findings require replication, but complement recent evidence that sadness recognition is a therapeutic target in major depression, and a mechanism through which SNRIs could resolve negative biases in emotion processing to achieve therapeutic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Bamford
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Ian Penton-Voak
- School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Verity Pinkney
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - David S Baldwin
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Marcus R Munafò
- School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Matthew Garner
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Cooper CM, Whiting DA, Cowen PJ, Harmer CJ. Tianeptine in an experimental medicine model of antidepressant action. J Psychopharmacol 2015; 29:582-90. [PMID: 25759404 DOI: 10.1177/0269881115573810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Changes in emotional processing have been shown following acute administration of a range of monoaminergic antidepressants, and may represent an important common neuropsychological mechanism underpinning their therapeutic effects. Tianeptine is an agent that challenges the traditional monoaminergic hypothesis of antidepressant action, though its exact mode of action remains controversial. Healthy volunteers were randomised to receive a single dose of tianeptine (12.5 mg) or placebo, and subsequently completed a battery of tasks measuring emotional processing, including facial expression recognition, emotional memory and attentional vigilance, as well as working and verbal memory. Tianeptine-treated subjects were less accurate at identifying facial expressions, though this was not valence specific. The tianeptine group also showed reduced positive affective memory and reduced attentional vigilance to positive stimuli. There were no effects on emotional categorization or non-emotional cognition. The negative biases in aspects of emotional processing observed following acute tianeptine administration are at variance with the positive biases generally seen after acute administration of conventional antidepressant drugs, despite tianeptine's putative antidepressant efficacy. This is an intriguing finding in the context of the lack of consensus regarding tianeptine's mechanism of action; however, it may be consistent with the reported ability of acute tianeptine to increase the re-uptake of serotonin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Philip J Cowen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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31
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The CRH1 antagonist GSK561679 increases human fear but not anxiety as assessed by startle. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:1064-71. [PMID: 25430779 PMCID: PMC4367474 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2014] [Revised: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Fear to predictable threat and anxiety to unpredictable threat reflect distinct processes mediated by different brain structures, the central nucleus of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), respectively. This study tested the hypothesis that the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF1) antagonist GSK561679 differentially reduces anxiety but increases fear in humans. A total of 31 healthy females received each of four treatments: placebo, 50 mg GSK561679 (low-GSK), 400 mg GSK561679 (high-GSK), and 1 mg alprazolam in a crossover design. Participants were exposed to three conditions during each of the four treatments. The three conditions included one in which predictable aversive shocks were signaled by a cue, a second during which shocks were administered unpredictably, and a third condition without shock. Fear and anxiety were assessed using the acoustic startle reflex. High-GSK had no effect on startle potentiation during unpredictable threat (anxiety) but increased startle potentiation during the predictable condition (fear). Low-GSK did not affect startle potentiation across conditions. Consistent with previous findings, alprazolam reduced startle potentiation during unpredictable threat but not during predictable threat. The increased fear by high-GSK replicates animal findings and suggests a lift of the inhibitory effect of the BNST on the amygdala by the CRF1 antagonist.
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32
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Hammer JL, Marsh AA. Why do fearful facial expressions elicit behavioral approach? Evidence from a combined approach-avoidance implicit association test. Emotion 2015; 15:223-31. [PMID: 25603135 PMCID: PMC4385234 DOI: 10.1037/emo0000054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Despite communicating a "negative" emotion, fearful facial expressions predominantly elicit behavioral approach from perceivers. It has been hypothesized that this seemingly paradoxical effect may occur due to fearful expressions' resemblance to vulnerable, infantile faces. However, this hypothesis has not yet been tested. We used a combined approach-avoidance/implicit association test (IAT) to test this hypothesis. Participants completed an approach-avoidance lever task during which they responded to fearful and angry facial expressions as well as neutral infant and adult faces presented in an IAT format. Results demonstrated an implicit association between fearful facial expressions and infant faces and showed that both fearful expressions and infant faces primarily elicit behavioral approach. The dominance of approach responses to both fearful expressions and infant faces decreased as a function of psychopathic personality traits. Results suggest that the prosocial responses to fearful expressions observed in most individuals may stem from their associations with infantile faces. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Chronic treatment with a tryptophan-rich protein hydrolysate improves emotional processing, mental energy levels and reaction time in middle-aged women. Br J Nutr 2015; 113:350-65. [PMID: 25572038 DOI: 10.1017/s0007114514003754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Common pharmacological treatments of mood disorders aim to modulate serotonergic neurotransmission and enhance serotonin levels in the brain. Brain serotonin levels are dependent on the availability of its food-derived precursor essential amino acid tryptophan (Trp). We tested the hypothesis that delivery of Trp via food may serve as an alternative treatment, and examined the effects of a Trp-rich, bioavailable dietary supplement from egg protein hydrolysate on cognitive and emotional functions, mood state, and sleep quality. In a randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel trial, fifty-nine mentally and physically healthy women aged 45-65 years received placebo (n 30) or the supplement (n 29) (both as 0.5 g twice per d) for 19 d. Emotional processing was significantly changed by supplementation, exhibiting a shift in bias away from negative stimuli. The results for the Affective Go/No-Go Task exhibited a slowing of responses to negative words, suggesting reduced attention to negative emotional stimuli. The results for the Facial Emotional Expression Rating Task also supported a shift away from attention to negative emotions and a bias towards happiness. An increase in arousal-like symptoms, labelled 'high energy', shorter reaction times and a slight benefit to sustained attention were observed in the treated subjects. Finally, when the supplement was taken 60-90 min before bedtime, a feeling of happiness before going to bed was consistently reported. In summary, daily consumption of a low-dose supplement containing bioavailable Trp may have beneficial effects on emotional and cognitive functions.
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Hogenelst K, Schoevers RA, aan het Rot M. Studying the neurobiology of human social interaction: Making the case for ecological validity. Soc Neurosci 2015; 10:219-29. [PMID: 25566795 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2014.994786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
With this commentary we make the case for an increased focus on the ecological validity of the measures used to assess aspects of human social functioning. Impairments in social functioning are seen in many types of psychopathology, negatively affecting the lives of psychiatric patients and those around them. Yet the neurobiology underlying abnormal social interaction remains unclear. As an example of human social neuroscience research with relevance to biological psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology, this commentary discusses published experimental studies involving manipulation of the human brain serotonin system that included assessments of social behavior. To date, these studies have mostly been laboratory-based and included computer tasks, observations by others, or single-administration self-report measures. Most laboratory measures used so far inform about the role of serotonin in aspects of social interaction, but the relevance for real-life interaction is often unclear. Few studies have used naturalistic assessments in real life. We suggest several laboratory methods with high ecological validity as well as ecological momentary assessment, which involves intensive repeated measures in naturalistic settings. In sum, this commentary intends to stimulate experimental research on the neurobiology of human social interaction as it occurs in real life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen Hogenelst
- a School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences , University of Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands
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35
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Laursen HR, Siebner HR, Haren T, Madsen K, Grønlund R, Hulme O, Henningsson S. Variation in the oxytocin receptor gene is associated with behavioral and neural correlates of empathic accuracy. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:423. [PMID: 25538588 PMCID: PMC4257152 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuromodulators oxytocin and serotonin have been implicated in regulating affective processes underlying empathy. Understanding this dependency, however, has been limited by a lack of objective metrics for measuring empathic performance. Here we employ a novel psychophysical method for measuring empathic performance that quantitatively measures the ability of subjects to decode the experience of another person's pain. In 50 female subjects, we acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging data as they were exposed to a target subject experiencing variable degrees of pain, whilst performing an irrelevant attention-demanding task. We investigated the effect of variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) on the psychophysical and neurometric variability associated with empathic performance. The OXTR rs2268498 and rs53576 polymorphisms, but not the SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR, were associated with significant differences in empathic accuracy, with CC- and AA-carriers, respectively, displaying higher empathic accuracy. For OXTR rs2268498 there was also a genotype difference in the correlation between empathic accuracy and activity in the superior temporal sulcus (STS). In OXTR rs2268498 CC-carriers, high empathic accuracy was associated with stronger responsiveness of the right STS to the observed pain. Together, the results show that genetic variation in the OXTR has significant influence on empathic accuracy and that this may be linked to variable responsivity of the STS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helle Ruff Laursen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Hartwig Roman Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre, Denmark ; Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tina Haren
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre, Denmark ; Department of Neurorehabilitation TBI Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Glostrup Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Kristoffer Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Rikke Grønlund
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Oliver Hulme
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Susanne Henningsson
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre, Denmark ; Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet Copenhagen, Denmark
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Bilderbeck AC, Wakeley J, Godlewska BR, McGlone F, Harris T, Cowen PJ, Rogers RD. Preliminary evidence that sub-chronic citalopram triggers the re-evaluation of value in intimate partnerships. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2014; 9:1419-25. [PMID: 23996287 PMCID: PMC4158381 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nst135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2013] [Revised: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 08/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression frequently involves disrupted inter-personal relationships, while treatment with serotonergic anti-depressants can interfere with libido and sexual function. However, little is known about how serotonin activity influences appraisals of intimate partnerships. Learning more could help to specify how serotonergic mechanisms mediate social isolation in psychiatric illness. Forty-four healthy heterosexual adults, currently in romantic relationships, received 8 days treatment with the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor citalopram (N = 21; 10 male) or placebo (N = 23; 12 male). Participants viewed photographs of unknown, heterosexual couples and made a series of judgements about their relationships. Participants also indicated the importance of relationship features in their own close partnerships, and close partnerships generally. Citalopram reduced the rated quality of couples' physical relationships and the importance attributed to physical and intimate aspects of participants' own relationships. In contrast, citalopram also enhanced the evaluated worth of mutual trust in relationships. Amongst males, citalopram was associated with judgements of reduced turbulence and bickering in others' relationships, and increased male dominance. These data constitute preliminary evidence that enhancing serotonin activity modulates cognitions about sexual activity as part of a re-appraisal of sources of value within close intimate relationships, enhancing the judged importance of longer-term benefits of trust and shared experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy C Bilderbeck
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, OX3 7JX, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, England and School of Psychology, Bangor University, Adeilad Brigantia, Bangor, LL57 1AS
| | - Judi Wakeley
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, OX3 7JX, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, England and School of Psychology, Bangor University, Adeilad Brigantia, Bangor, LL57 1AS
| | - Beata R Godlewska
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, OX3 7JX, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, England and School of Psychology, Bangor University, Adeilad Brigantia, Bangor, LL57 1AS
| | - Francis McGlone
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, OX3 7JX, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, England and School of Psychology, Bangor University, Adeilad Brigantia, Bangor, LL57 1AS
| | - Tirril Harris
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, OX3 7JX, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, England and School of Psychology, Bangor University, Adeilad Brigantia, Bangor, LL57 1AS
| | - Phillip J Cowen
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, OX3 7JX, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, England and School of Psychology, Bangor University, Adeilad Brigantia, Bangor, LL57 1AS
| | - Robert D Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, OX3 7JX, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, England and School of Psychology, Bangor University, Adeilad Brigantia, Bangor, LL57 1AS
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Effects of acute treatment with a tryptophan-rich protein hydrolysate on plasma amino acids, mood and emotional functioning in older women. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:4595-610. [PMID: 24858376 PMCID: PMC4231284 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3609-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Effective functioning of the neurotransmitter serotonin is important for optimal cognitive and emotional function. Dietary supplements able to increase availability to the brain of the precursor amino acid, tryptophan (TRP), and thereby enhance serotonin synthesis, can have measurable impact on these psychological processes. OBJECTIVES This study involves a randomised controlled trial of a TRP-rich egg-white protein hydrolysate (DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., Switzerland) on plasma amino acids, cognition, mood and emotional processing in older women. METHODS Following a baseline test day without treatment, 60 healthy women aged 45-65 years received drinks containing either 2 or 4 g of TRP-rich protein hydrolysate product or 3.11 g casein hydrolysate as a control. One hour later, they undertook a 2-h battery of cognitive and emotional tests. RESULTS The TRP-rich protein hydrolysate produced the expected dose-dependent increase in the ratio of plasma TRP to competing large neutral amino acids. TRP-rich protein hydrolysate (2 g only) prevented both the decline in wellbeing and increase in fatigue seen over the test session in the control group. This treatment dose resulted in a significant shift in emotional processing towards positive words and reduced negative bias in assessing negative facial expressions. Effects on cognition were small and not statistically reliable and are not reported here. However, there was no evidence for any adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS Consumption of a low dose of TRP-rich protein hydrolysate may have beneficial effects on emotional function that could promote feelings of wellbeing, possibly conferring resistance to deterioration in mood in healthy subjects or depressive episodes.
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Abstract
The most frequently described drugs in the treatment of mood disorders are selective serotonin reuptake and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, enhancing serotonin levels in the brain. However, side-effects have been reported for these drugs. Because serotonin levels in the brain are dependent on the availability of the food-derived precursor tryptophan, foods such as chicken, soyabeans, cereals, tuna, nuts and bananas may serve as an alternative to improve mood and cognition. Here we discuss the effects of high- or low-tryptophan-containing food, as well as plant extracts with a modest monoamine reuptake and MAO-A inhibition functional profile, on mood and cognition in healthy and vulnerable human subjects and rodents. Together the studies suggest that there is an inverted U-shaped curve for plasma tryptophan levels, with low and too high tryptophan levels impairing cognition, and moderate to high tryptophan levels improving cognition. This relationship is found for both healthy and vulnerable subjects. Whereas this relationship may also exist for mood, the inverted U-shaped curve for plasma tryptophan levels and mood may be based on different tryptophan concentrations in healthyv.vulnerable individuals. Animal studies are emerging and allow further understanding of effects and the mode of action of food-derived serotonergic components on mood, cognition and mechanisms. Ultimately, insight into the concentrations of tryptophan and other serotonergic components in food having beneficial effects on mood and cognition in healthy, but particularly vulnerable, subjects may support well-being in our highly demanding society.
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Hornboll B, Macoveanu J, Rowe J, Elliott R, Paulson OB, Siebner HR, Knudsen GM. Acute serotonin 2A receptor blocking alters the processing of fearful faces in the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala. J Psychopharmacol 2013; 27:903-14. [PMID: 23824248 PMCID: PMC4606977 DOI: 10.1177/0269881113494106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor has been implicated in neural-processing of emotionally salient information. To elucidate its role in processing of fear and anger, healthy individuals were studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) after 5-HT2A receptor blockade, while judging the gender of neutral, fearful and angry faces. METHODS 5-HT2A receptors were blocked with ketanserin to a variable degree across subjects by adjusting the time between ketanserin-infusion and onset of the fMRI protocol. Neocortical 5-HT2A receptor binding in terms of the binding potential (BPp ) was assessed prior to fMRI with (18)F-altanserin positron emission tomography (PET) and subsequently integrated in the fMRI data analysis. Also functional connectivity analysis was employed to evaluate the effect of ketanserin blocking on connectivity. RESULTS Compared to a control session, 5-HT2A receptor blockade reduced the neural response to fearful faces in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), independently of 5-HT2A receptor occupancy or neocortical 5-HT2A receptor BPp . The medial OFC also showed increased functional coupling with the left amygdala during processing of fearful faces depending on the amount of blocked 5-HT2A receptors. CONCLUSIONS 5-HT2A receptor mediated signaling increases the sensitivity of the OFC to fearful facial expressions and regulates the strength of a negative feedback signal from the OFC to amygdala during processing of fearful faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Hornboll
- Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
,Center for Integrated Molecular Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Julian Macoveanu
- Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
,Center for Integrated Molecular Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - James Rowe
- Center for Integrated Molecular Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark
,Cambridge University Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Elliott
- Neuroscience & Psychiatry Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Olaf B. Paulson
- Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
,Center for Integrated Molecular Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark
,Neurobiology Research Unit, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hartwig R. Siebner
- Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
,Center for Integrated Molecular Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gitte M. Knudsen
- Center for Integrated Molecular Imaging (Cimbi), Copenhagen, Denmark
,Neurobiology Research Unit, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Burghardt N, Bauer E. Acute and chronic effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment on fear conditioning: Implications for underlying fear circuits. Neuroscience 2013; 247:253-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.05.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2013] [Revised: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Grady CL, Siebner HR, Hornboll B, Macoveanu J, Paulson OB, Knudsen GM. Acute pharmacologically induced shifts in serotonin availability abolish emotion-selective responses to negative face emotions in distinct brain networks. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2013; 23:368-78. [PMID: 22739125 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2012.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2012] [Revised: 05/14/2012] [Accepted: 06/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Pharmacological manipulation of serotonin availability can alter the processing of facial expressions of emotion. Using a within-subject design, we measured the effect of serotonin on the brain's response to aversive face emotions with functional MRI while 20 participants judged the gender of neutral, fearful and angry faces. In three separate and counterbalanced sessions, participants received citalopram (CIT) to raise serotonin levels, underwent acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) to lower serotonin, or were studied without pharmacological challenge (Control). An analysis designed to identify distributed brain responses identified two brain networks with modulations of activity related to face emotion and serotonin level. The first network included the left amygdala, bilateral striatum, and fusiform gyri. During the Control session this network responded only to fearful faces; increasing serotonin decreased this response to fear, whereas reducing serotonin enhanced the response of this network to angry faces. The second network involved bilateral amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and these regions also showed increased activity to fear during the Control session. Both drug challenges enhanced the neural response of this set of regions to angry faces, relative to Control, and CIT also enhanced activity for neutral faces. The net effect of these changes in both networks was to abolish the selective response to fearful expressions. These results suggest that a normal level of serotonin is critical for maintaining a differentiated brain response to threatening face emotions. Lower serotonin leads to a broadening of a normally fear-specific response to anger, and higher levels reduce the differentiated brain response to aversive face emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl L Grady
- Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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Young SN. The effect of raising and lowering tryptophan levels on human mood and social behaviour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20110375. [PMID: 23440461 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) studies indicate that low serotonin can lower mood and also increase aggression, although results vary somewhat between studies with similar participants. Lowering of mood after ATD is related to the susceptibility of the study participants to clinical depression, and some participants show no effect on mood. This indicates that low serotonin can contribute to lowered mood, but cannot-by itself-cause lowered mood, unless other unknown systems interact with serotonin to lower mood. Studies using tryptophan supplementation demonstrate that increased serotonin can decrease quarrelsomeness and increase agreeableness in everyday life. Social interactions that are more agreeable and less quarrelsome are associated with better mood. Thus, serotonin may have direct effects on mood, but may also be able to influence mood through changes in social behaviour. The increased agreeableness and decreased quarrelsomeness resulting from increases in serotonin will help foster congenial relations with others and should help to increase social support. As social support and social isolation have an important relationship with both physical and mental health, more research is needed on the implications of the ability of serotonin to modulate social behaviour for the regulation of mood, and for future physical and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon N Young
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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The neurobiology of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: altered functioning in three mental domains. Dev Psychopathol 2012; 25:193-207. [PMID: 22800761 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579412000272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This review discusses neurobiological studies of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder within the conceptual framework of three interrelated mental domains: punishment processing, reward processing, and cognitive control. First, impaired fear conditioning, reduced cortisol reactivity to stress, amygdala hyporeactivity to negative stimuli, and altered serotonin and noradrenaline neurotransmission suggest low punishment sensitivity, which may compromise the ability of children and adolescents to make associations between inappropriate behaviors and forthcoming punishments. Second, sympathetic nervous system hyporeactivity to incentives, low basal heart rate associated with sensation seeking, orbitofrontal cortex hyporeactiviy to reward, and altered dopamine functioning suggest a hyposensitivity to reward. The associated unpleasant emotional state may make children and adolescents prone to sensation-seeking behavior such as rule breaking, delinquency, and substance abuse. Third, impairments in executive functions, especially when motivational factors are involved, as well as structural deficits and impaired functioning of the paralimbic system encompassing the orbitofrontal and cingulate cortex, suggest impaired cognitive control over emotional behavior. In the discussion we argue that more insight into the neurobiology of oppositional defiance disorder and conduct disorder may be obtained by studying these disorders separately and by paying attention to the heterogeneity of symptoms within each disorder.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression and anxiety disorders (ADs) are highly co-morbid, but the reason for this co-morbidity is unclear. One possibility is that they predispose one another. An informative way to examine interactions between disorders without the confounds present in patient populations is to manipulate the psychological processes thought to underlie the pathological states in healthy individuals. In this study we therefore asked whether a model of the sad mood in depression can enhance psychophysiological responses (startle) to a model of the anxiety in ADs. We predicted that sad mood would increase anxious anxiety-potentiated startle responses. METHOD In a between-subjects design, participants (n=36) completed either a sad mood induction procedure (MIP; n=18) or a neutral MIP (n=18). Startle responses were assessed during short-duration predictable electric shock conditions (fear-potentiated startle) or long-duration unpredictable threat of shock conditions (anxiety-potentiated startle). RESULTS Induced sadness enhanced anxiety- but not fear-potentiated startle. CONCLUSIONS This study provides support for the hypothesis that sadness can increase anxious responding measured by the affective startle response. This, taken together with prior evidence that ADs can contribute to depression, provides initial experimental support for the proposition that ADs and depression are frequently co-morbid because they may be mutually reinforcing.
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Affiliation(s)
- O J Robinson
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Demoto Y, Okada G, Okamoto Y, Kunisato Y, Aoyama S, Onoda K, Munakata A, Nomura M, Tanaka SC, Schweighofer N, Doya K, Yamawaki S. Neural and personality correlates of individual differences related to the effects of acute tryptophan depletion on future reward evaluation. Neuropsychobiology 2012; 65:55-64. [PMID: 22222380 DOI: 10.1159/000328990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2010] [Accepted: 04/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS In general, humans tend to discount the value of delayed reward. An increase in the rate of discounting leads to an inability to select a delayed reward over a smaller immediate reward (reward-delay impulsivity). Although deficits in the serotonergic system are implicated in this reward-delay impulsivity, there is individual variation in response to serotonin depletion. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the effects of serotonin depletion on the ability to evaluate future reward are affected by individual personality traits or brain activation. METHODS Personality traits were assessed using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and Temperament and Character Inventory. The central serotonergic levels of 16 healthy volunteers were manipulated by dietary tryptophan depletion. Subjects performed a delayed reward choice task that required the continuous estimation of reward value during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. RESULTS Discounting rates were increased in 9 participants, but were unchanged or decreased in 7 participants in response to tryptophan depletion. Participants whose discounting rate was increased by tryptophan depletion had significantly higher neuroticism and lower self-directedness. Furthermore, tryptophan depletion differentially affected the groups in terms of hemodynamic responses to the value of predicted future reward in the right insula. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that individuals who have high neuroticism and low self-directedness as personality traits are particularly vulnerable to the effect of low serotonin on future reward evaluation accompanied by altered brain activation patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiko Demoto
- Division of Frontier Medical Science, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan
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Modulation of central serotonin affects emotional information processing in impulsive aggressive personality disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2012; 32:329-35. [PMID: 22544009 DOI: 10.1097/jcp.0b013e31825368b7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mechanistic model whereby serotonin affects impulsive aggression is not completely understood. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that depletion of serotonin reserves by tryptophan depletion affects emotional information processing in susceptible individuals. METHODS The effect of tryptophan (vs placebo) depletion on processing of Ekman emotional faces was compared in impulsive aggressive personality disordered, male and female adults with normal controls. All subjects were free of psychotropic medications, medically healthy, nondepressed, and substance free. Additionally, subjective mood state and vital signs were monitored. RESULTS For emotion recognition, a significant interaction of Aggression × Drug × Sex (F(1, 31) = 7.687, P = 0.009) was found, with male normal controls but not impulsive aggressive males showing increased recognition of fear. For intensity ratings of emotional faces, a significant interaction was discovered of Drug × Group × Sex (F(1, 31) = 5.924, P = 0.021), with follow-up tests revealing that males with intermittent explosive disorder tended to increase intensity ratings of angry faces after tryptophan depletion. Additionally, tryptophan depletion was associated with increased heart rate in all subjects, and increased intensity of the subjective emotional state of "anger" in impulsive aggressive subjects. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with clinically relevant levels of impulsive aggression may be susceptible to effects of serotonergic depletion on emotional information processing, showing a tendency to exaggerate their impression of the intensity of angry expressions and to report an angry mood state after tryptophan depletion. This may reflect heightened sensitivity to the effects of serotonergic dysregulation, and suggests that what underlies impulsive aggression is either supersensitivity to serotonergic disturbances or susceptibility to fluctuations in central serotonergic availability.
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Pringle A, Cooper MJ, Browning M, Harmer CJ. Effects of low dose tryptophan depletion on emotional processing in dieters. Eat Behav 2012; 13:154-7. [PMID: 22365802 DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2011.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2011] [Revised: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 12/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Biased processing of ED-relevant stimuli (eg Fairburn, Shafran, & Cooper, 1999) and 5-HT function (Kaye, Fudge, & Paulus, 2009) are implicated in vulnerability to and the maintenance of eating disorders (EDs), but it is not known if these findings are connected: Could manipulating 5-HT function affect the processing of ED-relevant stimuli? To address this question we assessed emotional processing in female dieters (T+n=12, T-n=14) following acute low dose tryptophan depletion. ATD increased interference in the masked condition of the emotional Stroop to all negative emotional stimuli, in the absence of any other differences in emotional processing. These results suggest that ATD affects the processing of some negative (including ED-relevant) stimuli, and that reduced 5-HT function may be involved in some aspects of psychological vulnerability to EDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Pringle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
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Epperson CN, Amin Z, Ruparel K, Gur R, Loughead J. Interactive effects of estrogen and serotonin on brain activation during working memory and affective processing in menopausal women. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2012; 37:372-82. [PMID: 21820247 PMCID: PMC3226892 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2011] [Revised: 06/15/2011] [Accepted: 07/05/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
While cognitive changes and mood instability are frequent symptoms reported by menopausal women, the degree to which the decline in estrogen production is responsible is not yet clear. Several lines of evidence suggest that estrogen may produce its effects on cognition and mood through modulation of serotonergic function. To test this hypothesis, we used the tryptophan depletion (TD) paradigm to lower central serotonin levels and pharmacologically manipulated estrogen levels in healthy menopausal women. We examined the individual and combined effects of estradiol and serotonin on working memory, emotion processing and task-related brain activation. Eight healthy predominantly early postmenopausal women underwent TD or sham depletion followed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) both before and after short-term transdermal estradiol 75-150 μg/d administration. There was an estradiol treatment by TD interaction for brain activation during performance on both the N-back Task (working memory) and Emotion Identification Task (affective processing). During the 2-back condition, TD attenuated activation prior to, but not after, estradiol treatment in the right and left dorsal lateral prefrontal and middle frontal/cingulate gyrus. During emotion identification, TD heightened activation in the orbital frontal cortex and bilateral amygdala, and this effect was attenuated by estradiol treatment. These results provide preliminary evidence that serotonergic effects directly mediate the impact of estrogen on brain activation during working memory and affective processing.
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The temporal electrocortical profile of emotive facial processing in depressed males and females and healthy controls. J Affect Disord 2012; 136:1072-81. [PMID: 22127390 PMCID: PMC3288478 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2011.10.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2011] [Accepted: 10/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous work indicates that emotive processing, such as of facial expressions, may be altered in major depressive disorder (MDD). Individuals with MDD tend to exhibit a mood-congruent processing bias, though MDD may also be characterized by blunted emotive processing in general. Females tend to exhibit enhanced facial emotive processing than males. Few groups have examined the temporal electrophysiological event-related potential (ERP)-indexed profiles, spanning preconscious to sustained, conscious processing of facial expressions in MDD; systematic comparisons of ERPs to emotive stimuli between depressed males and females are also lacking. METHODS This study examined the temporal ERP profile to a simple expression recognition task in depressed adult males and females (N=52; 29 females) and controls (N=43; 23 females). RESULTS The MDD group rated facial expressions as sadder overall than controls. Females exhibited enhanced and speeded pre- and conscious face processing than males. Subtle group differences emerged to specific expressions at mid-latency ERPs (N2, P2) indicating both blunted late pre-conscious perceptual processing of expressions and prolonged processing of intensely sad faces. LIMITATIONS A more involved emotive processing task, employing threatening faces, may have revealed more robust group ERP differences. Menstrual cycle should also be controlled for in future work. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to systematically assess the temporal ERP profile, including of ERPs preceding the face-sensitive N170/VPP, to expressions in MDD. Overall, early perceptual and late conscious expression processing did not differ fundamentally between groups. Altered emotive processing may be a candidate index for monitoring and predicting antidepressant treatment outcome.
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Abstract
Current antidepressant agents are similar in efficacy to the original drugs discovered in the 1950s. The development of new treatments for depression is, however, limited by the absence of validated human biomarker models to predict efficacy, clinical profile and dosing. Such models need to meet key criteria for biomarkers including sensitivity, specificity and relevance to depression. Here we review studies exploring whether early changes in emotional processing with antidepressant drug administration meet these criteria. A large body of evidence suggests that changes in emotional memory are particularly relevant to depression and to antidepressant drug action whereas changes in attentional processing are sensitive to anxiolytic drugs. These tasks are not consistently affected by agents which have failed in clinical trials in depression, but do show changes in the predicted direction with agents associated either with amelioration or induction of symptoms. Hence, early assessment of novel drugs on emotional processing may predict likely clinical effects and dosing prior to randomized controlled trials. Greater validation is required to assess whether these effects are an obligatory component of effective treatment of depression and whether use of these models can improve the accuracy of go/no-go decisions in drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine J Harmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
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