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Ruble S, Kramer C, West L, Payne K, Ness H, Erickson G, Scott A, Diehl M. Active avoidance recruits the anterior cingulate cortex regardless of social context in male and female rats. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3750422. [PMID: 38260416 PMCID: PMC10802695 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3750422/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Actively avoiding danger is necessary for survival. Most research has focused on the behavioral and neurobiological processes when individuals avoid danger alone, under solitary conditions. Therefore, little is known about how social context affects active avoidance. Using a modified version of the platform-mediated avoidance task in rats, we investigated whether the presence of a social partner attenuates conditioned freezing and enhances avoidance learning compared to avoidance learned under solitary conditions. Rats spent a similar percentage of time avoiding during the tone under both conditions; however, rats trained under social conditions exhibited greater freezing during the tone as well as lower rates of darting and food seeking compared to solitary rats. Under solitary conditions, we observed higher levels of avoidance in females compared to males, which was not present in rats trained under social conditions. To gain greater mechanistic insight, we optogenetically inactivated glutamatergic projection neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) following avoidance training. Photoinactivation of ACC neurons reduced expression of avoidance under social conditions both in the presence and absence of the partner. Under solitary conditions, photoinactivation of ACC delayed avoidance in males but blocked avoidance in females. Our findings suggest that avoidance is mediated by the ACC, regardless of social context, and may be dysfunctional in those suffering from trauma-related disorders. Furthermore, sex differences in prefrontal circuits mediating active avoidance warrant further investigation, given that females experience a higher risk of developing anxiety disorders.
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Jacobs DS, Bogachuk AP, Moghaddam B. Orbitofrontal and Prelimbic Cortices Serve Complementary Roles in Adapting Reward Seeking to Learned Anxiety. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01139-9. [PMID: 38460582 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.02.1015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety is a common symptom of several mental health disorders and adversely affects motivated behaviors. Anxiety can emerge from associating risk of future harm while engaged in goal-guided actions. Using a recently developed behavioral paradigm to model this aspect of anxiety, we investigated the role of 2 cortical subregions, the prelimbic medial frontal cortex (PL) and lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC), which have been implicated in anxiety and outcome expectation, in flexible representation of actions associated with harm risk. METHODS A seek-take reward-guided instrumental task design was used to train animals (N = 8) to associate the seek action with a variable risk of punishment. After learning, animals underwent extinction training for this association. Fiber photometry was used to measure and compare neuronal activity in the PL and lOFC during learning and extinction. RESULTS Animals increased action suppression in response to punishment contingencies. This increase dissipated after extinction training. These behavioral changes were associated with region-specific changes in neuronal activity. PL neuronal activity preferentially adapted to the threat of punishment, whereas lOFC activity adapted to safe aspects of the task. Moreover, correlated activity between these regions was suppressed during actions associated with harm risk, suggesting that these regions may guide behavior independently under anxiety. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the PL and lOFC serve distinct but complementary roles in the representation of learned anxiety. This dissociation may provide a mechanism to explain how overlapping cortical systems are implicated in reward-guided action execution during anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Jacobs
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Alina P Bogachuk
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Bita Moghaddam
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon; Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon.
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3
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López-Moraga A, Luyten L, Beckers T. A history of avoidance does not impact extinction learning in male rats. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2024; 9:11. [PMID: 38402221 PMCID: PMC10894225 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-024-00223-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Pervasive avoidance is one of the central symptoms of all anxiety-related disorders. In treatment, avoidance behaviors are typically discouraged because they are assumed to maintain anxiety. Yet, it is not clear if engaging in avoidance is always detrimental. In this study, we used a platform-mediated avoidance task to investigate the influence of avoidance history on extinction learning in male rats. Our results show that having the opportunity to avoid during fear acquisition training does not significantly influence the extinction of auditory-cued fear in rats subjected to this platform-mediated avoidance procedure, which constitutes a realistic approach/avoidance conflict. This holds true irrespective of whether or not avoidance was possible during the extinction phase. This suggests that imposing a realistic cost on avoidance behavior prevents the adverse effects that avoidance has been claimed to have on extinction. However, avoidance does not appear to have clear positive effects on extinction learning nor on retention either.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba López-Moraga
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Laura Luyten
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Tom Beckers
- Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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4
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Giovanniello J, Bravo-Rivera C, Rosenkranz A, Matthew Lattal K. Stress, associative learning, and decision-making. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 204:107812. [PMID: 37598745 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to acute and chronic stress has significant effects on the basic mechanisms of associative learning and memory. Stress can both impair and enhance associative learning depending on type, intensity, and persistence of the stressor, the subject's sex, the context that the stress and behavior is experienced in, and the type of associative learning taking place. In some cases, stress can cause or exacerbate the maladaptive behavior that underlies numerous psychiatric conditions including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, and others. Therefore, it is critical to understand how the varied effects of stress, which may normally facilitate adaptive behavior, can also become maladaptive and even harmful. In this review, we highlight several findings of associative learning and decision-making processes that are affected by stress in both human and non-human subjects and how they are related to one another. An emerging theme from this work is that stress biases behavior towards less flexible strategies that may reflect a cautious insensitivity to changing contingencies. We consider how this inflexibility has been observed in different associative learning procedures and suggest that a goal for the field should be to clarify how factors such as sex and previous experience influence this inflexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Bravo-Rivera
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00935, United States.
| | - Amiel Rosenkranz
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, United States.
| | - K Matthew Lattal
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, United States.
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5
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Cui H, Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Zhao Y, Ding Q, Chen R, Manssuer L, Zhang C, Liu W, Li D, Sun B, Voon V. Mechanisms underlying capsulotomy for refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: neural correlates of negative affect processing overlap with deep brain stimulation targets. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3063-3074. [PMID: 36878966 PMCID: PMC10615758 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01989-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Ablative procedures such as anterior capsulotomy are potentially effective in refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Converging evidence suggests the ventral internal capsule white matter tracts traversing the rostral cingulate and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and thalamus is the optimal target for clinical efficacy across multiple deep brain stimulation targets for OCD. Here we ask which prefrontal regions and underlying cognitive processes might be implicated in the effects of capsulotomy by using both task fMRI and neuropsychological tests assessing OCD-relevant cognitive mechanisms known to map across prefrontal regions connected to the tracts targeted in capsulotomy. We tested OCD patients at least 6 months post-capsulotomy (n = 27), OCD controls (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 34). We used a modified aversive monetary incentive delay paradigm with negative imagery and a within session extinction trial. Post-capsulotomy OCD subjects showed improved OCD symptoms, disability and quality of life with no differences in mood or anxiety or cognitive task performance on executive, inhibition, memory and learning tasks. Task fMRI revealed post-capsulotomy decreases in the nucleus accumbens during negative anticipation, and in the left rostral cingulate and left inferior frontal cortex during negative feedback. Post-capsulotomy patients showed attenuated accumbens-rostral cingulate functional connectivity. Rostral cingulate activity mediated capsulotomy improvement on obsessions. These regions overlap with optimal white matter tracts observed across multiple stimulation targets for OCD and might provide insights into further optimizing neuromodulation approaches. Our findings also suggest that aversive processing theoretical mechanisms may link ablative, stimulation and psychological interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailun Cui
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Neural and Intelligence Engineering Centre, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yijie Zhao
- Neural and Intelligence Engineering Centre, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Qiong Ding
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ruiqin Chen
- Neural and Intelligence Engineering Centre, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Luis Manssuer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Chencheng Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjuan Liu
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Dianyou Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Bomin Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Valerie Voon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- Neural and Intelligence Engineering Centre, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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6
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Martínez-Rivera FJ, Pérez-Torres J, Velázquez-Díaz CD, Sánchez-Navarro MJ, Huertas-Pérez CI, Diehl MM, Phillips ML, Haber SN, Quirk GJ. A Novel Insular/Orbital-Prelimbic Circuit That Prevents Persistent Avoidance in a Rodent Model of Compulsive Behavior. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:1000-1009. [PMID: 35491274 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder is the persistent avoidance of cues incorrectly associated with negative outcomes. This maladaptation becomes increasingly evident as subjects fail to respond to extinction-based treatments such as exposure-with-response prevention therapy. While previous studies have highlighted the role of the insular-orbital cortex in fine-tuning avoidance-based decisions, little is known about the projections from this area that might modulate compulsive-like avoidance. METHODS Here, we used anatomical tract-tracing, single-unit recording, and optogenetics to characterize the projections from the insular-orbital cortex. To model exposure-with-response prevention and persistent avoidance in rats, we used the platform-mediated avoidance task followed by extinction-with-response prevention training. RESULTS Using tract-tracing and unit recording, we found that projections from the agranular insular/lateral orbital (AI/LO) cortex to the prefrontal cortex predominantly target the rostral portion of the prelimbic (rPL) cortex and excite rPL neurons. Photoinhibiting this projection induced persistent avoidance after extinction-with-response prevention training, an effect that was still present 1 week later. Consistent with this, photoexcitation of this projection prevented persistent avoidance in overtrained rats. This projection to rPL appears to be key for AI/LO's effects, considering that there was no effect of photoinhibiting AI/LO projections to the ventral striatum or basolateral amygdala. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that projections from the AI/LO to the rPL decreases the likelihood of avoidance behavior following extinction. In humans, this connectivity may share some homology of projections from lateral prefrontal cortices (i.e., ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and insula) to other prefrontal areas and the anterior cingulate cortex, suggesting that reduced activity in these pathways may contribute to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freddyson J Martínez-Rivera
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
| | - José Pérez-Torres
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Coraly D Velázquez-Díaz
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Marcos J Sánchez-Navarro
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Carlos I Huertas-Pérez
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Maria M Diehl
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Mary L Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Suzanne N Haber
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York; McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts
| | - Gregory J Quirk
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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7
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Psychometric Properties of the Dutch Child Avoidance Measure. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2023:10.1007/s10578-023-01517-w. [PMID: 36913006 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-023-01517-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Avoidance is considered a hallmark feature of child anxiety, but convenient measures are scarce. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Child Avoidance Measure (CAM) in a Dutch population, focusing mainly on the child-version. We included children 8 to 13 years old from a community sample (n = 63, longitudinal design) and a sample of high-anxious children (n = 92, cross-sectional design). Regarding the child-version, the internal consistencies were acceptable to good with moderate test-retest reliability. The validity analyses showed encouraging results. High-anxious children had higher avoidance scores than children from a community sample. Regarding the parent-version, both the internal consistency and test-retest validity were excellent. Overall, this study confirmed the sound psychometric properties and usefulness of the CAM. Future studies should focus on the psychometric properties of the Dutch CAM in a clinical sample, assess its ecological validity more extensively, and examine more psychometric features of the parent-version.
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8
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Karayağız Ş, Oralhan B, Oralhan Z, Turabieh H, Khan M. Modeling of Compulsive Behavior Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Patients by Using the Data Mining Method. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICINE 2022; 2022:8040622. [PMID: 35502414 PMCID: PMC9056265 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8040622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Data mining is a method that is used to find data that are precise, previously uncertain, and logical values from a comprehensive set of information. Data mining is used as a tool for determining the accuracy of classifications of data obtained in the field of bioinformatics by using different algorithm approaches. In this study, the data mining method was used to classify the accuracy of different algorithms and predict the types of compulsive behavior of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder. Data collected from a total of 164 people, 70 males and 94 females, were analyzed. The age range of the people participating in the study was between 7 and 73, and the calculated mean age was 32.4. Data about sociodemographic characteristics, course of disease, treatments, family histories, obsession, and compulsion types of the participants were collected through data collection instruments. Classification algorithm methods found in WEKA software were chosen to process the data. The effect of the types of obsession on the types of compulsion was determined using regression models. The levels of success of the generated models were compared. The results of the study demonstrated the presence of a moderate positive correlation (.35) between these two variables. According to the coefficient of determination, obsession explained 11% of the variance in compulsion. These findings supported the established hypothesis that the effect of the types of obsession was effective on the types of compulsion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Şaban Karayağız
- Department of Psychology, Nuh Naci Yazgan University, 38090 Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Burcu Oralhan
- Department of Business Administration, Nuh Naci Yazgan University, 38090 Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Zeki Oralhan
- Department of Electrical Electronics Engineering, Nuh Naci Yazgan University, 38090 Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Hamza Turabieh
- Department of Information Technology, College of Computing and Information Technology, Taif University, 11099 Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Monirujjaman Khan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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9
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Ball TM, Gunaydin LA. Measuring maladaptive avoidance: from animal models to clinical anxiety. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:978-986. [PMID: 35034097 PMCID: PMC8938494 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01263-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Avoiding stimuli that predict danger is required for survival. However, avoidance can become maladaptive in individuals who overestimate threat and thus avoid safe situations as well as dangerous ones. Excessive avoidance is a core feature of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This avoidance prevents patients from confronting maladaptive threat beliefs, thereby maintaining disordered anxiety. Avoidance is associated with high levels of psychosocial impairment yet is poorly understood at a mechanistic level. Many objective laboratory assessments of avoidance measure adaptive avoidance, in which an individual learns to successfully avoid a truly noxious stimulus. However, anxiety disorders are characterized by maladaptive avoidance, for which there are fewer objective laboratory measures. We posit that maladaptive avoidance behavior depends on a combination of three altered neurobehavioral processes: (1) threat appraisal, (2) habitual avoidance, and (3) trait avoidance tendency. This heterogeneity in underlying processes presents challenges to the objective measurement of maladaptive avoidance behavior. Here we first review existing paradigms for measuring avoidance behavior and its underlying neural mechanisms in both human and animal models, and identify how existing paradigms relate to these neurobehavioral processes. We then propose a new framework to improve the translational understanding of maladaptive avoidance behavior by adapting paradigms to better differentiate underlying processes and mechanisms and applying these paradigms in clinical populations across diagnoses with the goal of developing novel interventions to engage specific identified neurobehavioral targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tali M. Ball
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Lisa A. Gunaydin
- grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA ,grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
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10
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Ahmari SE, Rauch SL. The prefrontal cortex and OCD. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:211-224. [PMID: 34400778 PMCID: PMC8617188 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01130-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a highly prevalent and severe neuropsychiatric disorder, with an incidence of 1.5-3% worldwide. However, despite the clear public health burden of OCD and relatively well-defined symptom criteria, effective treatments are still limited, spotlighting the need for investigation of the neural substrates of the disorder. Human neuroimaging studies have consistently highlighted abnormal activity patterns in prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions and connected circuits in OCD during both symptom provocation and performance of neurocognitive tasks. Because of recent technical advances, these findings can now be leveraged to develop novel targeted interventions. Here we will highlight current theories regarding the role of the prefrontal cortex in the generation of OCD symptoms, discuss ways in which this knowledge can be used to improve treatments for this often disabling illness, and lay out challenges in the field for future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne E Ahmari
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Scott L Rauch
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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11
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Başkaya E, Özgüç S, Tanrıverdi D. Examination of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Issues Ment Health Nurs 2021; 42:998-1009. [PMID: 34048317 DOI: 10.1080/01612840.2021.1920652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
This study conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in patients with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. A meta-analysis is able to evaluate scientifically evidence at the highest level. Studies conducted between 2008 and 2020 were accessed from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and other databases for evaluation and possible inclusion. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was shown to have a moderate effect (standardized mean difference: 0.283), but this this was enough to indicate a significant reduction in obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the experimental groups compared to the control groups (p = .002). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can be considered an effective approach for use with individuals with a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebru Başkaya
- Department of Nursing Sciences, Vocational School of Health Services, Uşak University, Uşak, Turkey
| | - Safiye Özgüç
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Derya Tanrıverdi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
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12
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Better living through understanding the insula: Why subregions can make all the difference. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108765. [PMID: 34461066 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Insula function is considered critical for many motivated behaviors, with proposed functions ranging from attention, behavioral control, emotional regulation, goal-directed and aversion-resistant responding. Further, the insula is implicated in many neuropsychiatric conditions including substance abuse. More recently, multiple insula subregions have been distinguished based on anatomy, connectivity, and functional contributions. Generally, posterior insula is thought to encode more somatosensory inputs, which integrate with limbic/emotional information in middle insula, that in turn integrate with cognitive processes in anterior insula. Together, these regions provide rapid interoceptive information about the current or predicted situation, facilitating autonomic recruitment and quick, flexible action. Here, we seek to create a robust foundation from which to understand potential subregion differences, and provide direction for future studies. We address subregion differences across humans and rodents, so that the latter's mechanistic interventions can best mesh with clinical relevance of human conditions. We first consider the insula's suggested roles in humans, then compare subregional studies, and finally describe rodent work. One primary goal is to encourage precision in describing insula subregions, since imprecision (e.g. including both posterior and anterior studies when describing insula work) does a disservice to a larger understanding of insula contributions. Additionally, we note that specific task details can greatly impact recruitment of various subregions, requiring care and nuance in design and interpretation of studies. Nonetheless, the central ethological importance of the insula makes continued research to uncover mechanistic, mood, and behavioral contributions of paramount importance and interest. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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Abstract
It becomes increasingly clear that (non-)invasive neurostimulation is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In this chapter we review the available evidence on techniques and targets, clinical results including a meta-analysis, mechanisms of action, and animal research. We focus on deep brain stimulation (DBS), but also cover non-invasive neurostimulation including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Data shows that most DBS studies target the ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS), with an overall 76% response rate in treatment-refractory OCD. Also TMS holds clinical promise. Increased insight in the normalizing effects of neurostimulation on cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) loops - through neuroimaging and animal research - provides novel opportunities to further optimize treatment strategies. Advancing clinical implementation of neurostimulation techniques is essential to ameliorate the lives of the many treatment-refractory OCD patients.
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14
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Abstract
OCD has lagged behind other psychiatric illnesses in the identification of molecular treatment targets, due in part to a lack of significant findings in genome-wide association studies. However, while progress in this area is being made, OCD's symptoms of obsessions, compulsions, and anxiety can be deconstructed into distinct neural functions that can be dissected in animal models. Studies in rodents and non-human primates have highlighted the importance of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic circuits in OCD pathophysiology, and emerging studies in human post-mortem brain tissue point to glutamatergic synapse abnormalities as a potential cellular substrate for observed dysfunctional behaviors. In addition, accumulated evidence points to a potential role for neuromodulators including serotonin and dopamine in both OCD pathology and treatment. Here, we review current efforts to use animal models for the identification of molecules, cell types, and circuits relevant to OCD pathophysiology. We start by describing features of OCD that can be modeled in animals, including circuit abnormalities and genetic findings. We then review different strategies that have been used to study OCD using animal model systems, including transgenic models, circuit manipulations, and dissection of OCD-relevant neural constructs. Finally, we discuss how these findings may ultimately help to develop new treatment strategies for OCD and other related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Chamberlain
- Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Center for Neuroscience Program and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Susanne E Ahmari
- Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. .,Center for Neuroscience Program and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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15
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Diehl MM, Iravedra-Garcia JM, Morán-Sierra J, Rojas-Bowe G, Gonzalez-Diaz FN, Valentín-Valentín VP, Quirk GJ. Divergent projections of the prelimbic cortex bidirectionally regulate active avoidance. eLife 2020; 9:59281. [PMID: 33054975 PMCID: PMC7588229 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) integrates incoming information to guide our actions. When motivation for food-seeking competes with avoidance of danger, the PFC likely plays a role in selecting the optimal choice. In platform-mediated active avoidance, rats avoid a tone-signaled footshock by stepping onto a nearby platform, delaying access to sucrose pellets. This avoidance requires prelimbic (PL) PFC, basolateral amygdala (BLA), and ventral striatum (VS). We previously showed that inhibitory tone responses of PL neurons correlate with avoidability of shock (Diehl et al., 2018). Here, we optogenetically modulated PL terminals in VS and BLA to identify PL outputs regulating avoidance. Photoactivating PL-VS projections reduced avoidance, whereas photoactivating PL-BLA projections increased avoidance. Moreover, photosilencing PL-BLA or BLA-VS projections reduced avoidance, suggesting that VS receives opposing inputs from PL and BLA. Bidirectional modulation of avoidance by PL projections to VS and BLA enables the animal to make appropriate decisions when faced with competing drives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Diehl
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology & Anatomy, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Jorge M Iravedra-Garcia
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology & Anatomy, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Jonathan Morán-Sierra
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology & Anatomy, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Gabriel Rojas-Bowe
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology & Anatomy, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Fabiola N Gonzalez-Diaz
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology & Anatomy, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Viviana P Valentín-Valentín
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology & Anatomy, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Gregory J Quirk
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology & Anatomy, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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16
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Manning EE, Bradfield LA, Iordanova MD. Adaptive behaviour under conflict: Deconstructing extinction, reversal, and active avoidance learning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 120:526-536. [PMID: 33035525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In complex environments, organisms must respond adaptively to situations despite conflicting information. Under natural (i.e. non-laboratory) circumstances, it is rare that cues or responses are consistently paired with a single outcome. Inconsistent pairings are more common, as are situations where cues and responses are associated with multiple outcomes. Such inconsistency creates conflict, and a response that is adaptive in one scenario may not be adaptive in another. Learning to adjust responses accordingly is important for species to survive and prosper. Here we review the behavioural and brain mechanisms of responding under conflict by focusing on three popular behavioural procedures: extinction, reversal learning, and active avoidance. Extinction involves adapting from reinforcement to non-reinforcement, reversal learning involves swapping the reinforcement of cues or responses, and active avoidance involves performing a response to avoid an aversive outcome, which may conflict with other defensive strategies. We note that each of these phenomena relies on somewhat overlapping neural circuits, suggesting that such circuits may be critical for the general ability to respond appropriately under conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth E Manning
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Suite 223, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, USA; School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, MS306, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
| | - Laura A Bradfield
- Centre for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, University of Technology Sydney (St. Vincent's Campus), 405 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia; St. Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research, St. Vincent's Hospital Sydney Limited, 405 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia.
| | - Mihaela D Iordanova
- Department of Psychology/Centre for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
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17
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Zuj DV, Xia W, Lloyd K, Vervliet B, Dymond S. Negative reinforcement rate and persistent avoidance following response-prevention extinction. Behav Res Ther 2020; 133:103711. [PMID: 32829190 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Persistent avoidance may be influenced by prior negative reinforcement rate (i.e., how effective the response is at controlling threat). In clinical settings, the effectiveness of extinction-based methods for treating anxiety-related avoidance may be impacted by prior reinforcement rate. Here, we conducted a laboratory-based treatment study to investigate the persistence of avoidance following response-prevention extinction (RPE) when prior avoidance had been differentially effective at cancelling shock. Participants in three negative reinforcement rate groups (100%, 50%, and 0%) completed a validated avoidance conditioning paradigm involving Pavlovian fear extinction, RPE, and re-extinction phases. It was hypothesised that partially reinforced avoidance would lead to diminished resistance to fear extinction following response prevention, compared to continuously- or never-reinforced avoidance. Persistent avoidance was related to prior negative reinforcement rate, with higher rates more resistant to extinction. These findings illustrate the role of reinforcement rate in the persistence of avoidance and may aid understanding of treatment relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel V Zuj
- Experimental Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Singleton Campus, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Weike Xia
- Experimental Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Singleton Campus, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Keith Lloyd
- Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Singleton Campus, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom
| | - Bram Vervliet
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simon Dymond
- Experimental Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Singleton Campus, Swansea, SA2 8PP, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Reykjavík University, Menntavegur 1, KU Leuven, 101, Reykjavík, Iceland.
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18
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Prefrontal regulation of behavioural control: Evidence from learning theory and translational approaches in rodents. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:27-41. [PMID: 32707346 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Everyday activities require adaptive decision-making and control over our actions to achieve our goals. Sub-regions within the cortex are widely reported to regulate these choices. Here we review rodent studies from two disparate fields of instrumental action control - goal-directed and habitual responding, and impulsive and compulsive behaviour. Our aim was to compare findings across the spectrum, from precision associative learning to translational studies of action control. The evidence suggests that each cortical sub-region performs different roles depending on task requirements and, within tasks, clear dissociations exist between regions. Rather than synthesizing a single role or function for a given region, we should consider regions to be capable of many different functions. Further investigation of cortico-cortical connections and the pattern of input and output circuitry within each region may be needed to identify unique process-specific pathways. Despite differences in the scope and purpose of these two fields, integrating evidence across tasks provides a broader context for testing hypotheses about the role of cortical regions in adaptive actions and decision-making.
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19
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Martínez-Rivera FJ, Sánchez-Navarro MJ, Huertas-Pérez CI, Greenberg BD, Rasmussen SA, Quirk GJ. Prolonged avoidance training exacerbates OCD-like behaviors in a rodent model. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:212. [PMID: 32620740 PMCID: PMC7334221 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-00892-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by compulsive behaviors that often resemble avoidance of perceived danger. OCD can be treated with exposure-with-response prevention (ERP) therapy in which patients are exposed to triggers but are encouraged to refrain from compulsions, to extinguish compulsive responses. The compulsions of OCD are strengthened by many repeated exposures to triggers, but little is known about the effects of extended repetition of avoidance behaviors on extinction. Here we assessed the extent to which overtraining of active avoidance affects subsequent extinction-with-response prevention (Ext-RP) as a rodent model of ERP, in which rats are extinguished to triggers, while the avoidance option is prevented. Male rats conditioned for 8d or 20d produced similar avoidance behavior to a tone paired with a shock, however, the 20d group showed a severe impairment of extinction during Ext-RP, as well as heightened anxiety. Furthermore, the majority of overtrained (20d) rats (75%) exhibited persistent avoidance following Ext-RP. In the 8d group, only a minority of rats (37%) exhibited persistent avoidance, and this was associated with elevated activity (c-Fos) in the prelimbic cortex and nucleus accumbens. In the 20d group, the minority of non-persistent rats (25%) showed elevated activity in the insular-orbital cortex and paraventricular thalamus. Lastly, extending the duration of Ext-RP prevented the deleterious effects of overtraining on extinction and avoidance. These rodent findings suggest that repeated expression of compulsion-like behaviors biases individuals toward persistent avoidance and alters avoidance circuits, thereby reducing the effectiveness of current extinction-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freddyson J Martínez-Rivera
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, 00936, USA.
- Nash family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Marcos J Sánchez-Navarro
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, 00936, USA
| | - Carlos I Huertas-Pérez
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, 00936, USA
| | - Benjamin D Greenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Butler Hospital and the Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, 02906, USA
| | - Steven A Rasmussen
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Butler Hospital and the Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, 02906, USA
| | - Gregory J Quirk
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, 00936, USA
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20
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Geramita MA, Yttri EA, Ahmari SE. The two‐step task, avoidance, and OCD. J Neurosci Res 2020; 98:1007-1019. [DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A. Geramita
- Department of Psychiatry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA USA
- Center for Neural Basis of Cognition University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Eric A. Yttri
- Department of Biological Sciences Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA USA
- Center for Neural Basis of Cognition University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
| | - Susanne E. Ahmari
- Department of Psychiatry University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
- Center for Neural Basis of Cognition University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA USA
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21
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Luyten L. The Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis: Translational Deep Brain Stimulation to Reduce Anxiety. Neuroscientist 2020; 26:278-284. [PMID: 31971488 DOI: 10.1177/1073858419898381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Recent clinical evidence has put forward a new region of interest for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Deep brain stimulation in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) significantly attenuates symptoms in patients suffering from severe, treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The BST is not typically implicated in OCD neuropsychopathology but is certainly not an unknown in the field of emotional learning and memory. Substantial evidence supports its involvement in anxiety responses, particularly to ambiguous threats. This seems consistent with the intolerance of uncertainty and tendency to overestimate danger, which fuel obsessions and compulsions in many patients with OCD. Translational research in rodents can help to obtain a deeper understanding of the effects of high-frequency electrical stimulation in the BST on anxiety, which may be valuable to improve treatment for psychiatric patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Luyten
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Centre for Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
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22
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Diehl MM, Bravo-Rivera C, Quirk GJ. The study of active avoidance: A platform for discussion. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:229-237. [PMID: 31509767 PMCID: PMC6936221 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Traditional active avoidance tasks have advanced the field of aversive learning and memory for decades and are useful for studying simple avoidance responses in isolation; however, these tasks have limited clinical relevance because they do not model several key features of clinical avoidance. In contrast, platform-mediated avoidance (PMA) more closely resembles clinical avoidance because the response i) is associated with an unambiguous safe location, ii) is not associated with an artificial termination of the warning signal, and iii) is associated with a decision-based appetitive cost. Recent findings on the neuronal circuits of PMA have confirmed that amygdala-striatal circuits are essential for avoidance. In PMA, however, the prelimbic cortex facilitates the avoidance response early during the warning signal, perhaps through disinhibition of the striatum. Future studies on avoidance should account for additional factors such as sex differences and social interactions that will advance our understanding of maladaptive avoidance contributing to neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Diehl
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR, 00936, Puerto Rico; Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506 United States
| | | | - Gregory J Quirk
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR, 00936, Puerto Rico.
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23
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Pittenger C, Pushkarskaya H, Gruner P. Animal models of OCD-relevant processes: an RDoC perspective. J Obsessive Compuls Relat Disord 2019; 23:100433. [PMID: 32322462 PMCID: PMC7176322 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Animal models have been invaluable tools in deciphering pathophysiology in many branches of medicine. Their application in the study of complex neuropsychiatric conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), however, raises vexing interpretative challenges. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach of identifying dimensions of function and dysfunction that cut across syndromic diagnoses provides one potential path forward. We review some of the domains in the current RDoC matrix that may inform our understanding of patients with obsessions and compulsions, and how work in animal model systems is helping us to understand them. We focus on three specific RDoC constructs that may be particularly informative for our understanding of OCD: potential threat, habit, and cognitive control. In each case we review selected recent studies in animal models and their potential contribution to our understanding of OCD, and suggest directions for future research, informed by the animal studies. Such mechanistic work in animal models, in parallel with clinical studies refining our understanding of the relationship between these dimensional constructs and the symptomatology of particular groups of patients, may over time help us to generate a more comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis and complexity of obsessions and compulsions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Pittenger
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine
| | | | - Patricia Gruner
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
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24
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Robbins TW, Vaghi MM, Banca P. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Puzzles and Prospects. Neuron 2019; 102:27-47. [PMID: 30946823 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.01.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 250] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a severe and disabling psychiatric disorder that presents several challenges for neuroscience. Recent advances in its genetic and developmental causation, as well as its neuropsychological basis, are reviewed. Hypotheses concerning an imbalance between goal-directed and habitual behavior together with neural correlates in cortico-striatal circuitry are evaluated and contrasted with metacognitive theories. Treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) tend to be of mixed efficacy but include psychological, pharmacological, and surgical approaches, the underlying mechanisms of which are still under debate. Overall, the prospects for new animal models and an integrated understanding of the pathophysiology of OCD are considered in the context of dimensional psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Matilde M Vaghi
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Paula Banca
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
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25
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26
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Dymond S. Overcoming avoidance in anxiety disorders: The contributions of Pavlovian and operant avoidance extinction methods. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 98:61-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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27
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Neuroscience Research and Mentoring in Puerto Rico: What Succeeds in This Environment? J Neurosci 2019; 39:776-782. [PMID: 30700524 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2352-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Twenty years ago, I arrived in Puerto Rico from New York City to establish a neuroscience laboratory and research program on extinction of conditioned fear. The lab's first research paper appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience (Quirk et al., 2000) and has been cited >900 times. The success of this project in Puerto Rico far surpassed my original expectations. Therefore, I thought it might be useful to identify the factors responsible for this success, with the hope of facilitating the development of laboratories in diverse settings. A description of our lab practices is interspersed with personal statements from trainees hailing from Puerto Rico and other parts of Latin America. Creating an effective research and training environment depends less on the director's personality and more on the proper practice of activities that foster intellectual growth, such as journal clubs, lab meetings, and philosophy of science retreats. On a personal level, this project has been enormously gratifying. The unique environment in Puerto Rico fostered my best work, and I am very happy to have established my laboratory here.
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28
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Pinhal CM, van den Boom BJG, Santana-Kragelund F, Fellinger L, Bech P, Hamelink R, Feng G, Willuhn I, Feenstra MGP, Denys D. Differential Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation of the Internal Capsule and the Striatum on Excessive Grooming in Sapap3 Mutant Mice. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 84:917-925. [PMID: 29954580 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that do not respond to conventional therapies. Although the precise mechanism of action of DBS remains unknown, modulation of activity in corticofugal fibers originating in the prefrontal cortex is thought to underlie its beneficial effects in OCD. METHODS To gain more mechanistic insight into DBS in OCD, we used Sapap3 mutant mice. These mice display excessive self-grooming and increased anxiety, both of which are responsive to therapeutic drugs used in OCD patients. We selected two clinically relevant DBS targets through which activity in prefronto-corticofugal fibers may be modulated: the internal capsule (IC) and the dorsal part of the ventral striatum (dVS). RESULTS IC-DBS robustly decreased excessive grooming, whereas dVS-DBS was on average less effective. Grooming was reduced rapidly after IC-DBS onset and reinstated upon DBS offset. Only IC-DBS was associated with increased locomotion. DBS in both targets induced c-Fos expression around the electrode tip and in different regions of the prefrontal cortex. This prefronto-cortical activation was more extensive after IC-DBS, but not associated with behavioral effects. Furthermore, we found that the decline in grooming cannot be attributed to altered locomotor activity and that anxiety, measured on the elevated plus maze, was not affected by DBS. CONCLUSIONS DBS in both the IC and dVS reduces compulsive grooming in Sapap3 mutant mice. However, IC stimulation was more effective, but also produced motor activation, even though both DBS targets modulated activity in a similar set of prefrontal cortical fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy M Pinhal
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bastijn J G van den Boom
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Fabiana Santana-Kragelund
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Lizz Fellinger
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pol Bech
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ralph Hamelink
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Guoping Feng
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Ingo Willuhn
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Matthijs G P Feenstra
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Damiaan Denys
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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29
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Rosas-Vidal LE, Lozada-Miranda V, Cantres-Rosario Y, Vega-Medina A, Melendez L, Quirk GJ. Alteration of BDNF in the medial prefrontal cortex and the ventral hippocampus impairs extinction of avoidance. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:2636-2644. [PMID: 30127343 PMCID: PMC6224579 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0176-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is critical for establishing activity-related neural plasticity. There is increasing interest in the mechanisms of active avoidance and its extinction, but little is known about the role of BDNF in these processes. Using the platform-mediated avoidance task combined with local infusions of an antibody against BDNF, we show that blocking BDNF in either prelimbic (PL) or infralimbic (IL) medial prefrontal cortex during extinction training impairs subsequent recall of extinction of avoidance, differing from extinction of conditioned freezing. By combining retrograde tracers with BDNF immunohistochemistry, we show that extinction of avoidance increases BDNF expression in ventral hippocampal (vHPC) neurons, but not amygdala neurons, projecting to PL and IL. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we further show that reducing BDNF production in vHPC neurons impairs recall of avoidance extinction. Thus, the vHPC may mediate behavioral flexibility in avoidance by driving extinction-related plasticity via BDNFergic projections to both PL and IL. These findings add to the growing body of knowledge implicating the hippocampal-prefrontal pathway in anxiety-related disorders and extinction-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis E Rosas-Vidal
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Valeria Lozada-Miranda
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
| | - Yisel Cantres-Rosario
- Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
| | - Alexis Vega-Medina
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
| | - Loyda Melendez
- Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
| | - Gregory J Quirk
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA.
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30
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Krypotos AM, Vervliet B, Engelhard IM. The validity of human avoidance paradigms. Behav Res Ther 2018; 111:99-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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31
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Dynamics of defensive response mobilization during repeated terminations of exposure to increasing interoceptive threat. Int J Psychophysiol 2018; 131:44-56. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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32
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Diehl MM, Lempert KM, Parr AC, Ballard I, Steele VR, Smith DV. Toward an integrative perspective on the neural mechanisms underlying persistent maladaptive behaviors. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 48:1870-1883. [PMID: 30044022 PMCID: PMC6113118 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria M. Diehl
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00936
| | - Karolina M. Lempert
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Ashley C. Parr
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
| | - Ian Ballard
- Neurosciences Graduate Training Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Vaughn R. Steele
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David V. Smith
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122
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Manning EE, Ahmari SE. How can preclinical mouse models be used to gain insight into prefrontal cortex dysfunction in obsessive-compulsive disorder? Brain Neurosci Adv 2018; 2:2398212818783896. [PMID: 32166143 PMCID: PMC7058260 DOI: 10.1177/2398212818783896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that is characterised by perseverative thoughts and behaviours. Cognitive and affective disturbances play a central role in this illness, and it is therefore not surprising that clinical neuroimaging studies have demonstrated widespread alterations in prefrontal cortex functioning in patients. Preclinical mouse experimental systems provide the opportunity to gain mechanistic insight into the neurobiological changes underlying prefrontal cortex dysfunction through new technologies that allow measurement and manipulation of activity in discrete neural populations in awake, behaving mice. However, recent preclinical research has focused on striatal dysfunction, and has therefore provided relatively little insight regarding the role of the prefrontal cortex in obsessive-compulsive disorder–relevant behaviours. Here, we will discuss a number of translational prefrontal cortex–dependent paradigms, including obsessive-compulsive disorder–relevant tasks that produce compulsive responding, and how they can be leveraged in this context. Drawing on recent examples that have led to mechanistic insight about specific genes, cell types and circuits that mediate prefrontal cortex contributions to distinct aspects of cognition, we will provide a framework for applying similar strategies to identify neural mechanisms underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder–relevant behavioural domains. We propose that research using clinically relevant paradigms will accelerate translation of findings from preclinical mouse models, thus supporting the development of novel therapeutics targeted to specific pathophysiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susanne E Ahmari
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Diehl MM, Bravo-Rivera C, Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Pagan-Rivera PA, Burgos-Robles A, Roman-Ortiz C, Quirk GJ. Active avoidance requires inhibitory signaling in the rodent prelimbic prefrontal cortex. eLife 2018; 7:34657. [PMID: 29851381 PMCID: PMC5980229 DOI: 10.7554/elife.34657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Much is known about the neural circuits of conditioned fear and its relevance to understanding anxiety disorders, but less is known about other anxiety-related behaviors such as active avoidance. Using a tone-signaled, platform-mediated avoidance task, we observed that pharmacological inactivation of the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL) delayed avoidance. Surprisingly, optogenetic silencing of PL glutamatergic neurons did not delay avoidance. Consistent with this, inhibitory but not excitatory responses of rostral PL neurons were associated with avoidance training. To test the importance of these inhibitory responses, we optogenetically stimulated PL neurons to counteract the tone-elicited reduction in firing rate. Photoactivation of rostral (but not caudal) PL neurons at 4 Hz impaired avoidance. These findings suggest that inhibitory responses of rostral PL neurons signal the avoidability of a potential threat and underscore the importance of designing behavioral optogenetic studies based on neuronal firing responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Diehl
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico.,Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Christian Bravo-Rivera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico.,Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico.,Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Pablo A Pagan-Rivera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico.,Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States
| | - Ciorana Roman-Ortiz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico.,Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Gregory J Quirk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico.,Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Treanor M, Barry TJ. Treatment of avoidance behavior as an adjunct to exposure therapy: Insights from modern learning theory. Behav Res Ther 2017; 96:30-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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36
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Lange I. Extinction of Avoidance by Response Prevention: Translation From an Animal Model to the Clinic. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:e51-3. [PMID: 27601342 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Iris Lange
- Departments of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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