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Dobel C, Junghöfer M. Tinnitus-on the interplay between emotion and cognition. HNO 2024; 72:46-50. [PMID: 37725160 DOI: 10.1007/s00106-023-01339-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Subjective tinnitus (hereafter tinnitus) is often considered and studied as a perceptual phenomenon. Accordingly, various abnormalities in the area of cognitive processing have been reported in patients with tinnitus. At the same time, the disorder is characterized by considerable emotional distress, which is associated with a high comorbidity of affective disorders. Here, we aim to outline the close link between cognition and emotion, and how current research from the field of cognitive neuroscience examines the processing and acquisition of emotional stimuli. The emotional valence of stimuli can be acquired after brief exposure to learning, leading from neutral to appetitive or aversive evaluation. In contrast to neutral stimuli, emotional stimuli attract attention very early (about 100 ms) during processing, leading to deeper processing and corresponding memory effects. The involved subcortical and cortical network encompasses limbic and sensory areas. In particular, prefrontal regions are involved in the acquisition and evaluation of emotional stimuli as also shown in studies of patients with affect disorders. The interplay of cognitive and emotional processes seems to be central to the development, maintenance, and treatment of tinnitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Dobel
- ENT Clinic, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747, Jena, Germany.
| | - Markus Junghöfer
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
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2
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Dobel C, Junghöfer M. [Tinnitus-on the interplay between emotion and cognition. German version]. HNO 2023; 71:648-655. [PMID: 37581622 DOI: 10.1007/s00106-023-01338-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Subjective tinnitus (hereafter tinnitus) is often considered and studied as a perceptual phenomenon. Accordingly, various abnormalities in the area of cognitive processing have been reported in patients with tinnitus. At the same time, the disorder is characterized by considerable emotional distress, which is associated with a high comorbidity of affective disorders. Here, we aim to outline the close link between cognition and emotion, and how current research from the field of cognitive neuroscience examines the processing and acquisition of emotional stimuli. The emotional valence of stimuli can be acquired after brief exposure to learning, leading from neutral to appetitive or aversive evaluation. In contrast to neutral stimuli, emotional stimuli attract attention very early (about 100 ms) during processing, leading to deeper processing and corresponding memory effects. The involved subcortical and cortical network encompasses limbic and sensory areas. In particular, prefrontal regions are involved in the acquisition and evaluation of emotional stimuli as also shown in studies of patients with affect disorders. The interplay of cognitive and emotional processes seems to be central to the development, maintenance, and treatment of tinnitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Dobel
- HNO-Klinik, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Stoystr. 3, 07740, Jena, Deutschland.
| | - Markus Junghöfer
- Institut für Biomagnetismus und Biosignalanalyse, Universitätsklinikum Münster, Münster, Deutschland
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Zhou X, Gu Y, Huang L, Lei Y. Individual differences in contextual threat generalisation and uncertainty: The role of intolerance of uncertainty. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37105530 DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Threat generalisation is an adaptive process that is essential for individual survival. In contrast, over-generalisation is a pathological process that underlies the development of anxiety disorders. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is an individual characteristic known to influence threat generalisation by altering the responses to threat in uncertain situations. However, how it affects contextual threat generalisation remains unclear. Here, we used a novel paradigm to investigate whether contextual threat generalisation varied between individuals depending on their IU level (high or low) and the predictability of a situation (predictable or unpredictable). We analysed shock expectancy in 82 participants (age: 18-27 years) during threat acquisition and generalisation. Results showed that compared with the low IU group, the high IU group exhibited increased contextual threat generalisation to threat-related cues in unpredictable situation. These findings suggest that IU could be a marker for anxiety disorder susceptibility, as well as a target for anxiety treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Zhou
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuanyuan Gu
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lihui Huang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yi Lei
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
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Roesmann K, Toelle J, Leehr EJ, Wessing I, Böhnlein J, Seeger F, Schwarzmeier H, Siminski N, Herrmann MJ, Dannlowski U, Lueken U, Klucken T, Straube T, Junghöfer M. Neural correlates of fear conditioning are associated with treatment-outcomes to behavioral exposure in spider phobia - Evidence from magnetoencephalography. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 35:103046. [PMID: 35609411 PMCID: PMC9125677 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Magnetoencephalographic effects of fear conditioning predict exposure outcomes. No associations between fear ratings of conditioned stimuli and exposure outcomes. Prefrontal correlates of safety processing and/or fear inhibition are treatment-relevant. Individual neural differences might be a promising predictor of exposure success.
Background Models of anxiety disorders and the rationale of exposure therapy (ET) are grounded on classical fear conditioning. Yet, it is unclear whether lower fear ratings of conditioned safety versus threat cues and corresponding neural markers of safety-learning and/or fear inhibition assessed before treatment would predict better outcomes of behavioral exposure. Methods Sixty-six patients with spider phobia completed pre-treatment clinical and experimental fear conditioning assessments, one session of virtual reality ET, a post-treatment clinical assessment, and a 6-month follow-up assessment. Tilted Gabor gratings served as conditioned stimuli (CS) that were either paired (CS+) or remained unpaired (CS-) with an aversive phobia-related and phobia-unrelated unconditioned stimulus (UCS). CS+/CS- differences in fear ratings and magnetoencephalographic event-related fields (ERFs) were related to percentual symptom reductions from pre- to post-treatment, as assessed via spider phobia questionnaire (SPQ), behavioral avoidance test (BAT), and remission status at 6-month follow-up. Results We observed no associations between pre-treatment CS+/CS- differences in fear ratings and any treatment outcome. CS+/CS- differences in source estimations of ERFs revealed that higher CS- activity in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) was related with SPQ- and BAT-reductions. Associations between CS+/CS- differences and treatment outcomes were also observed in left ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) regions, which additionally revealed associations with the follow-up remission status. Conclusions Results provide initial evidence that neural pre-treatment CS+/CS- differences may hold predictive information regarding outcomes of behavioral exposure. Our findings highlight a key role of neural responses to safety cues with potentially inhibitory effects on affect-generating structures during fear conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati Roesmann
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Germany; Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Germany.
| | - Julius Toelle
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Germany
| | | | - Ida Wessing
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Joscha Böhnlein
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Fabian Seeger
- Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Würzburg, Germany; Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hanna Schwarzmeier
- Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Niklas Siminski
- Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin J Herrmann
- Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Ulrike Lueken
- Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Würzburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Klucken
- Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Markus Junghöfer
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Germany
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Ochmann DT, Philippi KFA, Zeier P, Sandner M, Hillen B, Neuberger EWI, Ruiz de Azua I, Lieb K, Wessa M, Lutz B, Simon P, Brahmer A. Association of Innate and Acquired Aerobic Capacity With Resilience in Healthy Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of an 8-Week Web-Based Physical Exercise Intervention. JMIR Res Protoc 2021; 10:e29712. [PMID: 34847062 PMCID: PMC8669579 DOI: 10.2196/29712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physical activity alleviates chronic stress. The latest research suggests a relationship between resilience and physical fitness. Beneficial adaptations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, sympathetic nervous system, endocannabinoid system, and tryptophan pathway, which are induced by an active lifestyle, are considered to be conducive to resilience. However, detailed knowledge on the molecular link between the effects of acute and chronic physical exercise and improved resilience to stress in humans is missing. Moreover, the relationship between innate and acquired aerobic capacity and resilience is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to implement a human exercise intervention trial addressing the following main hypotheses: a high innate aerobic capacity is associated with high resilience to stress, and web-based physical exercise training improves aerobic capacity of physically inactive adults, which is accompanied by improved resilience. In this setting, we will analyze the relationship between resilience parameters and innate and acquired aerobic capacity as well as circulating signaling molecules. METHODS A total of 70 healthy, physically inactive (<150 minutes/week of physical activity) adults (aged 18-45 years) will be randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive weekly training using progressive endurance and interval running adapted individually to their remotely supervised home training performance via web-based coach support. A standardized incremental treadmill exercise test will be performed before and after the intervention period of 8 weeks to determine the innate and acquired aerobic capacity (peak oxygen uptake). Before and after the intervention, psychological tests and questionnaires that characterize parameters implicated in resilience will be applied. Blood and saliva will be sampled for the analysis of cortisol, lactate, endocannabinoids, catecholamines, kynurenic acid, and further circulating signal transducers. Statistical analysis will provide comprehensive knowledge on the relationship between aerobic capacity and resilience, as well as the capacity of peripheral factors to mediate the promoting effects of exercise on resilience. RESULTS The study was registered in October 2019, and enrollment began in September 2019. Of the 161 participants who were initially screened via a telephone survey, 43 (26.7%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Among the 55% (17/31) of participants in the intervention group and 45% (14/31) of participants in the control group who completed the study, no serious adverse incidents were reported. Of 43 participants, 4 (9%) withdrew during the program (for individual reasons) and 8 (19%) have not yet participated in the program; moreover, further study recruitment was paused for an indeterminate amount of time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Our study aims to further define the physiological characteristics of human resilience, and it may offer novel approaches for the prevention and therapy of mental disorders via an exercise prescription. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/29712.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T Ochmann
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Keito F A Philippi
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Zeier
- Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Magdalena Sandner
- Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Barlo Hillen
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Elmo W I Neuberger
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Inigo Ruiz de Azua
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Klaus Lieb
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute for Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Beat Lutz
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Perikles Simon
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Alexandra Brahmer
- Sports Medicine, Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Extracellular Vesicles Research Group, Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Sandner M, Zeier P, Lois G, Wessa M. Cognitive emotion regulation withstands the stress test: An fMRI study on the effect of acute stress on distraction and reappraisal. Neuropsychologia 2021; 157:107876. [PMID: 33930388 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive emotion regulation is a key mechanism for the maintenance of mental health, but may fail, when individuals are exposed to acute stress. To date, it is not well understood whether and to what extent acute stress effects contribute to impairments in emotion regulation capacities as the sparse existing studies have yielded heterogeneous results, indicating that stress timing might be a crucial factor. In the present study, 81 healthy participants underwent either an acute stress task (ScanSTRESS-C; n = 40) or a control condition (n = 41) while lying in the MRI scanner. In the subsequent Cognitive Emotion Regulation Task (CERT), participants were confronted with neutral or negative pictures and instructed to either view them, or regulate their upcoming emotions using either distraction or reappraisal. Subjective ratings of affective state as well as functional brain imaging data served to indicate emotion regulation. The results showed a successful stress manipulation as indicated by group differences in subjective wellbeing, saliva cortisol concentrations, heart rate, and functional brain activity in regions implicated in stress processing. With respect to emotion regulation, CERT data revealed a significant regulation effect at the neural and behavioral level (less negative emotional ratings after reappraisal and distraction trials compared to view trials) in both groups. However, no significant group differences were observed, neither in BOLD responses to the CERT, nor in behavioral ratings. Contrary to previous studies, our study did not reveal further evidence of stress-related effects on emotion regulation, potentially being related to differences between studies in experimental setting, timing, and procedures. This study therefore underlines the need of future studies that disentangle the complex interplay of stress and emotion regulation and identify different factors influencing their bidirectional relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Sandner
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Zeier
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Giannis Lois
- Department of Microeconomics and Public Economics, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Research Group Wessa, Mainz, Germany.
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Investigating individual stress reactivity: High hair cortisol predicts lower acute stress responses. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 118:104660. [PMID: 32485341 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Identifying individual differences in stress reactivity is of particular interest in the context of stress-related disorders and resilience. Previous studies already identified several factors mediating the individual stress response of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). However, the impact of long-term HPA axis activity on acute stress reactivity remains inconclusive. To investigate associations between long-term HPA axis variation and individual acute stress reactivity, we tested 40 healthy volunteers for affective, endocrine, physiological, and neural reactions to a modified, compact version of the established in-MR stress paradigm ScanSTRESS (ScanSTRESS-C). Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) served as an integrative marker of long-term HPA axis activity. First, the ScanSTRESS-C version proved to be valid in evoking a subjective, endocrine, physiological, and neural stress response with enhanced self-reported negative affect and cortisol levels, increased heart rate as well as increased activation in the anterior insula and the dorso-anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). Second and interestingly, results indicated a lower neuroendocrine stress response in individuals with higher HCC: HCC was negatively correlated with the area under the curve (respect to increase; AUCi) of saliva cortisol and with a stress-related increase in dACC activity. The present study explicitly targeted the relationship between HCC and acute stress reactivity on multiple response levels, i.e. subjective, endocrine and neural stress responses. The lower stress reactivity in individuals with higher HCC levels indicates the need for further research evaluating the role of long-term HPA axis alterations in the context of vulnerability or immunization against acute stress and following stress-related impairments.
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Bublatzky F, Kavcıoğlu F, Guerra P, Doll S, Junghöfer M. Contextual information resolves uncertainty about ambiguous facial emotions: Behavioral and magnetoencephalographic correlates. Neuroimage 2020; 215:116814. [PMID: 32276073 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental conditions bias our perception of other peoples' facial emotions. This becomes quite relevant in potentially threatening situations, when a fellow's facial expression might indicate potential danger. The present study tested the prediction that a threatening environment biases the recognition of facial emotions. To this end, low- and medium-expressive happy and fearful faces (morphed to 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40% emotional) were presented within a context of instructed threat-of-shock or safety. Self-reported data revealed that instructed threat led to a biased recognition of fearful, but not happy facial expressions. Magnetoencephalographic correlates revealed spatio-temporal clusters of neural network activity associated with emotion recognition and contextual threat/safety in early to mid-latency time intervals in the left parietal cortex, bilateral prefrontal cortex, and the left temporal pole regions. Early parietal activity revealed a double dissociation of face-context information as a function of the expressive level of facial emotions: When facial expressions were difficult to recognize (low-expressive), contextual threat enhanced fear processing and contextual safety enhanced processing of subtle happy faces. However, for rather easily recognizable faces (medium-expressive) the left hemisphere (parietal cortex, PFC, and temporal pole) showed enhanced activity to happy faces during contextual threat and fearful faces during safety. Thus, contextual settings reduce the salience threshold and boost early face processing of low-expressive congruent facial emotions, whereas face-context incongruity or mismatch effects drive neural activity of easier recognizable facial emotions. These results elucidate how environmental settings help recognize facial emotions, and the brain mechanisms underlying the recognition of subtle nuances of fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Bublatzky
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Germany.
| | - Fatih Kavcıoğlu
- Chair of Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Pedro Guerra
- Department of Personality, University of Granada, Spain
| | - Sarah Doll
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Markus Junghöfer
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
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Bublatzky F, Guerra P, Alpers GW. Verbal instructions override the meaning of facial expressions. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14988. [PMID: 30301956 PMCID: PMC6177419 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33269-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychological research has long acknowledged that facial expressions can implicitly trigger affective psychophysiological responses. However, whether verbal information can alter the meaning of facial emotions and corresponding response patterns has not been tested. This study examined emotional facial expressions as cues for instructed threat-of-shock or safety, with a focus on defensive responding. In addition, reversal instructions were introduced to test the impact of explicit safety instructions on fear extinction. Forty participants were instructed that they would receive unpleasant electric shocks, for instance, when viewing happy but not angry faces. In a second block, instructions were reversed (e.g., now angry faces cued shock). Happy, neutral, and angry faces were repeatedly presented, and auditory startle probes were delivered in half of the trials. The defensive startle reflex was potentiated for threat compared to safety cues. Importantly, this effect occurred regardless of whether threat was cued by happy or angry expressions. Although the typical pattern of response habituation was observed, defense activation to newly instructed threat cues remained significantly enhanced in the second part of the experiment, and it was more pronounced in more socially anxious participants. Thus, anxious individuals did not exhibit more pronounced defense activation compared to less anxious participants, but their defense activation was more persistent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Bublatzky
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
- Clinical Psychology and Biological Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Pedro Guerra
- University of Granada, Department of Personality, Granada, Spain
| | - Georg W Alpers
- Clinical Psychology and Biological Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
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10
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Lago TR, Hsiung A, Leitner BP, Duckworth CJ, Chen KY, Ernst M, Grillon C. Exercise decreases defensive responses to unpredictable, but not predictable, threat. Depress Anxiety 2018; 35:868-875. [PMID: 29637654 PMCID: PMC6314494 DOI: 10.1002/da.22748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 07/14/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research supports the anxiolytic effect of exercise, but the mechanism underlying this effect is unclear. This study examines the influence of exercise in healthy controls on two distinct defensive states implicated in anxiety disorders: fear, a phasic response to a predictable threat, and anxiety, a sustained response to an unpredictable threat. METHODS Thirty-four healthy volunteers (17 male, age M = 26.18, SD = 5.6) participated in sessions of exercise (biking at 60-70% of heart rate reserve) and control (biking at 10-20% of heart rate reserve) activity for 30 min, separated by 1 week. Threat responses were measured by eyeblink startle and assessed with the "Neutral-Predictable-Unpredictable threat test," which includes a neutral (N) and two threat conditions, one with predictable (P) and one with unpredictable (U) shock. RESULTS Results show that exercise versus control activity reduces startle potentiation during unpredictable threat (P = .031), but has no effect on startle potentiation during predictable threat (P = .609). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that exercise reduces defensive response to unpredictable, but not predictable, threat, a dissociation that may help inform clinical indications for this behavioral intervention, as well as provide clues to its underlying neurobehavioral mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany R Lago
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Abigail Hsiung
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Brooks P Leitner
- Energy Metabolism Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Courtney J Duckworth
- Energy Metabolism Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kong Y Chen
- Energy Metabolism Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on the Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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11
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Klahn AL, Klinkenberg IA, Lueken U, Notzon S, Arolt V, Pantev C, Zwanzger P, Junghoefer M. Commonalities and differences in the neural substrates of threat predictability in panic disorder and specific phobia. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2017; 14:530-537. [PMID: 28331799 PMCID: PMC5345973 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Different degrees of threat predictability are thought to induce either phasic fear or sustained anxiety. Maladaptive, sustained anxious apprehension is thought to result in overgeneralization of anxiety and thereby to contribute to the development of anxiety disorders. Therefore, differences in threat predictability have been associated with pathological states of anxiety with specific phobia (SP) representing phasic fear as heightened response to predictable threat, while panic disorder (PD) is characterized by sustained anxiety (unpredictable threat) and, as a consequence, overgeneralization of fear. The present study aimed to delineate commonalities and differences in the neural substrates of the impact of threat predictability on affective processing in these two anxiety disorders. Twenty PD patients, 20 SP patients and 20 non-anxious control subjects were investigated with an adapted NPU-design (no, predictable, unpredictable threat) using whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG). Group independent neural activity in the right dlPFC increased with decreasing threat predictability. PD patients showed a sustained hyperactivation of the vmPFC under threat and safety conditions. The magnitude of hyperactivation was inversely correlated with PDs subjective arousal and anxiety sensitivity. Both PD and SP patients revealed decreased parietal processing of affective stimuli. Findings indicate overgeneralization between threat and safety conditions and increased need for emotion regulation via the vmPFC in PD, but not SP patients. Both anxiety disorders showed decreased activation in parietal networks possibly indicating attentional avoidance of affective stimuli. Present results complement findings from fear conditioning studies and underline overgeneralization of fear, particularly in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Luisa Klahn
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Muenster, Germany
| | | | - Ulrike Lueken
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Swantje Notzon
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Muenster, Germany
| | - Volker Arolt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Muenster, Germany
| | - Christo Pantev
- Institute for Biogmagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Muenster, Germany
| | - Peter Zwanzger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Muenster, Germany; kbo-Inn-Salzach-Hospital, Wasserburg am Inn, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Junghoefer
- Institute for Biogmagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Muenster, Germany
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