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Kong CH, Min HS, Jeon M, Kang WC, Park K, Kim MS, Jung SY, Bae HJ, Park SJ, Shin HK, Seo CS, Ryu JH. Cheonwangbosimdan mitigates post-traumatic stress disorder-like behaviors through GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor antagonism in mice. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 330:118270. [PMID: 38685368 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Cheonwangbosimdan (CWBSD), a herbal medicine traditionally used for anxiety, insomnia, depression, and heart palpitations, has been reported to have anti-anxiety, antidepressant, cognitive improvement, and neuroprotective effects. AIM OF THE STUDY The purpose of this study was to determine if CWBSD could affect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like behaviors because it has prioritized clinical use over mechanism study. MATERIALS AND METHODS A single prolonged stress (SPS) mouse model, a well-established animal model of PTSD, was used to investigate whether standardized CWBSD could mitigate PTSD-like behaviors through robust behavioral tests, including the elevated plus-maze test and marble burying test for measuring anxiety-like behaviors, the splash test, forced swimming test, and tail suspension test for evaluating depression-like behaviors, and the Y-maze test and novel object recognition test for assessing cognitive function. Additionally, a fear extinction test was employed to determine whether CWBSD might reverse fear memory extinction deficits. Amygdala tissue was isolated from SPS-treated mouse brain and subjected to Western blotting or quantitative PCR to explore mechanisms by which CWBSD could mitigate PTSD-like behaviors. RESULTS CWBSD ameliorated emotional impairments and cognitive dysfunction in an SPS-induced PTSD-like mouse model. It also mitigated deficits in abnormal fear memory extinction. Protein expression levels of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit 2B (GluN2B) and phosphorylation levels of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in the amygdala were increased in SPS model mice and normalized by CWBSD. Additionally, co-administration of CWBSD and GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor antagonist, ifenprodil, at each sub-effective dose promoted fear memory extinction. CONCLUSIONS CWBSD can alleviate SPS-induced PTSD-like behaviors by normalizing GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor activity in the amygdala. Therefore, CWBSD could be a promising candidate for PTSD treatment with fewer adverse effects and better efficacy than existing therapies.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism
- Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/antagonists & inhibitors
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/drug therapy
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/metabolism
- Male
- Mice
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Disease Models, Animal
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Fear/drug effects
- Amygdala/drug effects
- Amygdala/metabolism
- Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology
- Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use
- Anxiety/drug therapy
- Anxiety/psychology
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Hyeon Kong
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoo Sik Min
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Mijin Jeon
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Woo Chang Kang
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Keontae Park
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Seo Kim
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Seo Yun Jung
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Jung Bae
- Agriculture and Life Science Research Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Se Jin Park
- School of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeon-Kyoo Shin
- KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, 305-811, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Seob Seo
- KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, 305-811, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jong Hoon Ryu
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea; Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
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Zopfs M, Jindrová M, Gurevitch G, Keynan JN, Hendler T, Baumeister S, Aggensteiner PM, Cornelisse S, Brandeis D, Schmahl C, Paret C. Amygdala-related electrical fingerprint is modulated with neurofeedback training and correlates with deep-brain activation: proof-of-concept in borderline personality disorder. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1651-1660. [PMID: 38131344 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723003549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The modulation of brain circuits of emotion is a promising pathway to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD). Precise and scalable approaches have yet to be established. Two studies investigating the amygdala-related electrical fingerprint (Amyg-EFP) in BPD are presented: one study addressing the deep-brain correlates of Amyg-EFP, and a second study investigating neurofeedback (NF) as a means to improve brain self-regulation. METHODS Study 1 combined electroencephalography (EEG) and simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the replicability of Amyg-EFP-related brain activation found in the reference dataset (N = 24 healthy subjects, 8 female; re-analysis of published data) in the replication dataset (N = 16 female individuals with BPD). In the replication dataset, we additionally explored how the Amyg-EFP would map to neural circuits defined by the research domain criteria. Study 2 investigated a 10-session Amyg-EFP NF training in parallel to a 12-weeks residential dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program. Fifteen patients with BPD completed the training, N = 15 matched patients served as DBT-only controls. RESULTS Study 1 replicated previous findings and showed significant amygdala blood oxygenation level dependent activation in a whole-brain regression analysis with the Amyg-EFP. Neurocircuitry activation (negative affect, salience, and cognitive control) was correlated with the Amyg-EFP signal. Study 2 showed Amyg-EFP modulation with NF training, but patients received reversed feedback for technical reasons, which limited interpretation of results. CONCLUSIONS Recorded via scalp EEG, the Amyg-EFP picks up brain activation of high relevance for emotion. Administering Amyg-EFP NF in addition to standardized BPD treatment was shown to be feasible. Clinical utility remains to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Zopfs
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Miroslava Jindrová
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Guy Gurevitch
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Jackob N Keynan
- Brain Stimulation Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Talma Hendler
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Sarah Baumeister
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Pascal-M Aggensteiner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sven Cornelisse
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Daniel Brandeis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Schmahl
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christian Paret
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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3
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Voigt JD, Mosier M, Tendler A. Systematic review and meta-analysis of neurofeedback and its effect on posttraumatic stress disorder. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1323485. [PMID: 38577405 PMCID: PMC10993781 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1323485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background To date, only one systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has evaluated the effect of neurofeedback in PTSD, which included only four studies and found an uncertainty of the effect of EEG-NF on PTSD symptoms. This meta-analysis is an update considering that numerous studies have since been published. Additionally, more recent studies have included fMRI-NF as well as fMRI-guided or -inspired EEG NF. Methods Systematic literature searches for RCTs were conducted in three online databases. Additional hand searches of each study identified and of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published were also undertaken. Outcomes evaluated the effect of neurofeedback vs. a control (active, sham, and waiting list) on their effects in reducing PTSD symptoms using various health instruments. Meta-analytical methods used were inverse variance random-effects models measuring both mean and standardized mean differences. Quality and certainty of the evidence were assessed using GRADE. Adverse events were also evaluated. Results A total of 17 studies were identified evaluating a total of 628 patients. There were 10 studies used in the meta-analysis. Results from all studies identified favored neurofeedback's effect on reducing PTSD symptoms including BDI pretest-posttest [mean difference (MD): 8.30 (95% CI: 3.09 to 13.52; P = 0.002; I 2 = 0%)]; BDI pretest-follow-up (MD: 8.75 (95% CI: 3.53 to 13.97; P < 0.00001; I 2 = 0%); CAPS-5 pretest-posttest [MD: 7.01 (95% CI: 1.36 to 12.66; P = 0.02; I 2 = 86%)]; CAPS-5 pretest-follow-up (MD: 10 (95% CI: 1.29 to 21.29; P = 0.006; I 2 = 77%); PCL-5 pretest-posttest (MD: 7.14 (95% CI: 3.08 to 11.2; P = 0.0006; I 2 = 0%); PCL-5 pretest-follow-up (MD: 14.95 (95% CI: 7.95 to 21.96; P < 0.0001; I 2 = 0%). Other studies reported improvements using various other instruments. GRADE assessments of CAPS, PCL, and BDI demonstrated a moderate/high level in the quality of the evidence that NF has a positive clinical effect. Conclusion Based on newer published studies and the outcomes measured, NF has demonstrated a clinically meaningful effect size, with an increased effect size at follow-up. This clinically meaningful effect appears to be driven by newer fMRI-guided NF and deeper brain derivates of it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D. Voigt
- Medical Device Consultants of Ridgewood, LLC, Waldwick, NJ, United States
| | - Michael Mosier
- EMB Statistical Solutions, LLC, Topeka, KS, United States
| | - Aron Tendler
- Department Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er Sheva, Israel
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Purcell JB, Brand B, Browne HA, Chefetz RA, Shanahan M, Bair ZA, Baranowski KA, Davis V, Mangones P, Modell RL, Palermo CA, Robertson EC, Robinson MA, Ward L, Winternitz S, Kaufman ML, Lebois LAM. Treatment of dissociative identity disorder: leveraging neurobiology to optimize success. Expert Rev Neurother 2024; 24:273-289. [PMID: 38357897 PMCID: PMC10950423 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2024.2316153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a treatable mental health condition that is associated with a range of psychobiological manifestations. However, historical controversy, modern day misunderstanding, and lack of professional education have prevented accurate treatment information from reaching most clinicians and patients. These obstacles also have slowed empirical efforts to improve treatment outcomes for people with DID. Emerging neurobiological findings in DID provide essential information that can be used to improve treatment outcomes. AREAS COVERED In this narrative review, the authors discuss symptom characteristics of DID, including dissociative self-states. Current treatment approaches are described, focusing on empirically supported psychotherapeutic interventions for DID and pharmacological agents targeting dissociative symptoms in other conditions. Neurobiological correlates of DID are reviewed, including recent research aimed at identifying a neural signature of DID. EXPERT OPINION Now is the time to move beyond historical controversy and focus on improving DID treatment availability and efficacy. Neurobiological findings could optimize treatment by reducing shame, aiding assessment, providing novel interventional brain targets and guiding novel pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions. The inclusion of those with lived experience in the design, planning and interpretation of research investigations is another powerful way to improve health outcomes for those with DID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliann B Purcell
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- b Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bethany Brand
- Department of Psychology, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA
| | - Heidi A Browne
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Division of Women's Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | | | - Meghan Shanahan
- Division of Women's Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Zoe A Bair
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kim A Baranowski
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Vona Davis
- Division of Women's Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Patricia Mangones
- Division of Women's Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca L Modell
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Cori A Palermo
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Emma C Robertson
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
| | - Matthew A Robinson
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- b Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura Ward
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Sherry Winternitz
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- b Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Milissa L Kaufman
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- b Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- b Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Marcu GM, Dumbravă A, Băcilă IC, Szekely-Copîndean RD, Zăgrean AM. Increasing Value and Reducing Waste of Research on Neurofeedback Effects in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A State-of-the-Art-Review. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2024; 49:23-45. [PMID: 38151684 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-023-09610-5] [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] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often considered challenging to treat due to factors that contribute to its complexity. In the last decade, more attention has been paid to non-pharmacological or non-psychological therapies for PTSD, including neurofeedback (NFB). NFB is a promising non-invasive technique targeting specific brainwave patterns associated with psychiatric symptomatology. By learning to regulate brain activity in a closed-loop paradigm, individuals can improve their functionality while reducing symptom severity. However, owing to its lax regulation and heterogeneous legal status across different countries, the degree to which it has scientific support as a psychiatric treatment remains controversial. In this state-of-the-art review, we searched PubMed, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, Scopus, and MEDLINE and identified meta-analyses and systematic reviews exploring the efficacy of NFB for PTSD. We included seven systematic reviews, out of which three included meta-analyses (32 studies and 669 participants) that targeted NFB as an intervention while addressing a single condition-PTSD. We used the MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2 and the criteria described by Cristea and Naudet (Behav Res Therapy 123:103479, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.103479 ) to identify sources of research waste and increasing value in biomedical research. The seven assessed reviews had an overall extremely poor quality score (5 critically low, one low, one moderate, and none high) and multiple sources of waste while opening opportunities for increasing value in the NFB literature. Our research shows that it remains unclear whether NFB training is significantly beneficial in treating PTSD. The quality of the investigated literature is low and maintains a persistent uncertainty over numerous points, which are highly important for deciding whether an intervention has clinical efficacy. Just as importantly, none of the reviews we appraised explored the statistical power, referred to open data of the included studies, or adjusted their pooled effect sizes for publication bias and risk of bias. Based on the obtained results, we identified some recurrent sources of waste (such as a lack of research decisions based on sound questions or using an appropriate methodology in a fully transparent, unbiased, and useable manner) and proposed some directions for increasing value (homogeneity and consensus) in designing and reporting research on NFB interventions in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Mariana Marcu
- Division of Physiology and Neuroscience, Department of Functional Sciences, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
- Department of Psychology, "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania.
| | - Andrei Dumbravă
- George I.M. Georgescu Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Iaşi, Romania
- Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iaşi, Iaşi, Romania
| | - Ionuţ-Ciprian Băcilă
- Scientific Research Group in Neuroscience "Dr. Gheorghe Preda" Clinical Psychiatry Hospital, Sibiu, Romania
- Faculty of Medicine, "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu Romania, Sibiu, Romania
| | - Raluca Diana Szekely-Copîndean
- Scientific Research Group in Neuroscience "Dr. Gheorghe Preda" Clinical Psychiatry Hospital, Sibiu, Romania
- Department of Social and Human Research, Romanian Academy - Cluj-Napoca Branch, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Ana-Maria Zăgrean
- Division of Physiology and Neuroscience, Department of Functional Sciences, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
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Fine NB, Neuman Fligelman E, Carlton N, Bloch M, Hendler T, Helpman L, Seligman Z, Armon DB. Integration of limbic self-neuromodulation with psychotherapy for complex post-traumatic stress disorder: treatment rationale and case study. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2024; 15:2256206. [PMID: 38166532 PMCID: PMC10769120 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2256206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Treatment Rationale: Exposure to repeated sexual trauma, particularly during childhood, often leads to protracted mental health problems. Childhood adversity is specifically associated with complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) presentation, which is particularly tenacious and treatment refractory, and features severe emotion dysregulation. Augmentation approaches have been suggested to enhance treatment efficacy in PTSD thus integrating first-line psychotherapy with mechanistically informed self-neuromodulation procedures (i.e. neurofeedback) may pave the way to enhanced clinical outcomes. A central neural mechanism of PTSD and emotion dysregulation involves amygdala hyperactivity that can be volitionally regulated by neurofeedback. We outline a treatment rationale that includes a detailed justification for the potential of combining psychotherapy and NF and delineate mechanisms of change. We illustrate key processes of reciprocal interactions between neurofeedback engagement and therapeutic goals.Case Study: We describe a clinical case of a woman with complex PTSD due to early and repetitive childhood sexual abuse using adjunctive neurofeedback as an augmentation to an ongoing, stable, traditional treatment plan. The woman participated in (a) ten sessions of neurofeedback by the use of an fMRI-inspired EEG model of limbic related activity (Amygdala Electrical-Finger-Print; AmygEFP-NF), (b) traditional weekly individual psychotherapy, (c) skills group. Before and after NF training period patient was blindly assessed for PTSD symptoms, followed by a 1, 3- and 6-months self-report follow-up. We demonstrate mechanisms of change as well as the clinical effectiveness of adjunctive treatment as indicated by reduced PTSD symptoms and improved daily functioning within this single case.Conclusions: We outline an integrative neuropsychological framework for understanding the unique mechanisms of change conferring value to conjoining NF applications with trauma-focused psychotherapy in complex PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi B. Fine
- Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel-Aviv, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ellie Neuman Fligelman
- Lotem Center for Treatment of Sexual Trauma, Department of Psychiatry, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nora Carlton
- Lotem Center for Treatment of Sexual Trauma, Department of Psychiatry, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Miki Bloch
- Psychiatric Department, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Talma Hendler
- Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel-Aviv, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Liat Helpman
- Psychiatric Department, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Zivya Seligman
- Lotem Center for Treatment of Sexual Trauma, Department of Psychiatry, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Daphna Bardin Armon
- Lotem Center for Treatment of Sexual Trauma, Department of Psychiatry, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Fine NB, Helpman L, Armon DB, Gurevitch G, Sheppes G, Seligman Z, Hendler T, Bloch M. Amygdala-related electroencephalogram neurofeedback as add-on therapy for treatment-resistant childhood sexual abuse posttraumatic stress disorder: feasibility study. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024; 78:19-28. [PMID: 37615935 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13591] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
AIM Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) among women is an alarmingly prevalent traumatic experience that often leads to debilitating and treatment-refractory posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), raising the need for novel adjunctive therapies. Neuroimaging investigations systematically report that amygdala hyperactivity is the most consistent and reliable neural abnormality in PTSD and following childhood abuse, raising the potential of implementing volitional neural modulation using neurofeedback (NF) aimed at down-regulating amygdala activity. This study aimed to reliably probe limbic activity but overcome the limited applicability of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) NF by using a scalable electroencephalogram NF probe of amygdala-related activity, termed amygdala electrical-finger-print (amyg-EFP) in a randomized controlled trial. METHOD Fifty-five women with CSA-PTSD who were in ongoing intensive trauma-focused psychotherapy for a minimum of 1 year but still met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) PTSD criteria were randomized to either 10 add-on sessions of amyg-EFP-NF training (test group) or continuing psychotherapy (control group). Participants were blindly assessed for PTSD symptoms before and after the NF training period, followed by self-reported clinical follow-up at 1, 3, and 6 months, as well as one session of amygdala real-time fMRI-NF before and after NF training period. RESULTS Participants in the test group compared with the control group demonstrated a marginally significant immediate reduction in PTSD symptoms, which progressively improved during the follow-up period. In addition, successful neuromodulation during NF training was demonstrated. CONCLUSION This feasibility study for patients with treatment-resistant CSA-PTSD indicates that amyg-EFP-NF is a viable and efficient intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi B Fine
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel-Aviv, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Liat Helpman
- Womens' Reproductive Mental Health research Unit, Psychiatric Department, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Daphna Bardin Armon
- Lotem Center for Treatment of Sexual Trauma, Department of Psychiatry, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Guy Gurevitch
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel-Aviv, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gal Sheppes
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Zivya Seligman
- Lotem Center for Treatment of Sexual Trauma, Department of Psychiatry, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Talma Hendler
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel-Aviv, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Miki Bloch
- Womens' Reproductive Mental Health research Unit, Psychiatric Department, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Fleury M, Figueiredo P, Vourvopoulos A, Lécuyer A. Two is better? combining EEG and fMRI for BCI and neurofeedback: a systematic review. J Neural Eng 2023; 20:051003. [PMID: 37879343 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad06e1] [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] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are two commonly used non-invasive techniques for measuring brain activity in neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces (BCI).Objective. In this review, we focus on the use of EEG and fMRI in neurofeedback (NF) and discuss the challenges of combining the two modalities to improve understanding of brain activity and achieve more effective clinical outcomes. Advanced technologies have been developed to simultaneously record EEG and fMRI signals to provide a better understanding of the relationship between the two modalities. However, the complexity of brain processes and the heterogeneous nature of EEG and fMRI present challenges in extracting useful information from the combined data.Approach. We will survey existing EEG-fMRI combinations and recent studies that exploit EEG-fMRI in NF, highlighting the experimental and technical challenges.Main results. We made a classification of the different combination of EEG-fMRI for NF, we provide a review of multimodal analysis methods for EEG-fMRI features. We also survey the current state of research on EEG-fMRI in the different existing NF paradigms. Finally, we also identify some of the remaining challenges in this field.Significance. By exploring EEG-fMRI combinations in NF, we are advancing our knowledge of brain function and its applications in clinical settings. As such, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, and engineers working in the field of neural engineering and rehabilitation, highlighting the promising future of EEG-fMRI-based NF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathis Fleury
- Univ Rennes, Inria, CNRS, Inserm, Empenn ERL U1228 Rennes, France
- ISR-Lisboa/LARSyS and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Figueiredo
- ISR-Lisboa/LARSyS and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Athanasios Vourvopoulos
- ISR-Lisboa/LARSyS and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Anatole Lécuyer
- Univ Rennes, Inria, CNRS, Inserm, Empenn ERL U1228 Rennes, France
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9
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Tene O, Bleich Cohen M, Helpman L, Fine N, Halevy A, Goldway N, Perry D, Bary P, Aisenberg Romano G, Ben-Zion Z, Hendler T, Bloch M. Limbic self-neuromodulation as a novel treatment option for emotional dysregulation in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD); a proof-of-concept study. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2023; 77:550-558. [PMID: 37354437 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
AIM To assess the efficacy of a novel neurofeedback (NF) method, targeting limbic activity, to treat emotional dysregulation related to premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). METHODS We applied a NF probe targeting limbic activity using a functional magnetic resonance imaging-inspired electroencephalogram model (termed Amyg-EFP-NF) in a double-blind randomized controlled trial. A frontal alpha asymmetry probe (AAS-NF), served as active control. Twenty-seven participants diagnosed with PMDD (mean age = 33.57 years, SD = 5.67) were randomly assigned to Amyg-EFP-NF or AAS-NF interventions with a 2:1 ratio, respectively. The treatment protocol consisted of 11 NF sessions through three menstrual cycles, and a follow-up assessment 3 months thereafter. The primary outcome measure was improvement in the Revised Observer Version of the Premenstrual Tension Syndrome Rating Scale (PMTS-OR). RESULTS A significant group by time effect was observed for the core symptom subscale of the PMTS-OR, with significant improvement observed at follow-up for the Amyg-EFP group compared with the AAS group [F(1, 15)=4.968, P = 0.042]. This finding was specifically robust for reduction in anger [F(1, 15) = 22.254, P < 0.001]. A significant correlation was found between learning scores and overall improvement in core symptoms (r = 0.514, P = 0.042) suggesting an association between mechanism of change and clinical improvement. CONCLUSION Our preliminary findings suggest that Amyg-EFP-NF may serve as an affordable and accessible non-invasive treatment option for emotional dysregulation in women suffering from PMDD. Our main limitations were the relatively small number of participants and the lack of a sham-NF placebo arm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oren Tene
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Maya Bleich Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Liat Helpman
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Department of Counseling and Human Development, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Naomi Fine
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Anat Halevy
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Noam Goldway
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Daniella Perry
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Plia Bary
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gabi Aisenberg Romano
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ziv Ben-Zion
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Departments of Comparative Medicine and Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, US Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Talma Hendler
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Miki Bloch
- Department of Psychiatry and Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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10
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Singer N, Poker G, Dunsky-Moran N, Nemni S, Reznik Balter S, Doron M, Baker T, Dagher A, Zatorre RJ, Hendler T. Development and validation of an fMRI-informed EEG model of reward-related ventral striatum activation. Neuroimage 2023; 276:120183. [PMID: 37225112 PMCID: PMC10300238 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Reward processing is essential for our mental-health and well-being. In the current study, we developed and validated a scalable, fMRI-informed EEG model for monitoring reward processing related to activation in the ventral-striatum (VS), a significant node in the brain's reward system. To develop this EEG-based model of VS-related activation, we collected simultaneous EEG/fMRI data from 17 healthy individuals while listening to individually-tailored pleasurable music - a highly rewarding stimulus known to engage the VS. Using these cross-modal data, we constructed a generic regression model for predicting the concurrently acquired Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) signal from the VS using spectro-temporal features from the EEG signal (termed hereby VS-related-Electrical Finger Print; VS-EFP). The performance of the extracted model was examined using a series of tests that were applied on the original dataset and, importantly, an external validation dataset collected from a different group of 14 healthy individuals who underwent the same EEG/FMRI procedure. Our results showed that the VS-EFP model, as measured by simultaneous EEG, predicted BOLD activation in the VS and additional functionally relevant regions to a greater extent than an EFP model derived from a different anatomical region. The developed VS-EFP was also modulated by musical pleasure and predictive of the VS-BOLD during a monetary reward task, further indicating its functional relevance. These findings provide compelling evidence for the feasibility of using EEG alone to model neural activation related to the VS, paving the way for future use of this scalable neural probing approach in neural monitoring and self-guided neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neomi Singer
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 Rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman St. Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel; Sagol school of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Gilad Poker
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman St. Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel
| | - Netta Dunsky-Moran
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman St. Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel; Sagol school of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Shlomi Nemni
- Sagol school of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Shira Reznik Balter
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman St. Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel
| | - Maayan Doron
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 Rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Travis Baker
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 Rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Alain Dagher
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 Rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Robert J Zatorre
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 Rue University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS), Canada
| | - Talma Hendler
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman St. Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel; Sagol school of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
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11
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Zhao Z, Duek O, Seidemann R, Gordon C, Walsh C, Romaker E, Koller WN, Horvath M, Awasthi J, Wang Y, O'Brien E, Fichtenholtz H, Hampson M, Harpaz-Rotem I. Amygdala downregulation training using fMRI neurofeedback in post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized, double-blind trial. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:177. [PMID: 37230984 PMCID: PMC10209552 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02467-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperactivation of amygdala is a neural marker for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and improvement in control over amygdala activity has been associated with treatment success in PTSD. In this randomized, double-blind clinical trial we evaluated the efficacy of a real-time fMRI neurofeedback intervention designed to train control over amygdala activity following trauma recall. Twenty-five patients with PTSD completed three sessions of neurofeedback training in which they attempted to downregulate the feedback signal after exposure to personalized trauma scripts. For subjects in the active experimental group (N = 14), the feedback signal was from a functionally localized region of their amygdala associated with trauma recall. For subjects in the control group (N = 11), yoked-sham feedback was provided. Changes in control over the amygdala and PTSD symptoms served as the primary and secondary outcome measurements, respectively. We found significantly greater improvements in control over amygdala activity in the active group than in the control group 30-days following the intervention. Both groups showed improvements in symptom scores, however the symptom reduction in the active group was not significantly greater than in the control group. Our finding of greater improvement in amygdala control suggests potential clinical application of neurofeedback in PTSD treatment. Thus, further development of amygdala neurofeedback training in PTSD treatment, including evaluation in larger samples, is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiying Zhao
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Or Duek
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rebecca Seidemann
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Charles Gordon
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Christopher Walsh
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Emma Romaker
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - William N Koller
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mark Horvath
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jitendra Awasthi
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yao Wang
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Erin O'Brien
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Harlan Fichtenholtz
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychology, Keene State College, Keene, NH, USA
| | - Michelle Hampson
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Ilan Harpaz-Rotem
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Psychology and Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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12
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Xiao Y, Chen F, Lei W, Ke J, Dai Y, Qi R, Lu G, Zhong Y. Transcriptional signal and cell specificity of genes related to cortical structural differences of post-traumatic stress disorder. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 160:28-37. [PMID: 36773345 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.02.002] [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: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Due to the diversity of traumatic events, the diagnosis of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is heterogeneous. The pathogenesis has been explored in the fields of brain imaging and genomics separately, but the results are inconsistent. Previous research evidenced that there existed structural differences between PTSD and healthy controls in multiple brain regions. This study further looked into the differences of brain structure in PTSD at the whole brain level and analyzed the difference-related genomes. The brain structure imaging data of 36 patients and 32 healthy controls were taken as morphological indexes. Partial least squares regression and transcriptome data were used to extract genomes related to structural differences. Additional data sets were used to study transcription characteristics of genome. Morphological differences were found in cingulate gyrus between patients and control group. Differentially expressed genes related to Morphometric similarity networks difference space were also observed. The obtained genes (i.e., RORA, PRKG1 and FKBP5) were proved to be related to the disorder with no significant correlation with other mental illnesses. In the subsequent cell type analysis, astrocytes, excitatory neurons and inhibitory neurons were evidenced to have the most significant correlation with these genes. This study found morphologically different brain regions related to PTSD. The related genome transcription analysis connects the structural differences and molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwen Xiao
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, China
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Radiology, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), NO.19, XIUHUA ST, XIUYING DIC, Haikou, 570311, Hainan, China
| | - Wenkun Lei
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, China
| | - Jun Ke
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, 14 215006, China
| | - Yingliang Dai
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, China
| | - Rongfeng Qi
- Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 16 210002, China
| | - Guangming Lu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 16 210002, China
| | - Yuan Zhong
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, China.
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13
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Goel R, Tse T, Smith LJ, Floren A, Naylor B, Williams MW, Salas R, Rizzo AS, Ress D. Framework for Accurate Classification of Self-Reported Stress From Multisession Functional MRI Data of Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress. CHRONIC STRESS (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) 2023; 7:24705470231203655. [PMID: 37780807 PMCID: PMC10540591 DOI: 10.1177/24705470231203655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant burden among combat Veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While empirically supported treatments have demonstrated reductions in PTSD symptomatology, there remains a need to improve treatment effectiveness. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback has emerged as a possible treatment to ameliorate PTSD symptom severity. Virtual reality (VR) approaches have also shown promise in increasing treatment compliance and outcomes. To facilitate fMRI neurofeedback-associated therapies, it would be advantageous to accurately classify internal brain stress levels while Veterans are exposed to trauma-associated VR imagery. Methods: Across 2 sessions, we used fMRI to collect neural responses to trauma-associated VR-like stimuli among male combat Veterans with PTSD symptoms (N = 8). Veterans reported their self-perceived stress level on a scale from 1 to 8 every 15 s throughout the fMRI sessions. In our proposed framework, we precisely sample the fMRI data on cortical gray matter, blurring the data along the gray-matter manifold to reduce noise and dimensionality while preserving maximum neural information. Then, we independently applied 3 machine learning (ML) algorithms to this fMRI data collected across 2 sessions, separately for each Veteran, to build individualized ML models that predicted their internal brain states (self-reported stress responses). Results: We accurately classified the 8-class self-reported stress responses with a mean (± standard error) root mean square error of 0.6 (± 0.1) across all Veterans using the best ML approach. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the predictive ability of ML algorithms applied to whole-brain cortical fMRI data collected during individual Veteran sessions. The framework we have developed to preprocess whole-brain cortical fMRI data and train ML models across sessions would provide a valuable tool to enable individualized real-time fMRI neurofeedback during VR-like exposure therapy for PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Goel
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Teresa Tse
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lia J. Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Andrew Floren
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Bruce Naylor
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - M. Wright Williams
- Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ramiro Salas
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- The Menninger Clinic, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Albert S. Rizzo
- Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David Ress
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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14
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Goldway N, Jalon I, Keynan JN, Hellrung L, Horstmann A, Paret C, Hendler T. Feasibility and utility of amygdala neurofeedback. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 138:104694. [PMID: 35623447 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Amygdala NeuroFeedback (NF) have the potential of being a valuable non-invasive intervention tool in many psychiatric disporders. However, the feasibility and best practices of this method have not been systematically examined. The current article presents a review of amygdala-NF studies, an analytic summary of study design parameters, and examination of brain mechanisms related to successful amygdala-NF performance. A meta-analysis of 33 publications showed that real amygdala-NF facilitates learned modulation compared to control conditions. In addition, while variability in study dsign parameters is high, these design choices are implicitly organized by the targeted valence domain (positive or negative). However, in most cases the neuro-behavioral effects of targeting such domains were not directly assessed. Lastly, re-analyzing six data sets of amygdala-fMRI-NF revealed that successful amygdala down-modulation is coupled with deactivation of the posterior insula and nodes in the Default-Mode-Network. Our findings suggest that amygdala self-modulation can be acquired using NF. Yet, additional controlled studies, relevant behavioral tasks before and after NF intervention, and neural 'target engagement' measures are critically needed to establish efficacy and specificity. In addition, the fMRI analysis presented here suggest that common accounts regarding the brain network involved in amygdala NF might reflect unsuccessful modulation attempts rather than successful modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Goldway
- Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Itamar Jalon
- Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre, Tel-Aviv, Israel; School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Jackob N Keynan
- Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Lydia Hellrung
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Annette Horstmann
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Christian Paret
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Talma Hendler
- Sagol Brain Institute, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
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15
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Editorial: Clinical Neurofeedback. NEUROIMAGE: CLINICAL 2022; 35:102905. [PMID: 34866039 PMCID: PMC9421443 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
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