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Hacohen-Brown S, Gilboa-Schechtman E, Zaidel A. Modality-specific effects of threat on self-motion perception. BMC Biol 2024; 22:120. [PMID: 38783286 PMCID: PMC11119305 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01911-3] [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: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Threat and individual differences in threat-processing bias perception of stimuli in the environment. Yet, their effect on perception of one's own (body-based) self-motion in space is unknown. Here, we tested the effects of threat on self-motion perception using a multisensory motion simulator with concurrent threatening or neutral auditory stimuli. RESULTS Strikingly, threat had opposite effects on vestibular and visual self-motion perception, leading to overestimation of vestibular, but underestimation of visual self-motions. Trait anxiety tended to be associated with an enhanced effect of threat on estimates of self-motion for both modalities. CONCLUSIONS Enhanced vestibular perception under threat might stem from shared neural substrates with emotional processing, whereas diminished visual self-motion perception may indicate that a threatening stimulus diverts attention away from optic flow integration. Thus, threat induces modality-specific biases in everyday experiences of self-motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Hacohen-Brown
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Eva Gilboa-Schechtman
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Adam Zaidel
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat Gan, Israel.
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2
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Alizadehgoradel J, Razavi SD, Shirani Z, Barati M, Taherifard M, Nejati V, Nitsche MA. Targeting the left DLPFC and right VLPFC in unmarried romantic relationship breakup (love trauma syndrome) with intensified electrical stimulation: A randomized, single-blind, parallel-group, sham-controlled study. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 175:170-182. [PMID: 38735262 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.05.020] [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: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ending a romantic relationship is one of the most painful losses an adult experience. Neuroimaging studies suggest that there is a neuropsychological link between breakup experiences and bereaved individuals, and that specific prefrontal regions are involved. The aim of this study was to determine whether enhancement of left DLPFC and right VLPFC activity with a novel intensified anodal transcranial direct current stimulation protocol reduces core symptoms of love trauma syndrome (LTS) and improves treatment-related variables. METHODS In this randomized, sham-controlled, single-blind parallel trial, we assessed the efficacy of an intensified anodal stimulation protocol (20 min, twice-daily sessions with 20 min intervals, 5 consecutive days) with two montages (left DLPFC vs right VLPFC) to reduce love trauma symptoms. 36 participants with love trauma syndrome were randomized in three tDCS condition (left DLPFC, right VLPFC, sham stimulation). LTS symptoms, treatment-related outcome variables (depressive state, anxiety, emotion regulation, positive and negative affect), and cognitive functions were assessed before, right after, and one month after intervention. RESULTS Both DLPFC and VLPFC protocols significantly reduced LTS symptoms, and improved depressive state and anxiety after the intervention, as compared to the sham group. The improving effect of the DLPFC protocol on love trauma syndrome was significantly larger than that of the VLPFC protocol. For emotion regulation and positive and negative affect, improved regulation of emotions and positive affect and reduced negative affect were revealed after intervention in the two real stimulation conditions compared to the sham. For cognitive functions, no significant difference was observed between the groups, but again a positive effect of intervention within groups in the real stimulation conditions (DLPFC and VLPFC) was found for most components of the cognitive tasks. CONCLUSIONS Enhancement of left DLPFC and right VLPFC activity with intensified stimulation improves LTS symptoms and treatment-related variables. For LTS symptoms, DLPFC stimulation was more efficient than VLPFC stimulation., For the other variables, no significant difference was observed between these two stimulation groups. These promising results require replication in larger trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaber Alizadehgoradel
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
| | | | - Zahra Shirani
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Mobina Barati
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Mina Taherifard
- Department of Psychology, Mohaghegh-Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Vahid Nejati
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany; Bielefeld University, University Hospital OWL, Protestant Hospital of Bethel Foundation, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and University Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany; German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany
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3
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Hsiao PYA, Kim MJ, Chou FCB, Chen PHA. Intersubject representational similarity analysis uncovers the impact of state anxiety on brain activation patterns in the human extrastriate cortex. Brain Imaging Behav 2024; 18:412-420. [PMID: 38324234 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-024-00854-1] [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] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and showed that state anxiety modulated extrastriate cortex activity in response to emotionally-charged visual images. State anxiety and neuroimaging data from 53 individuals were subjected to an intersubject representational similarity analysis (ISRSA), wherein the geometries between neural and behavioral data were compared. This analysis identified the extrastriate cortex (fusiform gyrus and area MT) to be the sole regions whose activity patterns covaried with state anxiety. Importantly, we show that this brain-behavior association is revealed when treating state anxiety data as a multidimensional response pattern, rather than a single composite score. This suggests that ISRSA using multivariate distances may be more sensitive in identifying the shared geometries between self-report questionnaires and brain imaging data. Overall, our findings demonstrate that a transient state of anxiety may influence how visual information - especially those relevant to the valence dimension - is processed in the extrastriate cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Yuan A Hsiao
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - M Justin Kim
- Department of Psychology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Feng-Chun B Chou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pin-Hao A Chen
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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4
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Long J, Song X, Wang C, Peng L, Niu L, Li Q, Huang R, Zhang R. Global-brain functional connectivity related with trait anxiety and its association with neurotransmitters and gene expression profiles. J Affect Disord 2024; 348:248-258. [PMID: 38159654 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.12.052] [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: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous studies have explored the neural correlates of trait anxiety, a predisposing factor for several stress-related disorders. However, the findings from previous studies are inconsistent, which might be due to the limited regions of interest (ROI). A recent approach, named global-brain functional connectivity (GBC), has been demonstrated to address the shortcomings of ROI-based analysis. Furthermore, research on the transcriptome-connectome association has provided an approach to link the microlevel transcriptome profile with the macroscale brain network. In this paper, we aim to explore the neurobiology of trait anxiety with an imaging transcriptomic approach using GBC, biological neurotransmitters, and transcriptome profiles. METHODS Using a sample of resting-state fMRI data, we investigated trait anxiety-related alteration in GBC. We further used behavioral analysis, spatial correlation analysis, and postmortem gene expression to separately assess the cognitive functions, neurotransmitters, and transcriptional profiles related to alteration in GBC in individuals with trait anxiety. RESULTS GBC values in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus were negatively correlated with levels of trait anxiety. This alteration was correlated with behavioral terms including social cognition, emotion, and memory. A strong association was revealed between trait anxiety-related alteration in GBC and neurotransmitters, including dopaminergic, serotonergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic systems in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus. The transcriptional profiles explained the functional connectivity, with correlated genes enriched in transmembrane signaling. LIMITATIONS Several limitations should be taken into account in this research. For example, future research should consider using some different approaches based on dynamic or task-based functional connectivity analysis, include more neurotransmitter receptors, additional gene expression data from different samples or more genes related to other stress-related disorders. Meanwhile, it is of great significance to include a larger sample size of individuals with a diagnosis of major depression disorder or other disorders for analysis and comparison and apply stricter multiple-comparison correction and threshold settings in future research. CONCLUSIONS Our research employed multimodal data to investigate GBC in the context of trait anxiety and to establish its associations with neurotransmitters and transcriptome profiles. This approach may improve understanding of the neural mechanism, together with the biological and molecular genetic foundations of GBC in trait anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jixin Long
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoqi Song
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chanyu Wang
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lanxin Peng
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lijing Niu
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qian Li
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruiwang Huang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruibin Zhang
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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Lee JH, Heo SY, Lee SW. Controlling human causal inference through in silico task design. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113702. [PMID: 38295800 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113702] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Learning causal relationships is crucial for survival. The human brain's functional flexibility allows for effective causal inference, underlying various learning processes. While past studies focused on environmental factors influencing causal inference, a fundamental question remains: can these factors be manipulated for strategic causal inference control? This paper presents a task control framework for orchestrating causal learning task design. It utilizes a two-player game setting where a neural network learns to manipulate task variables by interacting with a human causal inference model. Training the task controller to generate experimental designs, we confirm its ability to accommodate complexities of environmental causal structure. Experiments involving 126 human subjects successfully validate the impact of task control on performance and learning efficiency. Additionally, we find that task control policy reflects the intrinsic nature of human causal inference: one-shot learning. This framework holds promising potential for applications paving the way for targeted behavioral outcomes in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jee Hang Lee
- Department of Human-Centered AI, Sangmyung University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Su Yeon Heo
- Program of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Wan Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Program of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; KAIST Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; KAIST Center for Neuroscience-inspired AI, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
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6
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Riis T, Feldman D, Losser A, Mickey B, Kubanek J. Device for Multifocal Delivery of Ultrasound Into Deep Brain Regions in Humans. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2024; 71:660-668. [PMID: 37695955 PMCID: PMC10803076 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2023.3313987] [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] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Low-intensity focused ultrasound provides the means to noninvasively stimulate or release drugs in specified deep brain targets. However, successful clinical translations require hardware that maximizes acoustic transmission through the skull, enables flexible electronic steering, and provides accurate and reproducible targeting while minimizing the use of MRI. We have developed a device that addresses these practical requirements. The device delivers ultrasound through the temporal and parietal skull windows, which minimize the attenuation and distortions of the ultrasound by the skull. The device consists of 252 independently controlled elements, which provides the ability to modulate multiple deep brain targets at a high spatiotemporal resolution, without the need to move the device or the subject. And finally, the device uses a mechanical registration method that enables accurate deep brain targeting both inside and outside of the MRI. Using this method, a single MRI scan is necessary for accurate targeting; repeated subsequent treatments can be performed reproducibly in an MRI-free manner. We validated these functions by transiently modulating specific deep brain regions in two patients with treatment-resistant depression.
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7
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Geng H, Xu P, Aleman A, Qin S, Luo YJ. Dynamic Organization of Large-scale Functional Brain Networks Supports Interactions Between Emotion and Executive Control. Neurosci Bull 2024:10.1007/s12264-023-01168-w. [PMID: 38261252 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01168-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Emotion and executive control are often conceptualized as two distinct modes of human brain functioning. Little, however, is known about how the dynamic organization of large-scale functional brain networks that support flexible emotion processing and executive control, especially their interactions. The amygdala and prefrontal systems have long been thought to play crucial roles in these processes. Recent advances in human neuroimaging studies have begun to delineate functional organization principles among the large-scale brain networks underlying emotion, executive control, and their interactions. Here, we propose a dynamic brain network model to account for interactive competition between emotion and executive control by reviewing recent resting-state and task-related neuroimaging studies using network-based approaches. In this model, dynamic interactions among the executive control network, the salience network, the default mode network, and sensorimotor networks enable dynamic processes of emotion and support flexible executive control of multiple processes; neural oscillations across multiple frequency bands and the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine pathway serve as communicational mechanisms underlying dynamic synergy among large-scale functional brain networks. This model has important implications for understanding how the dynamic organization of complex brain systems and networks empowers flexible cognitive and affective functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyang Geng
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
- Tianqiao and Chrissy, Chen Institute for Translational Research, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Pengfei Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (BNU), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
- Center for Neuroimaging, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Andre Aleman
- University of Groningen, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Section Cognitive Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
- Institute for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, 266113, China.
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
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Sharma R, Kumarasamy M, Parihar VK, Ravichandiran V, Kumar N. Monoamine Oxidase: A Potential Link in Papez Circuit to Generalized Anxiety Disorders. CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS DRUG TARGETS 2024; 23:638-655. [PMID: 37055898 DOI: 10.2174/1871527322666230412105711] [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: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety is a common mental illness that affects a large number of people around the world, and its treatment is often based on the use of pharmacological substances such as benzodiazepines, serotonin, and 5-hydroxytyrosine (MAO) neurotransmitters. MAO neurotransmitters levels are deciding factors in the biological effects. This review summarizes the current understanding of the MAO system and its role in the modulation of anxiety-related brain circuits and behavior. The MAO-A polymorphisms have been implicated in the susceptibility to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in several investigations. The 5-HT system is involved in a wide range of physiological and behavioral processes, involving anxiety, aggressiveness, stress reactions, and other elements of emotional intensity. Among these, 5-HT, NA, and DA are the traditional 5-HT neurons that govern a range of biological activities, including sleep, alertness, eating, thermoregulation, pains, emotion, and memory, as anticipated considering their broad projection distribution in distinct brain locations. The DNMTs (DNA methyltransferase) protein family, which increasingly leads a prominent role in epigenetics, is connected with lower transcriptional activity and activates DNA methylation. In this paper, we provide an overview of the current state of the art in the elucidation of the brain's complex functions in the regulation of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravikant Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, Vaishali- 844102, Bihar, India
| | - Murali Kumarasamy
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, Vaishali- 844102, Bihar, India
| | - Vipan Kumar Parihar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, Vaishali-844102, Bihar, India
| | - V Ravichandiran
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, Vaishali- 844102, Bihar, India
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, Vaishali-844102, Bihar, India
| | - Nitesh Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur, Vaishali-844102, Bihar, India
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Meeker TJ, Saffer MI, Frost J, Chien JH, Mullins RJ, Cooper S, Bienvenu OJ, Lenz FA. Vigilance to Painful Laser Stimuli is Associated with Increased State Anxiety and Tense Arousal. J Pain Res 2023; 16:4151-4164. [PMID: 38058982 PMCID: PMC10697823 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s412782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Pain is frequently accompanied by enhanced arousal and hypervigilance to painful sensations. Here, we describe our findings in an experimental vigilance task requiring healthy participants to indicate when randomly timed moderately painful stimuli occur in a long train of mildly painful stimuli. Methods During a continuous performance task with painful laser stimuli (CPTpain), 18 participants rated pain intensity, unpleasantness, and salience. We tested for a vigilance decrement over time using classical metrics including correct targets (hits), incorrectly identified non-targets (false alarms), hit reaction time, and false alarm reaction time. We measured state anxiety and tense arousal before and after the task. Results We found a vigilance decrement across four 12.5-minute blocks of painful laser stimuli in hits [F3,51=2.91; p=0.043; time block 1>block 4 (t=2.77; p=0.035)]. Both self-report state anxiety (tpaired,17=3.34; p=0.0039) and tense arousal (tpaired,17=3.20; p=0.0053) increased after the task. We found a vigilance decrement during our laser pain vigilance task consistent with vigilance decrements found in other stimulus modalities. Furthermore, state anxiety positively correlated with tense arousal. Discussion CPTpain acutely increased tense arousal and state anxiety, consistent with previous results implicating the reciprocal interaction of state anxiety and acute painful sensations and the role of pain in augmenting tense arousal. These results may indicate a psychological process which predisposes the hypervigilant to developing greater acute pain, resulting in positive feedback, greater pain and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Meeker
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mark I Saffer
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jodie Frost
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jui-Hong Chien
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Roger J Mullins
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sean Cooper
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - O Joseph Bienvenu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Fred A Lenz
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Zanoaga MD, Friligkou E, He J, Pathak GA, Koller D, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Stein MB, Polimanti R. Brainwide Mendelian Randomization Study of Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms. Biol Psychiatry 2023:S0006-3223(23)01718-3. [PMID: 37967698 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.11.006] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To gain insights into the role of brain structure and function on anxiety (ANX), we conducted a genetically informed investigation leveraging information from ANX genome-wide association studies available from the UK Biobank (n = 380,379), the FinnGen Program (n = 290,361), and the Million Veteran Program (n = 175,163) together with UK Biobank genome-wide data (n = 33,224) related to 3935 brain imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs). METHODS A genetic correlation analysis between ANX and brain IDPs was performed using linkage disequilibrium score regression. To investigate ANX-brain associations, a 2-sample Mendelian randomization was performed considering multiple methods and sensitivity analyses. A subsequent multivariable Mendelian randomization was conducted to distinguish between direct and indirect effects. Finally, a generalized linear model was used to explore the associations of brain IDPs with ANX symptoms. RESULTS After false discovery rate correction (q < .05), we identified 41 brain IDPs genetically correlated with ANX without heterogeneity among the datasets investigated (i.e., UK Biobank, FinnGen, and Million Veteran Program). Six of these IDPs showed genetically inferred causal effects on ANX. In the subsequent multivariable Mendelian randomization analysis, reduced area of the right posterior middle cingulate gyrus (β = -0.09, p = 8.01 × 10-4) and reduced gray matter volume of the right anterior superior temporal gyrus (β = -0.09, p = 1.55 × 10-3) had direct effects on ANX. In the ANX symptom-level analysis, the right posterior middle cingulate gyrus was negatively associated with "tense, sore, or aching muscles during the worst period of anxiety" (β = -0.13, p = 8.26 × 10-6). CONCLUSIONS This study identified genetically inferred effects that are generalizable across large cohorts, thereby contributing to our understanding of how changes in brain structure and function can lead to ANX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela-Diana Zanoaga
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Eleni Friligkou
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Veteran Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jun He
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Veteran Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
| | - Gita A Pathak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Veteran Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
| | - Dora Koller
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Genetics, Microbiology, and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Veteran Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut
| | - Murray B Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California; Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California; Veteran Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Veteran Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
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Yamamori Y, Robinson OJ, Roiser JP. Approach-avoidance reinforcement learning as a translational and computational model of anxiety-related avoidance. eLife 2023; 12:RP87720. [PMID: 37963085 PMCID: PMC10645421 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87720] [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] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Although avoidance is a prevalent feature of anxiety-related psychopathology, differences in the measurement of avoidance between humans and non-human animals hinder our progress in its theoretical understanding and treatment. To address this, we developed a novel translational measure of anxiety-related avoidance in the form of an approach-avoidance reinforcement learning task, by adapting a paradigm from the non-human animal literature to study the same cognitive processes in human participants. We used computational modelling to probe the putative cognitive mechanisms underlying approach-avoidance behaviour in this task and investigated how they relate to subjective task-induced anxiety. In a large online study (n = 372), participants who experienced greater task-induced anxiety avoided choices associated with punishment, even when this resulted in lower overall reward. Computational modelling revealed that this effect was explained by greater individual sensitivities to punishment relative to rewards. We replicated these findings in an independent sample (n = 627) and we also found fair-to-excellent reliability of measures of task performance in a sub-sample retested 1 week later (n = 57). Our findings demonstrate the potential of approach-avoidance reinforcement learning tasks as translational and computational models of anxiety-related avoidance. Future studies should assess the predictive validity of this approach in clinical samples and experimental manipulations of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumeya Yamamori
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Oliver J Robinson
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jonathan P Roiser
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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12
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Marotta A, Braga M, Fiorio M. Trait-related neural basis of attentional bias to emotions: a tDCS study. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1291-1302. [PMID: 37537308 PMCID: PMC10545638 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01122-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Negative emotional stimuli can strongly bias attention, particularly in individuals with high levels of dispositional negative affect (NA). The current study investigated whether the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a brain region involved in the top-down regulation of emotional processing, plays a different role in controlling attention to emotions, depending on the individual NA. Sham and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was delivered over the right or left PFC while assessing attentional bias (AB) to emotions (happy, angry, sad faces) in individuals with higher and lower trait NA. When tDCS was inactive (sham), individuals with higher trait NA showed AB toward angry and away from sad faces, while individuals with lower trait NA presented with no AB. Right anodal-tDCS abolished the AB toward angry faces and induced an AB toward sad faces in individuals with higher trait NA, while no effect was found in individuals with lower trait NA. Left anodal-tDCS abolished any AB in individuals with higher trait NA and induced an AB away from happy faces in individuals with lower trait NA. These findings confirm a critical role of trait NA in AB to emotions and demonstrate a different involvement of PFC in emotional processing based on dispositional affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Marotta
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Via Felice Casorati, 43-37131 Verona, Italy
| | - Miriam Braga
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Via Felice Casorati, 43-37131 Verona, Italy
| | - Mirta Fiorio
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Via Felice Casorati, 43-37131 Verona, Italy
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13
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Li Y, Zhou Z, Zhang Y, Ai H, Liu M, Liu J, Wang L, Qiu J, Rachel Han Z, Zhang Z, Luo YJ, Xu P. Brain development mediates the relationship between self-reported poor parental monitoring and adolescent anxiety. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 40:103514. [PMID: 37778196 PMCID: PMC10542017 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103514] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is the peak period for the onset of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Brain networks of cognitive and affective control in adolescents are not well developed when their exposure to external stimuli suddenly increases.Reasonable parental monitoring is especially important during this period.To examine the role of parental monitoring in the development of functional brain networks of GAD, we conducted a cross-validation-based predictive study based on the functional brain networks of 192 participants. We found that a set of functional brain networks, especially the default mode network and its connectivity with the frontoparietal network, could predict the ages of adolescents, which was replicated in three independent samples.Importantly, the difference between predicted age and chronological age significantly mediated the relationship between parental monitoring and anxiety levels. These findings suggest that inadequate parental monitoring plays a crucial role in the delayed development of specific brain networks associated with GAD in adolescents. Our work highlights the important role of parental monitoring in adolescent development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiman Li
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Institute for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Zheyi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (BNU), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuqi Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hui Ai
- Institute of Applied Psychology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Mingfang Liu
- Community Health Service Center, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liu
- The China Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Wang
- College of Electronic Information and Automation, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiang Qiu
- School of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, China
| | - Zhuo Rachel Han
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (BNU), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhanjun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Institute for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
| | - Pengfei Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (BNU), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Center for Emotion and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China.
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14
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Zanoaga MD, Friligkou E, He J, Pathak GA, Koller D, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Stein MB, Polimanti R. Brain-Wide Mendelian Randomization Study of Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.09.12.23295448. [PMID: 37745546 PMCID: PMC10516096 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.12.23295448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Background To gain insights into the role of brain structure and function on anxiety (ANX), we conducted a genetically informed investigation leveraging information from ANX genome-wide association studies available from UK Biobank (UKB; N=380,379), FinnGen Program (N=290,361), and Million Veteran Program (MVP; N=199,611) together with UKB genome-wide data (N=33,224) related to 3,935 brain imaging-derived phenotypes (IDP). Methods A genetic correlation analysis between ANX and brain IDPs was performed using linkage disequilibrium score regression. To investigate ANX-brain associations, a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed considering multiple methods and sensitivity analyses. A subsequent multivariable MR (MVMR) was executed to distinguish between direct and indirect effects. Finally, a generalized linear model was used to explore the associations of brain IDPs with ANX symptoms. Results After false discovery rate correction (FDR q<0.05), we identified 41 brain IDPs genetically correlated with ANX without heterogeneity among the datasets investigated (i.e., UKB, FinnGen, and MVP). Six of these IDPs showed genetically inferred causal effects on ANX. In the subsequent MVMR analysis, reduced area of the right posterior middle-cingulate gyrus (rpMCG; beta=-0.09, P= 8.01×10 -4 ) and reduced gray-matter volume of the right anterior superior temporal gyrus (raSTG; beta=-0.09, P=1.55×10 -3 ) had direct effects on ANX. In the ANX symptom-level analysis, rpMCG was negatively associated with "tense sore oraching muscles during the worst period of anxiety" (beta=-0.13, P=8.26×10 -6 ). Conclusions This study identified genetically inferred effects generalizable across large cohorts, contributing to understand how changes in brain structure and function can lead to ANX.
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K A, Prasad S, Chakrabarty M. Trait anxiety modulates the detection sensitivity of negative affect in speech: an online pilot study. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1240043. [PMID: 37744950 PMCID: PMC10512416 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1240043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic perception of emotions in speech is relevant for humans to navigate the social environment optimally. While sensory perception is known to be influenced by ambient noise, and bodily internal states (e.g., emotional arousal and anxiety), their relationship to human auditory perception is relatively less understood. In a supervised, online pilot experiment sans the artificially controlled laboratory environment, we asked if the detection sensitivity of emotions conveyed by human speech-in-noise (acoustic signals) varies between individuals with relatively lower and higher levels of subclinical trait-anxiety, respectively. In a task, participants (n = 28) accurately discriminated the target emotion conveyed by the temporally unpredictable acoustic signals (signal to noise ratio = 10 dB), which were manipulated at four levels (Happy, Neutral, Fear, and Disgust). We calculated the empirical area under the curve (a measure of acoustic signal detection sensitivity) based on signal detection theory to answer our questions. A subset of individuals with High trait-anxiety relative to Low in the above sample showed significantly lower detection sensitivities to acoustic signals of negative emotions - Disgust and Fear and significantly lower detection sensitivities to acoustic signals when averaged across all emotions. The results from this pilot study with a small but statistically relevant sample size suggest that trait-anxiety levels influence the overall acoustic detection of speech-in-noise, especially those conveying threatening/negative affect. The findings are relevant for future research on acoustic perception anomalies underlying affective traits and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achyuthanand K
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Saurabh Prasad
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Mrinmoy Chakrabarty
- Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
- Centre for Design and New Media, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
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16
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Szeremeta EM, Sutton D, Marinovic W, Clarke PJF. The effects of left prefrontal stimulation on selective attention and emotional reactivity for positive and negative information. Biol Psychol 2023; 182:108640. [PMID: 37453731 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108640] [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: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation targeting lateral prefrontal areas may attenuate attentional vigilance for negative content and reduce emotional reactivity. However, little research to date has examined how such stimulation may affect attention towards and emotional reactivity to positive emotional content. The aim of this study was to examine whether anodal tDCS targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex would affect attentional bias towards either or both negative and positive content, and similarly, how it would impact emotional reactivity to negative and positive emotional content among healthy individuals. Unselected participants (N = 101) were recruited (Mage = 22.57, SD = 5.60; 66.33% female) and allocated to either an active or sham tDCS condition. Attentional bias was measured using an eye-tracking task involving negative-neutral and positive-neutral image pairs, followed by an emotional reactivity assessment task involving negative and positive video content (self-report and heart rate variability). Results showed no evidence that tDCS influenced attentional patterns towards either positive or negative information, nor was there evidence that tDCS influenced self-reported anxious mood or physiological arousal. However, participants in the active tDCS condition reported higher positive mood in response to both the positive and negative videos compared to those in the sham condition and also higher arousal in response to positive content and lower arousal in response to negative content, with those in the sham tDCS condition showing the reverse pattern of effects. As such, tDCS effects on emotional reactivity to positive and negative content were restricted to self-report measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise M Szeremeta
- Cognition and Emotion Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Dane Sutton
- Cognition and Emotion Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Welber Marinovic
- Cognition and Emotion Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Patrick J F Clarke
- Cognition and Emotion Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
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17
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Caudle MM, Dugas N, Stout DM, Ball TM, Bomyea J. Adjunctive cognitive training with exposure enhances fear and neural outcomes in social anxiety. Psychiatry Res 2023; 327:115416. [PMID: 37604041 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115416] [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: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold standard for treating social anxiety disorder (SAD), yet response is not universal. CBT is thought to operate via extinction-related learning during exposure, which in turn relies on cognitive processes such as working memory. The present proof-of-concept study investigates the potential for training working memory to improve anxiety related outcomes following exposure. Thirty-three adults with elevated social anxiety were randomized to complete a working memory training or sham training condition. Post-training, participants completed a working memory assessment, speech exposure session, and two fMRI tasks. Participants who received working memory training demonstrated lower distress ratings by the end of the speech exposures and better performance on the fMRI working memory task than those in sham. Working memory training completers had greater neural activation in frontoparietal regions during an in-scanner working memory task and exhibited less neural activation in the fusiform gyrus in response to an emotional face processing task than those in sham. Adding working memory training to exposure procedures could strengthen functioning of frontoparietal regions and alter emotional processing - key mechanisms implicated in extinction learning. Findings provide preliminary evidence that training working memory in conjunction with exposure may enhance exposure success.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Caudle
- San Diego State University, University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 103, San Diego, CA 92120, United States; Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - N Dugas
- Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - D M Stout
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; VA San Diego Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States
| | - T M Ball
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, United States
| | - J Bomyea
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; VA San Diego Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92161, United States.
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18
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Abend R. Understanding anxiety symptoms as aberrant defensive responding along the threat imminence continuum. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105305. [PMID: 37414377 PMCID: PMC10528507 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105305] [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: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Threat-anticipatory defensive responses have evolved to promote survival in a dynamic world. While inherently adaptive, aberrant expression of defensive responses to potential threat could manifest as pathological anxiety, which is prevalent, impairing, and associated with adverse outcomes. Extensive translational neuroscience research indicates that normative defensive responses are organized by threat imminence, such that distinct response patterns are observed in each phase of threat encounter and orchestrated by partially conserved neural circuitry. Anxiety symptoms, such as excessive and pervasive worry, physiological arousal, and avoidance behavior, may reflect aberrant expression of otherwise normative defensive responses, and therefore follow the same imminence-based organization. Here, empirical evidence linking aberrant expression of specific, imminence-dependent defensive responding to distinct anxiety symptoms is reviewed, and plausible contributing neural circuitry is highlighted. Drawing from translational and clinical research, the proposed framework informs our understanding of pathological anxiety by grounding anxiety symptoms in conserved psychobiological mechanisms. Potential implications for research and treatment are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rany Abend
- School of Psychology, Reichman University, P.O. Box 167, Herzliya 4610101, Israel; Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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19
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Rojas-Thomas F, Artigas C, Wainstein G, Morales JP, Arriagada M, Soto D, Dagnino-Subiabre A, Silva J, Lopez V. Impact of acute psychosocial stress on attentional control in humans. A study of evoked potentials and pupillary response. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 25:100551. [PMID: 37362419 PMCID: PMC10285563 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychosocial stress has increased considerably in our modern lifestyle, affecting global mental health. Deficits in attentional control are cardinal features of stress disorders and pathological anxiety. Studies suggest that changes in the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system could underlie the effects of stress on top-down attentional control. However, the impact of psychosocial stress on attentional processes and its underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the effect of psychosocial stress on attentional processing and brain signatures. Evoked potentials and pupillary activity related to the oddball auditory paradigm were recorded before and after applying the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST). Electrocardiogram (ECG), salivary cortisol, and subjective anxiety/stress levels were measured at different experimental periods. The control group experienced the same physical and cognitive effort but without the psychosocial stress component. The results showed that stressed subjects exhibited decreased P3a and P3b amplitude, pupil phasic response, and correct responses. On the other hand, they displayed an increase in Mismatch Negativity (MMN). N1 amplitude after MIST only decreased in the control group. We found that differences in P3b amplitude between the first and second oddball were significantly correlated with pupillary dilation and salivary cortisol levels. Our results suggest that under social-evaluative threat, basal activity of the coeruleus-norepinephrine system increases, enhancing alertness and decreasing voluntary attentional resources for the cognitive task. These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological basis of attentional changes in pathologies associated with chronic psychosocial stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Rojas-Thomas
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental y Neurociencias, Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Programa de Doctorado en Neurociencia, Centro Interdisciplinario en Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - C. Artigas
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - G. Wainstein
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina y Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan-Pablo Morales
- Programa de Doctorado en Neurociencia, Centro Interdisciplinario en Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- Facultad de Educación Psicología y Familia, Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago, Chile
| | - M. Arriagada
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Bernardo O'Higgins University, Santiago, Chile
| | - D. Soto
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - A. Dagnino-Subiabre
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología del Estrés, Instituto de Fisiología, CENFI, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - J. Silva
- Instituto de Bienestar Socioemocional (IBEM), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - V. Lopez
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental y Neurociencias, Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Crawford H. Social Anxiety in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Case of Fragile X Syndrome. AMERICAN JOURNAL ON INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2023; 128:302-318. [PMID: 37470255 DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-128.4.302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Despite significant advances in understanding and treating social anxiety in the general population, progress in this area lags behind for individuals with intellectual disability. Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability and is associated with an elevated prevalence rate of social anxiety. The phenotype of fragile X syndrome encompasses multiple clinically significant characteristics that are posed as risk markers for social anxiety in other populations. Here, evidence is reviewed that points to physiological hyperarousal, sensory sensitivity, emotion dysregulation, cognitive inflexibility, and intolerance of uncertainty as primary candidates for underlying mechanisms of heightened social anxiety in fragile X syndrome. A multilevel model is presented that provides a framework for future research to test associations.
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21
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Cui F, Huang X, Liu J, Luo YJ, Gu R. Threat-induced anxiety and selfishness in resource sharing: Behavioral and neural evidence. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:3859-3872. [PMID: 37086449 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26318] [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: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In real life, it is not unusual that we face potential threats (i.e., physical stimuli and environments that may cause harm or danger) with other individuals together, yet it remains largely unknown how threat-induced anxious feelings influence prosocial behaviors such as resource sharing. In this study, we investigated this question by combining functional magnetic resonance imaging and a novel paradigm. Together with an anonymous partner, each participant faced the possibility of receiving a 10-s noise administration, which had a low or high probability to be a threat (i.e., the intensity of noise can induce a high level of unpleasantness). Each participant first reported her/his immediate feeling of anxiety about the current situation (being threatened by the unpleasant noise), then decided how to split a number of resources (which could relieve the noise) between her/him and the partner. Behavioral results revealed that the participants showed a selfish bias in the threat conditions than in the safe conditions, and that self-reported anxiety feeling significantly predicted this bias. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results revealed that: (1) the activation level of the anterior insula was correlated with self-reported anxiety and (2) the connectivity between the anterior insula and the temporoparietal junction was sensitive to the modulating effect of anxiety on the selfish bias. These findings indicate the neural correlates of the association between threat-induced anxiety and prosocial tendencies in social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Cui
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Huang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jie Liu
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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22
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Lee SH, Lee KT. The impact of pandemic-related stress on attentional bias and anxiety in alexithymia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6327. [PMID: 37072486 PMCID: PMC10112327 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33326-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic had negative consequences for mental health, yet it is unknown how and to what extent the psychological outcomes of this stressful event are moderated by individual traits. Alexithymia is a risk factor for psychopathology, and thus likely predicted individual differences in resilience or vulnerability to stressful events during the pandemic. This study explored the moderating role of alexithymia in the relationships of pandemic-related stress with anxiety levels and attentional bias. The participants were 103 Taiwanese individuals who completed a survey during the outbreak of the Omicron wave. Additionally, an emotional Stroop task including pandemic-related or neutral stimuli was used to measure attentional bias. Our results demonstrate that pandemic-related stress had a lesser impact on anxiety in individuals with a higher level of alexithymia. Moreover, we found that in individuals with higher exposure to pandemic-related stressors, a higher level of alexithymia indicated less attentional bias toward COVID-19-related information. Thus, it is plausible that individuals with alexithymia tended to avoid pandemic-related information, which could temporarily relieve stressors during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Hui Lee
- Center for General Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
| | - Kuan-Te Lee
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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23
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Bigalke JA, Durocher JJ, Greenlund IM, Keller-Ross M, Carter JR. Blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity are associated with trait anxiety in humans. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2023; 324:H494-H503. [PMID: 36800506 PMCID: PMC10259854 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00026.2023] [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: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Chronic anxiety is prevalent and associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Prior studies that have reported a relationship between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and anxiety have focused on participants with anxiety disorders and/or metabolic syndrome. The present study leverages a large cohort of healthy adults devoid of cardiometabolic disorders to examine the hypothesis that trait anxiety severity is positively associated with resting MSNA and blood pressure. Resting blood pressure (BP) (sphygmomanometer and finger plethysmography), MSNA (microneurography), and heart rate (HR; electrocardiogram) were collected in 88 healthy participants (52 males, 36 females, 25 ± 1 yr, 25 ± 1 kg/m2). Multiple linear regression was performed to assess the independent relationship between trait anxiety, MSNA, resting BP, and HR while controlling for age and sex. Trait anxiety was significantly correlated with systolic arterial pressure (SAP; r = 0.251, P = 0.018), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP; r = 0.291, P = 0.006), mean arterial pressure (MAP; r = 0.328, P = 0.002), MSNA burst frequency (BF; r = 0.237, P = 0.026), and MSNA burst incidence (BI; r = 0.225, P = 0.035). When controlling for the effects of age and sex, trait anxiety was independently associated with SAP (β = 0.206, P = 0.028), DAP (β = 0.317, P = 0.002), MAP (β = 0.325, P = 0.001), MSNA BF (β = 0.227, P = 0.030), and MSNA BI (β = 0.214, P = 0.038). Trait anxiety is associated with increased blood pressure and MSNA, demonstrating an important relationship between anxiety and autonomic blood pressure regulation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Anxiety is associated with development of cardiovascular disease. Although the sympathetic nervous system is a likely mediator of this relationship, populations with chronic anxiety have shown little, if any, alteration in resting levels of directly recorded muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). The present study is the first to reveal an independent relationship between trait anxiety, resting blood pressure, and MSNA in a large cohort of healthy males and females devoid of cardiometabolic comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy A Bigalke
- Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States
- Department of Psychology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, United States
| | - John J Durocher
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences and Integrative Physiology and Health Sciences Center, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, Indiana, United States
| | - Ian M Greenlund
- Department of Psychology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, United States
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States
| | - Manda Keller-Ross
- Division of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
| | - Jason R Carter
- Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, United States
- Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States
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Shemesh Y, Chen A. A paradigm shift in translational psychiatry through rodent neuroethology. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:993-1003. [PMID: 36635579 PMCID: PMC10005947 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01913-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Mental disorders are a significant cause of disability worldwide. They profoundly affect individuals' well-being and impose a substantial financial burden on societies and governments. However, despite decades of extensive research, the effectiveness of current therapeutics for mental disorders is often not satisfactory or well tolerated by the patient. Moreover, most novel therapeutic candidates fail in clinical testing during the most expensive phases (II and III), which results in the withdrawal of pharma companies from investing in the field. It also brings into question the effectiveness of using animal models in preclinical studies to discover new therapeutic agents and predict their potential for treating mental illnesses in humans. Here, we focus on rodents as animal models and propose that they are essential for preclinical investigations of candidate therapeutic agents' mechanisms of action and for testing their safety and efficiency. Nevertheless, we argue that there is a need for a paradigm shift in the methodologies used to measure animal behavior in laboratory settings. Specifically, behavioral readouts obtained from short, highly controlled tests in impoverished environments and social contexts as proxies for complex human behavioral disorders might be of limited face validity. Conversely, animal models that are monitored in more naturalistic environments over long periods display complex and ethologically relevant behaviors that reflect evolutionarily conserved endophenotypes of translational value. We present how semi-natural setups in which groups of mice are individually tagged, and video recorded continuously can be attainable and affordable. Moreover, novel open-source machine-learning techniques for pose estimation enable continuous and automatic tracking of individual body parts in groups of rodents over long periods. The trajectories of each individual animal can further be subjected to supervised machine learning algorithms for automatic detection of specific behaviors (e.g., chasing, biting, or fleeing) or unsupervised automatic detection of behavioral motifs (e.g., stereotypical movements that might be harder to name or label manually). Compared to studies of animals in the wild, semi-natural environments are more compatible with neural and genetic manipulation techniques. As such, they can be used to study the neurobiological mechanisms underlying naturalistic behavior. Hence, we suggest that such a paradigm possesses the best out of classical ethology and the reductive behaviorist approach and may provide a breakthrough in discovering new efficient therapies for mental illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yair Shemesh
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Alon Chen
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel.
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel.
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804, Munich, Germany.
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25
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Grecucci A, Sorella S, Consolini J. Decoding individual differences in expressing and suppressing anger from structural brain networks: A supervised machine learning approach. Behav Brain Res 2023; 439:114245. [PMID: 36470420 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Anger can be broken down into different elements: a transitory state (state anger), a stable personality feature (trait anger), a tendency to express it (anger-out), or to suppress it (anger-in), and the ability to regulate it (anger control). These elements are characterized by individual differences that vary across a continuum. Among them, the abilities to express and suppress anger are of particular relevance as they determine outcomes and enable successful anger management in daily situations. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that anger suppression and expression can be decoded by patterns of grey matter of specific well-known brain networks. To this aim, a supervised machine learning technique, known as Kernel Ridge Regression, was used to predict anger expression and suppression scores of 212 healthy subjects from the grey matter concentration. Results show that individual differences in anger suppression were predicted by two grey matter patterns associated with the Default-Mode Network and the Salience Network. Additionally, individual differences in anger expression were predicted by a circuit mainly involving subcortical and fronto-temporal regions when considering whole brain grey matter features. These results expand previous findings regarding the neural bases of anger by showing that individual differences in specific anger-related components can be predicted by the grey matter features of specific networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Grecucci
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Cli.A.N. Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences - DiPSCo, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy; Center for Medical Sciences, CISMed, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
| | - Sara Sorella
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Cli.A.N. Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences - DiPSCo, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
| | - Jennifer Consolini
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Cli.A.N. Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences - DiPSCo, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
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26
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Functional ear symptoms referred to an otology clinic: incidence, co-morbidity, aetiological factors and a new experience-driven clinical model. J Laryngol Otol 2023; 137:143-150. [PMID: 35801310 DOI: 10.1017/s0022215122001530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to review the incidence and co-morbidity of functional ear symptoms in new referrals to an adult otology clinic and present a clinical model based on neuroscientific concepts. METHOD This was a retrospective review of 1000 consecutive new referrals to an adult otology clinic. RESULTS Functional disorder was the primary diagnosis in 346 patients (34.6 per cent). Functional ear symptoms included tinnitus (69.7 per cent), imbalance (23.7 per cent), otalgia (22.8 per cent) and aural fullness (19.1 per cent), with more than one symptom occurring in 25.1 per cent of patients. Co-morbidities included sensorineural hearing loss (39 per cent), emotional stress (30 per cent) and chronic illness (22 per cent). CONCLUSION Functional disorders commonly present to the otology clinic, often in the presence of emotional stress or chronic illness. They occur because of adaptation of brain circuitry to experience, including adverse events, chronic illness and fear learning. This study presented an experience-driven clinical model based on these concepts. An understanding of these principles will significantly aid otolaryngologists who encounter patients with functional ear symptoms.
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Irrelevant Threats Linger and Affect Behavior in High Anxiety. J Neurosci 2023; 43:656-671. [PMID: 36526373 PMCID: PMC9888506 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1186-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Threat-related information attracts attention and disrupts ongoing behavior, and particularly so for more anxious individuals. Yet, it is unknown how and to what extent threat-related information leave lingering influences on behavior (e.g., by impeding ongoing learning processes). Here, human male and female participants (N = 47) performed probabilistic reinforcement learning tasks where irrelevant distracting faces (neutral, happy, or fearful) were presented together with relevant monetary feedback. Behavioral modeling was combined with fMRI data (N = 27) to explore the neurocomputational bases of learning relevant and irrelevant information. In two separate studies, individuals with high trait anxiety showed increased avoidance of objects previously paired with the combination of neutral monetary feedback and fearful faces (but not neutral or happy faces). Behavioral modeling revealed that high anxiety increased the integration of fearful faces during feedback learning, and fMRI results (regarded as provisional, because of a relatively small sample size) further showed that variance in the prediction error signal, uniquely accounted for by fearful faces, correlated more strongly with activity in the right DLPFC for more anxious individuals. Behavioral and neuronal dissociations indicated that the threat-related distractors did not simply disrupt learning processes. By showing that irrelevant threats exert long-lasting influences on behavior, our results extend previous research that separately showed that anxiety increases learning from aversive feedbacks and distractibility by threat-related information. Our behavioral results, combined with the proposed neurocomputational mechanism, may help explain how increased exposure to irrelevant affective information contributes to the acquisition of maladaptive behaviors in more anxious individuals.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In modern-day society, people are increasingly exposed to various types of irrelevant information (e.g., intruding social media announcements). Yet, the neurocomputational mechanisms influenced by irrelevant information during learning, and their interactions with increasingly distracted personality types are largely unknown. Using a reinforcement learning task, where relevant feedback is presented together with irrelevant distractors (emotional faces), we reveal an interaction between irrelevant threat-related information (fearful faces) and interindividual anxiety levels. fMRI shows provisional evidence for an interaction between anxiety levels and the coupling between activity in the DLPFC and learning signals specifically elicited by fearful faces. Our study reveals how irrelevant threat-related information may become entrenched in the anxious psyche and contribute to long-lasting abnormal behaviors.
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Kaur G, Anand R, Chakrabarty M. Trait Anxiety Influences Negative Affect-modulated Distribution of Visuospatial Attention. Neuroscience 2023; 509:145-156. [PMID: 36493911 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Visuospatial attention allows humans to selectively gate and prioritize visual (including salient, emotional) information for efficiently navigating natural visual environments. As emotions have been known to influence attentional performance, we asked if emotions also modulate the spatial distribution of visual attention and whether any such effect was further associated with individual differences in anxiety. Participants (n = 28) discriminated the orientation of target Gabor patches co-presented with distractors, speedily and accurately. The key manipulation was randomly presenting a task-irrelevant face emotion prime briefly (50 ms), conveying Neutral/Disgust/Scrambled (Null) emotion signal 150 ms preceding the target patches. We calculated attention gradient (change in negative inverse attentional efficiency with unit change in distance from the source of emotion signal) as a metric to answer our questions. Specifically, the Disgust signal modulated the direction of attention gradients differentially in individuals with varying degrees of trait - anxiety, such that the gradients correlated negatively with individual trait-anxiety scores. This implies spatial shifts in Disgust-signalled visual attention with varying trait - anxiety levels. Neutral yielded attention gradients comparable to Scrambled, implying no specific effect of this signal and there was no association with anxiety levels in both. No correlation was observed between state - anxiety and the emotion-cued attention gradients. In sum, the results suggest that individual trait - anxiety levels influence the effect of negative and physiologically arousing emotion signals (e.g., Disgust) on the spatial distribution of visual attention. The findings could be of relevance for understanding biases in visual behaviour underlying affective states and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gursimran Kaur
- Dept. of Social Sciences and Humanities, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110020, India
| | - Rakshita Anand
- Dept. of Human-Centered Design, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110020, India
| | - Mrinmoy Chakrabarty
- Dept. of Social Sciences and Humanities, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110020, India.
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29
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The effect of acute stress on spatial selectivity in dual-stream emotion induced blindness: The role of cortisol and spontaneous frontal EEG theta/beta ratio. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 183:71-80. [PMID: 36442666 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The current study explored the effect of acute stress on dual-stream emotion induced blindness (EIB). We focused on spatially localised target processing induced by stress, as well as the role of cortisol and the frontal EEG theta/beta ratio (TBR). Eight-minutes spontaneous EEG data were recorded first. After performing a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or a corresponding control task a week apart, the participants completed a dual-stream EIB task. Changes in cortisol levels over time were likewise recorded. We found that stress promoted the target processing in the same stream location as the distractor, eliminating the spatial-localisation effect. Cortisol and frontal TBR positively and negatively, respectively, predicted a reduced spatially localised target detection induced by stress following negative distractors. Overall, acute stress apparently reduced the dual-stream EIB due to the effective allocation of limited resources. Further, the role of cortisol associated with better target detection was more specific to the negative distractor condition and partially disassociated from the general stress response. Cortisol levels and frontal TBR independently predicted the spatially localised processing, suggesting differentiated influence paths of trait and state factors on target detection following emotional distractors.
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30
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Zhang Y, Chen J, Gao W, Chen W, Xiao Z, Qi Y, Turel O, He Q. From fears of evaluation to social anxiety: The longitudinal relationships and neural basis in healthy young adults. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100345. [PMID: 36381587 PMCID: PMC9630624 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common mental health problem, and its core cognitive manifestation is the persistent fear of being evaluated, including both negatively (FNE) and positively (FPE). This study aimed to examine the longitudinal relationships of FNE, FPE and SAD and explore their neural basis. METHODS Three samples were retrieved in this study. First, the data of 649 college students who completed a survey and fMRI scan were used to explore the neural basis of FNE, FPE, and SAD symptoms. Next, the data of 450 participants who completed the same survey twice were used to examine the longitudinal relationships of the variables. Finally, the overlapping of the two samples (N = 288) who completed two surveys and the fMRI scan were used to establish a brain-behavior model. RESULTS Both FNE and FPE predicted SAD, and SAD also predicted FPE. The neural signals of subregions in prefrontal cortex were correlated with the scores of FNE, FPE and SAD. Abnormal prefrontal signals influenced SAD symptoms via fears of evaluation. CONCLUSIONS Our findings explain the behavioral and neural underpinnings of social anxiety from a fear of evaluation angle. This contributes to a better theorical understanding of SAD and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Zhang
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Junwen Chen
- Research School of Psychology, College of Health & Medicine, The Australia National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Wei Gao
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wanting Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhibing Xiao
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yawei Qi
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ofir Turel
- School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Qinghua He
- Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China,Southwest University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Chongqing, China,Corresponding author at: Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Rd, Chongqing, 400715 China.
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31
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Chen Y, Yu H, Gao X. Influences of Emotional Information on Response Inhibition in Gaming Disorder: Behavioral and ERP Evidence from Go/Nogo Task. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:16264. [PMID: 36498338 PMCID: PMC9740308 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192316264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gaming disorder (GD) may impair executive functions such as response inhibition. According to the tripartite neurocognitive model, the interoceptive system generates a state of craving that exacerbates the dysfunction of GD. We speculate that emotional information may play an important role in the mechanism, which leads to impaired response inhibition in people with GD. METHODS A three-factor mixed experimental design was adopted in this go/nogo task. The between-subject factor was group (GD or control group), and the within-subject factors were two types of emotional information, task relevance (related or unrelated) and emotional valence (negative or positive). RESULTS The GD group had lower nogo accuracies than the control group in the task-unrelated condition and also in the negative condition. Parallelly, the GD group showed faster reactions and lower accuracy in the go trials than the control group under task-unrelated negative conditions. At the neural level, the GD group had smaller amplitudes of nogo-N2 and larger amplitudes of nogo-P3 than the control group in the task-unrelated condition. CONCLUSIONS The findings prove the hypothesis of this study that emotional information could be a factor leading to impaired response inhibition in GD individuals. The response inhibition abilities of GD are weakened when processing task-unrelated or negative information, which may be caused by failure of behavioral inhibition and weakened conflict control, resulting in more cognitive resources to complete response suppression under specific conditions. This study provides evidence for weaker response inhibition in GD individuals from the perspective of cognitive-emotional interaction and provides more detailed information for interventions for GD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhou Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Hongling Yu
- Yucai School Huiyuan Branch Attached to Sichuan Chengdu No. 7 High School, Chengdu 610021, China
| | - Xuemei Gao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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Saggar M, Bruno J, Gaillard C, Claudino L, Ernst M. Neural resources shift under Methylphenidate: A computational approach to examine anxiety-cognition interplay. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119686. [PMID: 36273770 PMCID: PMC9772074 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The reciprocal interplay between anxiety and cognition is well documented. Anxiety negatively impacts cognition, while cognitive engagement can down-regulate anxiety. The brain mechanisms and dynamics underlying such interplay are not fully understood. To study this question, we experimentally and orthogonally manipulated anxiety (using a threat of shock paradigm) and cognition (using methylphenidate; MPH). The effects of these manipulations on the brain and behavior were evaluated in 50 healthy participants (25 MPH, 25 placebo), using an n-back working memory fMRI task (with low and high load conditions). Behaviorally, improved response accuracy was observed as a main effect of the drug across all conditions. We employed two approaches to understand the neural mechanisms underlying MPH-based cognitive enhancement in safe and threat conditions. First, we performed a hypothesis-driven computational analysis using a mathematical framework to examine how MPH putatively affects cognitive enhancement in the face of induced anxiety across two levels of cognitive load. Second, we performed an exploratory data analysis using Topological Data Analysis (TDA)-based Mapper to examine changes in spatiotemporal brain activity across the entire cortex. Both approaches provided converging evidence that MPH facilitated greater differential engagement of neural resources (brain activity) across low and high working memory load conditions. Furthermore, load-based differential management of neural resources reflects enhanced efficiency that is most powerful during higher load and induced anxiety conditions. Overall, our results provide novel insights regarding brain mechanisms that facilitate cognitive enhancement under MPH and, in future research, may be used to help mitigate anxiety-related cognitive underperformance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Saggar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA,Corresponding author: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, St 1356, Stanford, California 94305, USA. (M. Saggar)
| | - Jennifer Bruno
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Claudie Gaillard
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Leonardo Claudino
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Monique Ernst
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA,Corresponding author: 15K North Drive, Bethesda MD, 20892, USA, (M. Ernst)
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Valadez EA, Pine DS, Fox NA, Bar-Haim Y. Attentional biases in human anxiety. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104917. [PMID: 36252826 PMCID: PMC9756271 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104917] [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: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Across clinical and subclinical samples, anxiety has been associated with increased attentional capture by cues signaling danger. Various cognitive models attribute the onset and maintenance of anxiety symptoms to maladaptive selective information processing. In this brief review, we 1) describe the evidence for the relations between anxiety and attention bias toward threat, 2) discuss the neurobiology of anxiety-related differences in threat bias, 3) summarize work investigating the developmental origins of attention bias toward threat, and 4) examine efforts to translate threat bias research into clinical intervention. Future directions in each area are discussed, including the use of novel analytic approaches improving characterization of threat-processing-related brain networks, clarifying the role of cognitive control in the development of attention bias toward threat, and the need for larger, well-controlled randomized clinical trials examining moderators and mediators of treatment response. Ultimately, this work has important implications for understanding the etiology of and for intervening on anxiety difficulties among children and adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio A Valadez
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Morphological similarity of amygdala-ventral prefrontal pathways represents trait anxiety in younger and older adults. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205162119. [PMID: 36215497 PMCID: PMC9586323 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205162119] [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] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stronger amygdala-ventral prefrontal white matter connectivity has been associated with lower trait anxiety, possibly reflecting an increased capacity for efficient communication between the two regions. However, there are also reports arguing against this brain-anxiety association. To address these inconsistencies in the literature, we tested the possibility that idiosyncratic tract morphology may account for meaningful individual differences in trait anxiety, even among those with comparable microstructural integrity. Here, we adopted intersubject representational similarity analysis, an analytic framework that captures multivariate patterns of similarity, to analyze the morphological similarity of amygdala-ventral prefrontal pathways. Data drawn from the Leipzig Study for Mind-Body-Emotion Interactions dataset showed that younger adults (20 to 35 y of age) with low trait anxiety, in contrast to trait-anxious individuals, had consistently similar morphological configurations in their left amygdala-ventral prefrontal pathways. Additional tests on an independent sample of older adults (60 to 75 y of age) validated this finding. Our study reveals a generalizable pattern of brain-anxiety association that is embedded within the shared geometries between fiber tract morphology and trait anxiety data.
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35
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Large-scale dysfunctional white matter and grey matter networks in patients with social anxiety disorder. iScience 2022; 25:105094. [PMID: 36185352 PMCID: PMC9519591 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysfunction of large-scale brain networks has been implicated in social anxiety disorder (SAD); most work has focused on grey matter (GM) functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities, whereas white matter (WM) FC alterations remain unclear. Here, using a K-means clustering algorithm, we obtained 8 GM and 10 WM functional networks from a cohort dataset (48 SAD patients and 48 healthy controls). By calculating and comparing FC matrices between SAD group and healthy controls, we demonstrated disrupted connections between the limbic and dorsal prefrontal, lateral temporal, and sensorimotor networks, and between the visual and sensorimotor networks. Furthermore, there were negative correlations between HAMD scores and limbic-dorsal prefrontal and limbic-sensorimotor networks, and between illness duration and sensorimotor-visual networks. These findings reflect the critical role of limbic network, with its extensive connections to other networks, and the neurobiology of disordered cognition processing and emotional regulation in SAD. Anomalous interactions between large-scale functional networks were identified in SAD The limbic, prefrontal, and perceptual networks underlie the neurobiology of SAD The white matter functional network is physiologically important
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Zapater-Fajarí M, Crespo-Sanmiguel I, Pérez V, Hidalgo V, Salvador A. Subjective Memory Complaints in young and older healthy people: Importance of anxiety, positivity, and cortisol indexes. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Todd J, Austin H, Clarke P, Notebaert L. Chronic Pain, Insomnia and their Mutual Maintenance: A Call for Cognitive Bias Research. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2022; 23:1530-1542. [PMID: 35472519 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.03.241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Chronic pain and insomnia are highly comorbid: Approximately 50% of those with chronic pain experience insomnia or clinically significant sleep disturbances, and 50% of those with insomnia experience chronic pain. Further, these conditions can be extremely disabling, particularly when they co-occur. There is increasing recognition of the need to tackle both chronic pain and insomnia together, as evidenced by growing empirical research in this area. Cognitive processing biases have been independently implicated in both chronic pain and in insomnia. Given their trans-diagnostic status, cognitive biases may therefore have a role in explaining the co-occurrence and mutual maintenance of these conditions. These biases also represent novel, potentially modifiable targets for treatment. However, the role of cognitive biases has not been adequately explored in comorbid chronic pain and insomnia. Here, we describe the state of cognitive bias research in chronic pain and insomnia, considering evidence for the roles of attentional bias, interpretation bias, expectancy bias, and memory bias. In reviewing the literature, it is apparent that similar cognitive biases operate in insomnia and chronic pain, with preliminary, albeit sparse, evidence of pain-related cognitive biases influencing sleep-related outcomes. On the basis of current findings and separate theoretical models, we present a novel, testable cognitive model of comorbid chronic pain and insomnia, to guide future research in this area. Key recommendations for the future of this relatively new field are provided. PERSPECTIVE: Chronic pain and insomnia are highly co-morbid, suggesting an overlap in causal mechanisms. Empirical research, although sparse, suggests that cognitive biases may play a role in their development and mutual maintenance. Our novel cognitive model generates research avenues of clinical importance for treating co-morbid chronic pain and insomnia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jemma Todd
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
| | - Henry Austin
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Cardio Respiratory Sleep, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Patrick Clarke
- School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Lies Notebaert
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Yang H, Li X, Guo XL, Zhou J, Shen ZF, Liu LY, Wei W, Yang L, Yu Z, Chen J, Liang FR, Yu SY, Yang J. Moxibustion for primary dysmenorrhea: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study exploring the alteration of functional connectivity strength and functional connectivity. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:969064. [PMID: 36110091 PMCID: PMC9469737 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.969064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionPrimary dysmenorrhea (PDM) is a common gynecological disease and chronic pain disorder. Moxibustion, a form of traditional Chinese medicine therapy, has proven to be effective for PDM. However, the central mechanisms of PDM and moxibustion for PDM are still unclear. This study aims to explore the potential central mechanism of PDM and clarify the possible mechanism of moxibustion for relieving pain.Materials and methodsA total of 23 PDM patients and 23 matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. For PDM patients, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were collected pre- and post-moxibustion treatment of 3 consecutive menstrual cycles, respectively. For HCs, rs-fMRI data were collected in the baseline. The resting-state functional connectivity strength (rs-FCS) analysis and the resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) analysis based on the region of interest (ROI) were combined to be conducted.ResultsCompared to HCs, PDM patients showed weaker rs-FCS in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). After the moxibustion treatment, rs-FCS in the left IFG was increased with clinical improvement. Then, the left IFG was chosen as ROI, and the rs-FC analysis was conducted. It showed that the left IFG rs-FC in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)/middle cingulate cortex (MCC), the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus (PCU), and the left parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) decreased after moxibustion treatment, most of which belong to the default mode network (DMN).ConclusionOur results highlight the role of the left IFG and the DMN in PDM. Specifically, the central mechanism of moxibustion for analgesia may be related to modulating the disorders of the reappraisal and processing of pain stimuli through influencing the cognition of pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Yang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiang Li
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiao-li Guo
- Chengdu Xi’nan Gynecological Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Jun Zhou
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhi-fu Shen
- Department of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Li-ying Liu
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Chengdu Xi’nan Gynecological Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Lu Yang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Zheng Yu
- College of Medical Information and Engineering, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiao Chen
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Fan-rong Liang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Si-yi Yu
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture & Brain Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Jie Yang,
| | - Jie Yang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Chengdu Xi’nan Gynecological Hospital, Chengdu, China
- Si-yi Yu,
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Osório FDL, Espitia-Rojas GV, Aguiar-Ricz LN. Effects of intranasal oxytocin on the self-perception and anxiety of singers during a simulated public singing performance: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:943578. [PMID: 36033618 PMCID: PMC9403236 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.943578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Professional musicians experience intense social exposure and high levels of preoccupation with their performance and potential negative reactions from the audience, which favor anxiety. Considering that oxytocin (OXT) has a potential therapeutic effect on anxiety, cognitive processes, and decreased psychosocial stress, this study's objective was to assess the effects of a single dose of 24 UI of intranasal OXT among professional singers, during a public singing simulation test, on self-rated performance and mood. This crossover, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial addressed 54 male singers with different levels of musical performance anxiety (42% high). The participants took part in different phases of a simulated public singing performance and completed instruments rating their performances (Self Statements During Public Performance- State version) and mood (Visual Analogue Mood Scale). Data were analyzed using ANOVA 2 × 2 for crossover trials. The results show that the use of OXT during the performance and immediate post-stress favored more positive (effect size: d > 1.04) and less negative assessments of musical performance (effect size: d > 1.86) than when placebo was used. No treatment effects were found in any VAMS subscales, indicating no direct anxiolytic effects. The conclusion is that OXT can minimizes social stress, especially during performances. This finding is exploratory and, if confirmed in future studies, may have relevance for musicians, especially those who constantly experience and recognize the impact of negative and catastrophic thoughts on performance and professional activities. Clinical Trial Registration [https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-5r5sc5], identifier [RBR-5r5sc5].
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávia de Lima Osório
- Ribeirão Preto Medical School, São Paulo University, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology, Brasília, Brazil
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Aksu S, Soyata AZ, Mursalova Z, Eskicioğlu G, Tükel R. Transcranial direct current stimulation does not improve clinical and neurophysiological outcomes in panic disorder: A randomized sham-controlled trial. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2022; 76:384-392. [PMID: 35587504 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13378] [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: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIM Emerging evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has anxiolytic effects and may enhance emotional processing of threat and reduce threat-related attentional bias. Panic disorder (PD) is considered to be a fear network disorder along with prefrontal activity alterations. We aim to assess the effect of tDCS on clinical and physiological parameters in PD for the first time. METHODS In this triple-blind randomized sham-controlled pilot study, 30 individuals with PD were allocated into active and sham groups to receive 10 sessions of tDCS targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex bilaterally at 2 mA for 20-min duration over 2 weeks. The clinical severity, threat-related attentional bias, interoceptive accuracy, and emotional recognition were assessed before, immediately after, and 1 month after tDCS. RESULTS Active tDCS, in comparison to sham, did not elicit more favorable clinical and neuropsychological/physiological outcomes in PD. CONCLUSION The present study provides the first clinical and neurobehavioral results of prefrontal tDCS in PD and indicates that prefrontal tDCS was not superior to sham in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serkan Aksu
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Muğla, Turkey.,Department of Physiology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Zhala Mursalova
- Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gaye Eskicioğlu
- Department of Psychology, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Raşit Tükel
- Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
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41
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Draheim C, Pak R, Draheim AA, Engle RW. The role of attention control in complex real-world tasks. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:1143-1197. [PMID: 35167106 PMCID: PMC8853083 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-02052-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Working memory capacity is an important psychological construct, and many real-world phenomena are strongly associated with individual differences in working memory functioning. Although working memory and attention are intertwined, several studies have recently shown that individual differences in the general ability to control attention is more strongly predictive of human behavior than working memory capacity. In this review, we argue that researchers would therefore generally be better suited to studying the role of attention control rather than memory-based abilities in explaining real-world behavior and performance in humans. The review begins with a discussion of relevant literature on the nature and measurement of both working memory capacity and attention control, including recent developments in the study of individual differences of attention control. We then selectively review existing literature on the role of both working memory and attention in various applied settings and explain, in each case, why a switch in emphasis to attention control is warranted. Topics covered include psychological testing, cognitive training, education, sports, police decision-making, human factors, and disorders within clinical psychology. The review concludes with general recommendations and best practices for researchers interested in conducting studies of individual differences in attention control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Draheim
- Department of Psychology, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, USA.
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Richard Pak
- Department of Psychology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Amanda A Draheim
- Department of Psychology, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, USA
| | - Randall W Engle
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Sarasso P, Francesetti G, Roubal J, Gecele M, Ronga I, Neppi-Modona M, Sacco K. Beauty and Uncertainty as Transformative Factors: A Free Energy Principle Account of Aesthetic Diagnosis and Intervention in Gestalt Psychotherapy. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:906188. [PMID: 35911596 PMCID: PMC9325967 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.906188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Drawing from field theory, Gestalt therapy conceives psychological suffering and psychotherapy as two intentional field phenomena, where unprocessed and chaotic experiences seek the opportunity to emerge and be assimilated through the contact between the patient and the therapist (i.e., the intentionality of contacting). This therapeutic approach is based on the therapist’s aesthetic experience of his/her embodied presence in the flow of the healing process because (1) the perception of beauty can provide the therapist with feedback on the assimilation of unprocessed experiences; (2) the therapist’s attentional focus on intrinsic aesthetic diagnostic criteria can facilitate the modification of rigid psychopathological fields by supporting the openness to novel experiences. The aim of the present manuscript is to review recent evidence from psychophysiology, neuroaesthetic research, and neurocomputational models of cognition, such as the free energy principle (FEP), which support the notion of the therapeutic potential of aesthetic sensibility in Gestalt psychotherapy. Drawing from neuroimaging data, psychophysiology and recent neurocognitive accounts of aesthetic perception, we propose a novel interpretation of the sense of beauty as a self-generated reward motivating us to assimilate an ever-greater spectrum of sensory and affective states in our predictive representation of ourselves and the world and supporting the intentionality of contact. Expecting beauty, in the psychotherapeutic encounter, can help therapists tolerate uncertainty avoiding impulsive behaviours and to stay tuned to the process of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Sarasso
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- *Correspondence: Pietro Sarasso,
| | - Gianni Francesetti
- International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology, Turin Center for Gestalt Therapy, Turin, Italy
| | - Jan Roubal
- Psychotherapy Training Gestalt Studia, Training in Psychotherapy Integration, Center for Psychotherapy Research in Brno, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Michela Gecele
- International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology, Turin Center for Gestalt Therapy, Turin, Italy
| | - Irene Ronga
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marco Neppi-Modona
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Katiuscia Sacco
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Baroreflex sensitivity derived from the Valsalva manoeuvre: A physiological protective factor for anxiety induced by breathing CO 2-enriched air. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 179:101-109. [PMID: 35809687 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the capacity of baroreflex sensitivity, derived from the Valsalva manoeuvre (BRS_v), to predict state anxiety induced by a biological stressor (CO2 inhalation). Healthy adults (n = 50) breathed 7.5 % CO2-enriched air for 8 min, preceded and followed by breathing medical air for 5 min. State anxiety was evaluated with a visual analogue scale. Anxiety sensitivity (Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3; ASI-3) and trait anxiety (Trait form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; STAI_T) served as cognitive-affective predictors. BRS_v was adopted as a physiological predictor. Multiple regression analysis revealed that BRS_v predicted lower anxiety during CO2 exposure, and attenuated the effect of ASI-3 in increasing anxiety. No significant effects were found for STAI_T. This is the first study to identify baroreflex sensitivity as a strong protective physiological factor for anxiety beyond the effect of anxiety sensitivity.
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Sotoudeh N, Namavar MR, Bagheri F, Zarifkar A. The medial prefrontal cortex to the medial amygdala connections may affect the anxiety level in aged rats. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e2616. [PMID: 35605044 PMCID: PMC9304845 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aging changes brain function and behavior differently in male and female individuals. Changes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-medial amygdala (MeA) connectivity affect anxiety-like behavior. OBJECTIVES Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of aging and sex on the mPFC-MeA connection and its association with the level of anxiety-like behavior. METHODS We divided the Wistar rats into the male and female young rats (2-3-month-old) and male and female old rats (18-20 months old). First, the open field test (OFT) was performed, and then 80 nl of Fluoro-Gold (FG) was injected by stereotaxic surgery in the right or left MeA. After 10 days, the animals were perfused, their brain removed, coronal sections cut, and the number of FG-labeled cells in the right and left mPFC of each sample was estimated. RESULTS Based on our results, old animals revealed less anxiety-like behavior than young ones, and young females were less anxious than young males, too. Interestingly, MeA of old male rats received more fibers from the bilateral mPFC than young ones. Also, this connection was stronger in the young females than young males. Altogether, the present study indicated that old individuals had less anxiety-like behavior and stronger mPFC-MeA connection, and young female rats were less anxious and had a stronger connection of mPFC-amygdala than males of the same age. CONCLUSION Thus, it seems that there is a negative relationship between anxiety levels based on the rat's performance in the OFT apparatus and the mPFC-MeA connection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narges Sotoudeh
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Histomorphometry and Stereology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Namavar
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Clinical Neurology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Farshid Bagheri
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Histomorphometry and Stereology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Asadollah Zarifkar
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Shiraz Neuroscience Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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45
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Structural connectome-based prediction of trait anxiety. Brain Imaging Behav 2022; 16:2467-2476. [PMID: 35771373 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00700-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Neurobiological research on anxiety has shown that trait-anxious individuals may be characterized by weaker structural connectivity of the amygdala-prefrontal circuitry, representing a reduced capacity for efficient communication between the two brain regions. However, comparison of available studies has been inconsistent, possibly related to factors such as aging that influences both trait anxiety and structural connectivity of the brain. To help clarify the nature of brain-anxiety relationship, we applied a connectome-based predictive modeling framework on 148 diffusion-weighted imaging data from the Leipzig Study for Mind-Body Emotion Interactions dataset and identified multivariate patterns of whole-brain structural connectivity that predicted trait anxiety. Results showed that networks predictive of trait anxiety differed across age groups. Specifically, an isolated negative network, which shared overlapping features with the amygdala-prefrontal circuitry, was found in younger adults (20-30 years of age), whereas a widespread positive network highlighted by frontotemporal and frontolimbic connectivity was identified when both younger and older adults (20-80 years of age) were examined. No predictive network was observed when only older adults (30-80 years of age) were considered. Our findings highlight an important age-dependent effect on the structural connectome-based prediction of trait anxiety, supporting ongoing efforts to develop potential neural biomarkers of anxiety.
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Ran G, Li R, Zhang Q. The effect of attention bias modification on the recognition of dynamic-angry faces in individuals with high social anxiety: Evidence from event-related brain potentials. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03303-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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47
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Mathew AS, Lotfi S, Bennett KP, Larsen SE, Dean C, Larson CL, Lee HJ. Association between spatial working memory and Re-experiencing symptoms in PTSD. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2022; 75:101714. [PMID: 34906826 PMCID: PMC9173718 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2021.101714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Few studies have evaluated the link between working memory (WM) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Further, it is unknown whether this relationship is accounted for by other relevant variables including negative affect, emotional dysregulation, or general non-WM-related cognitive control deficits, which are associated with PTSD. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a computerized WM task could predict PTSD symptomology incrementally beyond the contribution of other relevant variables associated with PTSD. METHODS Thirty veterans were eligible to complete emotional symptom questionnaires, a heart-rate variability measure, and computerized tasks (i.e., emotional Stroop and automated complex span tasks). A three-stage hierarchical regression was conducted with the PCL-5 total score and symptom clusters (i.e., re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal, and negative cognition/mood) as the dependent variable. RESULTS Results revealed that only the re-experiencing symptom cluster was significantly predicted by executive, verbal, and visuospatial WM tasks, which explained an additional 29.7% of the variance over and above other relevant variables. Most notably, the visuospatial task was the only WM task that significantly explained PCL-5 re-experiencing symptoms. LIMITATIONS This study was based on a small sample of veterans with PTSD and causality cannot be determined with this cross-sectional study. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results suggest that deficits in visuospatial WM are significantly associated with PTSD re-experiencing symptoms after controlling for other relevant variables. Further research should evaluate whether an intervention to improve visuospatial WM capacity can be implemented to reduce re-experiencing symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel S Mathew
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
| | - Salahadin Lotfi
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA; Rogers Behavioral Health, Research Center and Clinical Effectiveness Department, USA
| | | | - Sadie E Larsen
- Milwaukee VA Medical Center, USA; Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
| | - Caron Dean
- Milwaukee VA Medical Center, USA; Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Han-Joo Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA.
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Attentional bias to threat and gray matter volume morphology in high anxious individuals. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:600-609. [PMID: 34755317 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00968-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In a sample of highly anxious individuals, the relationship between gray matter volume brain morphology and attentional bias to threat was assessed. Participants performed a dot-probe task of attentional bias to threat and gray matter volume was acquired from whole brain structural T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans. The results replicate previous findings in unselected samples that elevated attentional bias to threat is linked to greater gray matter volume in the middle frontal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus. In addition, we provide novel evidence that elevated attentional bias to threat is associated with greater gray matter volume in the inferior frontal gyrus, insula, cerebellum, and other distributed regions. Lastly, exploratory analyses provide initial evidence that distinct subregions of the right posterior parietal cortex may contribute to attentional bias in a sex-specific manner. Our results illuminate how differences in gray matter volume morphology relate to attentional bias to threat in anxious individuals. This knowledge could inform neurocognitive models of anxiety-related attentional bias to threat.
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Yin JT, Hu YY, Li QY, Luo JL. Human creativity escapes in the struggle against threat:Evidence from neural mechanisms. Biol Psychol 2022; 172:108359. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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50
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Lebedev AV, Abé C, Acar K, Deco G, Kringelbach ML, Ingvar M, Petrovic P. Large-scale societal dynamics are reflected in human mood and brain. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4646. [PMID: 35301376 PMCID: PMC8931098 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08569-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The stock market is a bellwether of socio-economic changes that may directly affect individual well-being. Using large-scale UK-biobank data generated over 14 years, we applied specification curve analysis to rigorously identify significant associations between the local stock market index (FTSE100) and 479,791 UK residents' mood, as well as their alcohol intake and blood pressure adjusting the results for a large number of potential confounders, including age, sex, linear and non-linear effects of time, research site, other stock market indexes. Furthermore, we found similar associations between FTSE100 and volumetric measures of affective brain regions in a subsample (n = 39,755; measurements performed over 5.5 years), which were particularly strong around phase transitions characterized by maximum volatility in the market. The main findings did not depend on applied effect-size estimation criteria (linear methods or mutual information criterion) and were replicated in two independent US-based studies (Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative; n = 424; performed over 2.5 years and MyConnectome; n = 1; 81 measurements over 1.5 years). Our results suggest that phase transitions in the society, indexed by stock market, exhibit close relationships with human mood, health and the affective brain from an individual to population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Lebedev
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Center for Cognitive and Computational Neurosceince (CCNP), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Christoph Abé
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kasim Acar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Martin Ingvar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Predrag Petrovic
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Center for Cognitive and Computational Neurosceince (CCNP), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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