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Cruz APM, Castro-Gomes V, Landeira-Fernandez J. An animal model of trait anxiety: Carioca high freezing rats as a model of generalized anxiety disorder. Personal Neurosci 2024; 7:e6. [PMID: 38384665 PMCID: PMC10877273 DOI: 10.1017/pen.2023.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Despite being one of the main components of anxiety and playing a pivotal role in how an individual perceives and copes with anxiogenic situations or responds to a given treatment, trait anxiety is paradoxically omitted in most animal models of anxiety. This is problematic and particularly more concerning in models that are used to screen drugs and other treatments for specific anxiety disorders and to investigate their neurobiological mechanisms. Our group has been engaged in the search for specific anxiety-related traits in animal models of anxiety. We developed two new lines of rats with strong phenotypic divergence for high (Carioca High-conditioned Freezing [CHF]) and low (Carioca Low-conditioned Freezing [CLF]) trait anxiety as expressed in the contextual fear conditioning paradigm. Here, we summarize key behavioral, pharmacological, physiological, and neurobiological differences in one these lines, the CHF rat line, relative to randomized-cross controls and discuss how far they represent a valid and reliable animal model of generalized anxiety disorder and so high trait anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Pedro Mello Cruz
- Laboratory of Psychobiology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil
| | - Vitor Castro-Gomes
- Institute of Psychology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - J. Landeira-Fernandez
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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2
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McCall C, Schofield G, Halgarth D, Blyth G, Laycock A, Palombo DJ. The underwood project: A virtual environment for eliciting ambiguous threat. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:4002-4017. [PMID: 36289179 PMCID: PMC10700233 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-02002-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Threatening environments can be unpredictable in many different ways. The nature of threats, their timing, and their locations in a scene can all be uncertain, even when one is acutely aware of being at risk. Prior research demonstrates that both temporal unpredictability and spatial uncertainty of threats elicit a distinctly anxious psychological response. In the paradigm presented here, we further explore other facets of ambiguous threat via an environment in which there are no concrete threats, predictable or otherwise, but which nevertheless elicits a building sense of danger. By incorporating both psychological research and principles of emotional game design, we constructed this world and then tested its effects in three studies. In line with our goals, participants experienced the environment as creepy and unpredictable. Their subjective and physiological response to the world rose and fell in line with the presentation of ambiguously threatening ambient cues. Exploratory analyses further suggest that this ambiguously threatening experience influenced memory for the virtual world and its underlying narrative. Together the data demonstrate that naturalistic virtual worlds can effectively elicit a multifaceted experience of ambiguous threat with subjective and cognitive consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cade McCall
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Guy Schofield
- School of Arts and Creative Technologies, University of York, York, UK
| | - Darel Halgarth
- Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, UK
| | - Georgina Blyth
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Aaron Laycock
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Daniela J Palombo
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Sporrer JK, Brookes J, Hall S, Zabbah S, Serratos Hernandez UD, Bach DR. Functional sophistication in human escape. iScience 2023; 26:108240. [PMID: 38026199 PMCID: PMC10654542 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals including humans must cope with immediate threat and make rapid decisions to survive. Without much leeway for cognitive or motor errors, this poses a formidable computational problem. Utilizing fully immersive virtual reality with 13 natural threats, we examined escape decisions in N = 59 humans. We show that escape goals are dynamically updated according to environmental changes. The decision whether and when to escape depends on time-to-impact, threat identity and predicted trajectory, and stable personal characteristics. Its implementation appears to integrate secondary goals such as behavioral affordances. Perturbance experiments show that the underlying decision algorithm exhibits planning properties and can integrate novel actions. In contrast, rapid information-seeking and foraging-suppression are only partly devaluation-sensitive. Instead of being instinctive or hardwired stimulus-response patterns, human escape decisions integrate multiple variables in a flexible computational architecture. Taken together, we provide steps toward a computational model of how the human brain rapidly solves survival challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana K. Sporrer
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1B 5EH, UK
| | - Jack Brookes
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1B 5EH, UK
| | - Samson Hall
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1B 5EH, UK
| | - Sajjad Zabbah
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1B 5EH, UK
| | - Ulises Daniel Serratos Hernandez
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1B 5EH, UK
| | - Dominik R. Bach
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1B 5EH, UK
- University of Bonn, Transdisciplinary Research Area “Life and Health”, Hertz Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 53121 Bonn, Germany
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Abstract
Most animals live under constant threat from predators, and predation has been a major selective force in shaping animal behaviour. Nevertheless, defence responses against predatory threats need to be balanced against other adaptive behaviours such as foraging, mating and recovering from infection. This behavioural balance in ethologically relevant contexts requires adequate integration of internal and external signals in a complex interplay between the brain and the body. Despite this complexity, research has often considered defensive behaviour as entirely mediated by the brain processing threat-related information obtained via perception of the external environment. However, accumulating evidence suggests that the endocrine, immune, gastrointestinal and reproductive systems have important roles in modulating behavioural responses to threat. In this Review, we focus on how predatory threat defence responses are shaped by threat imminence and review the circuitry between subcortical brain regions involved in mediating defensive behaviours. Then, we discuss the intersection of peripheral systems involved in internal states related to infection, hunger and mating with the neurocircuits that underlie defence responses against predatory threat. Through this process, we aim to elucidate the interconnections between the brain and body as an integrated network that facilitates appropriate defensive responses to threat and to discuss the implications for future behavioural research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ting Tseng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behaviour, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bernhard Schaefke
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Pengfei Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liping Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behaviour, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
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Brookes J, Hall S, Frühholz S, Bach DR. Immersive VR for investigating threat avoidance: The VRthreat toolkit for Unity. Behav Res Methods 2023:10.3758/s13428-023-02241-y. [PMID: 37794208 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02241-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
All animals have to respond to immediate threats in order to survive. In non-human animals, a diversity of sophisticated behaviours has been observed, but research in humans is hampered by ethical considerations. Here, we present a novel immersive VR toolkit for the Unity engine that allows assessing threat-related behaviour in single, semi-interactive, and semi-realistic threat encounters. The toolkit contains a suite of fully modelled naturalistic environments, interactive objects, animated threats, and scripted systems. These are arranged together by the researcher as a means of creating an experimental manipulation, to form a series of independent "episodes" in immersive VR. Several specifically designed tools aid the design of these episodes, including a system to allow for pre-sequencing the movement plans of animal threats. Episodes can be built with the assets included in the toolkit, but also easily extended with custom scripts, threats, and environments if required. During the experiments, the software stores behavioural, movement, and eye tracking data. With this software, we aim to facilitate the use of immersive VR in human threat avoidance research and thus to close a gap in the understanding of human behaviour under threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Brookes
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Samson Hall
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sascha Frühholz
- Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
- Hertz Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, Transdisciplinary Research Area "Life and Health", University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
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Fuchshuber J, Prandstätter T, Andres D, Roithmeier L, Schmautz B, Freund A, Schwerdtfeger A, Unterrainer HF. The German version of the brief affective neuroscience personality scales including a LUST scale (BANPS-GL). Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1213156. [PMID: 37484921 PMCID: PMC10359993 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1213156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives This study presents the German version of the Brief Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (BANPS), which includes an additional subscale for the dimension LUST. The BANPS represents a shortened version of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS), a self-report instrument to assess individual dispositions toward primary emotional systems as proposed by Jaak Panksepp. Methods In a large sample (N = 926), the reliability and various facets of validity of the German translation of the BANPS were examined together with the newly included LUST scale. The BANPS-GL was related to the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale (SSSS) and analyzed via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results Overall, the BANPS-GL exhibited reliabilities ranging from McDonald's ω = 0.70 (CARE) to α = 0.86 (SADNESS) and plausible correlations with external criteria. For CFA a correlated 7-factor model demonstrated good fit [TLI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.04 (90% CI: 0.04, 0.05); SRMR = 0.06]. A similar fit was demonstrated for a 2-higher-factor model [TLI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.05 (90% CI: 0.05, 0.06); SRMR = 0.07]. Conclusion In broad agreement with the results of the original English version, the BANPS-GL showed good reliability and acceptable factorial validity, and overall improved the psychometric properties of the original long form. Finally, the inclusion of the dimension LUST allows for a complete coverage of the primary emotion dispositions as originally conceptualized by Panksepp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Fuchshuber
- Center for Integrative Addiction Research (CIAR), Grüner Kreis Society, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Deborah Andres
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Beate Schmautz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Anton Freund
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Human-Friedrich Unterrainer
- Center for Integrative Addiction Research (CIAR), Grüner Kreis Society, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria
- Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Faculty of Psychotherapy Science, Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, Austria
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Chudoba R, Dabrowska J. Distinct populations of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons mediate divergent yet complementary defensive behaviors in response to a threat. Neuropharmacology 2023; 228:109461. [PMID: 36775096 PMCID: PMC10055972 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Defensive behaviors in response to a threat are shared across the animal kingdom. Active (fleeing, sheltering) or passive (freezing, avoiding) defensive responses are adaptive and facilitate survival. Selecting appropriate defensive strategy depends on intensity, proximity, temporal threat threshold, and past experiences. Hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a major driver of an acute stress response, whereas extrahypothalamic CRF mediates stress-related affective behaviors. In this review, we shift the focus from a monolithic role of CRF as an anxiogenic peptide to comprehensively dissecting contributions of distinct populations of CRF neurons in mediating defensive behaviors. Direct interrogation of CRF neurons of the central amygdala (CeA) or the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) show they drive unconditioned defensive responses, such as vigilance and avoidance of open spaces. Although both populations also contribute to learned fear responses in familiar, threatening contexts, CeA-CRF neurons are particularly attuned to the ever-changing environment. Depending on threat intensities, they facilitate discrimination of salient stimuli predicting manageable threats, and prevent their generalization. Finally, hypothalamic CRF neurons mediate initial threat assessment and active defense such as escape to shelter. Overall, these three major populations of CRF neurons demonstrate divergent, yet complementary contributions to the versatile defense system: heightened vigilance, discriminating salient threats, and active escape, representing three legs of the defense tripod. Despite the 'CRF exhaustion' in the field of affective neuroscience, understanding contributions of specific CRF neurons during adaptive defensive behaviors is needed in order to understand the implications of their dysregulation in fear- and anxiety-related psychiatric disorders. This article is part of the Special Issue on "Fear, Anxiety and PTSD".
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Chudoba
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States; Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States; School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States; Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States; School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States.
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Zhong J, Li C, Peng L, Pan Y, Yang Y, Guo Q, Zhong T. Repeated neonatal isoflurane exposure facilitated stress-related fear extinction impairment in male mice and was associated with ΔFosB accumulation in the basolateral amygdala and the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Behav Brain Res 2023; 446:114416. [PMID: 37003493 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Volatile anesthetics elicit neurodevelopmental toxicity in rodents and primates and lead to more exaggerated anxiety-like behavior in response to future stress. Anxiety and fear are closely correlated and maladaptive fear-associated learning is regarded as the core mechanism underlying anxiety-related disorders. However, little is known about the interaction between early-life anesthetic exposure and future stress and the accompanying effect on fear-associated learning. In the present study, we evaluated the alterations in fear-associated learning (fear acquisition and extinction) occurring in mice receiving repeated neonatal isoflurane exposure and chronic variable stress (CVS) successively through a series of fear conditioning, fear reinforcing, and fear extinction paradigms. The corticosterone (CORT) response during CVS and the immunohistochemical levels of ΔFosB and c-Fos expression in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) after the extinction retrieval test were also investigated. The results showed that neonatal isoflurane exposure could increase CORT levels following the first diurnal CVS procedure, but not after completion of the whole CVS paradigm. Neonatal isoflurane exposure exerted a repressive effect on fear acquisition, in contrast to that seen with CVS. Neonatal isoflurane exposure and CVS both exerted suppressive effects on fear extinction and there was a significant synergy between them. Furthermore, neonatal isoflurane exposure facilitated CVS-mediated ΔFosB accumulation in the BLA and the hippocampal DG, which may have been responsible for c-Fos expression deficits and fear extinction impairment. Collectively, these findings contribute to the understanding of the interaction between early-life anesthetic exposure and future stress, as well as the accompanying behavioral alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- JiaLing Zhong
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Operating Theatre Services, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China
| | - ChunLin Li
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Operating Theatre Services, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China
| | - LuoFang Peng
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Operating Theatre Services, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China; Teaching and Research Section of Clinical Nursing, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China.
| | - Yudan Pan
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Operating Theatre Services, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China
| | - Yong Yang
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Operating Theatre Services, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China
| | - QuLian Guo
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Operating Theatre Services, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China
| | - Tao Zhong
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Operating Theatre Services, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha city, Hunan Province, PR China.
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Sun Y, Gao M, Gao D, Chen D, Wang J. Allopregnanolone-mediated GABAA-Rα4 function in amygdala and hippocampus of PMDD liver qi-invasion syndrome model rats. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:1143-1157. [PMID: 36842096 PMCID: PMC10008490 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a common mental health challenge among women of reproductive age. Allopregnanolone (3α, 5α-THP; ALLO) mediated functional alterations of GABAA receptors (GABAA-R) are involved in PMDD pathogenesis, however, the specific mechanism remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the role of ALLO mediated GABAA-Rα4 in the pathophysiology of PMDD. PURPOSE We determined whether the pathogenesis of PMDD is associated with ALLO mediated GABAA-Rα4 expression changes in different brain regions. METHODS Rat models of PMDD liver-qi invasion syndrome (PMDD-LIS) were established via the resident intruder paradigm. Behavioral changes of rats were assessed by aggressive behavior tests, EPM and OFT. The levels of progesterone and ALLO in serum as well as brain areas were determined by ELISA. Variations in GABAA-Rα4 levels in brain regions were assessed by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. Medicated serum was used to interfere with rat hippocampal neurons, and changes in Cl- current were recorded through electrophysiology. RESULTS Premenstrual anxiety and irritability of PMDD-LIS patients can be simulated in PMDD-LIS rat models. Exogenous ALLO significantly improved the anxiety behaviors of PMDD-LIS rats. Changes in ALLO among different brain regions varied. GABAA-Rα4 expressions were low in the amygdala and abnormally high in the hippocampus, however, ALLO alleviated these deviations. Whole-cell patch clamp recording technique showed a weaker Cl- current intensity of PMDD-LIS rats, reduced neuroinhibitory functions and increased Cl- current intensity in the ALLO group drug serum intervention and enhanced emotional inhibition function. CONCLUSION We established that ALLO regulation of the GABAA-Rα4 subunit in the amygdala and hippocampus is involved in PMDD-LIS pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Sun
- Team of Research and Innovation Focusing on Emotional Diseases and Syndromes, Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong, China
| | - Mingzhou Gao
- Team of Research and Innovation Focusing on Emotional Diseases and Syndromes, Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong, China
| | - Dongmei Gao
- Teaching and Research Office of Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong, China
| | - Dan Chen
- Department of Graduate, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong, China
| | - Jieqiong Wang
- Scientific Research Achievements Transformation Department, Office of Academic Research, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong, China
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10
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Blanchard DC. Sex, defense, and risk assessment: Who could ask for anything more? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104931. [PMID: 36471523 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Over the 30 years since IBNS was founded, a central theme of "Translation" has emerged. This reflects increasing realization that mental disorders such as anxiety and depression are extremely widespread, expensive and painful to societies and individuals across the world. The Blanchard lab has been particularly involved in attempts to understand the evolutionary and functional mechanisms underlying defensive behaviors as a focal component of these disorders. This involved analysis of the relationships between threatening situations/stimuli, and the behaviors (flight, freezing, fight, and risk assessment) that respond to them, for rodents; and also attempts to link these relationships to human responsivity to similar threatening events: Linkages that are complicated by factors such as domestication and sex. In particular it is important to describe and characterize the organization of defensive patterns in people as well as nonhuman animals, and to understand how these patterns can become nonfunctional and pathological.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Caroline Blanchard
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA; Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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11
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Blanchard DC. Are cognitive aspects of defense a core feature of anxiety and depression? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104947. [PMID: 36343691 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent behavior disorders, particularly in women. Recent preclinical work using animal models has been suboptimal in predicting the efficacy of drugs targeted at these conditions, suggesting a potential discrepancy between such models and the human disorders. Notably female animals tend to be equal to, or less responsive than, males in these tasks. A number of analyses suggest that mammalian defense patterns are complex: In addition to relatively discrete and immediate fight, flight, and freezing responses, a risk assessment pattern may occur in response to threat stimuli or situations with ambiguous elements. This pattern combines defensiveness with a number of cognition-linked behaviors such as sensory attention and orientation, approach, contact, and investigation of the potential threat. Studies measuring elements of this pattern suggest that female rats, and perhaps female mice, show higher levels than equivalent males. Higher female involvement may also occur in tasks involving learning/generalization/extinction of defensiveness to conditioned stimuli. Such findings are consonant with recent analyses of "female survival strategies" based on differential adaptiveness of cognitive components of defensiveness in females, due to the necessity of female care of offspring until they are independent. These data suggest the value of additional behavioral and functional analyses of cognitive aspects of defensive behavior; contributing to both an understanding of their underlying mechanisms, and providing more sensitive measures of drug responsivity for use with animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Caroline Blanchard
- Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA; Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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12
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Li Y, Yu X. Effects of social context on facial trustworthiness judgments. Curr Psychol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-04143-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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13
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Utsunomiya R, Mikami K, Doi T, Choudhury ME, Jogamoto T, Tokunaga N, Ishii E, Eguchi M, Yano H, Tanaka J. Rearing in an Enriched Environment Ameliorates the ADHD-like Behaviors of Lister Hooded Rats While Suppressing Neuronal Activities in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Cells 2022; 11. [PMID: 36429076 DOI: 10.3390/cells11223649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to genetic factors, environmental factors play a role in the pathogenesis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study used Lister hooded rats (LHRs) as ADHD model animals to evaluate the effects of environmental factors. Male LHR pups were kept in four rearing conditions from postnatal day 23 (4 rats in a standard cage; 12 rats in a large flat cage; and 4 or 12 rats in an enriched environment [EE]) until 9 weeks of age. EE rearing but not rearing in a large flat cage decreased the activity of LHRs in the open field test that was conducted for 7 consecutive days. In the drop test, most rats reared in an EE remained on a disk at a height, whereas most rats reared in a standard cage fell off. RNA sequencing revealed that the immediate-early gene expression in the medial prefrontal cortex of LHRs reared in an EE was reduced. cFos-expressing neurons were reduced in number in LHRs reared in an EE. These results suggest that growing in an EE improves ADHD-like behaviors and that said improvement is due to the suppression of neuronal activity in the mPFC.
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14
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Irvin RL, Roiger AN, Robinson MD. Using a Variant of the Situational Judgment Test to Examine Stress Reactivity Processes: Within-Person Relationships and Relationships Involving BIS and BAS. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10862-022-09999-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
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15
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Klebanov B, Katz C. Children's Peritraumatic Responses During Sexual Abuse Incidents: Exploring the Narratives of Children From Different Ethnoreligious Groups in Israel. J Interpers Violence 2022; 37:NP14830-NP14853. [PMID: 33980066 DOI: 10.1177/08862605211016351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The peritraumatic response of children during incidents of child sexual abuse (CSA) is a neglected construct in the literature. Despite the widespread use of the fight-flight-freeze model, recent studies have shown that in the unique context of child abuse, additional peritraumatic responses could be relevant. The current mixed-methods study examined children's peritraumatic responses to CSA. The sample consisted of 249 forensic interviews with children aged from 4 to 13 years. An initial qualitative analysis resulted in identifying various ways in which the children responded to the abuse, the children's decision-making around these responses, as well their perceptions of their response. This analysis was followed by quantitative analyses, which explored the frequency of these peritraumatic responses and their correlation with the characteristics of the children and abuse. Six peritraumatic response categories were identified, the most common being fight, flight, and fear. Only ethnoreligious identity was significantly correlated with the fight-or-flight response, with a significantly lower frequency among Muslim and ultra-Orthodox Jewish children. Frequency of abuse and perpetrator familiarity were correlated with the frequency of the fight-or-flight response, indicating that the latter was less relevant in reoccurring incidents of abuse and with perpetrators who were family members. The findings promote the conceptualization of children's peritraumatic responses during incidents of abuse and the realization of the crucial role of children's ecological systems in their peritraumatic responses to incidents of abuse.
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16
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Abstract
Animals have sophisticated mechanisms for coping with danger. Freezing is a unique state that, upon threat detection, allows evidence to be gathered, response possibilities to be previsioned and preparations to be made for worst-case fight or flight. We propose that - rather than reflecting a passive fear state - the particular somatic and cognitive characteristics of freezing help to conceal overt responses, while optimizing sensory processing and action preparation. Critical for these functions are the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and acetylcholine, which modulate neural information processing and also control the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. However, the interactions between autonomic systems and the brain during freezing, and the way in which they jointly coordinate responses, remain incompletely explored. We review the joint actions of these systems and offer a novel computational framework to describe their temporally harmonized integration. This reconceptualization of freezing has implications for its role in decision-making under threat and for psychopathology.
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17
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Sippel LM, Taverna E, Marshall AD. In vivo defensive behaviors, fear, and attention bias to physical and negative evaluation threats. Behav Res Ther 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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18
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De Pascalis V, Vecchio A. The influence of EEG oscillations, heart rate variability changes, and personality on self-pain and empathy for pain under placebo analgesia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6041. [PMID: 35410362 PMCID: PMC9001726 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10071-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We induced placebo analgesia (PA), a phenomenon explicitly attenuating the self-pain feeling, to assess whether this resulted in reduced empathy pain when witnessing a confederate undergoing such pain experience. We recorded EEG and electrocardiogram during a painful Control and PA treatment in healthy adults who rated their experienced pain and empathy for pain. We derived HRV changes and, using wavelet analysis of non-phase-locked event-related EEG oscillations, EEG spectral power differences for self-pain and other-pain conditions. First-hand PA reduced self-pain and self-unpleasantness, whereas we observed only a slight decrease in other unpleasantness. We derived linear combinations of HRV and EEG band power changes significantly associated with self-pain and empathy for pain changes using PCAs. Lower Behavioral Inhibition System scores predicted self-pain reduction through the mediating effect of a relative HR-slowing and a decreased midline ϑ-band (4-8 Hz) power factor moderated by lower Fight-Flight-Freeze System trait scores. In the other-pain condition, we detected a direct positive influence of Total Empathic Ability on the other-pain decline with a mediating role of the midline β2-band (22-30 Hz) power reduction. These findings suggest that PA modulation of first-hand versus other pain relies on functionally different physiological processes involving different personality traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vilfredo De Pascalis
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza Foundation, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Arianna Vecchio
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza Foundation, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy
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19
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Katz C, Nicolet R. "If Only I Could Have Stopped It": Reflections of Adult Child Sexual Abuse Survivors on Their Responses During the Abuse. J Interpers Violence 2022; 37:NP2076-NP2100. [PMID: 32597693 DOI: 10.1177/0886260520935485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Child sexual abuse (CSA) has received much research attention in recent years, leading to the considerable development of services provided for children worldwide. The literature in the field of trauma studies recognizes that responses to trauma are of central importance and mainly discusses the fight-flight-freeze model of automatic responses to traumatic events. For a variety of reasons, research on this specific subject in the field of CSA is sparse. The current study was designed to spotlight the way adults perceive their responses during incidents of CSA. Semistructured interviews were carried out with 20 survivors who described their responses. The results pointed to the irrelevance of "fight or flight" responses in the context of CSA and emphasized compliance, avoidance, and simply surviving the abuse. In addition, the survivors shared the thoughts they had had during the abusive incidents. Specifically, while they understood that what was being done to them was wrong, they also realized that there was little they could do other than try to survive. The survivors' reflections on how their responses to CSA affected their negative self-attributions and on the way they contend with difficult incidents in adulthood suggest the central role played by CSA responses. The findings point to the multifaceted nature of responses to CSA and to the urgent need to further examine them by exploring other relevant contexts and perceptions to develop a theoretical model that will address responses to child abuse and inform both prevention and intervention efforts.
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20
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Bertram T, Hoffmann Ayala D, Huber M, Brandl F, Starke G, Sorg C, Mulej Bratec S. Human threat circuits: Threats of pain, aggressive conspecific, and predator elicit distinct BOLD activations in the amygdala and hypothalamus. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1063238. [PMID: 36733415 PMCID: PMC9887727 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1063238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Threat processing, enabled by threat circuits, is supported by a remarkably conserved neural architecture across mammals. Threatening stimuli relevant for most species include the threat of being attacked by a predator or an aggressive conspecific and the threat of pain. Extensive studies in rodents have associated the threats of pain, predator attack and aggressive conspecific attack with distinct neural circuits in subregions of the amygdala, the hypothalamus and the periaqueductal gray. Bearing in mind the considerable conservation of both the anatomy of these regions and defensive behaviors across mammalian species, we hypothesized that distinct brain activity corresponding to the threats of pain, predator attack and aggressive conspecific attack would also exist in human subcortical brain regions. METHODS Forty healthy female subjects underwent fMRI scanning during aversive classical conditioning. In close analogy to rodent studies, threat stimuli consisted of painful electric shocks, a short video clip of an attacking bear and a short video clip of an attacking man. Threat processing was conceptualized as the expectation of the aversive stimulus during the presentation of the conditioned stimulus. RESULTS Our results demonstrate differential brain activations in the left and right amygdala as well as in the left hypothalamus for the threats of pain, predator attack and aggressive conspecific attack, for the first time showing distinct threat-related brain activity within the human subcortical brain. Specifically, the threat of pain showed an increase of activity in the left and right amygdala and the left hypothalamus compared to the threat of conspecific attack (pain > conspecific), and increased activity in the left amygdala compared to the threat of predator attack (pain > predator). Threat of conspecific attack revealed heightened activity in the right amygdala, both in comparison to threat of pain (conspecific > pain) and threat of predator attack (conspecific > predator). Finally, for the condition threat of predator attack we found increased activity in the bilateral amygdala and the hypothalamus when compared to threat of conspecific attack (predator > conspecific). No significant clusters were found for the contrast predator attack > pain. CONCLUSION Results suggest that threat type-specific circuits identified in rodents might be conserved in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Bertram
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Hoffmann Ayala
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Großhadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Maria Huber
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Felix Brandl
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Georg Starke
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,College of Humanities, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christian Sorg
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Satja Mulej Bratec
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia
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21
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Dezecache G, Martin JR, Tessier C, Safra L, Pitron V, Nuss P, Grèzes J. Nature and determinants of social actions during a mass shooting. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260392. [PMID: 34874974 PMCID: PMC8651140 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Reactions to danger have been depicted as antisocial but research has shown that supportive behaviors (e.g., helping injured others, giving information or reassuring others) prevail in life-threatening circumstances. Why is it so? Previous accounts have put the emphasis on the role of psychosocial factors, such as the maintenance of social norms or the degree of identification between hostages. Other determinants, such as the possibility to escape and distance to danger may also greatly contribute to shaping people’s reactions to deadly danger. To examine the role of those specific physical constraints, we interviewed 32 survivors of the attacks at ‘Le Bataclan’ (on the evening of 13-11-2015 in Paris, France). Consistent with previous findings, supportive behaviors were frequently reported. We also found that impossibility to egress, minimal protection from danger and interpersonal closeness with other crowd members were associated with higher report of supportive behaviors. As we delved into the motives behind reported supportive behaviors, we found that they were mostly described as manifesting cooperative (benefits for both interactants) or altruistic (benefits for other(s) at cost for oneself) tendencies, rather than individualistic (benefits for oneself at cost for other(s)) ones. Our results show that supportive behaviors occur during mass shootings, particularly if people cannot escape, are under minimal protection from the danger, and feel interpersonal closeness with others. Crucially, supportive behaviors underpin a diversity of motives. This last finding calls for a clear-cut distinction between the social strategies people use when exposed to deadly danger, and the psychological motivations underlying them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Dezecache
- Département d’Etudes Cognitives, Institut Jean Nicod, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LAPSCO, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Jean-Rémy Martin
- Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cédric Tessier
- Service de psychiatrie et de psychologie médicale, Sorbonne Université, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Lou Safra
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, INSERM U960, Département d’Etudes Cognitives, ENS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
- Sciences Po, Département de Sciences Politiques, CEVIPOF, CNRS UMR 7048, Paris, France
| | - Victor Pitron
- Département d’Etudes Cognitives, Institut Jean Nicod, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
- Université de Paris EA 7330 VIFASOM et APHP-Hôtel Dieu Centre du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
| | - Philippe Nuss
- Service de psychiatrie et de psychologie médicale, Sorbonne Université, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, AP-HP, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, INSERM UMRS 938, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Julie Grèzes
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationnelles, INSERM U960, Département d’Etudes Cognitives, ENS, PSL Research University, Paris, France
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22
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Katz C, Tsur N, Nicolet R, Carmel N, Klebanov B. Children's Responses to Maltreatment: Key Conclusions From a Systematic Literature Review. Trauma Violence Abuse 2021; 22:1155-1168. [PMID: 32116133 DOI: 10.1177/1524838020908851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Child maltreatment (CM) has received much research attention in recent years, leading to the enormous development of services provided to children worldwide. However, although the literature in the field of trauma studies recognizes that responses to trauma are of central importance, for a variety of reasons, the research on this subject is sparse. The current systematic literature review was therefore designed to characterize and analyze the existing knowledge on children's responses to CM, while putting in focus all possible responses that will appear in the identified manuscripts. Key databases were explored using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and only six studies were identified as relevant to the focus of the current study. Utilizing thematic analysis, the results addressed four main themes: the studies' methodologies, the terminology and responses that were explored in these studies, the abuse-related factors and contexts that were taken into account, and the consequences for the children (of their responses to the maltreatment). A key conclusion from this review is that concepts in this area, as well as theory, are considerably lacking. Promoting the development of theory regarding children's responses to CM is urgently needed, as it will greatly impact clinical intervention, legal investigation, and the development of prevention programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmit Katz
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Noga Tsur
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Racheli Nicolet
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Nir Carmel
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Bella Klebanov
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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23
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Ferreira-Sgobbi R, de Figueiredo RM, Frias AT, Matthiesen M, Batistela MF, Falconi-Sobrinho LL, Vilela-Costa HH, Sá SI, Lovick TA, Zangrossi H, Coimbra NC. Panic-like responses of female Wistar rats confronted by Bothrops alternatus pit vipers, or exposure to acute hypoxia: Effect of oestrous cycle. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:32-48. [PMID: 34850475 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety-related diseases are more than twice as common in women than in men, and in women, symptoms may be exacerbated during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Despite this, most research into the underlying mechanisms, which drives drug development, have been carried out using male animals. In an effort to redress this imbalance, we compared responses of male and female Wistar rats during exposure to two unconditioned threatening stimuli that evoke panic-related defensive behaviours: confrontation with a predator (Bothrops alternatus) and acute exposure to hypoxia (7% O2 ). Threatened by venomous snake, male and female rats initially displayed defensive attention, risk assessment, and cautious interaction with the snake, progressing to defensive immobility to overt escape. Both males and females displayed higher levels of risk assessment but less interaction with the predator. They also spent more time in the burrow, displaying inhibitory avoidance, and more time engaged in defensive attention, and non-oriented escape behaviour. In females, anxiety-like behaviour was most pronounced in the oestrous and proestrus phases whereas panic-like behaviour was more pronounced during the dioestrus phase, particularly during late dioestrus. Acute hypoxia evoked panic-like behaviour (undirected jumping) in both sexes, but in females, responsiveness in late dioestrus was significantly greater than at other stages of the cycle. The results reveal that females respond in a qualitatively similar manner to males during exposure to naturally occurring threatening stimuli, but the responses of females is oestrous cycle dependent with a significant exacerbation of panic-like behaviour in the late dioestrus phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Ferreira-Sgobbi
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Department of Psychology, Division of Psychobiology, Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy, Sciences and Literature of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Behaviour of Snakes Division-MEDUSA Project, Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Rebeca Machado de Figueiredo
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Alana Tercino Frias
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Melina Matthiesen
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Matheus Fitipaldi Batistela
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Luiz Luciano Falconi-Sobrinho
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Behaviour of Snakes Division-MEDUSA Project, Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Ophidiarium LNN-FMRP-USP/INeC, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Heloísa Helena Vilela-Costa
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Susana Isabel Sá
- Unidade de Anatomia, Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Thelma Anderson Lovick
- Behaviour of Snakes Division-MEDUSA Project, Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Hélio Zangrossi
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Behaviour of Snakes Division-MEDUSA Project, Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Norberto Cysne Coimbra
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Behaviour of Snakes Division-MEDUSA Project, Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Ophidiarium LNN-FMRP-USP/INeC, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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24
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Daniel-Watanabe L, Fletcher PC. Are Fear and Anxiety Truly Distinct? Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science 2021; 2:341-349. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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25
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Abstract
When we face danger or stress, the presence of others can provide a powerful signal of safety and support. However, despite a large literature on group living benefits in animals, few studies have been conducted on how group size alters subjective emotional responses and threat perception in humans. We conducted 5 experiments (N = 3,652) to investigate whether the presence of others decreases fear in response to threat under a variety of conditions. In Studies 1, 2 and 3, we experimentally manipulated group size in hypothetical and real-world situations and found that fear responses decreased as group size increased. In Studies 4 and 5 we again used a combination of hypothetical and real-world decisions to test whether increased anxiety in response to a potential threat would lead participants to choose larger groups for themselves. Participants consistently chose larger groups when threat and anxiety were high. Overall, our findings show that group size provides a salient signal of protection and safety in humans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Tedeschi
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, NY
| | - Sophia Armand
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, NY
| | - Anastasia Buyalskaya
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
| | - Brian Silston
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, NY
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
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26
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Piotti P, Albertini M, Trabucco LP, Ripari L, Karagiannis C, Bandi C, Pirrone F. Personality and Cognitive Profiles of Animal-Assisted Intervention Dogs and Pet Dogs in an Unsolvable Task. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11072144. [PMID: 34359271 PMCID: PMC8300800 DOI: 10.3390/ani11072144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Dogs are biologically predisposed to communicate with humans in cooperative contexts. They show individual differences in dog-human communication and inhibition, potentially enhanced by life experience, e.g., Animal-Assisted Interventions. This study aimed to investigate whether dogs' personality, defined by biologically meaningful neural circuits described in the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality (RST), predicted dogs' communication, task orientation, emotional state, and approach of an unsolvable task. We also investigated the differences between dogs experienced in Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) and inexperienced dogs. The results indicated that a high sensitivity to the RST personality trait related to managing uncertainty (Behavioural Inhibition System, BIS) predicted fewer task orientations but increased referential and non-referential looking, which we interpreted as a way to obtain directions from the owner. Conversely, a high sensitivity to the traits reflecting tendencies to approach rewards (Behavioural Approach System, BAS) and avoid punishment (Fight-Flight-Freeze System, FFFS) predicted lower looking. High sensitivity to the FFFS also predicted more frequent task orientations, which we interpreted as frustration. Finally, the dogs in the AAI program looked more at their owner and were less oriented towards the task. These results provide empirical evidence of individual differences tied to the psychobiological personality traits in canine cognitive skills. Understanding such cognitive profiles may have an enormous impact on activities that rely upon dog-human collaborative interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Piotti
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy; (P.P.); (F.P.)
| | - Mariangela Albertini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy; (P.P.); (F.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Lidia Pia Trabucco
- Department of Bioscience, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy; (L.P.T.); (C.B.)
| | - Lucia Ripari
- Independent Researcher, Località Rifoglieto, 55011 Altopascio, Italy;
| | - Christos Karagiannis
- Hellenic Institute of Canine and Feline Behaviour & Training, 10434 Athens, Greece;
| | - Claudio Bandi
- Department of Bioscience, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy; (L.P.T.); (C.B.)
| | - Federica Pirrone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy; (P.P.); (F.P.)
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Piotti P, Karagiannis C, Satchell L, Michelazzi M, Albertini M, Alleva E, Pirrone F. Use of the Milan Pet Quality of Life Instrument (MPQL) to Measure Pets' Quality of Life during COVID-19. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:1336. [PMID: 34066721 DOI: 10.3390/ani11051336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary COVID-19 caused unprecedented lifestyle changes, with unknown effects on pets’ quality of life. We studied the role of personality, the human–animal relationship, COVID-19-related factors, and demographics on feline and canine quality of life (QoL). We used the novel Milan Pet Quality of Life instrument (MPQL), derived from previous scales, which summarises four QoL domains: physical, psychological, social, and environmental. Our findings indicate that pets’ demographics, life experience, and personality could explain a large part of the physical QoL. Conversely, the owners’ demographics, COVID-19-related changes, and the owners’ personality mostly explained the pets’ psychological QoL. Predictably, outdoor access in the home environment and the country of residence mostly explained the pets’ environmental QoL. Finally, the pets’ social QoL was explained by all previous aspects: pets’ characteristics and personality, environment and COVID-19-related changes, and the pet–human relationship. We suggest that these results may be explained by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the owners’ psychological state and lifestyle, which in turn alter the way the owners interact with their pets and look after them. However, the owners’ personality and mood may also influence the way they interpret and report their pets’ behavior and emotional state. These findings highlight the importance of the One Health–One Welfare perspective. Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic caused lifestyle changes, with unknown effect on pets’ quality of life (QoL). Between May and July 2020, we distributed an online survey to investigate the role of several factors on feline and canine QoL, including lockdown-related factors. We used existing scales to measure human and pets’ personalities (Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire, RST-PQ; RST-Dog; RST-Cat) and the human–animal relationship (Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, LAPS) and the Milan Pet Quality of Life instrument (MPQL). Overall, 235 participants reported about 242 adult pets (Ncats = 78, Ndogs = 164). Factor analysis confirmed the structure and internal reliability of the existing scales (RST-PQ, RST-Dog, RST-Cat, LAPS) and suggested a four-factor structure for the MPQL (physical, psychological, social, environmental). The results indicate that the pets’ psysical QoL was largely explained by pet-related elements (pets’ demographics and life experience, and pets’ personality). Conversely, the pets’ psychological QoL was explained mostly by owner-related elements, such as the owners’ demographics, COVID-19-related changes, and the owners’ personality. Predictably, the pets’ environmental QoL is mostly explained by environmental factors, such as the outdoor access in the home environment and the country. Finally, the pets’ social QoL was explained by the larger combination of models: pets’ characteristics and personality, environment and COVID-19-related changes, and the pet–human relationship. These findings can be explained by two non-mutually exclusive mechanisms. The reported changes may be a by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic’s psychological and lifestyle effects on the owners, which in turn alter the way the owners interact with their pets and look after them. However, the owners’ characteristics and mood may bias their answers regarding their pets.
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Cassel JC, Ferraris M, Quilichini P, Cholvin T, Boch L, Stephan A, Pereira de Vasconcelos A. The reuniens and rhomboid nuclei of the thalamus: A crossroads for cognition-relevant information processing? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 126:338-360. [PMID: 33766671 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Over the past twenty years, the reuniens and rhomboid (ReRh) nuclei, which constitute the ventral midline thalamus, have received constantly growing attention. Since our first review article about the functional contributions of ReRh nuclei (Cassel et al., 2013), numerous (>80) important papers have extended anatomical knowledge, including at a developmental level, introduced new and very original electrophysiological insights on ReRh functions, and brought novel results on cognitive and non-cognitive implications of the ReRh. The current review will cover these recent articles, more on Re than on Rh, and their contribution will be approached according to their affiliation with work before 2013. These neuroanatomical, electrophysiological or behavioral findings appear coherent and point to the ReRh nuclei as two major components of a multistructural system supporting numerous cognitive (and non-cognitive) functions. They gate the flow of information, perhaps especially from the medial prefrontal cortex to the hippocampus and back, and coordinate activity and processing across these two (and possibly other) brain regions of major cognitive relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Maëva Ferraris
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Pascale Quilichini
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Thibault Cholvin
- Institute for Physiology I, University Clinics Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Laurine Boch
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Aline Stephan
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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Montag C, Elhai JD, Davis KL. A comprehensive review of studies using the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales in the psychological and psychiatric sciences. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:160-167. [PMID: 33609568 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Jaak Panksepp's Affective Neuroscience Theory (ANT) belongs to the most prominent emotion theories in the psychological and psychiatric sciences. ANT proposes the existence of seven primary emotional systems deeply anchored in the mammalian brain. These emotional/motivational systems have been shaped by evolutionary processes and function as tools for survival in mammalian species. The systems are called SEEKING, LUST, CARE, and PLAY, as well as ANGER, FEAR, and SADNESS. Panksepp carved out these emotional systems via means of deep brain stimulation, brain lesion and pharmacological manipulation studies. Davis et al. (2003) designed the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) against the background of findings from ANT. This self-report inventory is meant to enable researchers to assess individual differences in primary emotional systems. Seventeen years have passed since the first version of the ANPS has been published. Therefore, we now provide a comprehensive overview on studies using the ANPS including work from personality science, psychiatry and the neurosciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Montag
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, BW, 89081, Germany.
| | - Jon D Elhai
- Department of Psychology, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, United States.
| | - Kenneth L Davis
- Pegasus International, Greensboro, NC, 27408, United States.
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Norscia I, Collarini E, Cordoni G. Anxiety Behavior in Pigs ( Sus scrofa) Decreases Through Affiliation and May Anticipate Threat. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:630164. [PMID: 33665219 PMCID: PMC7921160 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.630164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety is a physio-psychological state anticipating an imminent threat. In social mammals it is behaviorally expressed via displacement activities and buffered via affiliation. Anxiety research on domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) has mostly focused on abnormal/stereotypic behavior associated with intensive farming. We investigated how anxiety is expressed and modulated in semi-free ranging pigs, in natural habitats. Owing to pigs' socio-cognitive complexity, we posited that displacement activities, if such, would increase after a (stressful) intra-group aggression (Prediction 1), be reduced by affiliation (Prediction 2) and influenced by individual/contextual factors (Prediction 3). From 224 videos recorded on adult individuals (Mean ± SD/subject: 4.84 ± 1.85 h) at the “Ethical Farm Parva Domus” (Turin, Italy), we extracted possible displacement activities (vacuum-chewing, scratching/body-rubbing, head/body-shaking, and yawning) in four 3-min conditions: before (BA) and after aggression events, in the absence (AA) or presence (AP) of post-aggression affiliation, and a matched-control (no event; MC). We conducted a minute-by-minute analysis in AE/AA and assessed the effect of subjects' involvement in a conflict (aggressor, aggression's recipient, bystander). All activities were higher in AA than in BA condition—thus being anxiety markers—and all of them decreased to baseline levels in AP, faster compared to AE. Hence, anxiety behavior in pigs was socially buffered. Intriguingly, anxiety behavior was expressed significantly more by bystanders than opponents, which suggests that pigs may be able to anticipate imminent threats. By highlighting how anxiety is managed under extensive farming, this study contributes to the understanding of pig welfare and biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Edoardo Collarini
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Giada Cordoni
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
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Krupić D, Žuro B, Corr PJ. Anxiety and threat magnification in subjective and physiological responses of fear of heights induced by virtual reality. Personality and Individual Differences 2021; 169:109720. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2019.109720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Katz C, Tsur N, Talmon A, Nicolet R. Beyond fight, flight, and freeze: Towards a new conceptualization of peritraumatic responses to child sexual abuse based on retrospective accounts of adult survivors. Child Abuse Negl 2021; 112:104905. [PMID: 33418319 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Child sexual abuse (CSA) studies have greatly contributed to theory, policy, and practice worldwide. Surprisingly, although trauma studies in particular have highlighted the importance of peritraumatic responses to trauma, this aspect is underdeveloped in the context of child abuse studies. OBJECTIVE The current study profiles the peritraumatic responses of children to abuse, based on adults' retrospective accounts of their childhood experiences. PARTICIPANTS & METHODS 180 adults who retrospectively reported having been sexually abused in childhood completed a questionnaire that included four categories of common peritraumatic responses to CSA: automatic, behavioral, cognitive and affective. RESULTS Latent class analysis revealed a number of classes in each of the questionnaire's four categories. Within each, classes were identified and the relationships within and between them, as well as with abuse characteristics were explored. CONCLUSIONS Existing theory with respect to peritraumatic responses to trauma, and to CSA in particular, should be reconsidered based on the multifaceted model proposed in the current study. The findings point to a previously unrecognized peritraumatic response to trauma: numbness and seeking ways to survive ongoing abuse. Finally, recommendations are provided for incorporating the current model in both prevention and intervention efforts in the CSA field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmit Katz
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
| | - Noga Tsur
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Anat Talmon
- Psychology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States
| | - Racheli Nicolet
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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Comtesse H, Ertl V, Hengst SMC, Rosner R, Smid GE. Ecological Grief as a Response to Environmental Change: A Mental Health Risk or Functional Response? Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:E734. [PMID: 33467018 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18020734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The perception of the impact of climate change on the environment is becoming a lived experience for more and more people. Several new terms for climate change-induced distress have been introduced to describe the long-term emotional consequences of anticipated or actual environmental changes, with ecological grief as a prime example. The mourning of the loss of ecosystems, landscapes, species and ways of life is likely to become a more frequent experience around the world. However, there is a lack of conceptual clarity and systematic research efforts with regard to such ecological grief. This perspective article introduces the concept of ecological grief and contextualizes it within the field of bereavement. We provide a case description of a mountaineer in Central Europe dealing with ecological grief. We introduce ways by which ecological grief may pose a mental health risk and/or motivate environmental behavior and delineate aspects by which it can be differentiated from related concepts of solastalgia and eco-anxiety. In conclusion, we offer a systematic agenda for future research that is embedded in the context of disaster mental health and bereavement research.
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Perkins A, Patrick F, Wise T, Meyer N, Mazibuko N, Oates AE, van der Bijl AHM, Danjou P, O'Connor SM, Doolin E, Wooldridge C, Rathjen D, Macare C, Williams SCR, Young AH. Cholinergic modulation of disorder-relevant human defensive behaviour in generalised anxiety disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:13. [PMID: 33414442 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01141-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Drugs that are clinically effective against anxiety disorders modulate the innate defensive behaviour of rodents, suggesting these illnesses reflect altered functioning in brain systems that process threat. This hypothesis is supported in humans by the discovery that the intensity of threat-avoidance behaviour is altered by the benzodiazepine anxiolytic lorazepam. However, these studies used healthy human participants, raising questions as to their validity in anxiety disorder patients, as well as their generalisability beyond GABAergic benzodiazepine drugs. BNC210 is a novel negative allosteric modulator of the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and we recently used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to show it reduced amygdala responses to fearful faces in generalised anxiety disorder patients. Here we report the effect of BNC210 on the intensity of threat-avoidance behaviour in 21 female GAD patients from the same cohort. We used the Joystick Operated Runway Task as our behavioural measure, which is a computerised human translation of the Mouse Defense Test Battery, and the Spielberger state anxiety inventory as our measure of state affect. Using a repeated-measures, within-subjects design we assessed the effect of BNC210 at two dose levels versus placebo (300 mg and 2000 mg) upon two types of threat-avoidance behaviour (Flight Intensity and Risk Assessment Intensity). We also tested the effects of 1.5 mg of the benzodiazepine lorazepam as an active control. BNC210 significantly reduced Flight Intensity relative to placebo and the low dose of BNC210 also significantly reduced self-reported state anxiety. Risk Assessment Intensity was not significantly affected. Results show both human defensive behaviour and state anxiety are influenced by cholinergic neurotransmission and there provide converging evidence that this system has potential as a novel target for anxiolytic pharmacotherapy.
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Yilmaz Balban M, Cafaro E, Saue-Fletcher L, Washington MJ, Bijanzadeh M, Lee AM, Chang EF, Huberman AD. Human Responses to Visually Evoked Threat. Curr Biol 2020; 31:601-612.e3. [PMID: 33242389 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Vision is the primary sense humans use to evaluate and respond to threats. Understanding the biological underpinnings of the human threat response has been hindered by lack of realistic in-lab threat paradigms. We established an immersive virtual reality (VR) platform to simultaneously measure behavior, physiological state, and neural activity from the human brain using chronically implanted electrodes. Subjects with high anxiety showed increased visual scanning in response to threats as compared to healthy controls. In both healthy and anxious subjects, the amount of scanning behavior correlated with the magnitude of physiological arousal, suggesting that visual scanning behavior is directly linked to internal state. Intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recordings from three subjects suggested that high-frequency gamma activity in the insula positively correlates with physiological arousal induced by visual threats and that low-frequency theta activity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) negatively correlates with physiological arousal induced by visual threats. These findings reveal a key role of eye movements and suggest that distinct insula and OFC activation dynamics may be important for detecting and adjusting human stress in response to visually perceived threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melis Yilmaz Balban
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Erin Cafaro
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lauren Saue-Fletcher
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Marlon J Washington
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Maryam Bijanzadeh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - A Moses Lee
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Edward F Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Andrew D Huberman
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; BioX, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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Fernández-Teruel A, Tobeña A. Revisiting the role of anxiety in the initial acquisition of two-way active avoidance: pharmacological, behavioural and neuroanatomical convergence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:739-758. [PMID: 32916193 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Two-way active avoidance (TWAA) acquisition constitutes a particular case of approach -avoidance conflict for laboratory rodents. The present article reviews behavioural, psychopharmacological and neuroanatomical evidence accumulated along more than fifty years that provides strong support to the contention that anxiety is critical in the transition from CS (conditioned stimulus)-induced freezing to escape/avoidance responses during the initial stages of TWAA acquisition. Thus, anxiolytic drugs of different types accelerate avoidance acquisition, anxiogenic drugs impair it, and avoidance during these initial acquisition stages is negatively associated with other typical measures of anxiety. In addition behavioural and developmental treatments that reduce or increase anxiety/stress respectively facilitate or impair TWAA acquisition. Finally, evidence for the regulation of TWAA acquisition by septo-hippocampal and amygdala-related mechanisms is discussed. Collectively, the reviewed evidence gives support to the initial acquisition of TWAA as a paradigm with considerable predictive and (in particular) construct validity as an approach-avoidance conflict-based rodent anxiety model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Fernández-Teruel
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Adolf Tobeña
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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Zagefka H, Moftizadeh N, Barber J, Lay S, Barn R. ‘The Boat is full!’: predictors of perceived migrant group size and perceived right to stay for immigrants (‘¡El barco está lleno!’: predictores del tamaño percibido de los grupos migrantes y de su derecho a residir en el país). International Journal of Social Psychology 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/02134748.2020.1783835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Bezerra-Karounis MA, Krahe TE, Maisonnette S, Landeira-Fernandez J. Alcohol intake in Carioca High- and Low-conditioned Freezing rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 197:173019. [PMID: 32827503 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.173019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Evidence from clinical and epidemiological studies point towards an association between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and alcohol abuse. In the present study we investigated whether a similar relationship could be observed in an animal model of GAD. Specifically, we evaluated the alcohol intake of Carioca High- and Low-conditioned Freezing rats (CHF and CLF, respectively). Sex differences in alcohol drinking behavior were also studied. Male and female rats from randomized crossbreeding populations served as controls (CTL). Free- and forced-choice protocols were used to measure alcohol consumption, and quinine and saccharin were used as taste control solutions. Our results indicate that CHF rats consumed more alcohol than CLF and CTL ones in both the free-choice (6 and 10% concentrations) and the forced-choice (10% concentration) conditions. CHF female rats exhibited the highest amount of alcohol intake in the forced-choice condition. CHF females also consumed more quinine than CHF male rats. Finally, CHF rats exhibited lower saccharin consumption compared to CLF and CTL animals. Altogether, these results support the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between anxiety and alcohol intake, and provide further evidence for the use of CHF rats as a model of GAD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas E Krahe
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Silvia Maisonnette
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - J Landeira-Fernandez
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Katz C, Tsur N, Nicolet R, Klebanov B, Carmel N. No way to run or hide: Children's perceptions of their responses during intrafamilial child sexual abuse. Child Abuse Negl 2020; 106:104541. [PMID: 32474116 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Child maltreatment (CM) has received much research attention in recent years, leading to substantial development of relevant child services worldwide. The literature on posttraumatic stress accentuates the long-term mental and physical ramifications of peritraumatic responses. However, although CM is considered a traumatic experience, examinations of child responses to CM have rarely been attempted. OBJECTIVE The current study spotlights children's responses during intrafamilial child sexual abuse (IFCSA), as conveyed by them during forensic interviews. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING The sample is comprised of 40 transcripts of forensic interviews with children aged 4-14, who have been sexually abused by their fathers. METHODS The exploration of the children's responses to the abuse was guided by the grounded theory approach and their narratives were thematically analyzed. RESULTS Indicate that when children contend with ongoing and severe IFCSA, they tend to develop alternative survival strategies, understanding that fight, flight, or disclosure are not relevant options for them. CONCLUSION The discussion stresses the multifaceted nature of the way children respond during IFCSA, which should be understood through holistic observation of the children and various aspects of their lives. The children's responses profoundly shape their abuse experiences and require further exploration so as to promote both intervention and prevention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmit Katz
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
| | - Noga Tsur
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Racheli Nicolet
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Bella Klebanov
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Nir Carmel
- Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
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Milshtein D, Henik A. I Read, I Imagine, I Feel: Feasibility, Imaginability and Intensity of Emotional Experience as Fundamental Dimensions for Norming Scripts. Basic and Applied Social Psychology 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/01973533.2020.1796670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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León LA, Brandão ML, Cardenas FP, Parra D, Krahe TE, Cruz APM, Landeira-Fernandez J. Distinct patterns of brain Fos expression in Carioca High- and Low-conditioned Freezing Rats. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0236039. [PMID: 32702030 PMCID: PMC7377485 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The bidirectional selection of high and low anxiety-like behavior is a valuable tool for understanding the neurocircuits that are responsible for anxiety disorders. Our group developed two breeding lines of rats, known as Carioca High- and Low-conditioned Freezing (CHF and CLF), based on defensive freezing in the contextual fear conditioning paradigm. A random selected line was employed as a control (CTL) comparison group for both CHF and CLF lines of animals. The present study performed Fos immunochemistry to investigate changes in neural activity in different brain structures among CHF and CLF rats when they were exposed to contextual cues that were previously associated with footshock. RESULTS The study indicated that CHF rats expressed high Fos expression in the locus coeruleus, periventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), and lateral portion of the septal area and low Fos expression in the medial portion of the septal area, dentate gyrus, and prelimbic cortex (PL) compared to CTL animals. CLF rats exhibited a decrease in Fos expression in the PVN, PL, and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala and increase in the cingulate and perirhinal cortices compared to CTL animals. CONCLUSIONS Both CHF and CLF rats displayed Fos expression changes key regions of the anxiety brain circuitry. The two bidirectional lines exhibit different pattern of neural activation and inhibition with opposing influences on the PVN, the main structure involved in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal neuroendocrine responses observed in anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A. León
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, FFCLRP, Behavioral Neuroscience Institute (INeC), São Paulo University, Campus USP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Programa de Psicología, Universidad Sergio Arboleda, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Marcus L. Brandão
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, FFCLRP, Behavioral Neuroscience Institute (INeC), São Paulo University, Campus USP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernando P. Cardenas
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia y Comportamiento, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Diana Parra
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia y Comportamiento, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Thomas E. Krahe
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - J. Landeira-Fernandez
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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42
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Mendes-Gomes J, Motta SC, Passoni Bindi R, de Oliveira AR, Ullah F, Baldo MVC, Coimbra NC, Canteras NS, Blanchard DC. Defensive behaviors and brain regional activation changes in rats confronting a snake. Behav Brain Res 2020; 381:112469. [PMID: 31917239 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we examined behavioral and brain regional activation changes of rats). To a nonmammalian predator, a wild rattler snake (Crotalus durissus terrificus). Accordingly, during snake threat, rat subjects showed a striking and highly significant behavioral response of freezing, stretch attend, and, especially, spatial avoidance of this threat. The brain regional activation patterns for these rats were in broad outline similar to those of rats encountering other predator threats, showing Fos activation of sites in the amygdala, hypothalamus, and periaqueductal gray matter. In the amygdala, only the lateral nucleus showed significant activation, although the medial nucleus, highly responsive to olfaction, also showed higher activation. Importantly, the hypothalamus, in particular, was somewhat different, with significant Fos increases in the anterior and central parts of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), in contrast to patterns of enhanced Fos expression in the dorsomedial VMH to cat predators, and in the ventrolateral VMH to an attacking conspecific. In addition, the juxtodorsalmedial region of the lateral hypothalamus showed enhanced Fos activation, where inputs from the septo-hippocampal system may suggest the potential involvement of hippocampal boundary cells in the very strong spatial avoidance of the snake and the area it occupied. Notably, these two hypothalamic paths appear to merge into the dorsomedial part of the dorsal premammillary nucleus and dorsomedial and lateral parts of the periaqueductal gray, all of which present significant increases in Fos expression and are likely to be critical for the expression of defensive behaviors in responses to the snake threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce Mendes-Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Ophidiarium LNN-FMRP-USP/INeC, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto (SP), 14049-900, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto (SP), 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Simone Cristina Motta
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Passoni Bindi
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Amanda Ribeiro de Oliveira
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Farhad Ullah
- Department of Zoology, Islamia College University, Grand Trunk Rd, Rahat Abad, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan
| | - Marcus Vinicius C Baldo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Norberto Cysne Coimbra
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Ophidiarium LNN-FMRP-USP/INeC, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto (SP), 14049-900, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto (SP), 14049-900, Brazil.
| | - Newton Sabino Canteras
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil.
| | - D Caroline Blanchard
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil; Pacific Biosciences Research Centre, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States of America
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Zhang H, Geng X, Li Z, Li Y, Xu K, Wu H, Xie J, Sun P, Wei S, Qiao M. Paeonol at Certain Doses Alleviates Aggressive and Anxiety-Like Behaviours in Two Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Rat Models. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:295. [PMID: 32351418 PMCID: PMC7174695 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a common mental health disturbance associated with several periodic psychological symptoms in women. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first-line treatment for PMS/PMDD patients; however, side effects are inevitable, especially in long-term treatment. In previous studies, the natural compound paeonol in Moutan Cortex was found to play effective roles in central nervous system disorders with its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective effects. Consequently, we assume that paeonol might produce positive effects in the treatment of PMS/PMDD. In this study, the open-field test (OFT) and elevated plus maze (EPM) and light dark box (LDB) tests were performed in mice to determine the optimal dose of paeonol for treating anxiety. Then, paeonol was used to treat the progesterone withdrawal (PWD) and resident intruder paradigm (RIP) rat models of PMDD. Using these two reliable models, the OFT and EPM, LDB, and composite aggressive tests were performed to evaluate the effect of the drug on behavioural symptoms of PMDD. From the dosage screening results, the optimal anti-anxiety dose of paeonol was identified as 17.5 mg/kg/d for 7 days. With regard to the effect of paeonol on PMDD rat models, a significantly improvement was found in the behavioural symptoms, but the effective dose varied in different models. For the PWD model rats, treatment with 6.05 mg/kg paeonol could significantly improve anxiety and irritability, while that with 24.23 mg/kg paeonol resulted in anxiety-like effects in behavioural tests. In RIP model rats, treatment with 12.11 mg/kg paeonol demonstrated excellent effects in improving anxiety, particularly irritable emotional behaviour. In conclusion, our study indicates that paeonol is a potential therapeutic compound for PMS/PMDD; it is a drug option that helps establish dosage guidance for treatment of this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China
| | - Xiwen Geng
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China.,Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China
| | - Zifa Li
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China.,Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China
| | - Yaqiong Li
- Bozhou Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine Sciences, Bozhou, China
| | - Kaiyong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China.,Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China
| | - Hongyun Wu
- No. 3 Department of Encephalopathy, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China
| | - Jinlu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Vector Biology and Pathogen Control of Zhejiang, School of Medicine, Huzhou University, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, China
| | - Peng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China
| | - Sheng Wei
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China.,Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China
| | - Mingqi Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan, China
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review the current literature on biobehavioral mechanisms involved in reactive aggression in a transdiagnostic approach. RECENT FINDINGS Aggressive reactions are closely related to activations in the brain's threat circuitry. They occur in response to social threat that is experienced as inescapable, which, in turn, facilitates angry approach rather than fearful avoidance. Provocation-induced aggression is strongly associated with anger and deficits in cognitive control including emotion regulation and inhibitory control. Furthermore, the brain's reward system plays a particular role in anger-related, tit-for-tat-like retaliatory aggression in response to frustration. More research is needed to further disentangle specific brain responses to social threat, provocation, and frustration. A better understanding of the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms involved in reactive aggression may pave the way for specific mechanism-based treatments, involving biological or psychotherapeutic approaches or a combination of the two.
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45
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McNaughton N, Corr PJ. Hierarchical Levels of Control: The State-Trait Distinction. Psychological Inquiry 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/1047840x.2019.1646058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Neil McNaughton
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Philip J. Corr
- Department of Psychology, University London, London, United Kingdom
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46
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Uribe-Mariño A, Castiblanco-Urbina MA, Falconi-Sobrinho LL, Dos Anjos-Garcia T, de Oliveira RC, Mendes-Gomes J, da Silva Soares R, Matthiesen M, Almada RC, de Oliveira R, Coimbra NC. The alpha- and beta-noradrenergic receptors blockade in the dorsal raphe nucleus impairs the panic-like response elaborated by medial hypothalamus neurons. Brain Res 2019; 1725:146468. [PMID: 31541642 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.146468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) neurons are reciprocally connected to the locus coeruleus (LC) and send neural pathways to the medial hypothalamus (MH). The aim of this work was to investigate whether the blockade of α1-, α2- or β-noradrenergic receptors in the DRN or the inactivation of noradrenergic neurons in the LC modify defensive behaviours organised by MH neurons. For this purpose, Wistar male rats received microinjections of WB4101, RX821002, propranolol (α1-, α2- and β-noradrenergic receptor antagonists, respectively) or physiological saline in the DRN, followed 10 min later by MH GABAA receptor blockade. Other groups of animals received DSP-4 (a noradrenergic neurotoxin), physiological saline or only a needle insertion (sham group) into the LC, and 5 days later, bicuculline or physiological saline was administered in the MH. In all these cases, after MH treatment, the frequency and duration of defensive responses were recorded over 15 min. An anterograde neural tract tracer was also deposited in the DRN. DRN neurons send pathways to lateral and dorsomedial hypothalamus. Blockade of α1- and β-noradrenergic receptors in the DRN decreased escape reactions elicited by bicuculline microinjections in the MH. In addition, a significant increase in anxiety-like behaviours was observed after the blockade of α2-noradrenergic receptors in the DRN. LC pretreatment with DSP-4 decreased both anxiety- and panic attack-like behaviours evoked by GABAA receptor blockade in the MH. In summary, the present findings suggest that the norepinephrine-mediated system modulates defensive reactions organised by MH neurons at least in part via noradrenergic receptors recruitment on DRN neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Uribe-Mariño
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstraße 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Maria Angélica Castiblanco-Urbina
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz-Zentrum München-German Research Centre for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Luiz Luciano Falconi-Sobrinho
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto 14220-030, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tayllon Dos Anjos-Garcia
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto 14220-030, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rithiele Cristina de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto 14220-030, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Joyce Mendes-Gomes
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto 14220-030, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Raimundo da Silva Soares
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Melina Matthiesen
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rafael Carvalho Almada
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto 14220-030, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto 14220-030, São Paulo, Brazil; Health Sciences Institute, Mato Grosso Federal University Medical School (UFMT), Av. Alexandre Ferronato, 1200, Reserva 35, Setor industrial, 78550-000 Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Norberto Cysne Coimbra
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; NAP-USP-Neurobiology of Emotions Research Centre (NuPNE), Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, São Paulo, Brazil; Behavioural Neurosciences Institute (INeC), Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto 14220-030, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Choy KHC, Chavez CA, Yu J, Mayorov DN. The effect of angiotensin AT 1A inactivation on innate and learned fear responses in mice and its relationship to blood pressure. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 107:208-216. [PMID: 31150966 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Angiotensin AT1 receptors are implicated in behavioral and physiological processes associated with fear and stress. However, the precise role of AT1 receptors in modulating fear-related behavior and its relation to their physiological effects remains unclear. Here, we examined innate and learned fear responses and their relationship to cardiovascular arousal in AT1A receptor knockout (AT1A-/-) mice. Using synchronized video and blood pressure telemetry, we found that, in a novel test environment, AT1A-/- mice showed reduced neophobia but a similar rise in blood pressure, as compared to AT1A+/+ mice. In response to a discrete threat, footshock, both flight behavior and cardiovascular arousal were decreased in AT1A-/- mice. Reduced flight behavior was also observed in AT1A-/- mice in the elevated T-maze test. During fear conditioning, the immediate freezing response to the first shock, but not the rate of freezing acquisition was decreased in AT1A-/- mice. Likewise, AT1A-/- mice showed reduced freezing and pressor responses to the first re-exposure, but normal rate of freezing extinction over subsequent trials. Similarly, in the elevated T-maze, the rates of avoidance acquisition and escape learning remained unchanged in AT1A-/- mice. Finally, after re-exposure, AT1A-/- mice displayed altered c-Fos expression, compared to AT1A+/+ mice, in the hypothalamus and periaqueductal gray but not in fear-related limbic-cortical areas, nor in medullary nuclei that convey visceral afferent information. We conclude that AT1A receptor knockout reduces innate fear responses, without affecting learning efficiency in mice. These effects are dissociable from cardiovascular effects and likely reflect altered neurotransmission in hypothalamic-midbrain defense regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwok H C Choy
- Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Jing Yu
- Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dmitry N Mayorov
- Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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48
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Gladwin TE, Möbius M, Vink M. Threat-induced impulsivity in Go/Nogo tasks: Relationships to task-relevance of emotional stimuli and virtual proximity. Conscious Cogn 2019; 74:102795. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.102795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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49
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Fernandes O, Portugal LCL, Alves RDCS, Arruda-Sanchez T, Volchan E, Pereira MG, Mourão-Miranda J, Oliveira L. How do you perceive threat? It's all in your pattern of brain activity. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 14:2251-2266. [PMID: 31446554 PMCID: PMC7648008 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00177-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Whether subtle differences in the emotional context during threat perception can be detected by multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) remains a topic of debate. To investigate this question, we compared the ability of pattern recognition analysis to discriminate between patterns of brain activity to a threatening versus a physically paired neutral stimulus in two different emotional contexts (the stimulus being directed towards or away from the viewer). The directionality of the stimuli is known to be an important factor in activating different defensive responses. Using multiple kernel learning (MKL) classification models, we accurately discriminated patterns of brain activation to threat versus neutral stimuli in the directed towards context but not during the directed away context. Furthermore, we investigated whether it was possible to decode an individual’s subjective threat perception from patterns of whole-brain activity to threatening stimuli in the different emotional contexts using MKL regression models. Interestingly, we were able to accurately predict the subjective threat perception index from the pattern of brain activation to threat only during the directed away context. These results show that subtle differences in the emotional context during threat perception can be detected by MVPA. In the directed towards context, the threat perception was more intense, potentially producing more homogeneous patterns of brain activation across individuals. In the directed away context, the threat perception was relatively less intense and more variable across individuals, enabling the regression model to successfully capture the individual differences and predict the subjective threat perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orlando Fernandes
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Psychophysiology, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 255 Rodolpho Paulo Rocco st., Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-590, Brazil.
| | - Liana Catrina Lima Portugal
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Rita de Cássia S Alves
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.,IBMR University Center, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Tiago Arruda-Sanchez
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Psychophysiology, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 255 Rodolpho Paulo Rocco st., Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-590, Brazil
| | - Eliane Volchan
- Laboratory of Neurobiology II, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Mirtes Garcia Pereira
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Janaina Mourão-Miranda
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.,Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Letícia Oliveira
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
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Zerach G, Levi-Belz Y. Intolerance of Uncertainty Moderates the Association Between Potentially Morally Injurious Events and Suicide Ideation and Behavior Among Combat Veterans. J Trauma Stress 2019; 32:424-436. [PMID: 30720890 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) among combat veterans has been acknowledged as significant stressful combat events that may lead to mental health problems, including self-injurious thoughts and behavior (SITB). However, few studies have examined the risk and protective factors that can explain the conditions in which PMIEs may contribute to the development and maintenance of SITB. In the current study, we aimed to examine the association between PMIEs and SITB among combat veterans and explore the moderating roles of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) in this association. A volunteer sample of 191 Israeli combat veterans was recruited during 2017. Participants completed validated self-report questionnaires in a cross-sectional study. Results indicated that two separate measures of PMIEs, the Perceived Perpetration by Oneself and Others subscale of the Moral Injury Events Scale (MIES) and the Causes subscale of the Moral Injury Questionnaire (MIQ-Causes), were positively associated with higher levels of SITB. Moreover, beyond the contributions of reserve duty, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and depressive symptoms, MIQ-Causes scores significantly predicted current SITB. Importantly, under low and average levels of inhibitory IU, significant positive effects were revealed for the MIQ-Causes on current SITB, R² = .34. Although veterans exposed to PMIEs are more prone to SITB, even years after their release from military service, their IU may temper the link between experiences of PMIEs and SITB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gadi Zerach
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Psychology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Yossi Levi-Belz
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek-Hefer, Israel
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