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de Nooij L, Adams MJ, Hawkins EL, Romaniuk L, Munafò MR, Penton-Voak IS, Elliott R, Bland AR, Waiter GD, Sandu AL, Habota T, Steele JD, Murray AD, Campbell A, Porteous DJ, McIntosh AM, Whalley HC. Associations of negative affective biases and depressive symptoms in a community-based sample. Psychol Med 2023; 53:5518-5527. [PMID: 36128632 PMCID: PMC10482721 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722002720] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder (MDD) was previously associated with negative affective biases. Evidence from larger population-based studies, however, is lacking, including whether biases normalise with remission. We investigated associations between affective bias measures and depressive symptom severity across a large community-based sample, followed by examining differences between remitted individuals and controls. METHODS Participants from Generation Scotland (N = 1109) completed the: (i) Bristol Emotion Recognition Task (BERT), (ii) Face Affective Go/No-go (FAGN), and (iii) Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT). Individuals were classified as MDD-current (n = 43), MDD-remitted (n = 282), or controls (n = 784). Analyses included using affective bias summary measures (primary analyses), followed by detailed emotion/condition analyses of BERT and FAGN (secondary analyses). RESULTS For summary measures, the only significant finding was an association between greater symptoms and lower risk adjustment for CGT across the sample (individuals with greater symptoms were less likely to bet more, despite increasingly favourable conditions). This was no longer significant when controlling for non-affective cognition. No differences were found for remitted-MDD v. controls. Detailed analysis of BERT and FAGN indicated subtle negative biases across multiple measures of affective cognition with increasing symptom severity, that were independent of non-effective cognition [e.g. greater tendency to rate faces as angry (BERT), and lower accuracy for happy/neutral conditions (FAGN)]. Results for remitted-MDD were inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS This suggests the presence of subtle negative affective biases at the level of emotion/condition in association with depressive symptoms across the sample, over and above those accounted for by non-affective cognition, with no evidence for affective biases in remitted individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura de Nooij
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mark J Adams
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emma L Hawkins
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Liana Romaniuk
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Marcus R Munafò
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Rebecca Elliott
- Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Amy R Bland
- Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Gordon D Waiter
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Anca-Larisa Sandu
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Tina Habota
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - J Douglas Steele
- Division of Imaging Science and Technology, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Alison D Murray
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Archie Campbell
- Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David J Porteous
- Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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2
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Meinert S, Leehr EJ, Grotegerd D, Repple J, Förster K, Winter NR, Enneking V, Fingas SM, Lemke H, Waltemate L, Stein F, Brosch K, Schmitt S, Meller T, Linge A, Krug A, Nenadić I, Jansen A, Hahn T, Redlich R, Opel N, Schubotz RI, Baune BT, Kircher T, Dannlowski U. White matter fiber microstructure is associated with prior hospitalizations rather than acute symptomatology in major depressive disorder. Psychol Med 2022; 52:1166-1174. [PMID: 32921338 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720002950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eighty percent of all patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) relapse at least once in their lifetime. Thus, understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of the course of MDD is of utmost importance. A detrimental course of illness in MDD was most consistently associated with superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) fiber integrity. As similar associations were, however, found between SLF fiber integrity and acute symptomatology, this study attempts to disentangle associations attributed to current depression from long-term course of illness. METHODS A total of 531 patients suffering from acute (N = 250) or remitted (N = 281) MDD from the FOR2107-cohort were analyzed in this cross-sectional study using tract-based spatial statistics for diffusion tensor imaging. First, the effects of disease state (acute v. remitted), current symptom severity (BDI-score) and course of illness (number of hospitalizations) on fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity were analyzed separately. Second, disease state and BDI-scores were analyzed in conjunction with the number of hospitalizations to disentangle their effects. RESULTS Disease state (pFWE < 0.042) and number of hospitalizations (pFWE< 0.032) were associated with decreased FA and increased MD and RD in the bilateral SLF. A trend was found for the BDI-score (pFWE > 0.067). When analyzed simultaneously only the effect of course of illness remained significant (pFWE < 0.040) mapping to the right SLF. CONCLUSIONS Decreased FA and increased MD and RD values in the SLF are associated with more hospitalizations when controlling for current psychopathology. SLF fiber integrity could reflect cumulative illness burden at a neurobiological level and should be targeted in future longitudinal analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Meinert
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | | | - Jonathan Repple
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina Förster
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nils R Winter
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Verena Enneking
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Stella M Fingas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hannah Lemke
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lena Waltemate
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Brosch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Simon Schmitt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tina Meller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Anna Linge
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Core-Unit Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tim Hahn
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ronny Redlich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nils Opel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF) Münster, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Bernhard T Baune
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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3
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Meraj MB, Singh S, Kar SK, Sharma E, Sarraf SR. Metacognitions in Symptomatic and Remitted Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Preliminary Evidence for Metacognitive State and Trait Markers. Indian J Psychol Med 2022; 44:22-29. [PMID: 35509663 PMCID: PMC9022912 DOI: 10.1177/0253717620975295] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The phenomenon of metacognition is instrumental in the conceptualization and management of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Studies on the comparison between metacognitions in OCD patients and healthy controls or those with other clinical conditions have been conducted. We aimed to compare metacognitions among currently symptomatic OCD (S-OCD) patients, currently remitted OCD patients (R-OCD), and healthy controls (HC). METHOD This cross-sectional research was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry of a tertiary care hospital in North India. Purposive sampling method was used to recruit 40 OCD patients, including an equal number of R-OCD and S-OCD patients, and 20 HC matched for age and education. Meta-Cognition Questionnaire and Thought Control Questionnaire were used to assess metacognitive functions. RESULTS The findings showed a gradient of highest maladaptive metacognitions in the S-OCD group and lowest in HC. In the OCD subgroups, specific metacognitive beliefs (negative beliefs F = 65.52; need to control thoughts F = 61.03) and strategies (worry F = 83.55; low distraction F = 105.61) remained significantly different (P ≤ 0.001) between S-OCD and R-OCD patients. Certain other metacognitions remained consistently more or less stable between S-OCD and R-OCD patients, that is, metacognitive beliefs (cognitive confidence F = 11.43; cognitive self-consciousness F = 37.12) and strategies (punishment F = 17.45; low social control F = 12.89). This finding is further corroborated by positive correlations of severity of OCD with need to control thoughts (r = 0.66, P < 0.001), negative beliefs (r = 0.63, P < 0.001), and worry (r = 0.76, P < 0.001), and negative correlations with distraction (r = - 0.79, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The study provides preliminary evidence for specific metacognitions distinguished as potential state and trait markers for OCD, which needs to be established on a larger sample using a longitudinal study design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shweta Singh
- Dept. of Psychiatry, George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sujit K Kar
- Dept. of Psychiatry, George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Eesha Sharma
- Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Seema Rani Sarraf
- Dept. of Pediatrics, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Andreescu C, Ajilore O, Aizenstein HJ, Albert K, Butters MA, Landman BA, Karim HT, Krafty R, Taylor WD. Disruption of Neural Homeostasis as a Model of Relapse and Recurrence in Late-Life Depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2019; 27:1316-1330. [PMID: 31477459 PMCID: PMC6842700 DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [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: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The significant public health burden associated with late-life depression (LLD) is magnified by the high rates of recurrence. In this manuscript, we review what is known about recurrence risk factors, conceptualize recurrence within a model of homeostatic disequilibrium, and discuss the potential significance and challenges of new research into LLD recurrence. The proposed model is anchored in the allostatic load theory of stress. We review the allostatic response characterized by neural changes in network function and connectivity and physiologic changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, autonomic nervous system, immune system, and circadian rhythm. We discuss the role of neural networks' instability following treatment response as a source of downstream disequilibrium, triggering and/or amplifying abnormal stress response, cognitive dysfunction and behavioral changes, ultimately precipitating a full-blown recurrent episode of depression. We propose strategies to identify and capture early change points that signal recurrence risk through mobile technology to collect ecologically measured symptoms, accompanied by automated algorithms that monitor for state shifts (persistent worsening) and variance shifts (increased variability) relative to a patient's baseline. Identifying such change points in relevant sensor data could potentially provide an automated tool that could alert clinicians to at-risk individuals or relevant symptom changes even in a large practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Howard J. Aizenstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh
| | - Kimberly Albert
- The Center for Cognitive Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
| | | | - Bennett A. Landman
- Departments of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University; Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
| | | | - Robert Krafty
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh
| | - Warren D. Taylor
- The Center for Cognitive Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center,Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
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Hymen EA, Rao JA, Peters AT, Jenkins LM, Weisenbach SL, Kassel MT, Farah LB, Skerrett KA, Haywood JT, Angers K, Pester B, Baker A, Zubieta JK, Ryan KA, Langenecker SA. Memory differences by sex, but not by previous diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Appl Neuropsychol Adult 2019; 27:134-142. [PMID: 30811264 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2018.1496334] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Memory difficulties are consistently reported in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Nonetheless, it has not been thoroughly investigated as to whether these deficits persist during remission from MDD. A group of 32 healthy young adults with no history of a mood disorder (Mage = 20.8, SD = 2.1) and 62 remitted depressed young adults (Mage = 21.1, SD = 1.9) completed a neuropsychological battery. The test battery included two measures of nonverbal memory, two measures of verbal memory, and a measure of performance validity. The testing session was repeated three to six weeks later to determine performance stability. No differences were found between healthy controls and remitted depressed patients in either memory domain (all ps > .05) and improvement in performance was exhibited over time for both groups (p = 0.004). Potential practice effects are examined. We found a stronger performance for women than men (p = 0.003), particularly for the Semantic List Learning Task (SLLT) (p = .047). Verbal and nonverbal memory and effort may not be impacted in those who are in a remitted state of MDD, early in the course of the illness. Women demonstrated auditory memory superiority over men, similar to prior research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica A Hymen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Julia A Rao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Amy T Peters
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lisanne M Jenkins
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Sara L Weisenbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Hospital Research & Development Program, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Michelle T Kassel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Laura B Farah
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Kristy A Skerrett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Joshua T Haywood
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Kaley Angers
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Bethany Pester
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Amanda Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jon-Kar Zubieta
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Kelly A Ryan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Scott A Langenecker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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6
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Jenkins LM, Kassel MT, Gabriel LB, Gowins JR, Hymen EA, Vergés A, Calamia M, Crane NA, Jacobs RH, Ajilore O, Welsh RC, Drevets WC, Phillips ML, Zubieta JK, Langenecker SA. Amygdala and dorsomedial hyperactivity to emotional faces in youth with remitted Major Depression. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2015; 11:736-45. [PMID: 26714574 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsv152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
We present neuroimaging markers of the remitted state of major depressive disorder (rMDD) during facial emotion perception in 84 individuals during fMRI. Participants comprised 47 individuals (aged 18-23) diagnosed with rMDD and 37 healthy controls (HCs). Participants classified emotional faces or animals (control condition) in the Facial Emotion Perception Test (FEPT) during fMRI. Behavioural performance on the FEPT did not differ significantly between groups. During fMRI, both groups demonstrated significant blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity in bilateral inferior frontal gyri for the faces minus animals (F-A) contrast. The rMDD group additionally showed BOLD activity during F-A in numerous regions, including the bilateral paracingulate gyri, middle temporal gyri and right amygdala. The rMDD group exhibited significantly greater activity than the HC group in regions including the bilateral middle temporal gyri and left superior frontal gyrus. Although the rMDD group did not manifest the behavioural performance deficits on facial emotion recognition tasks that have been observed in actively depressed individuals, the rMDD group nevertheless showed increased BOLD activity compared with never-depressed controls during F-A in multiple posterior brain regions, suggesting that persistent effects of illness or possible trait vulnerabilities may distinguish individuals with rMDD from never-depressed controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisanne M Jenkins
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Michelle T Kassel
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Laura B Gabriel
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Jennifer R Gowins
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Erica A Hymen
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Alvaro Vergés
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Matthew Calamia
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Natania A Crane
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Rachel H Jacobs
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Olusola Ajilore
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Robert C Welsh
- Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Wayne C Drevets
- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, and Janssen Research & Development, LLC, of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Raritan, NJ, USA
| | - Mary L Phillips
- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, and
| | - Jon-Kar Zubieta
- Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Scott A Langenecker
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI,
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7
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Kalebasi N, Kuelen E, Schnyder U, Schumacher S, Mueller-Pfeiffer C, Wilhelm FH, Athilingam J, Moergeli H, Martin-Soelch C. Blunted responses to reward in remitted post-traumatic stress disorder. Brain Behav 2015; 5:e00357. [PMID: 26357590 PMCID: PMC4559020 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 09/19/2014] [Revised: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent evidence suggests blunted responses to rewarding stimuli in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it is not clear whether these alterations in reward processing normalize in remitted PTSD patients. METHODS We tested behavioral and physiological responses to monetary reward in a spatial memory task in 13 accident survivors with remitted PTSD, 14 accident survivors who never had PTSD, and 16 nontrauma-exposed subjects. All accident survivors were recruited from two samples of severely physically injured patients, who had participated in previous prospective studies on the incidence of PTSD after accidental injury approximately 10 years ago. Reaction time, accuracy, skin conductance responses, and self-reported mood were assessed during the task. RESULTS Accident survivors who never had PTSD and nontrauma exposed controls reported significantly higher positive mood in the reinforced versus nonreinforced condition (P < 0.045 and P < 0.001, respectively), while there was no effect of reinforcement in remitted PTSD subjects. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest an alteration of the reward system in remitted PTSD. Further research is needed to investigate whether altered reward processing is a residual characteristic in PTSD after remission of symptoms or, alternatively, a preexisting risk factor for the development of PTSD after a traumatic event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilufer Kalebasi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Ulrich Schnyder
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sonja Schumacher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Mueller-Pfeiffer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Center of Education and Research (COEUR), Psychiatric Services of the County of St. Gallen-North Wil, Switzerland ; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Frank H Wilhelm
- Division of Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy and Health Psychology, University of Salzburg Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jegath Athilingam
- Center for Integrative Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco San Francisco, California
| | - Hanspeter Moergeli
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chantal Martin-Soelch
- Division of Clinical and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland
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