Neural signatures of risk-taking adaptions across health, bipolar disorder, and lithium treatment

Molecular Psychiatry, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 29, 2025

Abstract Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying bipolar disorder (BD) its treatment are still poorly understood. Here we examined the role of adaptations in risk-taking using a reward-guided decision-making task. We recruited volunteers with high ( n = 40) scores on Mood Disorder Questionnaire, MDQ, suspected risk for those low-risk 37). also patients diagnosed BD who were assigned (randomized, double-blind) to six weeks lithium 19) or placebo 16) after two-week baseline period 22 FMRI). Participants completed mood ratings daily over 50 (MDQ study) 42 (BD days, as well risky task functional magnetic resonance imaging. The measured adaptation taking past outcomes (increased aversion previous win vs. loss, ‘outcome history’). While low MDQ group was averse win, this less evident least so BD. During fMRI, history’ linked medial frontal pole activation at time decision reduced group. did not reverse pattern task, nor changed clinical symptoms mania depression, it reward processing dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Participants’ modulation response function These results provide model how may prime escalation risk-related behaviours stabilising treatments work.

Language: Английский

Emotions and individual differences shape human foraging under threat

Nature Mental Health, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 12, 2025

Abstract A common behavior in natural environments is foraging for rewards. However, this often the presence of predators. Therefore, one most fundamental decisions humans, as other animals, how to apportion time between reward-motivated pursuit and threat-motivated checking behavior. To understand what affects people strike balance, we developed an ecologically inspired task looked at both within-participant dynamics (moods) between-participant individual differences (questionnaires about real-life behaviors) two large internet samples ( n = 374 702) a cross-sectional design. For dynamics, found that regulate task-evoked stress homeostatically by changing (increasing hiding). Individual differences, even superficially related traits (apathy–anhedonia anxiety–compulsive checking) reliably mapped onto unique behaviors. Worse performance, due maladaptive checking, was linked gender (women checked excessively) specific anxiety-related traits: somatic anxiety (reduced self-reported worry) compulsivity (self-reported disorganized checking). While anhedonia decreased engagement, apathy, strikingly, improved overall performance reducing excessive checking. In summary, provide multifaceted paradigm assessment threat naturalistic sensitive moods they change throughout clinical dimensions. Thus, it could serve objective measurement tool future studies interested threat, vigilance or behavior–emotion interactions contexts requiring reward seeking avoidance.

Language: Английский