Understanding clinical fear and anxiety through the lens of human fear conditioning

Nature Reviews Psychology, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 2(4), С. 233 - 245

Опубликована: Фев. 16, 2023

Язык: Английский

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Anxiety and the Neurobiology of Temporally Uncertain Threat Anticipation

Journal of Neuroscience, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 40(41), С. 7949 - 7964

Опубликована: Сен. 21, 2020

When extreme, anxiety—a state of distress and arousal prototypically evoked by uncertain danger—can be debilitating. Uncertain anticipation is a shared feature situations that elicit signs symptoms anxiety across psychiatric disorders, species, assays. Despite the profound significance for human health wellbeing, neurobiology uncertain-threat remains unsettled. Leveraging paradigm adapted from animal research optimized fMRI signal decomposition, we examined neural circuits engaged during temporally certain threat in 99 men women. Results revealed systems recruited are anatomically colocalized frontocortical regions, extended amygdala, periaqueductal gray. Comparison conditions demonstrated this circuitry can fractionated, with regions showing relatively stronger engagement threat, amygdala reverse pattern. Although there widespread agreement bed nucleus stria terminalis dorsal amygdala—the two major subdivisions amygdala—play critical role orchestrating adaptive responses to potential danger, their precise contributions have remained contentious. Follow-up analyses these show statistically indistinguishable anticipation. These observations provide framework conceptualizing fear, understanding functional neuroanatomy humans, accelerating development more effective intervention strategies pathological anxiety. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Anxiety—an emotion associated harm—has public health, yet underlying unclear. novel neuroimaging large sample, identify core circuit responsive both anticipation, fractionated into bias one kind or other. The occupies center stage neuropsychiatric models anxiety, but its architecture has Here demonstrate threat. Collectively, indicate need revise how think about fear.

Язык: Английский

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The role of intolerance of uncertainty in classical threat conditioning: Recent developments and directions for future research

International Journal of Psychophysiology, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 166, С. 116 - 126

Опубликована: Июнь 9, 2021

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the tendency to find aversive, is an important transdiagnostic dimension in mental health disorders. Over last decade, there has been a surge research on role IU classical threat conditioning procedures, which serve as analogues development, treatment, and relapse anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, trauma- stressor-related This review provides overview existing literature procedures. The integrates findings based shared or discrete parameters embedded within Under periods unexpected uncertainty, where safety contingencies change, high IU, over other self-reported measures specifically associated with poorer extinction learning retention, well overgeneralisation. estimation expected are being learned have learned, such acquisition training avoidance learning, mixed for IU. These provide evidence that individual differences play significant maintaining fear particularly under volatile environments. Recommendations future outlined, discussion focusing how can be better defined capture involved maintenance anxiety. Such work will crucial understanding neurobiological models uncertainty-based anxiety inform translational aiming improve diagnosis treatment relevant psychopathology.

Язык: Английский

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Temporally and anatomically specific contributions of the human amygdala to threat and safety learning

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 119(26)

Опубликована: Июнь 21, 2022

Neural plasticity in subareas of the rodent amygdala is widely known to be essential for Pavlovian threat conditioning and safety learning. However, less consistent results have been observed human neuroimaging studies. Here, we identify test three important factors that may contribute these discrepancies: temporal profile response conditioning, anatomical specificity responses during learning, insufficient power responses. We combined data across multiple studies using a well-validated paradigm examine involvement In 601 humans, show two subregions tracked conditioned stimulus with aversive shock early while only one demonstrated delayed responding not paired shock. Our findings cross-species similarities temporal- anatomical-specific contributions affirm associative learning highlight future research humans.

Язык: Английский

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Robust BOLD Responses to Faces But Not to Conditioned Threat: Challenging the Amygdala's Reputation in Human Fear and Extinction Learning

Journal of Neuroscience, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 41(50), С. 10278 - 10292

Опубликована: Ноя. 8, 2021

Most of our knowledge about human emotional memory comes from animal research. Based on this work, the amygdala is often labeled brain's “fear center”, but it unclear to what degree neural circuitries underlying fear and extinction learning are conserved across species. Neuroimaging studies in humans yield conflicting findings, with many failing show activation response learned threat. Such null findings treated as resulting MRI-specific problems related measuring deep brain structures. Here we test assumption a mega-analysis three acquisition ( n = 98; 68 female) 79; 53 female). The conditioning procedure involved presentation two pictures faces houses: one each pair was followed by an electric shock [a conditioned stimulus (CS + )], other never – ), participants were instructed learn these contingencies. Results revealed widespread responses CS compared network, including anterior insula, midcingulate cortex, thalamus, bed nucleus stria terminalis, not amygdala, which actually responded stronger . independent spatial smoothing, individual differences trait anxiety pupil responses. In contrast, robust distinguished houses, refuting idea that poor signal could account for absence effects. Moving forward, suggest that, apart imaging larger samples at higher resolution, alternative statistical approaches may be used identify cross-species similarities learning. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT science provides foundation numerous theories psychopathology, stress disorders. This field relies heavily research, suggests central role memory. However, finding strongly corroborated neuroimaging evidence humans, too easily explained away methodological limitations inherent large nonclinical sample, find BOLD fear, amygdala. A While do disprove involvement learning, they challenge its typical portrayals illustrate complexities translational science.

Язык: Английский

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I Doubt It Is Safe: A Meta-analysis of Self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty and Threat Extinction Training

Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 1(3), С. 171 - 179

Опубликована: Июнь 5, 2021

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the tendency to find distressing, is an important transdiagnostic dimension in mental health disorders. Higher self-reported IU has been linked poorer threat extinction training (i.e., updating safe associations), a key process that targeted exposure-based therapies. However, it remains be seen whether IU-related effects during are reliably and specifically driven by construct or particular subcomponent over other measures anxiety. A meta-analysis studies from different laboratories (18 experiments; sample N = 1006) was conducted on associations between variants 27-item, 12-item, inhibitory, prospective subscales), trait anxiety, via skin conductance response. The specificity assessed against All IU, but not were associated with response continued responding old cue). Specificity observed for majority findings suggest broadly accounts difficulties specific These demonstrate robustness highlight potential opportunities translational work target therapies rely principles such as exposure therapy.

Язык: Английский

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Trait anxiety is associated with hidden state inference during aversive reversal learning

Nature Communications, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 14(1)

Опубликована: Июль 14, 2023

Updating beliefs in changing environments can be driven by gradually adapting expectations or relying on inferred hidden states (i.e. contexts), and changes therein. Previous work suggests that increased reliance context could underly fear relapse phenomena hinder clinical treatment of anxiety disorders. We test whether trait variations a healthy population influence how much individuals rely hidden-state inference. In Pavlovian learning task, participants observed cues predicted an upcoming electrical shock with repeatedly probability, were asked to provide expectancy ratings every trial. show is associated steeper expectation switches after contingency reversals reduced oddball learning. Furthermore, related better fit state inference, compared gradual learning, model when are large. Our findings support previous suggesting inference as mechanism behind anxiety-related phenomena.

Язык: Английский

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Pavlovian safety learning: An integrative theoretical review

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Авг. 21, 2024

Язык: Английский

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How representative are neuroimaging samples? Large-scale evidence for trait anxiety differences between fMRI and behaviour-only research participants

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 16(10), С. 1057 - 1070

Опубликована: Май 5, 2021

Abstract Over the past three decades, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become crucial to study how cognitive processes are implemented in human brain. However, question of whether participants recruited into fMRI studies differ from other contexts received little no attention. This is particularly pertinent when effects fail generalize across contexts: for example, a behavioural effect discovered non-imaging context not replicating neuroimaging environment. Here, we tested hypothesis, motivated by preliminary findings (N = 272), that behaviour-only on one fundamental individual difference variable: trait anxiety. Analysing anxiety scores and possible confounding variables healthy volunteers multiple institutions 3317), found robust support lower participants, consistent with sampling or self-selection bias. The bias was larger relied phone screening (compared full in-person psychiatric screening), at least partly convenience samples community samples), pharmacology studies. Our highlight need surveying recruitment appropriate procedures strategies mitigate this

Язык: Английский

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Intolerance of uncertainty heightens negative emotional states and dampens positive emotional states

Frontiers in Psychiatry, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 14

Опубликована: Март 22, 2023

Individuals high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) tend to view uncertainty as unbearable and stressful. Notably, IU is transdiagnostic, levels are observed across many different emotional disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression). Research has primarily focused on how evokes modulates states such fear anxiety. However, recent research suggests that may have relevance for a broader range states. Here, an online survey was conducted examine whether negative fear/anxiety, sadness/upset, anger/frustration, disgust) positive happiness/joy, excitement/enthusiasm, surprise/interest) Findings within community sample (n = 231) revealed individuals with higher report: (1) general under ambiguity more likely evoke less states, (2) risk (3) heightens existing dampens Importantly, these IU-related findings remained when controlling current experiences distress, anxious arousal, anhedonic depression. Taken together, suggest involved evoking modulating wide array phenomena, which transdiagnostic models treatment plans disorders.

Язык: Английский

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