Anxiety Shapes Amygdala-Prefrontal Dynamics During Movie-Watching

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Kirk ◽  
Avram J Holmes ◽  
Oliver Joe Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Fearful Faces ◽  
Dynamic Connectivity

A well characterized amygdala-prefrontal circuit is thought to be crucial for threat vigilance during anxiety. However, the engagement of this circuitry within relatively naturalistic paradigms remains unresolved. Using an open fMRI dataset (CamCAN; N=630), we sought to investigate whether anxiety correlates with dynamic connectivity between the amygdala and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex during movie-watching. Using an inter-subject representational similarity approach, we saw no effect of anxiety when comparing pairwise similarities of dynamic connectivity across the entire movie. However, preregistered analyses demonstrated a relationship between anxiety, amygdala-prefrontal dynamics, and anxiogenic features of the movie (canonical suspense ratings). Specifically, higher levels of self-reported anxiety symptoms were associated with greater amygdala-prefrontal connectivity during low suspense scenes (and perhaps less connectivity during high suspense scenes). Moreover, a measure of threat-relevant attentional bias (accuracy/reaction time to fearful faces) demonstrated an association with connectivity and suspense. Overall, the present study demonstrated the presence of anxiety-relevant differences in connectivity during movie-watching, varying with anxiogenic features of the movie. Mechanistically, exactly how and when these differences arise remains an opportunity for future research.

scholarly journals Measuring Food-Related Attentional Bias

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Franja ◽  
Anna E. McCrae ◽  
Tina Jahnel ◽  
Ashley N. Gearhardt ◽  
Stuart G. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Test Reliability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Visual Probe ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Objective: Food-related attentional bias has been defined as the tendency to give preferential attention to food-related stimuli. Attentional bias is of interest as studies have found that increased attentional bias is associated with obesity; others, however, have not. A possible reason for mixed results may be that there is no agreed upon measure of attentional bias: studies differ in both measurement and scoring of attentional bias. Additionally, little is known about the stability of attentional bias over time. The present study aims to compare attentional bias measures generated from commonly used attentional bias tasks and scoring protocols, and to test re-test reliability.Methods: As part of a larger study, 69 participants (67% female) completed two food-related visual probe tasks at baseline: lexical (words as stimuli), and pictorial (pictures as stimuli). Reaction time bias scores (attentional bias scores) for each task were calculated in three different ways: by subtracting the reaction times for the trials where probes replaced (1) neutral stimuli from the trials where the probes replaced all food stimuli, (2) neutral stimuli from the trials where probes replaced high caloric food stimuli, and (3) neutral stimuli from low caloric food stimuli. This resulted in three separate attentional bias scores for each task. These reaction time results were then correlated. The pictorial visual probe task was administered a second time 14-days later to assess test-retest reliability.Results: Regardless of the scoring use, lexical attentional bias scores were minimal, suggesting minimal attentional bias. Pictorial task attentional bias scores were larger, suggesting greater attentional bias. The correlation between the various scores was relatively small (r = 0.13–0.20). Similarly, test-retest reliability for the pictorial task was poor regardless of how the test was scored (r = 0.20–0.41).Conclusion: These results suggest that at least some of the variation in findings across attentional bias studies could be due to differences in the way that attentional bias is measured. Future research may benefit from either combining eye-tracking measurements in addition to reaction times.

scholarly journals A pilot trial of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in anorexia nervosa: resting fMRI correlates of response

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Blake Woodside ◽  
Katharine Dunlop ◽  
Charlene Sathi ◽  
Eileen Lam ◽  
Brigitte McDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Trial Registration ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex

Abstract Background Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) face severe and chronic illness with high mortality rates, despite our best currently available conventional treatments. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown increasing efficacy in treatment-refractory cases across a variety of psychiatric disorders comorbid with AN, including major depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, to date few studies have examined the effects of a course of rTMS on AN pathology itself. Methods Nineteen patients with AN underwent a 20–30 session open-label course of dorsomedial prefrontal rTMS for comorbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) ± PTSD. Resting-state functional MRI was acquired at baseline in 16/19 patients. Results Following treatment, significant improvements were seen in core AN pathology on the EDE global scale, and to a lesser extent on the shape and weight concerns subscales. Significant improvements in comorbid anxiety, and to a lesser extent depression, also ensued. The greatest improvements were seen in patients with lower baseline functional connectivity from the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) target to regions in the right frontal pole and left angular gyrus. Conclusions Despite the limited size of this preliminary, open-label study, the results suggest that rTMS is safe in AN, and may be useful in addressing some core domains of AN pathology. Other targets may also be worth studying in this population, in future sham-controlled trials with larger sample sizes. Trial registration Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04409704. Registered May 282,020. Retrospectively registered.

1 hz rTMS over the right prefrontal cortex reduces vigilant attention to unmasked but not to masked fearful faces

2002 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack van Honk ◽  
Dennis J.L.G Schutter ◽  
Alfredo A.L d’Alfonso ◽  
Roy P.C Kessels ◽  
Edward H.F de Haan
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Fearful Faces ◽  
The Right

scholarly journals Interfering with activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex via TMS affects social impressions updating

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 626-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Ferrari ◽  
Tomaso Vecchi ◽  
Alexander Todorov ◽  
Zaira Cattaneo
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex

scholarly journals Brain electrical traits of logical validity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Salto ◽  
Carmen Requena ◽  
Paula Álvarez-Merino ◽  
Luís F. Antón-Toro ◽  
Fernando Maestú
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Deductive Reasoning ◽  
Significant Activity ◽  
Temporal Window ◽  
Logical Validity ◽  
Electrical Demand ◽  
Brain Processing ◽  
Temporal Windows

AbstractNeuroscience has studied deductive reasoning over the last 20 years under the assumption that deductive inferences are not only de jure but also de facto distinct from other forms of inference. The objective of this research is to verify if logically valid deductions leave any cerebral electrical trait that is distinct from the trait left by non-valid deductions. 23 subjects with an average age of 20.35 years were registered with MEG and placed into a two conditions paradigm (100 trials for each condition) which each presented the exact same relational complexity (same variables and content) but had distinct logical complexity. Both conditions show the same electromagnetic components (P3, N4) in the early temporal window (250–525 ms) and P6 in the late temporal window (500–775 ms). The significant activity in both valid and invalid conditions is found in sensors from medial prefrontal regions, probably corresponding to the ACC or to the medial prefrontal cortex. The amplitude and intensity of valid deductions is significantly lower in both temporal windows (p = 0.0003). The reaction time was 54.37% slower in the valid condition. Validity leaves a minimal but measurable hypoactive electrical trait in brain processing. The minor electrical demand is attributable to the recursive and automatable character of valid deductions, suggesting a physical indicator of computational deductive properties. It is hypothesized that all valid deductions are recursive and hypoactive.

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