The Associations between Imageability of Positive and Negative Valence Words and Fear Reactivity

This study investigated the associations of imageability with fear reactivity. Imageability ratings of four word classes: positive and negative (i) emotional and (ii) propriosensitive, neutral and negative (iii) theoretical and (iv) neutral concrete filler, and fear reactivity scores—degree of fearfulness towards different situations (Total Fear (TF) score) and total number of extreme fears and phobias (Extreme Fear (EF) score), were obtained from 171 participants. Correlations between imageability, TF and EF scores were tested to analyze how word categories and their valence were associated with fear reactivity. Imageability ratings were submitted to recursive partitioning. Participants with high TF and EF scores had higher imageability for negative emotional and negative theoretical words. The correlations between imageability of negative emotional words and negative theoretical words for EF score were significant. Males showed stronger correlations for imageability of negative emotional words for EF and TF scores. High imageability for positive emotional words was associated with lower fear reactivity in females. These findings were discussed with regard to negative attentional bias theory of anxiety, influence on emotional systems, and gender-specific coping styles. This study provides insight into cognitive functions involved in mental imagery, semantic competence for mental imagery in relation to fear reactivity, and a potential psycholinguistic instrument assessing fear reactivity.

1074 Fear Reactivity And Sleep In Trauma-Exposed Males And Females With And Without PTSD

Introduction Sleep disturbance is considered central to mechanisms of PTSD development and maintenance, and fear learning protocols have been used as laboratory models to understand PTSD disease mechanisms. Some research indicates that fear learning may influence subsequent sleep, especially REM sleep, and that sleep may influence subsequent extinction. In this study, we examined the relationship of startle reactivity during conditioning and later extinction with objectively-measured sleep in PTSD-positive and negative subjects. Methods These analyses were performed as part of a larger study of PTSD and sleep. Thirty-four (34) trauma-exposed male and female participants with and without PTSD completed a fear-potentiated startle conditioning procedure at 9:45am, followed by a PSG-monitored nap (13:30-15:30), followed by an extinction protocol at 4:30pm. All visits were preceded by an adaptation nap visit at least 7 days prior. Eye-blink EMG was used to measure startle reactivity. Mixed-model analyses were performed in SPSS. Results PTSD-positive subjects had higher REM sleep duration (p<.05) and a trend towards shorter REM sleep latency (p=.06). There were no other group or sex effects on standard PSG sleep parameters. During conditioning, PTSD-positive status was associated with higher startle reactivity across stimulus types (p<.01), driven by increased reactivity in PTSD-positive vs. PTSD-negative females. A PTSD x sex interaction effect on startle reactivity showed the opposite effect in males (p<.01). Higher startle reactivity during conditioning predicted longer sleep latency during the subsequent nap (p<.05), but reactivity during conditioning and extinction did not otherwise show a relationship to standard PSG sleep measures. Conclusion These findings are consistent with previous research indicating REM sleep abnormalities as well as heightened fear responses in PTSD. While the observed relationship between higher startle and longer sleep latency is consistent with studies indicating that stress affects subsequent sleep, further research in larger samples is needed to understand causal mechanisms and to advance our understanding of sleep-PTSD mechanisms. Support VA Career Development Award-5IK2CX000871-05

Self-Compassion When Coping With Venture Obstacles: Loving-Kindness Meditation and Entrepreneurial Fear of Failure

Entrepreneurial fear of failure is a ubiquitous yet aversive experience with critical implications for entrepreneurial action and well-being. To understand how entrepreneurs can effectively cope with fear-inducing obstacles, we hypothesize and experimentally test the extent to which self-compassion, cultivated through Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM), counteracts entrepreneurs’ fear of failure when facing a threatening venture obstacle. Compared to an active control group, entrepreneurs exposed to a brief guided LKM showed higher self-compassion, which, in turn, was associated with lower fear reactivity. We offer novel contributions to entrepreneurship theory and practice by highlighting the role of meditation and self-compassion in building entrepreneurial resilience.

The Associations between Imageability of Positive and Negative Valence Words and Fear Reactivity

This study investigated the associations of imageability with fear reactivity. Imageability ratings of four word classes: positive and negative (i) emotional and (ii) propriosensitive, neutral and negative (iii) theoretical and (iv) neutral concrete filler, and fear reactivity scores – degree of fearfulness towards different situations (TF score) and total number of extreme fears and phobias (EF score), were obtained from 171 participants. Correlations between imageability, TF and EF scores were tested to analyze how word categories and their valence were associated with fear reactivity. Imageability ratings were submitted to recursive partitioning. Participants with high TF and EF scores had higher imageability for negative emotional and negative theoretical words. The correlations between imageability of negative emotional words and negative theoretical words for EF score were significant. Males showed stronger correlations for imageability of negative emotional words for EF and TF scores. High imageability for positive emotional words was associated with lower fear reactivity in females. These findings were discussed with regard to negative attentional bias theory of anxiety, influence on emotional systems, and gender-specific coping styles. This study provides insight into cognitive functions involved in mental imagery, semantic competence for mental imagery in relation to fear reactivity, and a potential psycholinguistic instrument assessing fear tendency.

Genotype and dose-frequency determine acute and chronic effects of oxytocin on amygdala fear responses in humans: therapeutic implications

BackgroundThere is considerable interest in therapeutic application of intranasal oxytocin in psychiatric disorders, but while clinical trials typically use daily dosing protocols it has not been established whether this is optimal or if there are moderating influences of oxytocin receptor genotype.MethodsIn a randomized, placebo-controlled pre-registered trial on 138 adult male subjects we investigated effects of single and repeated (24IU daily versus alternate days for 5 days) doses of oxytocin on two neural biomarkers (attenuated amygdala fear reactivity and increased intrinsic amygdala-prefrontal functional connectivity) and modulating effects of oxytocin receptor polymorphisms rs53576 and rs2254298 strongly associated with autism.ResultsFindings confirmed that after a single dose, amygdala responses to fear faces were reduced and its resting state connectivity with medial frontal cortex increased. Suppression of amygdala responses to fear faces was restricted to AA homozygotes of rs53576 and A+ carriers of rs2254298, whereas resting state effects were not genotype-dependent. Importantly, amygdala responses to fear faces were absent after daily oxytocin treatment but maintained after treatment every other day with infrequent dosing additionally resulting in reduced behavioral ratings of emotional arousal and intensity after 5 days. In contrast, oxytocin effects on intrinsic amygdala-prefrontal coupling were similar following daily or infrequent dose protocols after 5 days.ConclusionsOverall, results suggest that infrequent rather than daily doses of oxytocin may be more effective therapeutically and that its actions in reducing amygdala responses to fear are strongly genotype-dependent.The study was pre-registered at Clinical Trials.gov (NCT03610919).