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Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024
PubMed: 38915846
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1436479 -
Computational Psychiatry (Cambridge,... 2024Alfred Hitchcock, film director and "Master of Suspense," observed that terror is not driven by a negative event, but "only in the anticipation of it." This observation...
Alfred Hitchcock, film director and "Master of Suspense," observed that terror is not driven by a negative event, but "only in the anticipation of it." This observation is not restricted to the movies: Anxiety builds when we anticipate uncertain negative events, and heightened reactivity during uncertain threat anticipation is a transdiagnostic marker of anxiety (Grupe & Nitschke, 2013; Holley & Fox, 2022; Hur et al., 2020; Krain et al., 2008; Simmons et al., 2008; Yassa et al., 2012). Here, we manipulate the temporal dynamics of an uncertain threat to demonstrate how the evolving expectation of threat can lead people to forgo rewards and experience fear/anxiety. Specifically, we show that increased "hazard rate," which can build during periods of uncertainty, promotes a tendency to avoid threatening contexts while increasing fear/anxiety. These results provide insight into the anticipation of temporally uncertain threats elicits fear/anxiety, and reframe the underlying causes of related psychopathology.
PubMed: 38911145
DOI: 10.5334/cpsy.105 -
Biological Psychiatry Jun 2024Early Psychosis patients (EP, within 3 years after psychosis onset) show significant variability, making outcome predictions challenging. Currently, little evidence...
BACKGROUND
Early Psychosis patients (EP, within 3 years after psychosis onset) show significant variability, making outcome predictions challenging. Currently, little evidence exists for stable relationships between neural microstructural properties and symptom profiles across EP diagnoses, limiting the development of early interventions.
METHODS
A data-driven approach, Partial Least Squares (PLS) correlation, was used across two independent datasets to examine multivariate relationships between white matter (WM) properties and symptomatology, to identify stable and generalizable signatures in EP. The primary cohort included EP patients from the Human Connectome Project-Early Psychosis (n=124). The replication cohort included EP patients from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research (n=78). Both samples included individuals with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and psychotic mood disorders.
RESULTS
In both cohorts, a significant latent component (LC) corresponded to a symptom profile combining negative symptoms, primarily diminished expression, with specific somatic symptoms. Both LCs captured comprehensive features of WM disruption, primarily a combination of subcortical and frontal association fibers. Strikingly, the PLS model trained on the primary cohort accurately predicted microstructural features and symptoms in the replication cohort. Findings were not driven by diagnosis, medication, or substance use.
CONCLUSIONS
This data-driven transdiagnostic approach revealed a stable and replicable neurobiological signature of microstructural WM alterations in EP, across diagnoses and datasets, showing a strong covariance of these alterations with a unique profile of negative and somatic symptoms. This finding suggests the clinical utility of applying data-driven approaches to reveal symptom domains that share neurobiological underpinnings.
PubMed: 38908657
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.06.011 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Interpersonal coordination is a key determinant of successful social interaction but can be disrupted when people experience symptoms related to social anxiety or...
Interpersonal coordination is a key determinant of successful social interaction but can be disrupted when people experience symptoms related to social anxiety or autism. Effective coordination rests on individuals directing their attention towards interaction partners. Yet little is known about the impact of the attentional behaviours of the partner themselves. As the gaze of others has heightened salience for those experiencing social anxiety or autism, addressing this gap can provide insight into how symptoms of these disorders impact coordination. Using a novel virtual reality task, we investigated whether partner gaze (i.e., direct vs. averted) influenced the emergence of interpersonal coordination. Results revealed: (i) spontaneous coordination was diminished in the averted (cf. direct) gaze condition; (ii) spontaneous coordination was positively related to symptoms of social anxiety, but only when partner gaze was averted. This latter finding contrasts the extant literature and points to the importance of social context in shaping the relationship between symptoms of psychopathology and interpersonal coordination.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Adult; Interpersonal Relations; Young Adult; Fixation, Ocular; Attention; Social Interaction; Anxiety; Adolescent; Autistic Disorder
PubMed: 38906960
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65139-5 -
Eating and Weight Disorders : EWD Jun 2024Although insecure attachment and interpersonal problems have been acknowledged as risk and maintaining factors of eating disorders (EDs), the mediating role of...
PURPOSE
Although insecure attachment and interpersonal problems have been acknowledged as risk and maintaining factors of eating disorders (EDs), the mediating role of interpersonal problems between attachment style and ED psychopathology has been poorly explored. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of interpersonal problems between insecure attachment and ED psychopathology.
METHODS
One-hundred-nine women with anorexia nervosa and 157 women with bulimia nervosa filled in the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) revised scale to assess ED core symptoms and attachment styles, respectively. Interpersonal difficulties were evaluated by the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-32). A mediator's path model was conducted with anxious and avoidant attachment subscores as independent variables, ED core symptoms as dependent variables and interpersonal difficulties as mediators. The diagnosis was entered in the model as a confounding factor.
RESULTS
The socially inhibited/avoidant interpersonal dimension was a mediator between avoidant attachment and the drive to thinness as well as between avoidant attachment and body dissatisfaction. An indirect connection was found between attachment-related anxiety and bulimic symptoms through the mediation of intrusive/needy score.
CONCLUSIONS
Social avoidance and intrusiveness mediate the relationships between avoidant and anxious attachment styles and ED psychopathology. These interpersonal problems may represent specific targets for psychotherapeutic treatments in individuals with EDs and insecure attachment.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adult; Object Attachment; Interpersonal Relations; Young Adult; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Adolescent; Anorexia Nervosa; Bulimia Nervosa; Anxiety
PubMed: 38904743
DOI: 10.1007/s40519-024-01673-5 -
European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2024Police officers encounter various potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and may be compelled to engage in actions that contradict their moral codes. Consequently, they...
Police officers encounter various potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and may be compelled to engage in actions that contradict their moral codes. Consequently, they are at risk to develop symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but also moral stress or moral injury (MI). To date, MI in police officers has received limited attention. The present study sought to identify classes of MI appraisals and PTSD symptoms among police officers exposed to PTEs, while also investigating potential clinical differences between these classes. For this study, 421 trauma-exposed police officers were assessed on demographics and several clinical measurements including MI appraisals (self-directed and other-directed), PTSD severity, and general psychopathology. Latent class and regression analyses were conducted to examine the presence of different classes among trauma-exposed police officers and class differentiation in terms of demographics, general psychopathology, PTSD severity, mistrust, guilt, self-punishment, and feelings of worthlessness. The following five classes were identified: (1) a 'Low MI, high PTSD class' (28%), (2) a 'High MI, low PTSD class' (11%), (3) a 'High MI, high PTSD class' (17%), (4) a 'Low MI, low PTSD class' (16%), and (5) a 'High MI-other, high PTSD class' (27%). There were significant differences between the classes in terms of age, general psychopathology, PTSD severity, mistrust, guilt, and self-punishment but no differences for gender and feelings of worthlessness. In conclusion, we identified five classes, each exhibiting unique patterns of cognitive MI appraisals and PTSD symptoms. This underscores the criticality of measuring and identifying MI in this particular group, as it allows for tailored treatment interventions.
Topics: Humans; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Police; Male; Female; Adult; Latent Class Analysis; Morals; Middle Aged
PubMed: 38904156
DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2365030 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024While the ubiquity and importance of narratives for human adaptation is widely recognized, there is no integrative framework for understanding the roles of narrative in...
While the ubiquity and importance of narratives for human adaptation is widely recognized, there is no integrative framework for understanding the roles of narrative in human adaptation. Research has identified several cognitive and social functions of narratives that are conducive to well-being and adaptation as well as to coordinated social practices and enculturation. In this paper, we characterize the cognitive and social functions of narratives in terms of active inference, to support the claim that one of the main adaptive functions of narrative is to generate more useful (i.e., accurate, parsimonious) predictions for the individual, as well as to coordinate group action (over multiple timescales) through shared predictions about collective behavior. Active inference is a theory that depicts the fundamental tendency of living organisms to adapt by proactively inferring the causes of their sensations (including their own actions). We review narrative research on identity, event segmentation, episodic memory, future projections, storytelling practices, enculturation, and master narratives. We show how this research dovetails with the active inference framework and propose an account of the cognitive and social functions of narrative that emphasizes that narratives are -even when they are focused on recollecting or recounting the past. Understanding narratives as cognitive and cultural tools for mutual prediction in social contexts can guide research on narrative in adaptive behavior and psychopathology, based on a parsimonious mechanistic model of some of the basic adaptive functions of narrative.
PubMed: 38903472
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1345480 -
Brain and Behavior Jun 2024Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a debilitating and potentially chronic eating disorder, characterized by low hedonic drive toward food, which has been linked with perturbations...
INTRODUCTION
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a debilitating and potentially chronic eating disorder, characterized by low hedonic drive toward food, which has been linked with perturbations in both reward processing and dopaminergic activity. Neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an emerging method to index midbrain neuromelanin-a by-product of dopaminergic synthesis. The assessment of midbrain neuromelanin, and its association with AN psychopathology and reward-related processes, may provide critical insights into reward circuit function in AN.
METHODS
This study will incorporate neuromelanin-sensitive MRI into an existing study of appetitive conditioning in those with AN. Specifically, those with acute and underweight AN (N = 30), those with weight-restored AN (N = 30), and age-matched healthy controls (N = 30) will undergo clinical assessment of current and previous psychopathology, in addition to structural neuromelanin-sensitive MRI, diffusion MRI, and functional MRI (fMRI) during appetitive conditioning.
CONCLUSION
This study will be among the first to interrogate midbrain neuromelanin in AN-a disorder characterized by altered dopaminergic activity. Results will help establish whether abnormalities in the midbrain synthesis of dopamine are evident in those with AN and are associated with symptomatic behavior and reduced ability to experience pleasure and reward.
Topics: Humans; Reward; Melanins; Anorexia Nervosa; Mesencephalon; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Female; Adult; Young Adult; Adolescent; Male; Pre-Registration Publication
PubMed: 38898625
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3573 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Jun 2024Identifying patients at risk for a suicide attempt (SA) is critical in adolescents with mental disorders. The current study aimed to 1) examine whether personality...
BACKGROUND
Identifying patients at risk for a suicide attempt (SA) is critical in adolescents with mental disorders. The current study aimed to 1) examine whether personality dysfunction (PD) is associated with previous SA, 2) explore the incremental utility of PD over psychiatric disorders in modeling previous SA.
METHODS
The sample comprised of n = 498 adolescent patients (mean age = 15.41 years, 79.12 % females, inpatient 48.8 %, outpatient 51.2 %). SA in the past year, PD according to the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders, and psychiatric diagnoses were assessed using semi-structured interviews. Logistic regression and principal component analysis examining the associations and specific patterns of PD and SA in the past year were conducted. Hierarchical (stepwise) logistic regression was applied to investigate the incremental utility of PD over that of psychiatric diagnoses to identify individuals with SA in the past year.
RESULTS
Including all facets of PD revealed a significant model with SA in the past year as outcome (χ(12) = 106.65, McFaddens Pseudo-R = 0.17, p < 0.01). Adding PD to the model explained a significant amount of variance in past SA over that of psychiatric diagnoses (Pseudo-R = 0.18, Wald χ = 43.05, p < 0.01).
LIMITATIONS
As we only studied past SA and due to the cross-sectional design, no conclusion regarding the prediction of future SA can be drawn.
DISCUSSION
PD should routinely be assessed in adolescent patients since individuals with PD are more likely to have attempted suicide even when controlling for comorbid psychiatric disorders. PD may represent an important target for intervention in those with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
PubMed: 38897305
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.06.038 -
Infant Behavior & Development Jun 2024The aim of this preliminary study was to explore infant-mother attachment quality in a Dutch clinical sample of mothers with severe psychiatric disorder, with or without...
The aim of this preliminary study was to explore infant-mother attachment quality in a Dutch clinical sample of mothers with severe psychiatric disorder, with or without comorbid personality disorder. Thirty-two mothers were recruited through specialized secondary and tertiary outpatient clinics and mental health institutions. Maternal psychiatric and personality diagnoses were verified with structured clinical interviews during pregnancy. Maternal concurrent level of psychiatric symptoms was assessed by self-report and infant-mother attachment quality by observation in the Strange Situation Procedure at 14 months postpartum. In the full sample, almost half of the infants were classified as disorganized. All infants of mothers with a comorbid personality disorder were classified as either insecure or disorganized. Infants of mothers with a comorbid personality disorder had a significantly higher disorganization score than infants of mothers with a psychiatric disorder only. Continuous attachment security scores did not differ significantly between groups. In the full sample, continuous infant attachment security and disorganization score were not significantly correlated with the level of maternal concurrent psychiatric symptoms. Our exploratory findings suggest a specific link between maternal psychiatric and comorbid personality disorder and attachment disorganization. Moreover, chronicity of symptoms appears more relevant for attachment behaviors than the severity of concurrent psychiatric symptoms. Maternal personality disorder may have a strong formative impact on infant attachment security and disorganization, which warrants further research to inform clinical practice, in order to reduce the risk of intergenerational transmission of maternal psychopathology.
PubMed: 38896928
DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2024.101974