Current topics in behavioral neurosciences最新文献

Following is a synopsis of the reviews contained within this volume. Each of these reviews is written by experts in their field, and each provides an authoritative treatise on its subject matter. The topics cover the gamut of anxiety-relevant research, from basic mechanistic and animal models through to clinical studies. The authors do a splendid job of introducing key concepts and terms relevant to their fields of study, thereby opening vistas of information for interested readers. The authors-and clearly some credit must also go to the editors-have made great efforts not only to review what has been done, but to imagine where the field(s) will go and how those may, eventually if not immediately, impact the prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders. I hope you enjoy reading and learning from this cadre of experts as much as I did.

In accordance with Bud (A.D.) Craig's theories, we maintain that ascending physiological signals in their temporal dynamics are a necessary prerequisite for human time judgments. Functional neuroimaging and psychophysiological evidence have increasingly demonstrated that the subjective judgment of time is based on the physical and emotional self. The psychological literature reveals how emotions and related body feelings shape subjective time. Empirical studies of altered states of consciousness, namely meditative states, are also of prime interest as the perception of the physical state is strongly modulated and thereby affects the subjective experience of time. Our conclusion is that the sense of time is strongly embodied.

This chapter focuses on the interconnectedness of bodily awareness, emotion, and time perception, focusing on the roles of interoception and anticipation, pioneered by A.D. (Bud) Craig and advanced by contemporary research. Pain, a pivotal aspect of human experience, serves as a conduit for understanding our relationship with the world. Anticipation of pain, vital for survival, influences subjective pain experiences and is modulated by factors such as physiological reactivity and contextual cues. Emotional states significantly shape pain perception, with chronic pain conditions and affective disorders characterized by dysregulated pain modulation mechanisms. We discuss a state space model for pain, wherein pain functions as a latent construct shaped by both anticipatory and contemporaneous factors. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for informing clinical interventions aimed at pain management and highlights the intersection of interoception, emotion, and pain.

Since cannabis and nicotine are two of most commonly used substances and are often used together, this paper will review the effects of cannabis (specifically THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol) and nicotine on selective attention, sustained attention, visuospatial attention, attentional bias, and attentional disorders. This review includes preclinical and clinical findings throughout all periods of development and adulthood. Selective attention is directly impacted by cannabis use, while reaction time is dependent on the timing of the last cannabis exposure. Among individuals who use cannabis, there is an attentional bias that reduces anxiety and increases focus on cannabis-related cues. Preclinical studies show that cannabis induces attention deficits that persist even after an abstinence period. Preclinical and clinical studies of prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) provide evidence that offspring will have an increased risk for drug-seeking behavior, attention deficits, and impulsivity, which may lead to attentional disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and schizophrenia. Nicotine has a dose-dependent effect on attention in adults, though preclinical studies have shown mixed results, possibly due to differences in experimental design. Prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) impairs attentional networks by increasing one's risk for ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder. Additionally, maternal secondhand smoke exposure is linked to ADHD/conduct disorder risk in offspring. Preclinical studies on prenatal nicotine exposure suggest that there may be sex differences in which males are affected more so than females with PNE. Summary: Overall, cannabis/THC impairs attention, and nicotine enhances attention; however, both substances impair attention when individuals are exposed prenatally.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can cause a wide range of physical, neurobehavioral, and neurocognitive impairments that impact developmental trajectories throughout the lifespan. Clinically, individuals who have been exposed to alcohol prenatally and who show physical or neurobehavioral difficulties may be classified as having a condition included in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). The aim of this chapter is to summarize the current knowledge of FASD including diagnostic criteria, neurobehavioral outcomes, lifespan considerations, and interventions. Individuals with PAE exhibit challenges in the cognitive domains of executive functioning, general intelligence, motor function, learning, and memory. Aggression, trouble with the law, and oppositional behavior are also commonly associated with individuals with FASD. The effects of PAE can be attributed to altered neural development such as smaller total brain volume and structural abnormalities. Prenatal exposure to alcohol increases risk for co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions and psychiatric disorders. This chapter will also review the current literature on pre- and postnatal interventions to target the effects of PAE.

Pathological anxiety is highly prevalent, impairing, and often chronic. Yet, despite considerable research, mechanistic understanding of anxiety and its translation to clinical practice remain limited. Here, we first highlight two foundational complications that contribute to this gap: a reliance on a phenomenology-driven definition of pathological anxiety in neurobiological mechanistic research, and a limited understanding of the chronicity of anxiety symptom expression. We then posit that anxiety symptoms may reflect aberrant expression of otherwise normative defensive responses. Accordingly, we propose that threat imminence, an organizing dimension for normative defensive responses observed across species, may be applied to organize and understand anxiety symptoms along a temporal dimension of expression. Empirical evidence linking distinct anxiety symptoms and the aberrant expression of imminence-dependent defensive responses is reviewed, alongside the neural mechanisms which may underpin these cognitive, physiological, and behavioral responses. Drawing from extensive translational and clinical research, we suggest that understanding anxiety symptoms through this neurobiologically-informed framework may begin to overcome the conceptual complications hindering advancement in mechanistic research and clinical interventions for pathological anxiety.

The drive to seek information through exploratory behavior is widespread in both humans and other animals. This can be adaptive in reducing uncertainty about the best course of action within novel or changing environments. However, exploratory behaviors can also become maladaptive if subjective uncertainty levels remain too high or too low, as may happen in states of elevated anxiety. In this article, we review recent studies investigating the influence of anxiety on information-seeking behavior. We focus primarily on studies using cognitive computational models and associated behavioral tasks designed to test specific exploratory strategies, which could each be affected by anxiety in distinct ways. Results of current studies remain mixed and highlight the importance of distinguishing potential effects of task, state vs. trait anxiety, somatic vs. cognitive anxiety, and clinical vs. sub-clinical anxiety. There are also a range of different information-seeking strategies that are necessary to consider. At present, many findings could be taken to support a picture in which cognitive anxiety, and/or trait anxiety more broadly, may increase information-seeking, while somatic and/or state anxiety could have opposing effects. However, a number of previous results also appear inconsistent or task-dependent. Future studies are needed to resolve these apparent inconsistencies and more directly disentangle effects of different dimensions of anxiety on the adaptive and maladaptive use of information-seeking.

Ecstatic epilepsy is a rare form of focal epilepsy linked to the anterior insula in which patients experience a blissful state with a unique set of symptoms, including a feeling of physical well-being, mental clarity, a sense of oneness with the universe, and time dilation. In this chapter, we reflect on how these symptoms coincide with our current knowledge of the insula's functions and explore how this stunning natural model can further inform our understanding of the insula's role in the sentient self, uncertainty and surprise monitoring, and metacognitive feelings.

Preclinical studies suggest that physiological learning processes are similar to changes observed in addiction at the molecular, neuronal and structural levels. Based on the importance of classical and instrumental conditioning in the development and maintenance of addictive disorders, many have suggested cue-exposure-based extinction training of conditioned, drug-related responses as a potential treatment of addiction. Recently, the development of virtual reality-assisted cue-exposure treatment has put forward new approaches to extinction training. Recent data indicated that it may also be possible to facilitate this extinction training through pharmacological interventions that strengthen memory consolidation during cue exposure. Another potential therapeutic intervention is based on the so-called reconsolidation theory. According to this hypothesis, already-consolidated memories return to a labile state when reactivated, allowing them to undergo another phase of consolidation - reconsolidation - which can be interfered with by pharmacological and behavioural interventions. These approaches suggest that the extinction of drug-related memories may represent a viable treatment strategy in the future treatment of addiction.