ORCID Profile
0000-0002-1516-1101
Current Organisation
University of Reading
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Publisher: Society for Neuroscience
Date: 19-04-2006
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3215-05.2006
Abstract: Among younger adults, the ability to willfully regulate negative affect, enabling effective responses to stressful experiences, engages regions of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the amygdala. Because regions of PFC and the amygdala are known to influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, here we test whether PFC and amygdala responses during emotion regulation predict the diurnal pattern of salivary cortisol secretion. We also test whether PFC and amygdala regions are engaged during emotion regulation in older (62- to 64-year-old) rather than younger in iduals. We measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging as participants regulated (increased or decreased) their affective responses or attended to negative picture stimuli. We also collected saliva s les for 1 week at home for cortisol assay. Consistent with previous work in younger s les, increasing negative affect resulted in ventral lateral, dorsolateral, and dorsomedial regions of PFC and amygdala activation. In contrast to previous work, decreasing negative affect did not produce the predicted robust pattern of higher PFC and lower amygdala activation. In iduals demonstrating the predicted effect (decrease attend in the amygdala), however, exhibited higher signal in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) for the same contrast. Furthermore, participants displaying higher VMPFC and lower amygdala signal when decreasing compared with the attention control condition evidenced steeper, more normative declines in cortisol over the course of the day. In idual differences yielded the predicted link between brain function while reducing negative affect in the laboratory and diurnal regulation of endocrine activity in the home environment.
Publisher: Society for Neuroscience
Date: 15-08-2007
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2063-07.2007
Abstract: Although depressed mood is a normal occurrence in response to adversity in all in iduals, what distinguishes those who are vulnerable to major depressive disorder (MDD) is their inability to effectively regulate negative mood when it arises. Investigating the neural underpinnings of adaptive emotion regulation and the extent to which such processes are compromised in MDD may be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of depression. We report results from a functional magnetic resonance imaging study demonstrating left-lateralized activation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) when downregulating negative affect in nondepressed in iduals, whereas depressed in iduals showed bilateral PFC activation. Furthermore, during an effortful affective reappraisal task, nondepressed in iduals showed an inverse relationship between activation in left ventrolateral PFC and the amygdala that is mediated by the ventromedial PFC (VMPFC). No such relationship was found for depressed in iduals, who instead show a positive association between VMPFC and amygdala. Pupil dilation data suggest that those depressed patients who expend more effort to reappraise negative stimuli are characterized by accentuated activation in the amygdala, insula, and thalamus, whereas nondepressed in iduals exhibit the opposite pattern. These findings indicate that a key feature underlying the pathophysiology of major depression is the counterproductive engagement of right prefrontal cortex and the lack of engagement of left lateral-ventromedial prefrontal circuitry important for the downregulation of amygdala responses to negative stimuli.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 21-06-2019
DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2018.1486735
Abstract: The neural circuitry associated with threat regulation in the absence of other people is well established. An examination of threat regulatory processes with people from different domains of an in idual's social world is key to understanding social emotion regulation and personality functioning conceptualised as social domain organisation. In this study, 42 healthy female participants completed functional magnetic imaging sessions in which they underwent a scan in the presence of a romantic partner or friend, whilst completing a threat of shock task. In the presence of a romantic partner vs. friend, we found a reduction in amygdala activation to threat vs. safe trials over time. Furthermore, in the presence of a romantic partner vs. friend we observed greater subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation to threat vs. safe trials overall. The results support the hypothesis that recruitment of threat regulation circuitry is modulated by romantic partner relative to another person well-known to the in idual. Future work needs to examine neural responses to a wider range of stimuli across more social domains, and implications of failures of this neural organisation for psychopathology.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-06-2021
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 12-01-2020
Abstract: Difficulty updating threat associations to safe associations has been observed in in iduals who score high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU). Here we sought to determine whether an instruction based on fundamental principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) could promote safety learning in in iduals with higher levels of IU, whilst controlling for self-reported trait anxiety (STICSA). We measured skin conductance response (SCR), pupil dilation and expectancy ratings during an associative threat learning task in which participants either received a cognitive behavioural instruction (CB) or no instruction prior to threat extinction (n = 92). Analyses revealed that both self-reported IU and STICSA similarly predicted differences in SCR. Only in iduals with lower IU/STICSA in the CB instruction condition displayed successful safety learning via SCR. These initial results provide some insight into how simple CB instructions combined with exposure are applied differently in in iduals with varying levels of self-reported anxiety. Conclusions. The results further our understanding of the role of basic CBT principles and self-reported anxiety in safety learning.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-07-2022
DOI: 10.3758/S13415-021-00932-7
Abstract: Heightened responding to uncertain threat is considered a hallmark of anxiety disorder pathology. We sought to determine whether in idual differences in self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a key transdiagnostic dimension in anxiety-related pathology, underlies differential recruitment of neural circuitry during cue-signalled uncertainty of threat ( n = 42). In an instructed threat of shock task, cues signalled uncertain threat of shock (50%) or certain safety from shock. Ratings of arousal and valence, skin conductance response (SCR), and functional magnetic resonance imaging were acquired. Overall, participants displayed greater ratings of arousal and negative valence, SCR, and amygdala activation to uncertain threat versus safe cues. IU was not associated with greater arousal ratings, SCR, or amygdala activation to uncertain threat versus safe cues. However, we found that high IU was associated with greater ratings of negative valence and greater activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial rostral prefrontal cortex to uncertain threat versus safe cues. These findings suggest that during cue-signalled uncertainty of threat, in iduals high in IU rate uncertain threat as aversive and engage prefrontal cortical regions known to be involved in safety-signalling and conscious threat appraisal. Taken together, these findings highlight the potential of IU in modulating safety-signalling and conscious appraisal mechanisms in situations with cue-signalled uncertainty of threat, which may be relevant to models of anxiety-related pathology.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-10-2006
DOI: 10.1093/SCAN/NSL027
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2021
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 16-06-2020
Abstract: Among US Hispanics/Latinos, the largest ethnic minority population in the United States, hypertension incidence has not been thoroughly reported. The goal of this study was to describe the incidence of hypertension among US Hispanic/Latino men and women of erse Hispanic/Latino background. We studied 6171 participants of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, a erse group of self‐identified Hispanics/Latinos from 4 US urban communities, aged 18 to 74 years, and free from hypertension in 2008 to 2011 and re‐examined in 2014 to 2017. Hypertension was defined as self‐reported use of anti‐hypertension medication, or measured systolic blood pressure ≥130 mm Hg, or diastolic blood pressure ≥80 mm Hg. Results were weighted given the complex survey design to reflect the target population. Among men, the 6‐year age‐adjusted probability of developing hypertension was 21.7% (95% CI , 19.5–24.1) and differed by Hispanic/Latino background. Specifically, the probability was significantly higher among men of Cuban (27.1% 95% CI , 20.2–35.2) and Dominican (28.1% 95% CI , 19.5–38.8) backgrounds compared with Mexican Americans (17.6% 95% CI : 14.5–21.2). Among women, the 6‐year age‐adjusted probability of developing hypertension was 19.7% (95% CI , 18.1–21.5) and also differed by Hispanic/Latino background. Specifically, the probability was significantly higher among women of Cuban (22.6% 95% CI , 18.3–27.5), Dominican (23.3% 95% CI , 18.0–29.5), and Puerto Rican (28.2% 95% CI , 22.7–34.4) backgrounds compared with Mexican Americans (16.0% 95% CI , 13.9–18.4). Hypertension incidence varies by Hispanic/Latino background, with highest incidence among those of Caribbean background.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 25-05-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.23.112268
Abstract: Heightened responding to uncertain threat is considered a hallmark of anxiety disorder pathology. Here, we sought to determine if in idual differences in self-reported intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a key transdiagnostic dimension in anxiety-related pathology, underlies differential recruitment of neural circuitry during instructed outcome uncertainty of threat ( n = 42). In an instructed threat of shock task, cues signalled uncertain threat of shock (50%) or certain safety from shock outcomes. Ratings of arousal and valence, skin conductance response (SCR) and functional magnetic resonance imaging were acquired. Overall, participants displayed greater ratings of arousal and negative valence, SCR, and amygdala activation to uncertain threat vs. safe cues. IU was not associated with greater arousal ratings, SCR or amygdala activation to uncertain threat vs. safe cues. However, we found that high IU was associated with greater ratings of negative valence and greater activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial rostral prefrontal cortex to uncertain threat vs safe cues. These findings suggest that during instructed outcome uncertainty of threat, in iduals high in IU rate uncertain threat as aversive and engage prefrontal cortical regions known to be involved in safety-signalling and conscious threat appraisal. Taken together, these findings highlight the potential of IU in modulating safety-signalling and conscious appraisal mechanisms in situations with instructed outcome uncertainty of threat, which may be relevant to models of anxiety-related pathology.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 21-06-2021
Publisher: University of California Press
Date: 2023
Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated that in iduals with high levels of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) have difficulty updating threat associations to safety associations. Notably, prior research has focused on measuring IU-related differences in threat and safety learning using arousal-based measures such as skin conductance response. Here we assessed whether IU-related differences in threat and safety learning could be captured using eye-tracking metrics linked with gaze behaviours such as dwelling and scanning. Participants (N = 144) completed self-report questionnaires assessing levels of IU and trait anxiety. Eye movements were then recorded during each conditioning phase: acquisition, extinction learning, and extinction retention. Fixation count and fixation duration served as indices of conditioned responding. Patterns of threat and safety learning typically reported for physiology and self-report were observed for the fixation count and fixation duration metrics during acquisition and to some extent in extinction learning, but not for extinction retention. There was little evidence for specific associations between IU and disrupted safety learning (e.g., greater differential responses to the threat vs. safe cues during extinction learning and retention). While there was tentative evidence that IU was associated with shorter fixation durations (e.g., scanning) to threat vs. safe cues during extinction retention, this effect did not remain after controlling for trait anxiety. IU and trait anxiety similarly predicted greater fixation count and shorter fixation durations overall during extinction learning, and greater fixation count overall during extinction retention. IU further predicted shorter fixation durations overall during extinction retention. However, the only IU-based effect that remained significant after controlling for trait anxiety was that of fixation duration overall during threat extinction learning. Our results inform models of anxiety, particularly in relation to how in idual differences modulate gaze behaviour during threat conditioning.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2009
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Carien M. van Reekum.