TY - JOUR A1 - Hommers, L. G. A1 - Richter, J. A1 - Yang, Y. A1 - Raab, A. A1 - Baumann, C. A1 - Lang, K. A1 - Schiele, M. A. A1 - Weber, H. A1 - Wittmann, A. A1 - Wolf, C. A1 - Alpers, G. W. A1 - Arolt, V. A1 - Domschke, K. A1 - Fehm, L. A1 - Fydrich, T. A1 - Gerlach, A. A1 - Gloster, A. T. A1 - Hamm, A. O. A1 - Helbig-Lang, S. A1 - Kircher, T. A1 - Lang, T. A1 - Pané-Farré, C. A. A1 - Pauli, P. A1 - Pfleiderer, B. A1 - Reif, A. A1 - Romanos, M. A1 - Straube, B. A1 - Ströhle, A. A1 - Wittchen, H.-U. A1 - Frantz, S. A1 - Ertl, G. A1 - Lohse, M. J. A1 - Lueken, U. A1 - Deckert, J. T1 - A functional genetic variation of SLC6A2 repressor hsa-miR-579-3p upregulates sympathetic noradrenergic processes of fear and anxiety JF - Translational Psychiatry N2 - Increased sympathetic noradrenergic signaling is crucially involved in fear and anxiety as defensive states. MicroRNAs regulate dynamic gene expression during synaptic plasticity and genetic variation of microRNAs modulating noradrenaline transporter gene (SLC6A2) expression may thus lead to altered central and peripheral processing of fear and anxiety. In silico prediction of microRNA regulation of SLC6A2 was confirmed by luciferase reporter assays and identified hsa-miR-579-3p as a regulating microRNA. The minor (T)-allele of rs2910931 (MAFcases = 0.431, MAFcontrols = 0.368) upstream of MIR579 was associated with panic disorder in patients (pallelic = 0.004, ncases = 506, ncontrols = 506) and with higher trait anxiety in healthy individuals (pASI = 0.029, pACQ = 0.047, n = 3112). Compared to the major (A)-allele, increased promoter activity was observed in luciferase reporter assays in vitro suggesting more effective MIR579 expression and SLC6A2 repression in vivo (p = 0.041). Healthy individuals carrying at least one (T)-allele showed a brain activation pattern suggesting increased defensive responding and sympathetic noradrenergic activation in midbrain and limbic areas during the extinction of conditioned fear. Panic disorder patients carrying two (T)-alleles showed elevated heart rates in an anxiety-provoking behavioral avoidance test (F(2, 270) = 5.47, p = 0.005). Fine-tuning of noradrenaline homeostasis by a MIR579 genetic variation modulated central and peripheral sympathetic noradrenergic activation during fear processing and anxiety. This study opens new perspectives on the role of microRNAs in the etiopathogenesis of anxiety disorders, particularly their cardiovascular symptoms and comorbidities. KW - clinical genetics KW - psychiatric disorders Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-322497 VL - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holtfrerich, Sarah K. C. A1 - Pfister, Roland A1 - El Gammal, Alexander T. A1 - Bellon, Eugen A1 - Diekhof, Esther K. T1 - Endogenous testosterone and exogenous oxytocin influence the response to baby schema in the female brain JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Nurturing behavior may be critically influenced by the interplay of different hormones. The neuropeptide oxytocin is known to promote maternal behavior and its reduction has been associated with postpartum depression risk and child neglect. Contrariwise, the observed decrease in testosterone level during early parenthood may benefit caretaking behavior, whereas increased testosterone may reduce attention to infants. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the interactive influence of testosterone and oxytocin on selective attention to and neural processing of the baby schema (BS). 57 nulliparous women performed a target detection task with human faces with varying degree of BS following double-blinded placebo-controlled oxytocin administration in a between-subjects design. Our results support the idea that oxytocin enhances attention to the BS. Oxytocin had a positive effect on activation of the inferior frontal junction during identification of infant targets with a high degree of BS that were presented among adult distractors. Further, activation of the putamen was positively correlated with selective attention to the BS, but only in women with high endogenous testosterone who received oxytocin. These findings provide initial evidence for the neural mechanism by which oxytocin may counteract the negative effects of testosterone in the modulation of nurturing behavior. KW - attention KW - reward Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-322285 VL - 8 ER - TY - THES A1 - Merscher, Alma-Sophia T1 - To Fear or not to Fear: Unraveling the (Oculo)motor and Autonomic Components of Defensive States in Humans T1 - Vor Furcht Erstarren: Charakterisierung der (Okulo)motorischen und Autonomen Komponenten Menschlicher Defensivreaktionen N2 - Defensive behaviors in response to threats are key factors in maintaining mental and physical health, but their phenomenology remains poorly understood. Prior work reported an inhibition of oculomotor activity in response to avoidable threat in humans that reminded of freezing behaviors in rodents. This notion of a homology between defensive responding in rodents and humans was seconded by concomitant heart rate decrease and skin conductance increase. However, several aspects of this presumed defense state remained ambiguous. For example, it was unclear whether the observed oculomotor inhibition would 1) robustly occur during preparation for threat-avoidance irrespective of task demands, 2) reflect a threat-specific defensive state, 3) be related to an inhibition of somatomotor activity as both motion metrics have been discussed as indicators for freezing behaviors in humans, and 4) manifest in unconstrained settings. We thus embarked on a series of experiments to unravel the robustness, threat-specificity, and validity of previously observed (oculo)motor and autonomic dynamics upon avoidable threat in humans. We provided robust evidence for reduced gaze dispersion, significantly predicting the speed of subsequent motor reactions across a wide range of stimulus contexts. Along this gaze pattern, we found reductions in body movement and showed that the temporal profiles between gaze and body activity were positively related within individuals, suggesting that both metrics reflect the same construct. A simultaneous activation of the parasympathetic (i.e., heart rate deceleration) and sympathetic (i.e., increased skin conductance and pupil dilation) nervous system was present in both defensive and appetitive contexts, suggesting that these autonomic dynamics are not only sensitive to threat but reflecting a more general action-preparatory mechanism. We further gathered evidence for two previously proposed defensive states involving a decrease of (oculo)motor activity in a naturalistic, unconstrained virtual reality environment. Specifically, we observed a state consisting of a cessation of ongoing behaviors and orienting upon relatively distal, ambiguous threat (Attentive Immobility) while an entire immobilization and presumed allocation of attention to the threat stimulus became apparent upon approaching potential threat (Immobility under Attack). Taken together, we provided evidence for specific oculomotor and autonomic dynamics upon increasing levels of threat that may inspire future translational work in rodents and humans on shared mechanisms of threat processing, ultimately supporting the development of novel therapeutic approaches. N2 - Angemessen auf Gefahren zu reagieren, ist überlebensnotwendig, wissenschaftlich jedoch wenig verstanden. Eine frühere Studie wies auf, dass ProbandInnen ihre Augen weniger bewegten, wenn sie mit einer Bedrohung konfrontiert waren, der sie mit einer schnellen Bewegung entkommen konnten. Dieses eingeschränkte Blickbewegungsmuster wurde von einer Herzraten-Dezeleration und einem Anstieg der Hautleitfähigkeit begleitet und wies damit Ähnlichkeiten mit bestimmten Erstarrungsreaktionen auf Bedrohungen (Freezing) bei Nagetieren auf. Es blieb jedoch unklar, ob die eingeschränkten Augenbewegungen 1. robust und unabhängig von spezifischen Aufgabenstellungen als Reaktion auf eine vermeidbare Bedrohung auftreten, 2. eine bedrohungsspezifische Komponente eines Defensivzustands darstellen, 3. von einer körperlichen Bewegungsreduktion begleitet und 4. im freien Raum auftreten würden. Wir haben daher untersucht, ob dieses eingeschränkte Blickbewegungsmuster sowie seine autonomen Begleiterscheinungen robust, bedrohungsspezifisch und valide sind. In unseren Studien traten verringerte Augenbewegungen robust und bedrohungsspezifisch als Reaktion auf vermeidbare Bedrohungen auf und sagten schnellere Reaktionszeiten vorher. Die eingeschränkten Augenbewegungen wurden von verringerten Körperbewegungen begleitet, deren zeitliche Verläufe miteinander korrelierten. Dies könnte auf ein zugrundeliegendes gemeinsames Konstrukt hinweisen. Wir beobachteten außerdem eine Herzraten-Dezeleration sowie erhöhte Hautleitfähigkeit und Pupillendilation in bedrohlichen und appetitiven Kontexten, was darauf hindeutet, dass diese autonomen Dynamiken nicht nur durch Bedrohungen, sondern auch allgemein handlungsvorbereitend ausgelöst werden können. Zuletzt konnten wir in einer frei explorierbaren, virtuellen Umgebung Hinweise auf zwei Defensivzustände liefern, deren Unterscheidung zuvor postuliert, jedoch noch nicht weitreichend belegt war. Bei relativ weit entfernter und ambivalenter Gefahr hielten die ProbandInnen inne und drehten sich, vermutlich zur Orientierung, zum potentiellen Ort der Bedrohung hin (Attentive Immobility). Wenn sich die Bedrohung jedoch näherte, verringerten sich sowohl Körper- als auch Augenbewegungen, als würden die ProbandInnen ihre Aufmerksamkeit auf die Bedrohung ausrichten (Immobility under Attack). Zusammenfassend lieferten unsere Erhebungen damit Belege für spezifische (okulo)motorische und autonome Dynamiken bei steigender Bedrohung, die zukünftige translationale Forschungen über Homologien von Defensivzuständen zwischen Nagetieren und Menschen inspirieren und damit womöglich die Entwicklung neuer therapeutischer Verfahren unterstützen können. KW - Furcht KW - Fear Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-327913 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gottschalk, Michael G. A1 - Richter, Jan A1 - Ziegler, Christiane A1 - Schiele, Miriam A. A1 - Mann, Julia A1 - Geiger, Maximilian J. A1 - Schartner, Christoph A1 - Homola, György A. A1 - Alpers, Georg W. A1 - Büchel, Christian A1 - Fehm, Lydia A1 - Fydrich, Thomas A1 - Gerlach, Alexander L. A1 - Gloster, Andrew T. A1 - Helbig-Lang, Sylvia A1 - Kalisch, Raffael A1 - Kircher, Tilo A1 - Lang, Thomas A1 - Lonsdorf, Tina B. A1 - Pané-Farré, Christiane A. A1 - Ströhle, Andreas A1 - Weber, Heike A1 - Zwanzger, Peter A1 - Arolt, Volker A1 - Romanos, Marcel A1 - Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich A1 - Hamm, Alfons A1 - Pauli, Paul A1 - Reif, Andreas A1 - Deckert, Jürgen A1 - Neufang, Susanne A1 - Höfler, Michael A1 - Domschke, Katharina T1 - Orexin in the anxiety spectrum: association of a HCRTR1 polymorphism with panic disorder/agoraphobia, CBT treatment response and fear-related intermediate phenotypes JF - Translational Psychiatry N2 - Preclinical studies point to a pivotal role of the orexin 1 (OX1) receptor in arousal and fear learning and therefore suggest the HCRTR1 gene as a prime candidate in panic disorder (PD) with/without agoraphobia (AG), PD/AG treatment response, and PD/AG-related intermediate phenotypes. Here, a multilevel approach was applied to test the non-synonymous HCRTR1 C/T Ile408Val gene variant (rs2271933) for association with PD/AG in two independent case-control samples (total n = 613 cases, 1839 healthy subjects), as an outcome predictor of a six-weeks exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in PD/AG patients (n = 189), as well as with respect to agoraphobic cognitions (ACQ) (n = 483 patients, n = 2382 healthy subjects), fMRI alerting network activation in healthy subjects (n = 94), and a behavioral avoidance task in PD/AG pre- and post-CBT (n = 271). The HCRTR1 rs2271933 T allele was associated with PD/AG in both samples independently, and in their meta-analysis (p = 4.2 × 10−7), particularly in the female subsample (p = 9.8 × 10−9). T allele carriers displayed a significantly poorer CBT outcome (e.g., Hamilton anxiety rating scale: p = 7.5 × 10−4). The T allele count was linked to higher ACQ sores in PD/AG and healthy subjects, decreased inferior frontal gyrus and increased locus coeruleus activation in the alerting network. Finally, the T allele count was associated with increased pre-CBT exposure avoidance and autonomic arousal as well as decreased post-CBT improvement. In sum, the present results provide converging evidence for an involvement of HCRTR1 gene variation in the etiology of PD/AG and PD/AG-related traits as well as treatment response to CBT, supporting future therapeutic approaches targeting the orexin-related arousal system. KW - human behaviour KW - molecular neuroscience KW - personalized medicine KW - predictive markers KW - psychiatric disorders Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227479 VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Landmann, Eva A1 - Breil, Christina A1 - Huestegge, Lynn A1 - Böckler, Anne T1 - The semantics of gaze in person perception: a novel qualitative-quantitative approach JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Interpreting gaze behavior is essential in evaluating interaction partners, yet the ‘semantics of gaze’ in dynamic interactions are still poorly understood. We aimed to comprehensively investigate effects of gaze behavior patterns in different conversation contexts, using a two-step, qualitative-quantitative procedure. Participants watched video clips of single persons listening to autobiographic narrations by another (invisible) person. The listener’s gaze behavior was manipulated in terms of gaze direction, frequency and direction of gaze shifts, and blink frequency; emotional context was manipulated through the valence of the narration (neutral/negative). In Experiment 1 (qualitative-exploratory), participants freely described which states and traits they attributed to the listener in each condition, allowing us to identify relevant aspects of person perception and to construct distinct rating scales that were implemented in Experiment 2 (quantitative-confirmatory). Results revealed systematic and differential meanings ascribed to the listener’s gaze behavior. For example, rapid blinking and fast gaze shifts were rated more negatively (e.g., restless and unnatural) than slower gaze behavior; downward gaze was evaluated more favorably (e.g., empathetic) than other gaze aversion types, especially in the emotionally negative context. Overall, our study contributes to a more systematic understanding of flexible gaze semantics in social interaction. KW - human behaviour KW - psychology KW - semantics of gaze KW - person perception KW - face perception Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-361413 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 14 IS - 1 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hauf, Juliane E. K. A1 - Nieding, Gerhild A1 - Seger, Benedikt T. T1 - Correction to: The development of dynamic perceptual simulations during sentence comprehension T2 - Cognitive Processing N2 - No abstract available. KW - Erratum Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-352611 N1 - The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-020-00959-7 VL - 22 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hauf, Juliane E. K. A1 - Nieding, Gerhild A1 - Seger, Benedikt T. T1 - The development of dynamic perceptual simulations during sentence comprehension JF - Cognitive Processing N2 - Based on an embodied account of language comprehension, this study investigated the dynamic characteristics of children and adults’ perceptual simulations during sentence comprehension, using a novel paradigm to assess the perceptual simulation of objects moving up and down a vertical axis. The participants comprised adults (N = 40) and 6-, 8-, and 10-year-old children (N = 116). After listening in experimental trials to sentences implying that objects moved upward or downward, the participants were shown pictures and had to decide as quickly as possible whether the objects depicted had been mentioned in the sentences. The target pictures moved either up or down and then stopped in the middle of the screen. All age groups’ reaction times were found to be shorter when the objects moved in the directions that the sentences implied. Age exerted no developmental effect on reaction times. The findings suggest that dynamic perceptual simulations are fundamental to language comprehension in text recipients aged 6 and older. KW - embodied cognition KW - sentence comprehension KW - dynamic perceptual simulation; KW - children KW - adults Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-283665 VL - 21 IS - 2 ER - TY - THES A1 - Schulz, Daniel T1 - Development of Inhibitory Control in Kindergarten Children T1 - Entwicklung von Inhibitionskontrolle bei Kindern im Kindergartenalter N2 - This dissertation explores the development and assessment of inhibitory control – a crucial component of executive functions – in young children. Inhibitory control, defined as the ability to suppress inappropriate responses (Verbruggen & Logan, 2008), is essential for adaptable and goal-oriented behavior. The rapid and non-linear development of this cognitive function in early childhood presents unique challenges for accurate assessment. As children age, they often exhibit a ceiling effect in terms of response accuracy (Petersen et al., 2016), underscoring the need to consider response latency as well. Ideally, combining response latency with accuracy could yield a more precise measure of inhibitory control (e.g., Magnus et al., 2019), facilitating a detailed tracking of developmental changes in inhibitory control across a wider age spectrum. The three studies of this dissertation collectively aim to clarify the relationship between response accuracy, response latency, and inhibitory control across different stages of child development. Each study utilizes a computerized Pointing Stroop Task (Berger et al., 2000) to measure inhibitory control, examining the task's validity and the integration of dual metrics for a more comprehensive evaluation. The first study focuses on establishing the validity of using both response accuracy and latency as indicators of inhibitory control. Utilizing the framework of explanatory item-response modeling (De Boeck & Wilson, 2004), the study revealed how the task characteristics congruency and item position influence both the difficulty level and timing aspects in young children’s responses in the computerized Pointing Stroop task. Further, this study found that integrating response accuracy with latency, even in a basic manner, provides additional insights. Building upon these findings, the second study investigates the nuances of integrating response accuracy and latency, examining whether this approach can account for age-related differences in inhibitory control. It also explores whether response latencies may contain different information depending on the age and proficiency of the children. The study leverages novel and established methodological perspectives to integrate response accuracy and latency into a single metric, showing the potential applicability of different approaches for assessing inhibitory control development. The third study extends the investigation to a longitudinal perspective, exploring the dynamic relationship between response accuracy, latency, and inhibitory control over time. It assesses whether children who achieve high accuracy at an earlier age show faster improvement in response latency, suggesting a non-linear maturation pathway of inhibitory control. The study also examines if the predictive value of early response latency for later fluid intelligence is dependent on the response accuracy level. Together, these empirical studies contribute to a more robust understanding of the complex interaction between inhibitory control, response accuracy, and response latency, facilitating valid evaluations of cognitive capabilities in children. Moreover, the findings may have practical implications for designing educational strategies and clinical interventions that address the developmental trajectory of inhibitory control. The nuanced approach advocated in this dissertation suggests prioritizing accuracy in assessment and interventions during the early stages of children's cognitive development, gradually shifting the focus to response latency as children mature and secure their inhibitory control abilities. N2 - Die vorliegende Dissertation erforscht die Erfassung und Entwicklung von Inhibitionskontrolle bei jungen Kindern – einer zentralen Komponente der Exekutiven Funktionen. Inhibitionskontrolle, also die Fähigkeit, automatisierte aber unangemessene Reaktionen zu unterdrücken (Verbruggen & Logan, 2008), ist wesentlich für adaptives und zielgerichtetes Verhalten. Die schnelle und nichtlineare Entwicklung dieser kognitiven Funktion im frühen Kindesalter gestaltet eine präzise Messung herausfordernd. Mit zunehmendem Alter der Kinder zeigt sich häufig ein Deckeneffekt hinsichtlich der Antwortgenauigkeit (Petersen et al., 2016), was die Notwendigkeit hervorhebt, auch die Reaktionszeit in Betracht zu ziehen. Idealerweise könnte durch die Integration von Reaktionszeit und Antwortgenauigkeit ein Messwert berechnet werden (z.B. Magnus et al., 2019), welcher eine detaillierte Erfassung von Entwicklungsveränderungen der Inhibitionskontrolle über ein breiteres Altersspektrum hinweg ermöglicht. Die drei Studien dieser Dissertation zielen darauf ab, die Beziehung zwischen Antwortgenauigkeit, Reaktionszeit und Inhibitionskontrolle in verschiedenen Stadien der kindlichen Entwicklung zu untersuchen. Jede Studie nutzt eine computergestützte Inhibitionsaufgabe, den computerized Pointing-Stroop Task (cPST; Berger et al., 2000), um die Inhibitionskontrolle zu messen, wobei die Validität dieses Tests und die Integration von Antwortgenauigkeit und Reaktionszeit für eine umfassendere Bewertung untersucht werden. In der ersten Studie wird untersucht, ob sowohl Antwortgenauigkeit als auch Reaktionszeit valide Indikatoren für Inhibitionskontrolle in jungen Kindern darstellen. Unter Verwendung von explanatorischen Item-Response-Modellen zeigte die Studie, wie die Aufgabenmerkmale Kongruenz und Item-Position die Aufgabenschwierigkeit sowohl in Bezug auf Antwortgenauigkeit als auch Reaktionszeit im cPST beeinflussen. Darüber hinaus zeigten sich erste Hinweise, dass bereits eine rudimentäre Integration von Antwortgenauigkeit und Reaktionszeit zusätzliche Einsichten liefert. Aufbauend auf diesen Erkenntnissen untersucht die zweite Studie die Feinheiten der Integration von Antwortgenauigkeit und Reaktionszeit und prüft, ob moderne Methoden der Integration dieser beiden Metriken altersbedingte Unterschiede in der Inhibitionskontrolle berücksichtigen können. Sie erforscht auch, ob sich aus den Reaktionszeiten in Inhibitionsaufgaben, abhängig vom Alter und Können der Kinder, unterschiedliche Schlussfolgerungen ziehen lassen. Die Studie nutzt neue und etablierte methodische Ansätze, um Antwortgenauigkeit und Reaktionszeit zu einer Metrik zu integrieren und zeigt die potenzielle Anwendbarkeit verschiedener Ansätze zur Bewertung der Entwicklung der Inhibitionskontrolle. Die dritte Studie erweitert die Untersuchung auf eine Längsschnittperspektive und erforscht die dynamische Beziehung zwischen Antwortgenauigkeit, Reaktionszeit und Inhibitionskontrolle im Laufe der Entwicklung. Sie betrachtet, ob Kinder, die in jüngerem Alter eine hohe Genauigkeit erreichen, eine schnellere Verbesserung in der Reaktionszeit zeigen. Die Studie untersucht weiter, ob der prädiktive Wert von Reaktionszeit für zukünftige fluide Intelligenz in Abhängigkeit zu der Antwortgenauigkeit steht. Zusammen tragen diese empirischen Arbeiten zu einem tieferen Verständnis der komplexen Interaktion zwischen Inhibitionskontrolle, Antwortgenauigkeit und Reaktionszeit bei und erleichtern valide Bewertungen dieser kognitiven Fähigkeiten bei Kindern. Darüber hinaus könnten die Ergebnisse praktische Implikationen für die Gestaltung von Interventionen haben, die sich mit dem Entwicklungsverlauf der Inhibitionskontrolle befassen. Der in dieser Dissertation vertretene Ansatz legt nahe, Antwortgenauigkeit bei der Bewertung und Interventionen während der frühen Phasen der kognitiven Entwicklung von Kindern zu priorisieren und den Fokus allmählich auf die Reaktionszeit zu verlagern, sobald Kinder ihre Inhibitionskontrolle festigen und ausbauen. KW - Kognitive Entwicklung KW - Kognition KW - Psychologie KW - Executive Functions KW - Inhibitory Control KW - Inhibitionskontrolle KW - Linear-Mixed Models KW - Linear Gemischte Modelle KW - Cognition KW - Child Development KW - Kindliche Entwicklung KW - Exekutive Funktionen KW - Kinderentwicklung Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357152 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ju, Qianqian A1 - Gan, Yiqun A1 - Rinn, Robin A1 - Duan, Yanping A1 - Lippke, Sonia T1 - Health Status Stability of Patients in a Medical Rehabilitation Program: What Are the Roles of Time, Physical Fitness Level, and Self-efficacy? JF - International Journal of Behavioral Medicine N2 - Background Individuals’ physical and mental health, as well as their chances of returning to work after their ability to work is damaged, can be addressed by medical rehabilitation. Aim This study investigated the developmental trends of mental and physical health among patients in medical rehabilitation and the roles of self-efficacy and physical fitness in the development of mental and physical health. Design A longitudinal design that included four time-point measurements across 15 months. Setting A medical rehabilitation center in Germany. Population Participants included 201 patients who were recruited from a medical rehabilitation center. Methods To objectively measure physical fitness (lung functioning), oxygen reabsorption at anaerobic threshold (VO2AT) was used, along with several self-report scales. Results We found a nonlinear change in mental health among medical rehabilitation patients. The results underscored the importance of medical rehabilitation for patients’ mental health over time. In addition, patients’ physical health was stable over time. The initial level of physical fitness (VO2AT) positively predicted their mental health and kept the trend more stable. Self-efficacy appeared to have a positive relationship with mental health after rehabilitation treatment. Conclusions This study revealed a nonlinear change in mental health among medical rehabilitation patients. Self-efficacy was positively related to mental health, and the initial level of physical fitness positively predicted the level of mental health after rehabilitation treatment. Clinical Rehabilitation More attention could be given to physical capacity and self-efficacy for improving and maintaining rehabilitants’ mental health. KW - latent growth curve model KW - mental health KW - physical fitness KW - self-efficacy KW - physical health Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-308445 SN - 1070-5503 SN - 1532-7558 VL - 29 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bürger, Arne A1 - Schoenfeld, Cornelia von A1 - Scheiner, Christin A1 - Seidel, Alexandra A1 - Wasserscheid, Antonia A1 - Gad, Doreya A1 - Kittel-Schneider, Sarah A1 - Romanos, Marcel A1 - Reiter, Andrea M. F. T1 - Universal prevention for non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents is scarce - A systematic review JF - Frontiers in Psychiatry N2 - Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) during adolescence is a high-risk marker for the development and persistence of mental health problems and has been recognized as a significant public health problem. Whereas targeted prevention has indeed shown to be effective in reducing NSSI and improve mental health problems, access to such programs is limited. By face validity, universal prevention of NSSI seems an ideal starting point for a stepped-care model to circumvent a lack of resources in the medical care system. However, it is yet unclear how effective such approaches are. Here, we provide a summary of existing work on universal prevention of NSSI in adolescents younger than 21 years based on a systematic literature search. We found that only seven studies are available. None of the programs evaluated was found to be effective in reducing the incidence or frequency of NSSI. After providing a comprehensive summary of the existing work, we evaluate the fact that existing work primarily focusses on selected/targeted prevention and on psychoeducational methods. We derive implications for future directions in the field of universal prevention of NSSI. KW - non-suicidal self-injury KW - NSSI KW - emotion regulation KW - prevention KW - universal prevention KW - adolescence KW - mental health Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357490 VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kleih-Dahms, Sonja C. A1 - Botrel, Loic T1 - Neurofeedback therapy to improve cognitive function in patients with chronic post-stroke attention deficits: a within-subjects comparison JF - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience N2 - Introduction We investigated a slow-cortical potential (SCP) neurofeedback therapy approach for rehabilitating chronic attention deficits after stroke. This study is the first attempt to train patients who survived stroke with SCP neurofeedback therapy. Methods We included N = 5 participants in a within-subjects follow-up design. We assessed neuropsychological and psychological performance at baseline (4 weeks before study onset), before study onset, after neurofeedback training, and at 3 months follow-up. Participants underwent 20 sessions of SCP neurofeedback training. Results Participants learned to regulate SCPs toward negativity, and we found indications for improved attention after the SCP neurofeedback therapy in some participants. Quality of life improved throughout the study according to engagement in activities of daily living. The self-reported motivation was related to mean SCP activation in two participants. Discussion We would like to bring attention to the potential of SCP neurofeedback therapy as a new rehabilitation method for treating post-stroke cognitive deficits. Studies with larger samples are warranted to corroborate the results. KW - stroke KW - slow cortical potentials (SCP) KW - attention deficit KW - neurofeedback training KW - self-efficacy KW - brain-computer interfaces (BCI) Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-322454 VL - 17 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Froehlich, Matthias A1 - Zahner, Antonia A1 - Schmalzing, Marc A1 - Gernert, Michael A1 - Strunz, Patrick-Pascal A1 - Hueper, Sebastian A1 - Portegys, Jan A1 - Schwaneck, Eva Christina A1 - Gadeholt, Ottar A1 - Kübler, Andrea A1 - Hewig, Johannes A1 - Ziebell, Philipp T1 - Patient-reported outcomes provide evidence for increased depressive symptoms and increased mental impairment in giant cell arteritis JF - Frontiers in Medicine N2 - Objectives The spectrum of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) represents highly inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Patients mostly report severe physical impairment. Possible consequences for mental health have been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to investigate psychological well-being in the context of GCA and PMR. Methods Cross-sectional study with N = 100 patients with GCA and/or PMR (GCA-PMR). Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were measured using the Short Form 36 Version 2 (SF-36v2) and visual analog scale (VAS) assessment. Moreover, the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) was used in 35 of 100 patients to detect depression. To compare PROs with physician assessment, VAS was also rated from physician perspective. To assess a possible association with inflammation itself, serological parameters of inflammation (C-reactive protein [CRP], erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR]) were included. Results In all scales of the SF-36v2 except General Health (GH) and in the physical and mental sum score (PCS, MCS), a significant impairment compared to the German reference collective was evident (MCS: d = 0.533, p < 0.001). In the PHQ-9 categorization, 14 of the 35 (40%) showed evidence of major depression disorder. VAS Patient correlated significantly with PHQ-9 and SF-36 in all categories, while VAS Physician showed only correlations to physical categories and not in the mental dimensions. Regarding inflammatory parameters, linear regression showed CRP to be a complementary significant positive predictor of mental health subscale score, independent of pain. Conclusion PRO show a relevant impairment of mental health up to symptoms of major depression disorder. The degree of depressive symptoms is also distinctly associated with the serological inflammatory marker CRP. KW - giant cell arteritis KW - PRO KW - depression KW - mental impairment KW - SF-36 KW - PHQ-9 KW - VAS KW - polymyalgia rheumatica Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319761 VL - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weis, Patrick P. A1 - Kunde, Wilfried T1 - Overreliance on inefficient computer-mediated information retrieval is countermanded by strategy advice that promotes memory-mediated retrieval JF - Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications N2 - With ubiquitous computing, problems can be solved using more strategies than ever, though many strategies feature subpar performance. Here, we explored whether and how simple advice regarding when to use which strategy can improve performance. Specifically, we presented unfamiliar alphanumeric equations (e.g., A + 5 = F) and asked whether counting up the alphabet from the left letter by the indicated number resulted in the right letter. In an initial choice block, participants could engage in one of three cognitive strategies: (a) internal counting, (b) internal retrieval of previously generated solutions, or (c) computer-mediated external retrieval of solutions. Participants belonged to one of two groups: they were either instructed to first try internal retrieval before using external retrieval, or received no specific use instructions. In a subsequent internal block with identical instructions for both groups, external retrieval was made unavailable. The ‘try internal retrieval first’ instruction in the choice block led to pronounced benefits (d = .76) in the internal block. Benefits were due to facilitated creation and retrieval of internal memory traces and possibly also due to improved strategy choice. These results showcase how simple strategy advice can greatly help users navigate cognitive environments. More generally, our results also imply that uninformed use of external tools (i.e., technology) can bear the risk of not developing and using even more superior internal processing strategies. KW - extended cognition KW - technology use KW - strategy advice KW - strategy selection KW - memory formation Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357892 VL - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reis, Moritz A1 - Pfister, Roland A1 - Kunde, Wilfried A1 - Foerster, Anna T1 - Creative thinking does not promote dishonesty JF - Royal Society Open Science N2 - We assessed the relation of creativity and unethical behaviour by manipulating the thinking style of participants (N = 450 adults) and measuring the impact of this manipulation on the prevalence of dishonest behaviour. Participants performed one of three inducer tasks: the alternative uses task to promote divergent thinking, the remote associates task to promote convergent thinking, or a simple classification task for rule-based thinking. Before and after this manipulation, participants conducted the mind game as a straightforward measure of dishonesty. Dishonest behaviour increased from before to after the intervention, but we found no credible evidence that this increase differed between induced mindsets. Exploratory analyses did not support any relation of trait creativity and dishonesty either. We conclude that the influence of creative thinking on unethical behaviour seems to be more ambiguous than assumed in earlier research or might be restricted to specific populations or contexts. KW - dishonesty KW - creativity KW - thinking style KW - unethical behaviour KW - morality Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349859 SN - 2054-5703 VL - 10 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ziebell, Philipp A1 - Rodrigues, Johannes A1 - Forster, André A1 - Sanguinetti, Joseph L. A1 - Allen, John JB. A1 - Hewig, Johannes T1 - Inhibition of midfrontal theta with transcranial ultrasound explains greater approach versus withdrawal behavior in humans JF - Brain Stimulation N2 - Highlights • Transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation/stimulation (TUS) is a growing field. • We conducted a double-blind sham-controlled within-subjects large sample TUS study. • Right prefrontal cortex TUS inhibits midfrontal theta electroencephalography (MFT). • TUS MFT inhibition explains greater approach versus withdrawal in a virtual T-maze. • This distinct TUS-MFT-behavior link merits future basic and applied research. Abstract Recent reviews highlighted low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound (TUS) as a promising new tool for non-invasive neuromodulation in basic and applied sciences. Our preregistered double-blind within-subjects study (N = 152) utilized TUS targeting the right prefrontal cortex, which, in earlier work, was found to positively enhance self-reported global mood, decrease negative states of self-reported emotional conflict (anxiety/worrying), and modulate related midfrontal functional magnetic resonance imaging activity in affect regulation brain networks. To further explore TUS effects on objective physiological and behavioral variables, we used a virtual T-maze task that has been established in prior studies to measure motivational conflicts regarding whether participants execute approach versus withdrawal behavior (with free-choice responses via continuous joystick movements) while allowing to record related electroencephalographic data such as midfrontal theta activity (MFT). MFT, a reliable marker of conflict representation on a neuronal level, was of particular interest to us since it has repeatedly been shown to explain related behavior, with relatively low MFT typically preceding approach-like risky behavior and relatively high MFT typically preceding withdrawal-like risk aversion. Our central hypothesis is that TUS decreases MFT in T-maze conflict situations and thereby increases approach and reduces withdrawal. Results indicate that TUS led to significant MFT decreases, which significantly explained increases in approach behavior and decreases in withdrawal behavior. This study expands TUS evidence on a physiological and behavioral level with a large sample size of human subjects, suggesting the promise of further research based on this distinct TUS-MFT-behavior link to influence conflict monitoring and its behavioral consequences. Ultimately, this can serve as a foundation for future clinical work to establish TUS interventions for emotional and motivational mental health. KW - approach versus withdrawal KW - electroencephalography (EEG) KW - midfrontal theta (MFT) KW - right prefrontal cortex (PFC) KW - transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation/stimulation (TUS) KW - virtual reality Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349890 VL - 16 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pfister, Roland A1 - Schwarz, Katharina A. A1 - Holzmann, Patricia A1 - Reis, Moritz A1 - Yogeeswaran, Kumar A1 - Kunde, Wilfried T1 - Headlines win elections: mere exposure to fictitious news media alters voting behavior JF - PloS One N2 - Repeatedly encountering a stimulus biases the observer’s affective response and evaluation of the stimuli. Here we provide evidence for a causal link between mere exposure to fictitious news reports and subsequent voting behavior. In four pre-registered online experiments, participants browsed through newspaper webpages and were tacitly exposed to names of fictitious politicians. Exposure predicted voting behavior in a subsequent mock election, with a consistent preference for frequent over infrequent names, except when news items were decidedly negative. Follow-up analyses indicated that mere media presence fuels implicit personality theories regarding a candidate’s vigor in political contexts. News outlets should therefore be mindful to cover political candidates as evenly as possible. KW - elections KW - Twitter KW - behavior KW - United States KW - India KW - metaanalysis KW - personality KW - political theory Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349845 VL - 18 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krause, Lisa-Marie A1 - Herbort, Oliver T1 - Just visual context or part of the gesture? The role of arm orientation in bent pointing interpretation JF - Acta Psychologica N2 - Pointing gestures can take on different shapes. For example, people often point with a bent wrist at a referent that is occluded by another object. We hypothesized that while the extrapolation of the index finger is the most important visual cue in such bent pointing gestures, arm orientation is affecting interpretations as well. We tested two competing hypotheses. First, the arm could be processed as a less reliable but additional direction cue also indicating the referent. Consequently, the index finger extrapolation would be biased towards the arm direction (assimilation effect). Second, the arm could be perceived as visual context of the index finger, leading to an interpretation that is repulsed from the arm direction (contrast effect). To differentiate between both, we conducted two experiments in which arm and finger orientation of a virtual pointer were independently manipulated. Participants were asked to determine the pointed-at location. As expected, participants based their interpretations on the extrapolation of the index finger. In line with the second hypothesis, the more the arm was oriented upwards, the lower the point was interpreted and vice versa. Thus, interpretation pattern indicated a contrast effect. Unexpectedly, gestures with aligned arm and index finger deviated from the general contrast effect and were interpreted linearly compared to bent gestures. In sum, the experiments show that interpretations of bent pointing gestures are not only based on the direction of the index finger but also depend on the arm orientation and its relationship to the index finger orientation. KW - pointing interpretation KW - non-verbal communication KW - bent pointing KW - contrast effect Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349839 VL - 241 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wehrheim, Maren H. A1 - Faskowitz, Joshua A1 - Sporns, Olaf A1 - Fiebach, Christian J. A1 - Kaschube, Matthias A1 - Hilger, Kirsten T1 - Few temporally distributed brain connectivity states predict human cognitive abilities JF - NeuroImage N2 - Highlights • Brain connectivity states identified by cofluctuation strength. • CMEP as new method to robustly predict human traits from brain imaging data. • Network-identifying connectivity ‘events’ are not predictive of cognitive ability. • Sixteen temporally independent fMRI time frames allow for significant prediction. • Neuroimaging-based assessment of cognitive ability requires sufficient scan lengths. Abstract Human functional brain connectivity can be temporally decomposed into states of high and low cofluctuation, defined as coactivation of brain regions over time. Rare states of particularly high cofluctuation have been shown to reflect fundamentals of intrinsic functional network architecture and to be highly subject-specific. However, it is unclear whether such network-defining states also contribute to individual variations in cognitive abilities – which strongly rely on the interactions among distributed brain regions. By introducing CMEP, a new eigenvector-based prediction framework, we show that as few as 16 temporally separated time frames (< 1.5% of 10 min resting-state fMRI) can significantly predict individual differences in intelligence (N = 263, p < .001). Against previous expectations, individual's network-defining time frames of particularly high cofluctuation do not predict intelligence. Multiple functional brain networks contribute to the prediction, and all results replicate in an independent sample (N = 831). Our results suggest that although fundamentals of person-specific functional connectomes can be derived from few time frames of highest connectivity, temporally distributed information is necessary to extract information about cognitive abilities. This information is not restricted to specific connectivity states, like network-defining high-cofluctuation states, but rather reflected across the entire length of the brain connectivity time series. KW - functional connectivity KW - resting state KW - machine learning KW - predictive modeling KW - general cognitive ability Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349874 VL - 277 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zillig, Anna-Lena A1 - Pauli, Paul A1 - Wieser, Matthias A1 - Reicherts, Philipp T1 - Better safe than sorry? - On the influence of learned safety on pain perception JF - PloS One N2 - The experience of threat was found to result—mostly—in increased pain, however it is still unclear whether the exact opposite, namely the feeling of safety may lead to a reduction of pain. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two between-subject experiments (N = 94; N = 87), investigating whether learned safety relative to a neutral control condition can reduce pain, while threat should lead to increased pain compared to a neutral condition. Therefore, participants first underwent either threat or safety conditioning, before entering an identical test phase, where the previously conditioned threat or safety cue and a newly introduced visual cue were presented simultaneously with heat pain stimuli. Methodological changes were performed in experiment 2 to prevent safety extinction and to facilitate conditioning in the first place: We included additional verbal instructions, increased the maximum length of the ISI and raised CS-US contingency in the threat group from 50% to 75%. In addition to pain ratings and ratings of the visual cues (threat, safety, arousal, valence, and contingency), in both experiments, we collected heart rate and skin conductance. Analysis of the cue ratings during acquisition indicate successful threat and safety induction, however results of the test phase, when also heat pain was administered, demonstrate rapid safety extinction in both experiments. Results suggest rather small modulation of subjective and physiological pain responses following threat or safety cues relative to the neutral condition. However, exploratory analysis revealed reduced pain ratings in later trials of the experiment in the safety group compared to the threat group in both studies, suggesting different temporal dynamics for threat and safety learning and extinction, respectively. Perspective: The present results demonstrate the challenge to maintain safety in the presence of acute pain and suggest more research on the interaction of affective learning mechanism and pain processing. KW - pain KW - pain sensation KW - functional electrical stimulation KW - heart rate KW - sensory cues KW - learning KW - emotions KW - behavioral conditioning Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349905 VL - 18 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gutzeit, Julian A1 - Weller, Lisa A1 - Muth, Felicitas A1 - Kürten, Jens A1 - Huestegge, Lynn T1 - Eye did this! Sense of agency in eye movements JF - Acta Psychologica N2 - This study investigates the sense of agency (SoA) for saccades with implicit and explicit agency measures. In two eye tracking experiments, participants moved their eyes towards on-screen stimuli that subsequently changed color. Participants then either reproduced the temporal interval between saccade and color-change (Experiment 1) or reported the time points of these events with an auditory Libet clock (Experiment 2) to measure temporal binding effects as implicit indices of SoA. Participants were either made to believe to exert control over the color change or not (agency manipulation). Explicit ratings indicated that the manipulation of causal beliefs and hence agency was successful. However, temporal binding was only evident for caused effects, and only when a sufficiently sensitive procedure was used (auditory Libet clock). This suggests a feebler connection between temporal binding and SoA than previously proposed. The results also provide evidence for a relatively fast acquisition of sense of agency for previously never experienced types of action-effect associations. This indicates that the underlying processes of action control may be rooted in more intricate and adaptable cognitive models than previously thought. Oculomotor SoA as addressed in the present study presumably represents an important cognitive foundation of gaze-based social interaction (social sense of agency) or gaze-based human-machine interaction scenarios. Public significance statement: In this study, sense of agency for eye movements in the non-social domain is investigated in detail, using both explicit and implicit measures. Therefore, it offers novel and specific insights into comprehending sense of agency concerning effects induced by eye movements, as well as broader insights into agency pertaining to entirely newly acquired types of action-effect associations. Oculomotor sense of agency presumably represents an important cognitive foundation of gaze-based social interaction (social agency) or gaze-based human-machine interaction scenarios. Due to peculiarities of the oculomotor domain such as the varying degree of volitional control, eye movements could provide new information regarding more general theories of sense of agency in future research. KW - perception and action KW - sense of agency KW - temporal binding KW - saccades KW - oculomotor control Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349819 VL - 243 ER -