| 1. |
- Herz, Noa, et al.
(författare)
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Intrusive memories : A mechanistic signature for emotional memory persistence
- 2020
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Ingår i: Behaviour Research and Therapy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0005-7967 .- 1873-622X. ; 135
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Memories of negative emotional events persist more over time relative to memories for neutral information. Such persistence has been attributed to heightened encoding and consolidation processes. However, reactivation of the encoded information may also lead to reduced memory decay through rehearsal or a reconsolidation processes. Here, we tested whether involuntary intrusive memories, spontaneously arising following a stressful event and reactivating its memory, function to prevent memory decay, enhancing its persistence. Participants watched a stressful film containing scenes of aversive material. Memory for the film contents was tested immediately post film using a visual recognition test. In the following five days, participants recorded intrusive memories of the film using a digitized diary. After 5-days, memory for the film contents was retested. Results indicate that in the immediate aftermath of film watching, participant's memory scores were similarly high for scenes that were later experienced as intrusions and scenes that did not intrude, suggesting effective encoding for all scenes. However, persistence of memory for scenes that intruded was preserved relative to memory for scenes that did not intrude, pointing to a mechanism through which negative intrusive memories persist over time. Implications for memory modification interventions in trauma-related psychopathology are discussed.
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| 2. |
- Herz, Noa, et al.
(författare)
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Neuromodulation of Visual Cortex Reduces the Intensity of Intrusive Memories
- 2022
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Ingår i: Cerebral Cortex. - : Oxford University Press. - 1047-3211 .- 1460-2199. ; 32:2, s. 408-417
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aversive events can be reexperienced as involuntary and spontaneous mental images of the event. Given that the vividness of retrieved mental images is coupled with elevated visual activation, we tested whether neuromodulation of the visual cortex would reduce the frequency and negative emotional intensity of intrusive memories. Intrusive memories of a viewed trauma film and their accompanied emotional intensity were recorded throughout 5 days. Functional connectivity, measured with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging prior to film viewing, was used as predictive marker for intrusions-related negative emotional intensity. Results indicated that an interaction between the visual network and emotion processing areas predicted intrusions' emotional intensity. To test the causal influence of early visual cortex activity on intrusions' emotional intensity, participants' memory of the film was reactivated by brief reminders 1 day following film viewing, followed by inhibitory 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over early visual cortex. Results showed that visual cortex inhibitory stimulation reduced the emotional intensity of later intrusions, while leaving intrusion frequency and explicit visual memory intact. Current findings suggest that early visual areas constitute a central node influencing the emotional intensity of intrusive memories for negative events. Potential neuroscience-driven intervention targets designed to downregulate the emotional intensity of intrusive memories are discussed.
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| 3. |
- Price, Rebecca B., et al.
(författare)
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Less is more : Patient-level meta-analysis reveals paradoxical dose-response effects of a computer-based social anxiety intervention targeting attentional bias
- 2017
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Ingår i: Depression and anxiety (Print). - : Hindawi Limited. - 1091-4269 .- 1520-6394. ; 34:12, s. 1106-1115
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The past decade of research has seen considerable interest in computer-based approaches designed to directly target cognitive mechanisms of anxiety, such as attention bias modification (ABM).Methods: By pooling patient-level datasets from randomized controlled trials of ABM that utilized a dot-probe training procedure, we assessed the impact of training "dose" on relevant outcomes among a pooled sample of 693 socially anxious adults.Results: A paradoxical effect of the number of training trials administered was observed for both posttraining social anxiety symptoms and behavioral attentional bias (AB) toward threat (the target mechanism of ABM). Studies administering a large (>1,280) number of training trials showed no benefit of ABM over control conditions, while those administering fewer training trials showed significant benefit for ABM in reducing social anxiety (P = .02). These moderating effects of dose were not better explained by other examined variables and previously identified moderators, including patient age, training setting (laboratory vs. home), or type of anxiety assessment (clinician vs. self-report).Conclusions: Findings inform the optimal dosing for future dot-probe style ABM applications in both research and clinical settings, and suggest several novel avenues for further research.
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| 4. |
- Price, Rebecca B., et al.
(författare)
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Pooled patient-level meta-analysis of children and adults completing a computer-based anxiety intervention targeting attentional bias
- 2016
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Ingår i: Clinical Psychology Review. - : Elsevier BV. - 0272-7358 .- 1873-7811. ; 50, s. 37-49
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computer-based approaches, such as Attention Bias Modification (ABM), could help improve access to care for anxiety. Study-level meta-analyses of ABM have produced conflicting findings and leave critical questions unresolved regarding ABM's mechanisms of action and clinical potential. We pooled patient-level datasets from randomized controlled trials of children and adults with high-anxiety. Attentional bias (AB) towards threat, the target mechanism of ABM, was tested as an outcome and a mechanistic mediator and moderator of anxiety reduction. Diagnostic remission and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) were clinical outcomes available in enough studies to enable pooling. Per-patient data were obtained on at least one outcome from 13/16 eligible studies [86% of eligible participants; n = 778]. Significant main effects of ABM on diagnostic remission (ABM—22.6%, control—10.8%; OR = 2.57; p = 0.006) and AB (β* (95%CI) = − 0.63 (− 0.83, − 0.42); p < 0.00005) were observed. There was no main effect of ABM on LSAS. However, moderator analyses suggested ABM was effective for patients who were younger (≤ 37 y), trained in the lab, and/or assessed by clinicians. Under the same conditions where ABM was effective, mechanistic links between AB and anxiety reduction were supported. Under these specific circumstances, ABM reduces anxiety and acts through its target mechanism, supporting ABM's theoretical basis while simultaneously suggesting clinical indications and refinements to improve its currently limited clinical potential.
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