| 1. |
- Bas-Hoogendam, Janna Marie, et al.
(författare)
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ENIGMA-anxiety working group : Rationale for and organization of large-scale neuroimaging studies of anxiety disorders
- 2022
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Ingår i: Human Brain Mapping. - : Wiley. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 43:1, s. 83-112
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and disabling but seem particularly tractable to investigation with translational neuroscience methodologies. Neuroimaging has informed our understanding of the neurobiology of anxiety disorders, but research has been limited by small sample sizes and low statistical power, as well as heterogenous imaging methodology. The ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group has brought together researchers from around the world, in a harmonized and coordinated effort to address these challenges and generate more robust and reproducible findings. This paper elaborates on the concepts and methods informing the work of the working group to date, and describes the initial approach of the four subgroups studying generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. At present, the ENIGMA-Anxiety database contains information about more than 100 unique samples, from 16 countries and 59 institutes. Future directions include examining additional imaging modalities, integrating imaging and genetic data, and collaborating with other ENIGMA working groups. The ENIGMA consortium creates synergy at the intersection of global mental health and clinical neuroscience, and the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group extends the promise of this approach to neuroimaging research on anxiety disorders.
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| 2. |
- Björkstrand, Johannes, et al.
(författare)
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Decrease in amygdala activity during repeated exposure to spider images predicts avoidance behavior in spider fearful individuals.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Translational Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2158-3188. ; 10:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Spider phobia is characterized by exaggerated fear of situations where spiders could be present, resulting in avoidance of such situations and compromised quality of life. An important component in psychological treatment of spider phobia is exposure to phobic situations that reduces avoidance behaviors. At the neural level, amygdala responses to phobic material are elevated, but normalizes following exposure treatment. To what extent amygdala activity decreases during a session of repeated phobic stimulation, and whether activity decrease is related to subsequent avoidance is not well studied. We hypothesized reduced amygdala activity during the course of repeated exposure to spider pictures, and that the degree of reduction would predict subsequent avoidance of spider pictures. To test our hypothesis, functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 45 individuals with spider fear during repeated exposure to spider pictures. Results showed that repeated exposure to spider stimuli attenuated amygdala reactivity and individual differences in activity reductions predicted subsequent avoidance behavior to spider pictures in an incentive-conflict task, with larger attenuations predicting less avoidance. At 6-month follow up, initial reductions in amygdala activation still predicted avoidance. This result demonstrates that reduction in amygdala responses is related to clinically meaningful outcomes in human anxiety, and suggests that within-session reductions in amygdala responses could be an important mechanism explaining the clinical effects of exposure therapy.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Clason van de Leur, Jakob, et al.
(författare)
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Mediators during a multimodal intervention for stress-induced exhaustion disorder
- 2024
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Ingår i: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. - : Routledge. - 1650-6073 .- 1651-2316. ; 53:3, s. 235-253
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our understanding of the underlying psychological processes of development, maintenance, and treatments for stress-induced exhaustion disorder (ED) remains limited. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore whether sleep concerns, pathological worry, perfectionistic concerns, and psychological flexibility mediate change in exhaustion symptoms during a Multimodal intervention for ED based on Cognitive behavioral therapy principles. Participants (N = 913) were assessed at three time points, and mediation was explored using a two-criteria analytical model with linear mixed-effects models (criterion one) and random intercepts cross-lagged panel modeling (criterion 2). Criterion one for mediation was successfully met, as the findings indicated significant associations between time in treatment, with all suggested mediators, and exhaustion symptoms (significant ab-products). However, criterion two was not satisfied as changes in the mediators did not precede changes in exhaustion symptoms. Therefore, mediation could not be established. Instead, changes in the suggested mediators appeared to result from changes in exhaustion symptoms. Consequently, sleep concerns, pathological worry, perfectionistic concerns, and psychological flexibility appear to improve in conjunction with exhaustion symptoms during treatment, where improvement in exhaustion is indicated as the main driving factor, based on this exploratory analysis. The implications of these findings are contextualized within a broader framework of process-based therapy.
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| 5. |
- Clason van de Leur, Jakob, et al.
(författare)
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Predictors and sub-groups in the treatment of stress-induced exhaustion disorder
- 2023
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Ingår i: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1650-6073 .- 1651-2316. ; 52:4, s. 397-418
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Little is known about psychological interventions for stress-induced Exhaustion disorder (ED), and there is a need for more research to improve the outcomes obtained in treatments. The present study examines predictors of improvement, including sub-group responses, in a large sample of ED patients receiving a Multimodal intervention (MMI) based on Cognitive Behavior Therapy (N = 915). In step one, available variables were explored separately as predictors of improvement in ED symptoms. In step two, sub-groups were explored through Latent Class Analysis to reduce the heterogeneity observed in the larger group and to investigate whether combining the variables from step one predicted symptom improvement. Younger age, no previous sick leave due to ED, and scoring high on anxiety, depression, insomnia, perfectionism, and treatment credibility emerged as separate predictors of improvement. In the sub-group analyses, a sub-group including participants who were single and had a lower income showed less improvement. Overall, people with ED participating in MMI report symptom improvement regardless of characteristics before treatment. However, the present findings do have the potential to inform future treatments for ED, as they highlight perfectionism as a predictor of improvement and the importance of assessing treatment credibility during treatment.
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| 6. |
- Clason van de Leur, Jakob
(författare)
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Psychological Treatment of Stress-Induced Exhaustion Disorder : Towards a Contextual Behavioral Approach
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Long-term sick leave due to stress-related disorders has been steadily increasing in Western society. A portion of these sick leave rates is attributed to severe symptoms of exhaustion, assumed to be the result of persistent work stress. In Sweden, this symptomatology is currently classified using the diagnosis of stress-induced exhaustion disorder (ED). There are, however, no evidence-based treatments for ED, nor are there any established theoretical models to guide clinical interventions. Most current treatments revolve around promoting recovery behaviors, as ED is assumed to result from depleted psychophysiological resources. This thesis discusses the merits of this assumption and whether it is compatible with contemporary theories of stress and a contextual behavioral treatment approach. Additionally, a contextual behavioral model of ED is introduced with an accompanying biopsychosocial treatment, aiming to bridge the gap between theories of stress, basic learning principles, and clinically useful methods. The model suggests that ED can be conceptualized as a crisis of engagement rather than a result of depleted psychophysiological resources.Complementing this theoretical work are empirical studies of different aspects of multimodal interventions (MMI) for ED with the overarching aim of fostering a more theoretically coherent ED treatment that can be made accessible to more patients. Study I was an open clinical trial tracking ED patients (N = 390) participating in a 24-week MMI based on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Study II explored sub-groups and predictors of improvements in a large cohort (N = 915) of ED patients participating in the same MMI as Study I. Study III explored mediators commonly suggested to be relevant within ED treatment in the same cohort as Study II: sleep concerns, pathological worry, perfectionistic concerns, and psychological flexibility. Study IV was an uncontrolled pilot trial (N = 26) of the biopsychosocial treatment for ED presented in this thesis, delivered within a 12-week online MMI. In summary, the results of this thesis indicate that ED patients participating in CBT-based MMI benefit from treatment and report few adverse effects. Moreover, high degrees of perfectionism and high treatment credibility were identified as predictors of improvement, indicating the importance of addressing perfectionistic behaviors and treatment credibility in ED treatment. With positive results similar to those of Study I, Study IV provides preliminary support that ED can be treated more effectively with fewer clinical resources than more extensive MMIs when a more focused and theoretically stringent approach is utilized.
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| 7. |
- Clason van de Leur, Jakob, et al.
(författare)
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Standardized multimodal intervention for stress-induced exhaustion disorder : an open trial in a clinical setting
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMC Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-244X. ; 20:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundLong-term sick-leave due to stress-related ill-health is increasing in several economically developed countries. Even though different forms of interventions are administered in regular care for stress-related disorders, such as Stress-induced Exhaustion disorder (SED), the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of such treatments is sparse. The objective of this study was to explore changes in SED-symptoms and return-to-work-rates in a large group of SED-patients participating in a standardized Multimodal intervention (MMI) in a clinical setting.MethodThis open clinical trial tracked 390 patients who fulfilled the criteria for SED undergoing a 24-week MMI, including return-to-work-strategies. Before inclusion, all patients underwent a multi-professional assessment by a team of licensed physicians, licensed psychologists, and licensed physiotherapists. Self-rated questionnaires were administered before treatment, at treatment-start, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and at 12-month follow-up. Within-group change was evaluated over time with mixed-effects models. Beyond different symptoms, working time, sick-leave compensation, and adverse effects were also measured.ResultsThere were significant improvements in symptoms of SED, burnout, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, with large within-group effect sizes (d = 0.91–1.76), improvements that were maintained at 12-month follow-up. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in quality of life and large improvements in average working time and sick-leave compensation. Some adverse effects were reported, mainly concerning an increase in stress, anxiety, and worry.ConclusionSED-patients participating in this standardized MMI reported large symptom alleviation, increased working time and reduced sick-leave compensation, indicating a beneficial treatment. There were some adverse effects, but no more so than other psychological treatments. This study confirms previous findings that high levels of depression and anxiety decrease to sub-clinical levels during treatment, while symptoms of SED also decline, yet still persists above sub-clinical levels at 12-month follow-up. On the whole, this open clinical trial suggests that a standardized MMI, administered in a clinical setting, improves symptoms and return-to-work rates in a clinically representative SED-population.
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| 8. |
- Costache, Madalina Elena, et al.
(författare)
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Higher- and lower-order personality traits and cluster subtypes in social anxiety disorder
- 2020
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. - 1932-6203. ; 15:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Social anxiety disorder (SAD) can come in different forms, presenting problems for diagnostic classification. Here, we examined personality traits in a large sample of patients (N = 265) diagnosed with SAD in comparison to healthy controls (N = 164) by use of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP). In addition, we identified subtypes of SAD based on cluster analysis of the NEO-PI-R Big Five personality dimensions. Significant group differences in personality traits between patients and controls were noted on all Big Five dimensions except agreeableness. Group differences were further noted on most lower-order facets of NEO-PI-R, and nearly all KSP variables. A logistic regression analysis showed, however, that only neuroticism and extraversion remained significant independent predictors of patient/control group when controlling for the effects of the other Big Five dimensions. Also, only neuroticism and extraversion yielded large effect sizes when SAD patients were compared to Swedish normative data for the NEO-PI-R. A two-step cluster analysis resulted in three separate clusters labelled Prototypical (33%), Introvert-Conscientious (29%), and Instable-Open (38%) SAD. Individuals in the Prototypical cluster deviated most on the Big Five dimensions and they were at the most severe end in profile analyses of social anxiety, self-rated fear during public speaking, trait anxiety, and anxiety-related KSP variables. While additional studies are needed to determine if personality subtypes in SAD differ in etiological and treatment-related factors, the present results demonstrate considerable personality heterogeneity in socially anxious individuals, further underscoring that SAD is a multidimensional disorder.
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| 9. |
- Frick, Andreas, Docent, et al.
(författare)
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Dopamine and fear memory formation in the human amygdala
- 2022
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Ingår i: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578. ; 27:3, s. 1704-1711
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Learning which environmental cues that predict danger is crucial for survival and accomplished through Pavlovian fear conditioning. In humans and rodents alike, fear conditioning is amygdala-dependent and rests on similar neurocircuitry. Rodent studies have implicated a causative role for dopamine in the amygdala during fear memory formation, but the role of dopamine in aversive learning in humans is unclear. Here, we show dopamine release in the amygdala and striatum during fear learning in humans. Using simultaneous positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we demonstrate that the amount of dopamine release is linked to strength of conditioned fear responses and linearly coupled to learning-induced activity in the amygdala. Thus, like in rodents, formation of amygdala-dependent fear memories in humans seems to be facilitated by endogenous dopamine release, supporting an evolutionary conserved neurochemical mechanism for aversive memory formation.
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| 10. |
- Hilbert, Kevin, et al.
(författare)
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Cortical and Subcortical Brain Alterations in Specific Phobia and Its Animal and Blood-Injection-Injury Subtypes: A Mega-Analysis From the ENIGMA Anxiety Working Group.
- 2024
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Ingår i: The American Journal of Psychiatry. - 1535-7228. ; 181:8, s. 728-740
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Specific phobia is a common anxiety disorder, but the literature on associated brain structure alterations exhibits substantial gaps. The ENIGMA Anxiety Working Group examined brain structure differences between individuals with specific phobias and healthy control subjects as well as between the animal and blood-injection-injury (BII) subtypes of specific phobia. Additionally, the authors investigated associations of brain structure with symptom severity and age (youths vs. adults).Data sets from 31 original studies were combined to create a final sample with 1,452 participants with phobia and 2,991 healthy participants (62.7% female; ages 5-90). Imaging processing and quality control were performed using established ENIGMA protocols. Subcortical volumes as well as cortical surface area and thickness were examined in a preregistered analysis.Compared with the healthy control group, the phobia group showed mostly smaller subcortical volumes, mixed surface differences, and larger cortical thickness across a substantial number of regions. The phobia subgroups also showed differences, including, as hypothesized, larger medial orbitofrontal cortex thickness in BII phobia (N=182) compared with animal phobia (N=739). All findings were driven by adult participants; no significant results were observed in children and adolescents.Brain alterations associated with specific phobia exceeded those of other anxiety disorders in comparable analyses in extent and effect size and were not limited to reductions in brain structure. Moreover, phenomenological differences between phobia subgroups were reflected in diverging neural underpinnings, including brain areas related to fear processing and higher cognitive processes. The findings implicate brain structure alterations in specific phobia, although subcortical alterations in particular may also relate to broader internalizing psychopathology.
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