Differential associations of conduct disorder, callous-unemotional traits and irritability with outcome expectations and values regarding the consequences of aggression.

BACKGROUND: Previous work has examined the association of aggression levels and callous-unemotional traits with outcome expectations and values regarding the consequences of aggression. Less work has examined the outcome expectations and values regarding the consequences of aggression of adolescents with Conduct Disorder (CD). Also, no studies have examined links between irritability (a second socio-affective trait associated with CD) and these social cognitive processes despite the core function of anger in retaliatory aggression and establishing dominance. METHOD: The current study, investigating these issues, involved 193 adolescents (typically developing [TD; N = 106], 87 cases with CD [N = 87]). Participants completed an adaptation of the Outcomes Expectations and Values Questionnaire and were assessed for CU traits and irritability via the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional traits and the Affective Reactivity Index. RESULTS: While CD was associated with atypical outcome expectations this was not seen within statistical models including CU traits and irritability. CU traits were associated with decreased expectation that aggression would result in feelings of remorse and victim suffering, as well as decreased concern that aggressive acts would result in punishment and victim suffering. Irritability was associated with increased expectations and concern that aggression would result in dominance and forced respect. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that CU traits and irritability, often present in youth with CD, are associated with different forms of maladaptive outcome expectations and values regarding the consequences of aggression. This suggests that the atypical social cognitive processes underlying aggressive behavior among youth exhibiting CU traits may differ from those exhibiting problems regulating anger.

Reduced optimism and a heightened neural response to everyday worries are specific to generalized anxiety disorder, and not seen in social anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) are co-morbid and associated with similar neural disruptions during emotion regulation. In contrast, the lack of optimism examined here may be specific to GAD and could prove an important biomarker for that disorder. METHOD: Unmedicated individuals with GAD (n = 18) and age-, intelligence quotient- and gender-matched SAD (n = 18) and healthy (n = 18) comparison individuals were scanned while contemplating likelihoods of high- and low-impact negative (e.g. heart attack; heartburn) or positive (e.g. winning lottery; hug) events occurring to themselves in the future. RESULTS: As expected, healthy subjects showed significant optimistic bias (OB); they considered themselves significantly less likely to experience future negative but significantly more likely to experience future positive events relative to others (p < 0.001). This was also seen in SAD, albeit at trend level for positive events (p < 0.001 and p < 0.10, respectively). However, GAD patients showed no OB for positive events (t 17 = 0.82, n.s.) and showed significantly reduced neural modulation relative to the two other groups of regions including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and caudate to these events (p < 0.001 for all). The GAD group further differed from the other groups by showing increased neural responses to low-impact events in regions including the rostral mPFC (p < 0.05 for both). CONCLUSIONS: The neural dysfunction identified here may represent a unique feature associated with reduced optimism and increased worry about everyday events in GAD. Consistent with this possibility, patients with SAD did not show such dysfunction. Future studies should consider if this dysfunction represents a biomarker for GAD.

Learning from other people's fear: amygdala-based social reference learning in social anxiety disorder.

BACKGROUND: Social anxiety disorder involves fear of social objects or situations. Social referencing may play an important role in the acquisition of this fear and could be a key determinant in future biomarkers and treatment pathways. However, the neural underpinnings mediating such learning in social anxiety are unknown. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined social reference learning in social anxiety disorder. Specifically, would patients with the disorder show increased amygdala activity during social reference learning, and further, following social reference learning, show particularly increased response to objects associated with other people's negative reactions? METHOD: A total of 32 unmedicated patients with social anxiety disorder and 22 age-, intelligence quotient- and gender-matched healthy individuals responded to objects that had become associated with others' fearful, angry, happy or neutral reactions. RESULTS: During the social reference learning phase, a significant group × social context interaction revealed that, relative to the comparison group, the social anxiety group showed a significantly greater response in the amygdala, as well as rostral, dorsomedial and lateral frontal and parietal cortices during the social, relative to non-social, referencing trials. In addition, during the object test phase, relative to the comparison group, the social anxiety group showed increased bilateral amygdala activation to objects associated with others' fearful reactions, and a trend towards decreased amygdala activation to objects associated with others' happy and neutral reactions. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest perturbed observational learning in social anxiety disorder. In addition, they further implicate the amygdala and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in the disorder, and underscore their importance in future biomarker developments.

Cognitive control of attention is differentially affected in trauma-exposed individuals with and without post-traumatic stress disorder.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine whether patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show difficulty in recruitment of the regions of the frontal and parietal cortex implicated in top-down attentional control in the presence and absence of emotional distracters. METHOD: Unmedicated individuals with PTSD (n = 14), and age-, IQ- and gender-matched individuals exposed to trauma (n = 15) and healthy controls (n = 19) were tested on the affective number Stroop task. In addition, blood oxygen level-dependent responses, as measured via functional magnetic resonance imaging, were recorded. RESULTS: Patients with PTSD showed disrupted recruitment of lateral regions of the superior and inferior frontal cortex as well as the parietal cortex in the presence of negative distracters. Trauma-comparison individuals showed indications of a heightened ability to recruit fronto-parietal regions implicated in top-down attentional control across distracter conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with suggestions that emotional responsiveness can interfere with the recruitment of regions implicated in top-down attentional control; the heightened emotional responding of patients with PTSD may lead to the heightened interference in the recruitment of these regions.

The role of 5-HTTLPR in choosing the lesser of two evils, the better of two goods: examining the impact of 5-HTTLPR genotype and tryptophan depletion in object choice.

RATIONALE: The serotonin (5-HT) system is considered important for decision-making. However, its role in reward- and punishment-based processing has not yet been clearly determined. OBJECTIVES: The present study examines the effect of 5-HTTLPR genotype and tryptophan depletion on reward- and punishment-related processing, using a task that considers decision-making in situations of subtlety of choice. Thus, it considers that response choice often occurs in situations where both options are desirable (e.g., choosing between mousse au chocolat or crème caramel cheesecake from a menu) or undesirable. It also considers that response choice is easier when the reinforcements associated with the options are far apart, rather than close, in value. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Healthy volunteers underwent acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) or control procedures and genotyping of the 5-HTTLPR for long and short allele variants. We then examined the effects and interactions of ATD and the serotonin promoter polymorphism genotype on two aspects of decision-making: (a) decision form, choosing between two objects to gain the greater reward or lesser punishment and (b) between-object reinforcement distance, the difference in reinforcements associated with two options. RESULTS: ATD and LL homozygosity had comparable interactions with decision form and between-object reinforcement distance. Specifically, both modulated the effect of between-object reinforcement distance when deciding between objects both associated with punishment. Moreover, ATD and genotype interacted with ATD disproportionately affecting the performance of the LL homozygous group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that serotonin is particularly associated with punishment, rather than reward-related processing, and that individual sensitivity to punishment-related information and tryptophan depletion varies with genotype.

Biased emotional attention in post-traumatic stress disorder: a help as well as a hindrance?

BACKGROUND: From a cognitive neuroscience perspective, the emotional attentional bias in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could be conceptualized either as emotional hyper-responsiveness or as reduced priming of task-relevant representations due to dysfunction in 'top-down' regulatory systems. We investigated these possibilities both with respect to threatening and positive stimuli among traumatized individuals with and without PTSD. METHOD: Twenty-two patients with PTSD, 21 trauma controls and 20 non-traumatized healthy participants were evaluated on two tasks. For one of these tasks, the affective Stroop task (aST), the emotional stimuli act as distracters and interfere with task performance. For the other, the emotional lexical decision task (eLDT), emotional information facilitates task performance. RESULTS: Compared to trauma controls and healthy participants, patients with PTSD showed increased interference for negative but not positive distracters on the aST and increased emotional facilitation for negative words on the eLDT. CONCLUSIONS: These findings document that hyper-responsiveness to threat but not to positive stimuli is specific for patients with PTSD.

Modulation of emotion by cognition and cognition by emotion.

In this study, we examined the impact of goal-directed processing on the response to emotional pictures and the impact of emotional pictures on goal-directed processing. Subjects (N=22) viewed neutral or emotional pictures in the presence or absence of a demanding cognitive task. Goal-directed processing disrupted the BOLD response to emotional pictures. In particular, the BOLD response within bilateral amygdala and inferior frontal gyrus decreased during concurrent task performance. Moreover, the presence of both positive and negative distractors disrupted task performance, with reaction times increasing for emotional relative to neutral distractors. Moreover, in line with the suggestion of the importance of lateral frontal regions in emotional regulation [Ochsner, K. N., Ray, R. D., Cooper, J. C., Robertson, E. R., Chopra, S., Gabrieli, J. D., et al. (2004). For better or for worse: neural systems supporting the cognitive down-and up-regulation of negative emotion. NeuroImage, 23(2), 483-499], connectivity analysis revealed positive connectivity between lateral superior frontal cortex and regions of middle frontal cortex previously implicated in emotional suppression [Beauregard, M., Levesque, J., and Bourgouin, P. (2001). Neural correlates of conscious self-regulation of emotion. J. Neurosci., 21 (18), RC165.; Levesque, J., Eugene, F., Joanette, Y., Paquette, V., Mensour, B., Beaudoin, G., et al. (2003). Neural circuitry underlying voluntary suppression of sadness. Biol. Psychiatry, 53 (6), 502-510.; Ohira, H., Nomura, M., Ichikawa, N., Isowa, T., Iidaka, T., Sato, A., et al. (2006). Association of neural and physiological responses during voluntary emotion suppression. NeuroImage, 29 (3), 721-733] and negative connectivity with bilateral amygdala. These data suggest that processes involved in emotional regulation are recruited during task performance in the context of emotional distractors.

Instrumental learning and relearning in individuals with psychopathy and in patients with lesions involving the amygdala or orbitofrontal cortex.

Previous work has shown that individuals with psychopathy are impaired on some forms of associative learning, particularly stimulus-reinforcement learning (Blair et al., 2004; Newman & Kosson, 1986). Animal work suggests that the acquisition of stimulus-reinforcement associations requires the amygdala (Baxter & Murray, 2002). Individuals with psychopathy also show impoverished reversal learning (Mitchell, Colledge, Leonard, & Blair, 2002). Reversal learning is supported by the ventrolateral and orbitofrontal cortex (Rolls, 2004). In this paper we present experiments investigating stimulus-reinforcement learning and relearning in patients with lesions of the orbitofrontal cortex or amygdala, and individuals with developmental psychopathy without known trauma. The results are interpreted with reference to current neurocognitive models of stimulus-reinforcement learning, relearning, and developmental psychopathy.

Differentiating among prefrontal substrates in psychopathy: neuropsychological test findings.

Frontal lobe and consequent executive dysfunction have long been related to psychopathy. More recently, there have been suggestions that specific regions of frontal cortex, rather than all of frontal cortex, may be implicated in psychopathy. To examine this issue, the authors presented 25 individuals with psychopathy and 30 comparison individuals with measures preferentially indexing the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; object alternation task), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; spatial alternation task), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; number-Stroop reading and counting tasks). The individuals with psychopathy showed significant impairment on the measure preferentially sensitive to OFC functioning. In contrast, the 2 groups did not show impairment on the measures preferentially sensitive to the functioning of the DLPFC or ACC. These results are interpreted with reference to executive dysfunction accounts of the disorder.

They know the words, but not the music: affective and semantic priming in individuals with psychopathy.

Previous work has indicated dysfunctional affect-language interactions in individuals with psychopathy through use of the lexical decision task. However, it has been uncertain as to whether these deficits actually reflect impaired affect-language interactions or a more fundamental deficit in general semantic processing. In this study, we examined affective priming and semantic priming (dependent measures were reaction times and error rates) in individuals with psychopathy and comparison individuals, classified according to the psychopathy checklist revised (PCL-R) [Hare, R.D., 1991. The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Multi-Health Systems, Toronto, Ont] Individuals with psychopathy showed significantly less affective priming relative to comparison individuals. In contrast, the two groups showed comparable levels of semantic priming. The results are discussed with reference to current models of psychopathy.

Hyperacute lung rejection in the pig-to-human model. 2. Synergy between soluble and membrane complement inhibition.

BACKGROUND: The role of complement in hyperacute lung xenograft rejection has not been elucidated. The present study evaluates the effect of complement (C) C3/C5 convertase inhibition on hyperacute rejection of pig lung by human blood. METHODS: In an established ex-vivo model, lungs from pigs heterozygous for human decay accelerating factor (hDAF), non-transgenic littermate control pigs, or farm-bred pigs were perfused with fresh human blood that was either unmodified or treated with soluble complement receptor type 1 (sCR1: TP10, 100 microg/ml). RESULTS: Non-transgenic lungs from littermate controls had a median survival time of 35 min (range 5 to 210; P = 0.25 vs. farm-bred piglets: median 5 min, range 5 to 10). Lungs expressing hDAF survived for a median of 90 min (range 10 to 161; P = 0.5 and 0.01 vs. littermate and farm-bred controls, respectively), with sCR1, whereas hDAF (-) lungs failed by 35 min (range 6 to 307), hDAF (+) lungs survived for 330 min (range 39 to 577) [P = 0.002 vs. farm-bred; P = 0.08 vs. hDAF (-); P = 0.17 vs. sCR1/hDAF (-)]. The rise in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at 5 min was blunted only by hDAF (+) with sCR1 (0.26 +/- 0.2 vs. 0.5 to 0.7 mmHg/ml/min for other groups). Plasma C3a and sC5b-9 and tissue deposition of C5b-9 were dramatically diminished using sCR1, and further decreased in association with hDAF. Histamine and thromboxane were produced rapidly in all groups. CONCLUSION: Complement plays an important role in lung HAR. However, even potent inhibition of C3/C5 convertase, both membrane bound in lung and by a soluble-phase inhibitor in the blood, does not prevent activation of inflammatory responses known to be particularly injurious to the lung. Our findings implicate a role for innate immune pathways resistant to efficient complement regulation. The role of anti-species antibody, coagulation pathway dysregulation, and additional environmental or genetic influences remain to be defined.

Thromboxane mediates pulmonary hypertension and lung inflammation during hyperacute lung rejection.

The role of thromboxane (Tx) in hyperacute rejection of pig lung by human blood was studied in an ex vivo model, wherein lungs from juvenile piglets were perfused with fresh heparinized human blood. In this model, hyperacute lung rejection was characterized by an abrupt rise in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR; >1 cmH2O x ml(-1) x min) and prolific Tx elaboration (>15 ng/ml) within 5 min and loss of function within 10 min. Although papaverine significantly blunted the rise in PVR (<0.2 cmH2O x ml(-1) x min), Tx production was not inhibited (>20 ng/ml), and florid tracheal edema was usually evident within 20 min. In contrast, both inhibition of Tx synthesis (Tx < 3 ng/ml) with OKY-046 and blockade of the Tx receptor with SQ-30741 (Tx > 20 ng/ml) were not only associated with significantly lower peak PVRs (<0.2 cmH2O x ml(-1) x min) but also with attenuated increase in lung wet-to-dry ratio and airway edema. In concert, elaboration of histamine and tumor necrosis factor was blunted, and median survival increased >10-fold to 2 h (SQ-30741) and >4 h (OKY-046). Depletion of the pig lung macrophages with dichloromethyl bisphosphonate in liposomes, but not Pall filtration of the human blood or liposomes alone, significantly inhibited Tx elaboration (<0.2 vs. >8 ng/ml for Pall filtration or liposomes) and blunted PVR elevation (<0.3 cmH(2)O x ml(-1) x min) during initial perfusion. C3a and histamine elaboration were inhibited, and median survival was significantly prolonged (>4 h). These findings implicate Tx in the inflammation associated with hyperacute lung rejection and demonstrate that pulmonary intravascular macrophages are critical to its elaboration.

Prolongation of primate cardiac allograft survival by treatment with ANTI-CD40 ligand (CD154) antibody.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether a humanized anti-CD154 antibody (hu5c8) prolongs primate cardiac allograft survival. METHODS: Heterotopic cardiac allografts were performed between MHC class II-mismatched cynomolgus monkeys. Survival was compared between groups treated with a perioperative dosing of hu5c8 (group 1; n=6), sustained dosing with hu5c8 (group 2; n=3), and control regimens (n=4). All recipients received fresh donor-specific transfusions during surgery. RESULTS: Median graft survival was 49 days (range 14 to 56) in group 1 and 106 days (range 56 to 245) in group 2, compared with 5 days (range 5 to 6) for controls (P<0.05 for all comparisons). Lymphocytic infiltrates were often present in hu5c8-treated grafts with stable contractility. Donor-specific mixed lymphocyte reaction was generally preserved. Vasculitis and cellular intimal proliferation were prevalent in rejected grafts but occurred later and were less prevalent in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-CD154 antibody markedly prolongs the survival of cardiac allografts in primates and is well tolerated. Sustained dosing with hu5c8 yielded improved survival and may be associated with a lower incidence of vascular pathology. We conclude that hu5c8 therapy is an effective approach for inhibiting acute cardiac allograft rejection in primates.

Immunohistologic evaluation of mechanisms mediating hyperacute lung rejection, and the effect of treatment with K76-COOH, FUT-175, and anti-Gal column immunoadsorption.

Although most investigators agree that lung dysfunction occurs rapidly in various pig-to-primate hyperacute lung rejection (HALR) models, the basic mechanisms mediating this phenomenon remain in question. Here we describe an immunohistochemical method for assessment of mechanisms driving HALR. Using an established model wherein piglet lungs are perfused ex vivo with human blood, six experimental groups (K76 COOH; FUT-175; K76 with FUT; anti-alpha-Gal column adsorption; column with FUT; and column with K76) and two control groups (unmodified human blood; autologous pig blood) were studied. Each lung was biopsied serially during perfusion, and assessed using an immunohistochemical technique, with vWF staining as an internal control to quantitate binding of human IgM, IgG, C3, C5b-9, properdin, and C1q. The effect of each treatment and subsequent lung perfusion on IgG and IgM anti-alpha-Gal titers(by ELISA) and on pig endothelial cell cytotoxicity were correlated with histologic findings. We found that [1] the classical complement activation pathway was activated, as has been shown for other pig organs in primate or human blood environments [2]; alternative complement pathway activation is also seen, which has not been described for other organs in pig-to-primate models, but only in the context of classical pathway activation; and [3] anti-Gal column absorption, pharmacologic inhibition of complement, or combination therapy each was associated with histologic evidence of partial protection, consistent with what would be predicted for each intervention. Further, immunohistologic differences correlated with physiologic outcomes [8] and with antibody assay results, and revealed that treatments used were incompletely effective. Our data suggest that more complete inhibition of antibody- and complement-driven pathways than was achieved in these experiments will be necessary to prevent the antibody and complement-mediated facets of hyperacute lung rejection. This immunohistologic technique may also help us identify additional pathogenic mechanisms important to eventual clinical application of pig-to-human lung xenografts.

Nutrition services in home care.

As nutrition technology continues to advance, important nutrition issues for home care policymakers include determining the type and level of nutrition care needed to most effectively meet the patient's needs, determining who should provide nutrition services in the home, and reimbursement for nutrition services.