Center for the Study of Emotion & Attention, University of Florida, FL, USA.
Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2014;32(1):63-77. doi: 10.3233/RNN-139012.
Research from the University of Florida Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention aims to develop neurobiological measures that objectively discriminate among symptom patterns in patients with anxiety disorders. From this perspective, anxiety and mood pathologies are considered to be brain disorders, resulting from dysfunction and maladaptive plasticity in the neural circuits that determine fearful/defensive and appetitive/reward behavior (Insel et al., 2010). We review recent studies indicating that an enhanced probe startle reflex during the processing of fear memory cues (mediated by cortico-limbic circuitry and thus indicative of plastic brain changes), varies systematically in strength over a spectrum-wide dimension of anxiety pathology-across and within diagnoses-extending from strong focal fear reactions to a consistently blunted reaction in patients with more generalized anxiety and comorbid mood disorders. Preliminary studies with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) encourage the hypothesis that fear/defense circuit dysfunction covaries with this same dimension of psychopathology. Plans are described for an extended study of the brain's motivation circuitry in anxiety spectrum patients, with the aim of defining the specifics of circuit dysfunction in severe disorders. A sub-project explores the use of real-time fMRI feedback in circuit analysis and as a modality to up-regulate circuit function in the context of blunted affect.
佛罗里达大学情绪与注意研究中心的研究旨在开发神经生物学指标，客观地区分焦虑障碍患者的症状模式。从这个角度来看，焦虑和情绪病理学被认为是大脑疾病，是决定恐惧/防御和渴望/奖励行为的神经回路功能障碍和适应不良可塑性的结果（Insel 等人，2010 年）。我们回顾了最近的研究，这些研究表明，在处理恐惧记忆线索时，增强的探针 startle 反射（由皮质-边缘回路介导，因此表明大脑可塑性变化），在焦虑病理的全谱维度上，在不同和同一诊断中，以系统的方式在强度上变化——从强烈的焦点恐惧反应到更广泛的焦虑和共病情绪障碍患者持续迟钝的反应。功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）的初步研究鼓励这样一种假设，即恐惧/防御回路功能障碍与这种相同的精神病理学维度相关。描述了一项扩展的焦虑谱患者大脑动机回路研究计划，旨在确定严重障碍中回路功能障碍的具体情况。一个子项目探讨了在影响迟钝的背景下，使用实时 fMRI 反馈进行回路分析和调节回路功能的方法。
