Autonomic Responsivity Research Articles

Discrete and Recurrent Traumatization in PTSD: Fear vs. Anxious Misery

Discrete and Recurrent Traumatization in PTSD: Fear vs. Anxious Misery

Attachment styles in dating couples: Predicting relationship functioning over time

This study examined the associations between self‐reported attachment style dimensions and romantic relationship functioning over 1 year in a sample of heterosexual dating couples between the ages of 18 and 25 (115 dyads at T1, 57 dyads at T2; 74% Caucasian). Relationship functioning was assessed at multiple levels of analysis via self‐reports of interpersonal functioning, observers' ratings of dyadic interactions, and measures of autonomic responding during the interactions. No significant cross‐sectional associations were found between attachment style dimensions and interpersonal functioning. However, individuals who reported greater attachment‐related anxiety at T1 described their relationships as being of lower quality, were rated by observers as interacting less positively, and exhibited greater electrodermal reactivity during interactions 1 year later.

Do different facets of impulsivity predict different types of aggression?

This study examined the relations between impulsivity-related traits (as assessed by the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale) and aggressive behaviors. Results indicated that UPPS-P Lack of Premeditation and Sensation Seeking were important in predicting general violence. In contrast, UPPS-P Urgency was most useful in predicting intimate partner violence. To further explore relations between intimate partner violence and Urgency, a measure of autonomic response to pleasant and aversive stimuli and facets of Neuroticism from the NEO PI-R were used as control variables. Autonomic responsivity was correlated with intimate partner violence at the zero-order level, and predicted significant variance in intimate partner violence in regression equations. However, UPPS-P Urgency was able to account for unique variance in intimate partner violence, above and beyond measures of Neuroticism and arousal. Implications regarding the use of a multifaceted conceptualization of impulsivity in the prediction of different types of violent behavior are discussed.

The autonomic stress-induced hyperthermia response is not enhanced by several anxiogenic drugs

While anxiety models are often based on locomotor activity responses, the stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH) paradigm uses the autonomic stress response by measuring body temperature. The effects of putative anxiogenic compounds in the SIH paradigm are inconclusive in mice and have not been examined in rats. Furthermore, it has been suggested that drug-induced effects on body temperature could be dependent on locomotor activity levels. Therefore, the effects of three anxiogenic substances, yohimbine (an α(2) receptor antagonist), mCPP (a 5HT(2C) receptor agonist) and FG-7142 (a GABA(A) receptor inverse agonist acting at the benzodiazepine site) on the stress-induced body temperature and locomotor activity response were studied in rats using novel cage stress. All anxiogenic compounds resulted in hypothermia. In contrast, FG-7142 and yohimbine increased locomotor activity levels, whereas mCPP reduced locomotor activity levels. The lack of an increased body temperature response of anxiogenic compounds indicates that the anxiogenic capacity of a drug does not necessarily yield increased autonomic stress responsivity. Moreover, the present study shows that a drug-induced decreased body temperature can be accompanied by increased locomotor activity, suggesting that both parameters represent independent parameters of the stress response.

Autonomic responsivity in neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD, TS, and ASD)

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Tourette Syndrome (TS) are neurodevelopmental disorders with strikingly different clinical manifestations and presentations. However, despite such disparate clinical presentations, they frequently show co-morbidity suggesting potentially similar etiological mechanisms. Autonomic dysregulation has been reported independently in each of these conditions, though comparisons of the nature of this dysregulation across disorders are rare

Skin conductance and memory fragmentation after exposure to an emotional film clip in depersonalization disorder

It is often assumed that when confronted with an emotional event, patients with DPD inhibit information processing. It is also thought that this fosters memory fragmentation. This hypothesis has not been tested in chronic depersonalization. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal pattern of autonomic responding to emotional material in depersonalization disorder, along with concomitant deficits in subjective and objective memory formation (i.e., difficulties to form a coherent narrative consisting of an ordered sequence of events). Participants with depersonalization disorder ( n = 14) and healthy control participants ( n = 14) viewed an emotional video clip while their skin conductance (SC) levels were measured. Peritraumatic dissociation was measured before and after the clip, and memory performance was measured 35 min after viewing. Compared to controls, depersonalized participants exhibited a distinctly different temporal pattern of autonomic responding, characterized by an earlier peak and subsequent flattening of SCLs. Maximum SCLs did not differ between the two groups. Moreover, unlike the control group, depersonalized participants showed no SC recovery after clip offset. In terms of memory performance, patients exhibited objective memory fragmentation, which they also reported subjectively. However, they did not differ from controls in free recall performance. Apparently, emotional responding in DPD is characterized by a shortened latency to peak with subsequent flattening and is accompanied by memory fragmentation in the light of otherwise unremarkable memory functioning.

La memoria de extinción está deteriorada en la esquizofrenia

Background Schizophrenia is associated with abnormalities in emotional processing and social cognition, which might result from disruption of the underlying neural mechanism(s) governing emotional learning and memory. To investigate this possibility, we measured the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear responses and delayed recall of extinction in schizophrenia and control subjects. Methods Twenty-eight schizophrenia and 18 demographically matched control subjects underwent a 2-day fear conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction recall procedure, in which skin conductance response (SCR) magnitude was used as the index of conditioned responses. Results During fear acquisition, 83% of the control subjects and 57% of the patients showed autonomic responsivity (“responders”), and the patients showed larger SCRs to the stimulus that was not paired with the unconditioned stimulus (CS_) than the control subjects. Within the responder group, there was no difference between the patients and control subjects in levels of extinction learning; however, the schizophrenia patients showed significant impairment, relative to the control subjects, in context-dependent recall of the extinction memory. In addition, delusion severity in the patients correlated with baseline skin conductance levels. Conclusions These data are consistent with prior evidence for a heightened neural response to innocuous stimuli in schizophrenia and elevated arousal levels in psychosis. The finding of deficient extinction recall in schizophrenia patients who showed intact extinction learning suggests that schizophrenia is associated with a disturbance in the neural processes supporting emotional memory.

Adult attachment security and young adults’ dating relationships over time: Self-reported, observational, and physiological evidence.

This study examined the developmental significance of adult attachment security--as measured by the Adult Attachment Interview--for romantic relationship functioning concurrently and approximately 1 year later in a sample of heterosexual dating couples between the ages of 18 and 25 (115 dyads at Time 1 [T1] and 57 dyads at T2, 74% White). The authors assessed romantic relationship functioning at T1 and T2 using observers' ratings of emotional tone during a laboratory conflict resolution task and via participants' self-reports about their relationships, yielding evidence that adult attachment security prospectively predicted the observed and perceived quality of adults' romantic relationships even after prior levels of interpersonal functioning were controlled. Measures of autonomic responding were also acquired during the interactions, replicating prior evidence that insecurity is concurrently associated with electrodermal reactivity in attachment-relevant contexts.

Aversive Imagery in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Trauma Recurrence, Comorbidity, and Physiological Reactivity

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized as a disorder of exaggerated defensive physiological arousal. The novel aim of the present research was to investigate within PTSD a potential dose-response relationship between past trauma recurrence and current comorbidity and intensity of physiological reactions to imagery of trauma and other aversive scenarios. A community sample of principal PTSD (n = 49; 22 single-trauma exposed, 27 multiple-trauma exposed) and control (n = 76; 46 never-trauma exposed, 30 trauma exposed) participants imagined threatening and neutral events while acoustic startle probes were presented and the eye-blink response (orbicularis occuli) was recorded. Changes in heart rate, skin conductance level, and facial expressivity were also indexed. Overall, PTSD patients exceeded control participants in startle reflex, autonomic responding, and facial expressivity during idiographic trauma imagery and, though less pronounced, showed heightened reactivity to standard anger, panic, and physical danger imagery. Concerning subgroups, control participants with and without trauma exposure showed isomorphic patterns. Within PTSD, only the single-trauma patients evinced robust startle and autonomic responses, exceeding both control participants and multiple-trauma PTSD. Despite greater reported arousal, the multiple-trauma relative to single-trauma PTSD group showed blunted defensive reactivity associated with more chronic and severe PTSD, greater mood and anxiety disorder comorbidity, and more pervasive dimensional dysphoria (e.g., depression, trait anxiety). Whereas PTSD patients generally show marked physiological arousal during aversive imagery, concordant with self-reported distress, the most symptomatic patients with histories of severe, cumulative traumatization show discordant physiological hyporeactivity, perhaps attributable to sustained high stress and an egregious, persistent negative affectivity that ultimately compromises defensive responding.

Heterogeneity of non-conscious fear perception in posttraumatic stress disorder as a function of physiological arousal: An fMRI study

While posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often characterised by an excessive fear response and hyperarousal, research has generally neglected other clinical characteristics including hypoarousal. Findings indicate that concurrent autonomic activity is associated with increased non-conscious processing of fear, highlighting that autonomic responsivity may be an important determinant in the degree of activation within the brainstem-amygdala-MPFC (medial prefrontal cortex) network.

S.15.04 Defensive mobilisation and autonomic responding in anxiety disorders patients

S.15.04 Defensive mobilisation and autonomic responding in anxiety disorders patients

Individual differences and developmental change in the ERN response: implications for models of ACC function

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been associated with conditions precipitating an increase in effortful processing or increased attention, including the presence of conflicting information and the detection of errors. The error-related negativity (ERN), an electrocortical response, has been used as a marker for these conditions. The ERN amplitude however is subject to developmental change across the lifespan as well as being sensitive to individual differences in personality, affect, and autonomic responsivity. In this review, we examine the implications of such influences for a standard ACC model of conflict processing, and outline the need of any model of ACC function to include mechanisms that allow for the integration of neurovisceral and cognitive domains.

Fearful Imagery in Social Phobia: Generalization, Comorbidity, and Physiological Reactivity

Social phobia has been characterized as a disorder of exaggerated fear of social threat and heightened sensitivity to imagery of social failure. To assess the physiological basis of this description, social phobia patients (n=75) and demographically matched control participants (n=75) imagined neutral and fearful events while acoustic startle probes were occasionally presented and eye-blink responses (orbicularis occuli) recorded. Changes in heart rate, skin conductance level, and facial expressivity were also indexed. In addition to comparing control participants and social phobia patients, the influences of diagnostic subtype (circumscribed, generalized), comorbid depression, and chronicity were assessed. Patients exceeded control participants in startle reflex and autonomic responding during imagery of social threat, whereas the groups evinced commensurate reactivity to contents depicting commonly shared fears (survival threat). Individuals with circumscribed performance phobia were similar to control participants, with the exception of more robust reactions to idiographic, performance fear imagery. In contrast, generalized phobic patients were characterized by longer disorder chronicity and demonstrated heightened sensitivity to a broader range of fear contents. Those with generalized phobia plus comorbid depression showed attenuation of fear-potentiated startle and reported the most protracted social anxiety. Subtypes of social phobia can be objectively distinguished in patterns of physiological reactivity. Furthermore, subtypes vary systematically in chronicity and defensive engagement with the shortest disorder duration (circumscribed phobia) associated with the most robust and focal physiological reactivity, followed by broader defensive sensitivity in more chronic generalized phobia, and finally attenuation of the formerly exaggerated fear potentiation in the comorbidly depressed, the most chronic form.

Extinction Memory Is Impaired in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is associated with abnormalities in emotional processing and social cognition, which might result from disruption of the underlying neural mechanism(s) governing emotional learning and memory. To investigate this possibility, we measured the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear responses and delayed recall of extinction in schizophrenia and control subjects. Twenty-eight schizophrenia and 18 demographically matched control subjects underwent a 2-day fear conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction recall procedure, in which skin conductance response (SCR) magnitude was used as the index of conditioned responses. During fear acquisition, 83% of the control subjects and 57% of the patients showed autonomic responsivity ("responders"), and the patients showed larger SCRs to the stimulus that was not paired with the unconditioned stimulus (CS-) than the control subjects. Within the responder group, there was no difference between the patients and control subjects in levels of extinction learning; however, the schizophrenia patients showed significant impairment, relative to the control subjects, in context-dependent recall of the extinction memory. In addition, delusion severity in the patients correlated with baseline skin conductance levels. These data are consistent with prior evidence for a heightened neural response to innocuous stimuli in schizophrenia and elevated arousal levels in psychosis. The finding of deficient extinction recall in schizophrenia patients who showed intact extinction learning suggests that schizophrenia is associated with a disturbance in the neural processes supporting emotional memory.

A neuroanatomical dissociation for emotion induced by music

Does feeling an emotion require changes in autonomic responses, as William James proposed? Can feelings and autonomic responses be dissociated? Findings from cognitive neuroscience have identified brain structures that subserve feelings and autonomic response, including those induced by emotional music. In the study reported here, we explored whether feelings and autonomic responses can be dissociated by using music, a stimulus that has a strong capacity to induce emotional experiences. We tested two brain regions predicted to be differentially involved in autonomic responsivity (the ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and feeling (the right somatosensory cortex). Patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex were impaired in their ability to generate skin-conductance responses to music, but generated normal judgments of their subjective feelings in response to music. Conversely, patients with damage to the right somatosensory cortex were impaired in their self-rated feelings in response to music, but generated normal skin-conductance responses to music. Control tasks suggested that neither impairment was due to basic defects in hearing the music or in cognitively recognizing the intended emotion of the music. The findings provide evidence for a double dissociation between feeling emotions and autonomic responses to emotions, in response to music stimuli.

Sex Differences in Autonomic Correlates of Conduct Problems and Aggression

ObjectiveTo examine sex differences in autonomic nervous system functioning in children and adolescents with conduct problems and to evaluate the role of aggression in predicting autonomic nervous system functioning, over and above the effects of disruptive behavior. Although deficiencies in autonomic responding among boys with oppositional defiant disorder and/or conduct disorder are well documented, it remains unclear whether such findings extend to girls or apply only to children with aggressive forms of conduct problems. MethodElectrodermal responding, cardiac pre-ejection period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia were recorded while boys (n = 110; 53 with conduct problems, 57 controls) and girls (n = 65; 33 with conduct problems, 32 controls) between the ages of 8 and 12 sat for an extended baseline, then played a game with conditions of reward and frustrative nonreward. ResultsBoth sex effects and aggression effects were found. Aggressive boys with conduct problems demonstrated reduced autonomic functioning, consistent with previous research. In contrast, aggressive girls with conduct problems exhibited greater electrodermal responding than controls, with no differences in cardiovascular reactivity to incentives. ConclusionsObserved sex differences in the autonomic correlates of conduct problems and aggression may suggest different etiological mechanisms of externalizing psychopathology for girls compared with boys. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 2008; 47(7):788–796.

Sex Differences in Autonomic Correlates of Conduct Problems and Aggression

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Objective</h3> To examine sex differences in autonomic nervous system functioning in children and adolescents with conduct problems and to evaluate the role of aggression in predicting autonomic nervous system functioning, over and above the effects of disruptive behavior. Although deficiencies in autonomic responding among boys with oppositional defiant disorder and/or conduct disorder are well documented, it remains unclear whether such findings extend to girls or apply only to children with aggressive forms of conduct problems. <h3>Method</h3> Electrodermal responding, cardiac pre-ejection period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia were recorded while boys (<i>n</i> = 110; 53 with conduct problems, 57 controls) and girls (<i>n</i> = 65; 33 with conduct problems, 32 controls) between the ages of 8 and 12 sat for an extended baseline, then played a game with conditions of reward and frustrative nonreward. <h3>Results</h3> Both sex effects and aggression effects were found. Aggressive boys with conduct problems demonstrated reduced autonomic functioning, consistent with previous research. In contrast, aggressive girls with conduct problems exhibited greater electrodermal responding than controls, with no differences in cardiovascular reactivity to incentives. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Observed sex differences in the autonomic correlates of conduct problems and aggression may suggest different etiological mechanisms of externalizing psychopathology for girls compared with boys. <i>J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry</i>, 2008; 47(7):788–796.

Autonomic contributions to empathy: Evidence from patients with primary autonomic failure

Empathy for the emotions of others may require simulatory engagement of corresponding autonomic arousal states. We tested the hypothesis that disruption of autonomic control impairs the ability to empathize emotionally with others. Fifteen patients with primary autonomic failure showed attenuated scores on the Mehrabian Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES), compared to both younger and older controls. This effect was not accounted for by age, gender, mood state or functional disability. These early observations provide preliminary evidence for a direct contribution of autonomic responsivity to the ‘higher-order’ social cognitive process of empathy, and may inform the dynamics of supportive care.

Electrodermal and phasic heart rate responses in the Guilty Actions Test: Comparing guilty examinees to informed and uninformed innocents

The present mock-crime study concentrated on the validity of the Guilty Actions Test (GAT) and the role of the orienting response (OR) for differential autonomic responding. N = 105 female subjects were assigned to one of three groups: a guilty group, members of which committed a mock-theft; an innocent-aware group, members of which witnessed the theft; and an innocent-unaware group. A GAT consisting of ten question sets was administered while measuring electrodermal and heart rate (HR) responses. For informed participants (guilty and innocent-aware), relevant items were accompanied by larger skin conductance responses and heart rate decelerations whereas irrelevant items elicited HR accelerations. Uninformed participants showed a non-systematic response pattern. The differential electrodermal responses of informed participants declined across the test. With respect to the HR data, however, no habituation was observed. Findings suggest that GAT results could not exclusively be interpreted by referring to the OR.

Startle reflex modulation and autonomic responding during anxious apprehension in panic disorder patients

The present study explored anxious apprehension in panic disorder patients and controls in two threat conditions, darkness and threat of shock. Autonomic arousal and startle eyeblink reflexes were recorded in 26 panic disorder patients and 22 controls during adaptation, a safe condition, threat of shock, and darkness. Exposure to darkness resulted in a clear potentiation of the startle reflex. Panic patients but not controls responded with an increase in heart rate that was positively related to severity of agoraphobic avoidance. Threat of shock resulted in a startle potentiation that tended to be stronger in panic patients without comorbid depression than controls and attenuated in those patients who suffered from severe depression. These data suggest that only panic patients without depression belong to the fear disorders spectrum whereas panic patients with comorbid depression might rather belong to the distress disorders profile.