Findings from fear-conditioning studies in rats and functional neuroimaging with human volunteers have led to the suggestion that amygdala is involved preattentive detection of threat-related stimuli. However, some findings point attentional modulation response. The clinical-cognitive literature suggests extent which processing stimuli modulated by attention crucially dependent on participants' anxiety levels. Here, we conducted a magnetic resonance imaging study 27 healthy examine whether...

Debate continues as to the automaticity of amygdala's response threat. Accounts taking a strong line suggest that threat is both involuntary and independent attentional resources. Building on these accounts, prominent models have suggested anxiety modulates output an amygdala-based preattentive evaluation system. Here, we argue for modification models. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected while volunteers performed letter search task high or low perceptual load...

Investigations of fear conditioning in rodents and humans have illuminated the neural mechanisms underlying cued contextual fear. A critical question is how personality dimensions such as trait anxiety act through these to confer vulnerability disorders, whether humans' ability overcome acquired fears depends on regulatory skills not characterized animal models. In a neuroimaging study humans, we found evidence for two independent neurocognitive function associated with anxiety. The first...

This study investigated the heritability of auditory processing impairment, as assessed by Tallal's Auditory Repetition Test (ART). The sample consisted 37 same-sex twin pairs who had previously been selected because one or both twins met criteria for language impairment (LI) and 104 in same age range (7 to 13 years) from general population. These samples yielded 55 children LI, were compared with 76 whose was normal their (LN group). We replicated earlier work showing that group LI is...

In goal neglect, a person ignores some task requirement though being able to describe it. Goal neglect is closely related general intelligence or C. Spearman's (1904) g (J. Duncan, H. Emslie, P. Williams, R. Johnson, & Freer, 1996). The authors tested the role of complexity in and hypothesis that different components sense compete for attention. contrast many kinds attentional limits, increasing real-time demands one component does not promote another. Neither depend on preparation possible...

Much remains unknown regarding the relationship between anxiety, worry, sustained attention, and frontal function. Here, we addressed this using a attention task adapted for functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants responded to presentation of simple stimuli, withholding responses an infrequent "No Go" stimulus. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity "Go" trials, dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) trials were associated with faster error-free performance; consistent DLPFC...

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is under clinical investigation as a treatment for major depressive disorder. However, mechanisms action are unclear, and there lack neuroimaging evidence, particularly among individuals with affective dysfunction. Furthermore, no causal evidence humans that prefrontal-amygdala circuit functions described in animal models (ie, increasing activity cortical control regions inhibits amygdala response to...

Using a contingency volatility manipulation, we tested the hypothesis that difficulty adapting probabilistic decision-making to second-order uncertainty might reflect core deficit cuts across anxiety and depression holds regardless of whether outcomes are aversive or involve reward gain loss. We used bifactor modeling internalizing symptoms separate symptom variance common both from unique each. Across two experiments, modeled performance on under task using hierarchical Bayesian framework....

Anxiety has been robustly linked to deficits in frontal executive function including working memory (WM) and attentional control processes. However, although anxiety also associated with impaired performance on learning tasks, computational investigations of reinforcement (RL) impairment have yielded mixed results. WM processes are known contribute behavior parallel RL modulate the effective rate as a load. typically not modeled RL. In current study, we leveraged an experimental paradigm...

Grammatical specific language impairment (G-SLI) has been proposed as a distinct subtype of impairment. We assessed large sample twins between the ages 7 and 13 years on comprehension tests sensitive to G-SLI. The included 37 same-sex twin pairs selected for presence (LI) in one or both 104 from general population. number patterns errors those with LI replicated findings previous studies Qualitative markers G-SLI were derived tests. Out 144 children whom complete data available, 2 scored...

Fluid intelligence (gf) influences performance across many cognitive domains. It is affected by both genetic and environmental factors. Tasks tapping gf activate a network of brain regions including the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), presupplementary motor area/anterior cingulate (pre-SMA/ACC), intraparietal sulcus (IPS). In line with "intermediate phenotype" approach, we assessed effects polymorphism (val158met) in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene on activity within this actual...

Anxiety and depression are highly comorbid. Across species, depression-related phenotypes have been linked to reduced willingness expend effort pursue rewards. Effortful threat avoidance has less extensively studied. Work in rodents suggest that effortful characterizes depressive is responsive antidepressant medications, while increased more anxiety-like anxiolytic medications. A parallel dissociation humans would clear clinical implications. Here, we investigated whether dimensions of...

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) comprises an important component in the neural circuitry underlying drug-related associative learning and memory processing. Neuronal activation within mPFC circuits is correlated with recall of opiate-related drug-taking experiences both humans other animals. Using unbiased place conditioning procedure, we recorded neuronal populations during acquisition, recall, extinction phases morphine-related memory. Our analyses revealed that neurons show increased...

Resting state fMRI may help identify markers of risk for affective disorder. Given the comorbidity anxiety and depressive disorders heterogeneity these as defined by DSM, an important challenge is to alterations in resting brain connectivity uniquely associated with distinct profiles negative affect. The current study aimed address this identifying differences specifically linked cognitive physiological anxiety, controlling depressed We adopted a two-stage multivariate approach. Hierarchical...

Abstract In everyday life, people need to respond appropriately many types of emotional stimuli. Here, we investigate whether human occipital-temporal cortex (OTC) shows co-representation the semantic category and affective content visual We also explore OTC transformation features extracts information value for guiding behavior. Participants viewed 1620 natural images while functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired. Using voxel-wise modeling show widespread tuning image...

Cognitive theories of depression emphasise a vicious circle linking depressed mood and biased recall towards negative information. In line with this, adults show selectively enhanced for This bias is held to be mediated by increased accessibility self-referent schemas formed as result adverse early experiences. Given surprisingly few studies have examined depression-related biases from developmental perspective. Clinically children been found adjectives, particularly when self-referent, but...