激活右腹外侧前额叶提高抑郁症患者对社会疼痛的情绪调节能力：一项TMS研究

负性人际交往经历和负性社会事件是抑郁症的重要诱导因素, 而社会功能受损是抑郁症患者的重要特征之一, 患者通常表现出对社会疼痛的情绪失调。为了提高抑郁症患者在负性社交情境中或面对负性社会事件时的情绪调节能力, 本研究采用经颅磁刺激技术(transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS), 考察抑郁症患者在腹外侧前额叶(the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, VLPFC)被激活后其情绪调节能力的改变。结果表明, 当右侧VLPFC被TMS激活且患者采用认知重评策略调节情绪时, 实验组患者(n = 64)比对照组患者(n = 63)在社会排斥情境下报告了更弱的负性情绪体验, 这说明激活右侧VLPFC可以有效提高患者对社会疼痛的外显性情绪调节能力。本研究是采用TMS提高抑郁症患者情绪调节能力的首次尝试, 实验发现不但支持了VLPFC与认知重评策略的因果关系, 还为临床改善抑郁症等社会功能障碍患者的情绪调节能力提供了明确的神经治疗靶点。后续研究还需探讨多疗程TMS刺激方案、改变社会疼痛的诱发方式、对比左右侧VLPFC的治疗效果、尝试使用其他的情绪调节策略, 进一步验证本研究的结论, 优化TMS治疗方案。     

背外侧前额叶对主动遗忘负性社会反馈的作用：针对抑郁症的TMS研究

抑郁症患者的负性心境可能源于其抑制功能障碍。患者在主动遗忘负性材料时无法有效调用背外侧前额叶(the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC)等负责抑制控制的额叶脑网络。同时, 患者对社会信息的加工比对非社会信息的加工存在更明显的认知神经障碍, 很难主动遗忘对自己不利的社会反馈信息。为了提高抑郁症患者对负性社会反馈的主动遗忘能力, 本研究采用经颅磁刺激技术(transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS), 考察抑郁症患者在左侧(n = 32)或右侧DLPFC (n = 30)被激活后其记忆控制能力的改变。结果表明, 当患者的DLPFC被TMS激活时, 他们对社会拒绝的回忆正确率与健康对照组(n = 31)无差异, 且TMS激活右侧DLPFC还改善了患者对他人的社会态度。本研究是采用TMS提高抑郁症患者主动遗忘能力的首次尝试, 研究结果不但支持了DLPFC与记忆控制功能的因果关系, 还为临床治疗抑郁症、创伤后应激障碍、药物成瘾等患者的记忆控制缺陷提供了明确的神经靶点。     

第三方惩罚的神经机制：来自经颅直流电刺激的证据

第三方惩罚既是社会规范在群体得以维系的基石, 也是个体维护社会规范的体现。当前关注社会规范的神经研究大多基于第二方惩罚的独裁者或最后通牒实验框架, 缺乏对第三方维护社会规范过程中相关脑区活动的探索, 对这一过程的内在神经机制也不清楚。本文基于第三方惩罚的独裁者博弈框架, 对右侧背外侧前额叶区域(DLPFC)进行不同极性的经颅直流电刺激(tDCS), 同时依据第三方是否需要为其惩罚付出成本设计了零成本和有成本两个实验任务。结果发现, 第三方在零成本任务的情绪反应和惩罚显著受到tDCS设置的影响, 且阴极刺激显著提升了第三方的惩罚值, 这表明情绪机制对第三方惩罚有着重要影响。另外, 第三方在零成本和有成本任务中的惩罚差异在不同tDCS设置之间也存在显著差异, 这与第三方惩罚还受到自利机制影响的观点相符。本文率先为右侧DLPFC活动影响第三方惩罚提供了神经层面的证据, 且支持了第三方对社会规范的遵从与其负性情绪反应和自利加工密切相关的机制解释。     

左侧眶额皮层在自动情绪调节下注意选择中的作用：来自经颅直流电刺激的证据

前人研究表明自动情绪调节能够自上而下地影响情绪及情绪性注意过程。近来有研究提示自动情绪调节与眶额皮层(orbitofrontal cortex, OFC)有关。也有研究表明左侧OFC的激活影响负性注意偏向。本研究采用经颅直流电刺激技术,考察阈下启动情绪控制目标条件下,抑制左侧眶额皮层兴奋性是否影响负性注意偏向。结果发现,使用阴极刺激抑制左侧OFC活动可以加快被试对与恐惧刺激位置一致的探测点的反应。该结果提示左侧眶额皮层是自动情绪调节下情绪性注意选择相关的重要脑区。     

Evidence of the origin of specific spontaneous head turns during intertrial intervals

Direction and the frequency of spontaneous head movements during the ITIs following forward and backward paired trials were compared to an acquisition of a conditioned orienting (alpha) response directed to the side of the tone source. The head movements were analyzed from video recordings using classification of head turns to preferred and to nonpreferred directions. The results showed a significant increase in the alpha responses during the forward paired conditioning to the preferred direction and rapid extinction during the subsequent backward conditioning sessions. Spontaneous head movements during the ITIs increased to the same preferred direction as the conditioned alpha responses. The results of this experiment suggest that the response initially elicited by the CS can later appear as “spontaneous,” instrumental behavior, the form and the nature of which is determined by the characteristics of the conditioned alpha response developing as a result of classical conditioning.     

MANIPULATION OF POTENTIAL PUNISHMENT PARAMETERS IN THE TREATMENT OF SELF-INJURY1

The self-injurious behavior (SIB) of a blind, profoundly retarded male was observed within a field setting as multiple forms of punishment were applied. The effects of hair-tug punishment were first systematically examined, then hair-tug and electric shock punishment were administered in varing ratios (of punishment deliveries per SIB response) supplemented by continuous restraint contingencies and made contingent on recurrent antecedents of SIB cycles. Treatments were applied over six months of consecutive daily sessions ranging from 30 min to 8 hr duration. Posttreatment followup observations were taken 12, 24, and 34 months after treatment. Partial suppression was produced as a direct function of hair-tug punishment in the initial phase. A generally progressive decrement was produced on already lowered SIB rates with the succeeding components of the treatment package. Extended periods of total SIB suppression occurred as punishment was rendered contingent on antecedent components of each SIB response cycle. Followup observations of nearly 3 yr duration indicated total suppression generalized over all settings in which the subject functioned. The findings were related to the contrasting limits prevailing in most reports of punishment-based SIB suppression.     

不同频率经颅交流电刺激在精神疾病中的应用

近年来, 研究者开始将经颅交流电刺激技术应用于精神疾病领域中, 其中, 以γ、α频率最受关注。tACS作用于精神疾病的可能机制包括两个方面, 直接调节异常的大脑神经活动和间接改善患者的认知功能。首先, 使用特定频率的tACS作用目标脑区, 可以调节对应频率的神经振荡和大脑功能连接, 通过作用于疾病相关的异常大脑活动, 直接改善患者的临床症状。其次, 并不针对某种疾病特异受损的大脑活动, 而是用tACS激活与认知功能相关的大脑环路, 广泛地提高患者的注意、记忆等多种认知功能, 进而整体上缓解不良症状。目前, 使用tACS治疗精神疾病这一领域还有一些尚未解决、值得探讨的问题。tACS的作用机制研究、刺激参数和范式改进、技术升级, 可以成为心理学、脑科学以及临床医学的重点研究方向。     

经颅直流电刺激在抑郁症治疗中的应用

已有的神经影像学研究成果揭示, 抑郁症发作的重要原因之一是大脑前额叶皮层结构和功能受损。经颅直流电刺激(tDCS)作为一种无创脑刺激, 选取前额叶皮层作为刺激区域, 通过调节皮层兴奋性来治疗抑郁症, 能够有效缓解抑郁症状和改善受损的认知功能, 疗效明显且持久稳定。针对tDCS在抑郁症治疗研究中的问题, 未来可从有效性、个体差异以及预防干预等六个方面进一步研究, 以期tDCS作为一种具有潜力的治疗手段, 在临床上有更为广泛地应用。     

Centrally elicited aggressive behavior: A model system for the study of episodic neurobehavioral pathologies?

Studies in which the predatory-like attack of a cat upon a rat has been elicited by electrical brain stimulation have been briefly reviewed with an emphasis on the question of where within the central nervous system such brain stimulation is producing its behaviorally meaningful effects. Two opposing but by no means mutually exclusive views are considered. The first is that brain stimulation elicits this behavior pattern primarily because it affects a specific motivated behavior system that is organized discretely in the midbrain and pons. The second is that forebrain neural activity is modulated in behaviorally significant ways by brainstem stimulation, which elicits predatory-like aggressive behavior in the cat. The possibility that further research on the altered state of central nervous system activity, induced by brain stimulation which elicits aggressive behavior in the cat, may lead to a further understanding of the altered states of central nervous system activity that underlie the aggressive dyscontrol syndrome and other episodic state disorders is discussed.