43 results on '"Lorenz RC"'
Search Results
2. Fast-and-frugal decision tree for the rapid critical appraisal of systematic reviews.
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Lorenz RC, Jenny M, Jacobs A, and Matthias K
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- Humans, Systematic Reviews as Topic, Research Design, Algorithms, Reproducibility of Results, Review Literature as Topic, Evidence-Based Medicine, Decision Trees
- Abstract
Conducting high-quality overviews of reviews (OoR) is time-consuming. Because the quality of systematic reviews (SRs) varies, it is necessary to critically appraise SRs when conducting an OoR. A well-established appraisal tool is A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2, which takes about 15-32 min per application. To save time, we developed two fast-and-frugal decision trees (FFTs) for assessing the methodological quality of SR for OoR either during the full-text screening stage (Screening FFT) or to the resulting pool of SRs (Rapid Appraisal FFT). To build a data set for developing the FFT, we identified published AMSTAR 2 appraisals. Overall confidence ratings of the AMSTAR 2 were used as a criterion and the 16 items as cues. One thousand five hundred and nineteen appraisals were obtained from 24 publications and divided into training and test data sets. The resulting Screening FFT consists of three items and correctly identifies all non-critically low-quality SRs (sensitivity of 100%), but has a positive predictive value of 59%. The three-item Rapid Appraisal FFT correctly identifies 80% of the high-quality SRs and correctly identifies 97% of the low-quality SRs, resulting in an accuracy of 95%. The FFTs require about 10% of the 16 AMSTAR 2 items. The Screening FFT may be applied during full-text screening to exclude SRs with critically low quality. The Rapid Appraisal FFT may be applied to the final SR pool to identify SR that might be of high methodological quality., (© 2024 The Author(s). Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2024
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3. Assessing Inhibitory Control Deficits in Adult ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Stop-signal Task.
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Senkowski D, Ziegler T, Singh M, Heinz A, He J, Silk T, and Lorenz RC
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- Humans, Adult, Executive Function physiology, Reaction Time physiology, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity psychology, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity physiopathology, Inhibition, Psychological, Neuropsychological Tests
- Abstract
In recent years, there has been an increasing quest in improving our understanding of the neurocognitive deficits underlying adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Current statistical manuals of psychiatric disorders emphasize inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, but empirical studies have also shown consistent alterations in inhibitory control. To date, there is no established neuropsychological test to assess inhibitory control deficits in adult ADHD. A common paradigm for assessing response inhibition is the stop-signal task (SST). Following PRISMA-selection criteria, our systematic review and meta-analysis integrated the findings of 26 publications with 27 studies examining the SST in adult ADHD. The meta-analysis, which included 883 patients with adult ADHD and 916 control participants, revealed reliable inhibitory control deficits, as expressed in prolonged SST response times, with a moderate effect size g = 0.51 (95% CI: 0.376-0.644, p < 0.0001). The deficits were not moderated by study quality, sample characteristics or clinical parameters, suggesting that they may be a phenotype in this disorder. The analyses of secondary outcome measures revealed greater SST omission errors and reduced go accuracy in patients, indicative of altered sustained attention. However, only few (N < 10) studies were available for these measures. Our meta-analysis suggests that the SST, in conjunction with other tests and questionnaires, could become a valuable tool for assessing inhibitory control deficits in adult ADHD., (© 2023. The Author(s).)
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- 2024
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4. User experience of applying AMSTAR 2 to appraise systematic reviews of healthcare interventions: a commentary.
- Author
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De Santis KK, Pieper D, Lorenz RC, Wegewitz U, Siemens W, and Matthias K
- Subjects
- Humans, Reproducibility of Results, Evidence-Based Medicine methods
- Abstract
Background: 'A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews, version 2' (AMSTAR 2) is a validated 16-item scale designed to appraise systematic reviews (SRs) of healthcare interventions and to rate the overall confidence in their results. This commentary aims to describe the challenges with rating of the individual items and the application of AMSTAR 2 from the user perspective., Discussion: A group of six experienced users (methodologists working in different clinical fields for at least 10 years) identified and discussed the challenges in rating of each item and the general use of AMSTAR 2 to appraise SRs. A group discussion was used to develop recommendations on how users could deal with the identified challenges. We identified various challenges with the content of items 2-16 and with the derivation of the overall confidence ratings on AMSTAR 2. These challenges include the need (1) to provide additional definitions (e.g., what constitutes major deviations from SR protocol on item 2), (2) to choose a rating strategy for multiple conditions on single items (e.g., how to rate item 5 if studies were selected in duplicate, but consensus between two authors was not reported), and (3) to determine rules for deriving the confidence ratings (e.g., what items are critical for such ratings). Based on these challenges we formulated specific recommendations for items 2-16 that AMSTAR 2 users could consider before applying the tool. Our commentary adds to the existing literature by providing the first in-depth examination of the AMSTAR 2 tool from the user perspective. The identified challenges could be addressed by additional decision rules including definitions for ambiguous items and guidance for rating of complex items and derivation of confidence ratings. We recommend that a team consensus regarding such decision rules is required before appraisal procedure begins., Trial Registration: Not applicable., (© 2023. The Author(s).)
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- 2023
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5. Knowledge user survey and Delphi process to inform development of a new risk of bias tool to assess systematic reviews with network meta-analysis (RoB NMA tool).
- Author
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Lunny C, Veroniki AA, Hutton B, White I, Higgins J, Wright JM, Kim JY, Thirugnanasampanthar SS, Siddiqui S, Watt J, Moja L, Taske N, Lorenz RC, Gerrish S, Straus S, Minogue V, Hu F, Lin K, Kapani A, Nagi S, Chen L, Akbar-Nejad M, and Tricco AC
- Subjects
- Humans, Cross-Sectional Studies, Systematic Reviews as Topic, Bias, Surveys and Questionnaires, Network Meta-Analysis
- Abstract
Background: Network meta-analysis (NMA) is increasingly used in guideline development and other aspects of evidence-based decision-making. We aimed to develop a risk of bias (RoB) tool to assess NMAs (RoB NMA tool). An international steering committee recommended that the RoB NMA tool to be used in combination with the Risk of Bias in Systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool (i.e. because it was designed to assess biases only) or other similar quality appraisal tools (eg, A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2 [AMSTAR 2]) to assess quality of systematic reviews. The RoB NMA tool will assess NMA biases and limitations regarding how the analysis was planned, data were analysed and results were presented, including the way in which the evidence was assembled and interpreted., Objectives: Conduct (a) a Delphi process to determine expert opinion on an item's inclusion and (b) a knowledge user survey to widen its impact., Design: Cross-sectional survey and Delphi process., Methods: Delphi panellists were asked to rate whether items should be included. All agreed-upon item were included in a second round of the survey (defined as 70% agreement). We surveyed knowledge users' views and preferences about the importance, utility and willingness to use the RoB NMA tool to evaluate evidence in practice and in policymaking. We included 12 closed and 10 open-ended questions, and we followed a knowledge translation plan to disseminate the survey through social media and professional networks., Results: 22 items were entered into a Delphi survey of which 28 respondents completed round 1, and 22 completed round 2. Seven items did not reach consensus in round 2. A total of 298 knowledge users participated in the survey (14% respondent rate). 75% indicated that their organisation produced NMAs, and 78% showed high interest in the tool, especially if they had received adequate training (84%). Most knowledge users and Delphi panellists preferred a tool to assess both bias in individual NMA results and authors' conclusions. Response bias in our sample is a major limitation as knowledge users working in high-income countries were more represented. One of the limitations of the Delphi process is that it depends on the purposive selection of experts and their availability, thus limiting the variability in perspectives and scientific disciplines., Conclusions: This Delphi process and knowledge user survey informs the development of the RoB NMA tool., Competing Interests: Competing interests: AAV was an Associate Editor for the journal, but was not involved with the decision or peer-review process., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)
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- 2023
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6. Adolescents' neural reactivity to acute psychosocial stress: dysfunctional regulation habits are linked to temporal gyrus response.
- Author
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Golde S, Gleich T, Romund L, Stippl A, Pelz P, Raufelder D, Lorenz RC, and Beck A
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- Humans, Adolescent, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neural Pathways, Stress, Psychological diagnostic imaging, Emotions, Brain, Brain Mapping, Temporal Lobe diagnostic imaging, Gyrus Cinguli diagnostic imaging
- Abstract
Mid-adolescence is a critical time for the development of stress-related disorders and it is associated with significant social vulnerability. However, little is known about normative neural processes accompanying psychosocial stress at this time. Previous research found that emotion regulation strategies critically influence the relationship between stress and the development of psychiatric symptoms during adolescence. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined neural responses to acute stress and analyzed whether the tendency to use adaptive or maladaptive emotion regulation strategies is related to neural and autonomic stress responses. Results show large linear activation increases from low to medium to high stress levels mainly in medial prefrontal, insulae and temporal areas. Caudate and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, neural areas related to reward and affective valuations, showed linearly decreasing activation. In line with our hypothesis, the current adolescent neural stress profile resembled social rejection and was characterized by pronounced activation in insula, angular and temporal cortices. Moreover, results point to an intriguing role of the anterior temporal gyrus. Stress-related activity in the anterior temporal gyrus was positively related to maladaptive regulation strategies and stress-induced autonomic activity. Maladaptive coping might increase the social threat and reappraisal load of a stressor, relating to higher stress sensitivity of anterior temporal cortices.
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- 2023
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7. Effects of baclofen on insular gain anticipation in alcohol-dependent patients - a randomized, placebo-controlled, pharmaco-fMRI pilot trial.
- Author
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Pelz P, Genauck A, Lorenz RC, Wüstenberg T, Wackerhagen C, Charlet K, Gleich T, Geisel O, Heinz A, Müller CA, and Beck A
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- Humans, Baclofen pharmacology, Baclofen therapeutic use, Magnetic Resonance Imaging methods, Pilot Projects, Ethanol, Polyesters pharmacology, Polyesters therapeutic use, Reward, Anticipation, Psychological, Alcoholism diagnostic imaging, Alcoholism drug therapy, Central Nervous System Depressants pharmacology
- Abstract
Rationale: One hallmark of addiction is an altered neuronal reward processing. In healthy individuals (HC), reduced activity in fronto-striatal regions including the insula has been observed when a reward anticipation task was performed repeatedly. This effect could indicate a desensitization of the neural reward system due to repetition. Here, we investigated this hypothesis in a cohort of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), who have been treated with baclofen or a placebo. The efficacy of baclofen in AUD patients has been shown to have positive clinical effects, possibly via indirectly affecting structures within the neuronal reward system., Objectives: Twenty-eight recently detoxified patients (13 receiving baclofen (BAC), 15 receiving placebo (PLA)) were investigated within a longitudinal, double-blind, and randomized pharmaco-fMRI design with an individually adjusted daily dosage of 30-270 mg., Methods: Brain responses were captured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during reward anticipation while participating in a slot machine paradigm before (t1) and after 2 weeks of individual high-dose medication (t2)., Results: Abstinence rates were significantly higher in the BAC compared to the PLA group during the 12-week high-dose medication phase. At t1, all patients showed significant bilateral striatal activation. At t2, the BAC group showed a significant decrease in insular activation compared to the PLA group., Conclusions: By affecting insular information processing, baclofen might enable a more flexible neuronal adaptation during recurrent reward anticipation, which could resemble a desensitization as previously observed in HC. This result strengthens the modulation of the reward system as a potential mechanism of action of baclofen., Trial Registration: Identifier of the main trial (the BACLAD study) at clinical.gov: NCT0126665., (© 2022. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2023
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8. Effects of stress on neural processing of combat-related stimuli in deployed soldiers: an fMRI study.
- Author
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Lorenz RC, Butler O, Willmund G, Wesemann U, Zimmermann P, Gallinat J, and Kühn S
- Subjects
- Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Military Personnel psychology, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic psychology
- Abstract
Severe trauma exposure may lead to symptoms of both posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Neuroanatomical theories suggest that both disorders may share imbalances in fronto-limbic circuits. Longitudinal studies are necessary to better understand the impact of a stressful life situation on potential long-term fronto-limbic imbalances. Here we investigated soldiers neural processing of combat-related stimuli versus negative affective stimuli before and after the deployment in different war zones. In the final analysis we included 104 deployed soldiers (combat group) and 36 soldiers that were not deployed (control group). Behaviorally, we found a significant group by time interaction regarding depression symptom scores with an increase in the combat group. Depressive symptoms were subclinical. On the neural level, neither the whole brain analysis nor the region of interest (ROI) analyses including frontal and limbic ROIs revealed any significant results in the group by time interaction. However, extracted ROI values of the group by time interaction of amygdala and hippocampus were positively associated with the change in depression symptom scores in the combat group, but not in the control group. These results highlight the role of depression in individuals that experience stressful life situations. Future studies may need to investigate the role of depressive symptoms after trauma exposure with different tasks that may be particularly sensitive to changes due to depressive symptoms., (© 2022. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2022
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9. The application of AMSTAR2 in 32 overviews of systematic reviews of interventions for mental and behavioural disorders: A cross-sectional study.
- Author
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De Santis KK, Lorenz RC, Lakeberg M, and Matthias K
- Subjects
- Cross-Sectional Studies, Delivery of Health Care, Humans, Systematic Reviews as Topic, Mental Disorders therapy, Publications
- Abstract
'A measurement tool to assess systematic reviews, version 2' (AMSTAR2) is a 16-item tool to critically appraise systematic reviews (SRs) of healthcare interventions. This study aimed to assess the methods and outcomes of AMSTAR2 appraisals in overviews of SRs of interventions for mental and behavioural disorders. The cross-sectional study was conducted using 32 overviews of SRs selected from three electronic databases in January 2021. Data items included overview and SR characteristics and AMSTAR2 appraisal methods and outcomes. Data were extracted by two authors independently and narratively synthesised using descriptive statistics (means ± SD and relative frequencies). SR characteristics were compared based on AMSTAR2 appraisal outcomes using chi-square tests. The 32 overviews appraised SRs of predominantly non-pharmacological interventions for mental disorders. AMSTAR2 appraisals were reported as confidence ratings in 25/32 overviews or individual item scores in 24/32 overviews. Most SRs/overview were non-Cochrane (mean = 94%), included RCTs only (mean = 77%) and were published before AMSTAR2 release (mean = 79%). The confidence ratings derived in 25 overviews for 349 SRs were predominantly critically low (68%). Confidence ratings were similar for SRs with RCTs only versus RCTs+non-RCTs or SRs published before versus after AMSTAR2 release, while Cochrane SRs received more high+moderate than low+critically low confidence ratings (p < 0.01). Confidence ratings derived based on AMSTAR2 do not differentiate among SRs of healthcare interventions except for Cochrane SRs that fulfil the criteria for high confidence ratings. AMSTAR2 items should be consulted to avoid common weaknesses in future SRs., (© 2021 The Authors. Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2022
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10. Adolescents' Personality Development - A Question of Psychosocial Stress.
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Raufelder D, Hoferichter F, Kulakow S, Golde S, Gleich T, Romund L, Lorenz RC, Pelz P, and Beck A
- Abstract
Following the relational-developmental systems approach, this three-wave study examines whether acute stress (T2) mediates the relationship between the development of personality traits from the beginning of 8th grade (T1, M
age = 15.63, SD = 0.59; 22 girls) to the end of 9th grade (T3). Using the Montréal Imaging Stress Task, which is a task that provokes acute social stress by negative social feedback, this study combined the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), heart rate, and longitudinal survey data of 41 adolescents. Mediation analysis revealed that stress-induced left insula activation partially mediates the longitudinal stability of conscientiousness. These results highlight the impact of negative social feedback during stress on students' personality development., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Raufelder, Hoferichter, Kulakow, Golde, Gleich, Romund, Lorenz, Pelz and Beck.)- Published
- 2021
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11. Do Belonging and Social Exclusion at School Affect Structural Brain Development During Adolescence?
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Raufelder D, Neumann N, Domin M, Lorenz RC, Gleich T, Golde S, Romund L, Beck A, and Hoferichter F
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- Adolescent, Cerebral Cortex, Female, Humans, Infant, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Social Isolation, Schools, Students
- Abstract
Students' sense of belonging presents an essential resource for academic and health outcomes, whereas social exclusion at school negatively impacts students' well-being and academic performance. Aiming to understand how feelings of school-related belonging and exclusion shape the structural brain development, this study applied longitudinal questionnaire-based data and MRI data from 71 adolescent students (37 females, M
age at t1 = 15.0; t2 = 16.1 years). All were white participants from Germany. Voxel-based morphometry revealed only an association of social exclusion (and not of belonging) and gray matter volume in the left anterior insula: From t1 to t2, there was less gray matter decrease, the more social exclusion students perceived. School-related social exclusion and disturbed neurodevelopment are thus significantly associated., (© 2021 The Authors. Child Development published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Research in Child Development.)- Published
- 2021
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12. Reply to letter to the editor by Franco et al. AMSTAR 2 overall confidence rating: A call for even more transparency.
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Lorenz RC, Pieper D, Rombey T, Jacobs A, Rissling O, Freitag S, and Matthias K
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- 2021
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13. [Decisions of the German Federal Joint Committee in situations with insufficient data : Decision-making options for new diagnostic and treatment methods].
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Lorenz RC, Lerch D, Perleth M, and Lelgemann M
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- Germany, Humans, Evidence-Based Medicine, National Health Programs
- Abstract
Background: In accordance with legal requirements, the Federal Joint Committee (German: Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, G‑BA) decides based on the best available evidence which new diagnostic and treatment methods are reimbursed by statutory health insurance. If the benefit is proven with sufficient certainty, statutory health insurance providers pay for the new method, otherwise a trial study must be conducted., Objectives: To present the G‑BA's decision-making options even in the case of insufficient evidence in the field of urology., Materials and Methods: A document search was conducted on the homepage of the G‑BA for the decisions about method evaluation and quality assurance in the field of urology of the last 10 years. The respective decisions are presented in the light of the decision options available in each case., Results: Using the example of the debate on low-dose rate brachytherapy for localised prostate cancer, the years-long, ultimately futile, effort to increase the evidence base for an innovative method is presented., Conclusion: Compared to the development of guidelines, for example, the G‑BA can only make dichotomous yes/no decisions and has to accept the often insufficient evidence situation, or (has to) try to increase the evidence base by initiating its own study. The latter is particularly difficult when specific methods are already established in routine care. A particular challenge is posed by new, especially invasive methods in the hospital sector, which has to be evaluated (benefit assessment) and, if necessary, tested by the G‑BA with a trial study. To what extent this will succeed in the future is not yet foreseeable.
- Published
- 2021
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14. Differential predictors for alcohol use in adolescents as a function of familial risk.
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Tschorn M, Lorenz RC, O'Reilly PF, Reichenberg A, Banaschewski T, Bokde ALW, Quinlan EB, Desrivières S, Flor H, Grigis A, Garavan H, Gowland P, Ittermann B, Martinot JL, Artiges E, Nees F, Papadopoulos Orfanos D, Poustka L, Millenet S, Fröhner JH, Smolka MN, Walter H, Whelan R, Schumann G, Heinz A, and Rapp MA
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Alcohol Drinking genetics, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Reward, Risk Factors, Alcoholism genetics
- Abstract
Traditional models of future alcohol use in adolescents have used variable-centered approaches, predicting alcohol use from a set of variables across entire samples or populations. Following the proposition that predictive factors may vary in adolescents as a function of family history, we used a two-pronged approach by first defining clusters of familial risk, followed by prediction analyses within each cluster. Thus, for the first time in adolescents, we tested whether adolescents with a family history of drug abuse exhibit a set of predictors different from adolescents without a family history. We apply this approach to a genetic risk score and individual differences in personality, cognition, behavior (risk-taking and discounting) substance use behavior at age 14, life events, and functional brain imaging, to predict scores on the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) at age 14 and 16 in a sample of adolescents (N = 1659 at baseline, N = 1327 at follow-up) from the IMAGEN cohort, a longitudinal community-based cohort of adolescents. In the absence of familial risk (n = 616), individual differences in baseline drinking, personality measures (extraversion, negative thinking), discounting behaviors, life events, and ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation were significantly associated with future AUDIT scores, while the overall model explained 22% of the variance in future AUDIT. In the presence of familial risk (n = 711), drinking behavior at age 14, personality measures (extraversion, impulsivity), behavioral risk-taking, and life events were significantly associated with future AUDIT scores, explaining 20.1% of the overall variance. Results suggest that individual differences in personality, cognition, life events, brain function, and drinking behavior contribute differentially to the prediction of future alcohol misuse. This approach may inform more individualized preventive interventions.
- Published
- 2021
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15. Authors should clearly report how they derived the overall rating when applying AMSTAR 2-a cross-sectional study.
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Pieper D, Lorenz RC, Rombey T, Jacobs A, Rissling O, Freitag S, and Matthias K
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- Cross-Sectional Studies, Evidence-Based Medicine, Humans, Peer Review methods, Publishing standards, Reproducibility of Results, Research Design standards, Systematic Reviews as Topic methods, Systematic Reviews as Topic standards
- Abstract
Objectives: A measurement tool to assess systematic reviews (SRs) 2 (AMSTAR 2) allows for deriving the overall confidence in an SR. We investigated how authors derived the overall confidence rating and whether different schemes lead to different results., Study Design and Setting: We compared three different schemes (original 7-item scheme, a self-developed 5-item scheme, and the AMSTAR Web site) to derive the overall confidence in AMSTAR 2 using two distinct samples of SRs. Multiple bibliographic databases were searched for articles to analyze how AMSTAR 2 was applied by others., Results: In both samples (n = 60 and n = 58), the Friedman test revealed a significant difference between the schemes (P < 0.001). The Web site scheme was the least strict one, whereas between the 5-item and 7-item scheme, no differences were found in post hoc analyses. We included 53 publications applying AMSTAR 2 identified in our literature search. Only 37 of them (70%) used the original 7-item scheme. Less than half of them (18 of 37) reported how they derived the overall rating., Conclusion: Authors should clearly report how they have derived the overall rating when applying AMSTAR 2. Reporting should allow for reproducing the overall ratings for editors, peer reviewers, and readers., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2021
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16. The methodological quality of systematic reviews on the treatment of adult major depression needs improvement according to AMSTAR 2: A cross-sectional study.
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Matthias K, Rissling O, Pieper D, Morche J, Nocon M, Jacobs A, Wegewitz U, Schirm J, and Lorenz RC
- Abstract
Background: Several standards have been developed to assess methodological quality of systematic reviews (SR). One widely used tool is the AMSTAR. A recent update - AMSTAR 2 - is a 16 item evaluation tool that enables a detailed assessment of SR that include randomised (RCT) or non-randomised studies (NRS) of healthcare interventions., Methods: A cross-sectional study of SR on pharmacological or psychological interventions in major depression in adults was conducted. SR published during 2012-2017 were sampled from MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Database of SR. Methodological quality was assessed using AMSTAR 2. Potential predictive factors associated with quality were examined., Results: In rating overall confidence in the results of 60 SR four reviews were rated "high", two were "moderate", one was "low" and 53 were "critically low". The mean AMSTAR 2 percentage score was 45.3% (standard deviation 22.6%) in a wide range from 7.1% to 93.8%. Predictors of higher quality were: type of review (higher quality in Cochrane Reviews), SR including only randomized trials and higher journal impact factor., Limitations: AMSTAR 2 is not intended to be used for the generation of a percentage score., Conclusions: According to AMSTAR 2 the overall methodological quality of SR on the treatment of adult major depression needs improvement. Although there is a high need for summarized information in the field of mental health, this work demonstrates the need to critically assess SR before using their findings. Better adherence to established reporting guidelines for SR is needed., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
- Published
- 2020
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17. AMSTAR 2 overall confidence rating: lacking discriminating capacity or requirement of high methodological quality?
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Lorenz RC, Matthias K, Pieper D, Wegewitz U, Morche J, Nocon M, Rissling O, Schirm J, Freitag S, and Jacobs A
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- Abstracting and Indexing, Research Design, Research Report
- Published
- 2020
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18. Loneliness and Adolescents' Neural Processing of Self, Friends, and Teachers: Consequences for the School Self-Concept.
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Golde S, Romund L, Lorenz RC, Pelz P, Gleich T, Beck A, and Raufelder D
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- Academic Success, Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior physiology, Brain Mapping, Educational Personnel, Female, Germany, Humans, Interdisciplinary Studies, Interpersonal Relations, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Peer Group, Prefrontal Cortex diagnostic imaging, Self Concept, Adolescent Behavior psychology, Adolescent Development physiology, Friends psychology, Loneliness psychology, Prefrontal Cortex physiology
- Abstract
The present interdisciplinary study explored whether perceived loneliness is associated with ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) activation during self- and social judgments (friends and teachers) in adolescents. Moreover, we examined how vMPFC activity is related to the academic self-concept (ASC). Results of manifest path analysis indicated that high perceived loneliness was related to lower neural response to self-judgments. In turn, high neural response to self-judgments was positively associated with the ASC, whereas there was a trendwise negative association between high neural response to teacher-related judgments and ASC. This study reveals associations between perceived loneliness and neural processing of the self, underlining the idea that feeling isolated from others may hinder self-insight and, by extension, the formation of a stable academic self-concept., (© 2018 Society for Research on Adolescence.)
- Published
- 2019
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19. A psychometric study found AMSTAR 2 to be a valid and moderately reliable appraisal tool.
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Lorenz RC, Matthias K, Pieper D, Wegewitz U, Morche J, Nocon M, Rissling O, Schirm J, and Jacobs A
- Subjects
- Antidepressive Agents therapeutic use, Bias, Calibration, Cross-Sectional Studies, Data Analysis, Humans, Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Observer Variation, Psychometrics, Psychotherapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Reproducibility of Results, Depressive Disorder, Major therapy, Systematic Reviews as Topic
- Abstract
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the interrater reliability (IRR) of assessment of multiple systematic reviews (AMSTAR) 2 for reviews of pharmacological or psychological interventions for the treatment of major depression, to compare it to that of AMSTAR and risk of bias in systematic reviews (ROBIS), and to assess the convergent validity between the appraisal tools., Study Design and Setting: Two groups of four raters were each assigned one of two samples of 30 systematic reviews. All eight raters applied AMSTAR 2 to their sample. Each group also applied either AMSTAR or ROBIS. Fleiss' kappa and Gwet's AC
1 were calculated, and agreement between the tools was assessed., Results: The median kappa values as a measure of IRR indicated a moderate agreement for AMSTAR 2 (median = 0.51), a substantial agreement for AMSTAR (median = 0.62), and a fair agreement for ROBIS (median = 0.27). Validity results showed a positive association for AMSTAR and AMSTAR 2 (r = 0.91) as well as ROBIS and AMSTAR 2 (r = 0.84). For the overall rating, AMSTAR 2 showed a high concordance with ROBIS and a lower concordance with AMSTAR., Conclusion: The IRR of AMSTAR 2 was found to be slightly lower than the IRR of AMSTAR and higher than the IRR of ROBIS. Validity measurements indicate that AMSTAR 2 is closely related to both ROBIS and AMSTAR., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2019
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20. Effects of high-dose baclofen on cue reactivity in alcohol dependence: A randomized, placebo-controlled pharmaco-fMRI study.
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Beck A, Pelz P, Lorenz RC, Charlet K, Geisel O, Heinz A, Wüstenberg T, and Müller CA
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- Adult, Alcoholism drug therapy, Baclofen therapeutic use, Brain drug effects, Cues, Double-Blind Method, Female, GABA-B Receptor Agonists pharmacology, GABA-B Receptor Agonists therapeutic use, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neuroimaging, Ventral Tegmental Area drug effects, Young Adult, Alcoholism physiopathology, Baclofen pharmacology, Brain physiology, Ventral Tegmental Area physiology
- Abstract
Increased functional brain response towards alcohol-associated stimuli is a neural hallmark of alcohol dependence and a promising target for pharmacotherapy. For the first time, we assessed the effects of individually titrated high-dose baclofen on cue reactivity and functional connectivity in alcohol-dependent (AD) patients in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). We investigated 23 recently detoxified AD patients and 23 matched healthy controls (HC) with a cue reactivity functional magnetic resonance imaging task. Patients were further scanned at baseline without medication and during treatment with high-dose baclofen/placebo (30-270 mg/d). Analyses were conducted for alcohol cue-elicited brain response, alcohol cue-modulated and stimulus-independent functional connectivity with left ventral tegmental area (VTA) as seed region. At baseline, AD patients (N = 23) showed increased cue-elicited brain activation in the ventral striatum (VS) compared to HC (N = 23), which was decreased at the second scanning session compared to baseline. Patients receiving baclofen (N = 10) showed a significant stronger decrease in cue-elicited brain activation in left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), bilateral amygdala and left VTA than patients receiving placebo (N = 13). Treatment with baclofen further led to a decrease in alcohol cue-modulated functional connectivity between left VTA and left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as well as left medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Regarding clinical outcome, significantly more patients of the baclofen group remained abstinent during the high-dose period. Baclofen specifically decreased cue-elicited brain responses in areas known to be involved in the processing of salient (appetitive and aversive) stimuli. Treatment with high-dose baclofen seems to provide a pharmacological relief of this neural "warning signal" evoked by alcohol-related cues, thereby possibly supporting patients in remaining abstinent. Trial Registration Identifier of the main trial [BACLAD study] at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01266655., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. and European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2018
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21. Prefrontal-parietal effective connectivity during working memory in older adults.
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Heinzel S, Lorenz RC, Duong QL, Rapp MA, and Deserno L
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- Adult, Aged, Bayes Theorem, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Parietal Lobe diagnostic imaging, Parietal Lobe physiology, Prefrontal Cortex diagnostic imaging, Prefrontal Cortex physiology, Young Adult, Aging physiology, Memory, Short-Term physiology, Neural Pathways physiopathology, Parietal Lobe physiopathology, Prefrontal Cortex physiopathology
- Abstract
Theoretical models and preceding studies have described age-related alterations in neuronal activation of frontoparietal regions in a working memory (WM) load-dependent manner. However, to date, underlying neuronal mechanisms of these WM load-dependent activation changes in aging remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate these mechanisms in terms of effective connectivity by application of dynamic causal modeling with Bayesian Model Selection. Eighteen healthy younger (age: 20-32 years) and 32 older (60-75 years) participants performed an n-back task with 3 WM load levels during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Behavioral and conventional fMRI results replicated age group by WM load interactions. Importantly, the analysis of effective connectivity derived from dynamic causal modeling, indicated an age- and performance-related reduction in WM load-dependent modulation of connectivity from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to inferior parietal lobule. This finding provides evidence for the proposal that age-related WM decline manifests as deficient WM load-dependent modulation of neuronal top-down control and can integrate implications from theoretical models and previous studies of functional changes in the aging brain., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2017
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22. Taking control! Structural and behavioural plasticity in response to game-based inhibition training in older adults.
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Kühn S, Lorenz RC, Weichenberger M, Becker M, Haesner M, O'Sullivan J, Steinert A, Steinhagen-Thiessen E, Brandhorst S, Bremer T, and Gallinat J
- Subjects
- Aged, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Self-Control, Video Games, Behavior Therapy methods, Inhibition, Psychological, Neuronal Plasticity physiology, Prefrontal Cortex physiology
- Abstract
While previous attempts to train self-control in humans have frequently failed, we set out to train response inhibition using computer-game elements. We trained older adults with a newly developed game-based inhibition training on a tablet for two months and compared them to an active and passive control group. Behavioural effects reflected in shorter stop signal response times that were observed only in the inhibition-training group. This was accompanied by structural growth in cortical thickness of right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) triangularis, a brain region that has been associated with response inhibition. The structural plasticity effect was positively associated with time spent on the training-task and predicted the final percentage of successful inhibition trials in the stop task. The data provide evidence for successful trainability of inhibition when game-based training is employed. The results extend our knowledge on game-based cognitive training effects in older age and may foster treatment research in psychiatric diseases related to impulse control., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2017
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23. Functional changes in the reward circuit in response to gaming-related cues after training with a commercial video game.
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Gleich T, Lorenz RC, Gallinat J, and Kühn S
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- Adult, Brain Mapping, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Young Adult, Cues, Hippocampus physiology, Prefrontal Cortex physiology, Reward, Video Games
- Abstract
In the present longitudinal study, we aimed to investigate video game training associated neuronal changes in reward processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We recruited 48 healthy young participants which were assigned to one of 2 groups: A group in which participants were instructed to play a commercial video game ("Super Mario 64 DS") on a portable Nintendo DS handheld console at least 30minutes a day over a period of two months (video gaming group; VG) or to a matched passive control group (CG). Before and after the training phase, in both groups, fMRI imaging was conducted during passively viewing reward and punishment-related videos sequences recorded from the trained video game. The results show that video game training may lead to reward related decrease in neuronal activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and increase in the hippocampus. Additionally, the decrease in DLPFC activation was associated with gaming related parameters experienced during playing. Specifically, we found that in the VG, gaming related parameters like performance, experienced fun and frustration (assessed during the training period) were correlated to decrease in reward related DLPFC activity. Thus, neuronal changes in terms of video game training seem to be highly related to the appetitive character and reinforcement schedule of the game. Those neuronal changes may also be related to the often reported video game associated improvements in cognitive functions., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2017
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24. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributes to the impaired behavioral adaptation in alcohol dependence.
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Beylergil SB, Beck A, Deserno L, Lorenz RC, Rapp MA, Schlagenhauf F, Heinz A, and Obermayer K
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- Adult, Alcoholism physiopathology, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Photic Stimulation methods, Prefrontal Cortex physiopathology, Psychomotor Performance physiology, Young Adult, Adaptation, Psychological physiology, Alcohol Abstinence psychology, Alcoholism diagnostic imaging, Alcoholism psychology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging methods, Prefrontal Cortex diagnostic imaging
- Abstract
Substance-dependent individuals often lack the ability to adjust decisions flexibly in response to the changes in reward contingencies. Prediction errors (PEs) are thought to mediate flexible decision-making by updating the reward values associated with available actions. In this study, we explored whether the neurobiological correlates of PEs are altered in alcohol dependence. Behavioral, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were simultaneously acquired from 34 abstinent alcohol-dependent patients (ADP) and 26 healthy controls (HC) during a probabilistic reward-guided decision-making task with dynamically changing reinforcement contingencies. A hierarchical Bayesian inference method was used to fit and compare learning models with different assumptions about the amount of task-related information subjects may have inferred during the experiment. Here, we observed that the best-fitting model was a modified Rescorla-Wagner type model, the "double-update" model, which assumes that subjects infer the knowledge that reward contingencies are anti-correlated, and integrate both actual and hypothetical outcomes into their decisions. Moreover, comparison of the best-fitting model's parameters showed that ADP were less sensitive to punishments compared to HC. Hence, decisions of ADP after punishments were loosely coupled with the expected reward values assigned to them. A correlation analysis between the model-generated PEs and the fMRI data revealed a reduced association between these PEs and the BOLD activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of ADP. A hemispheric asymmetry was observed in the DLPFC when positive and negative PE signals were analyzed separately. The right DLPFC activity in ADP showed a reduced correlation with positive PEs. On the other hand, ADP, particularly the patients with high dependence severity, recruited the left DLPFC to a lesser extent than HC for processing negative PE signals. These results suggest that the DLPFC, which has been linked to adaptive control of action selection, may play an important role in cognitive inflexibility observed in alcohol dependence when reinforcement contingencies change. Particularly, the left DLPFC may contribute to this impaired behavioral adaptation, possibly by impeding the extinction of the actions that no longer lead to a reward.
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- 2017
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25. Neural correlates of the self-concept in adolescence-A focus on the significance of friends.
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Romund L, Golde S, Lorenz RC, Raufelder D, Pelz P, Gleich T, Heinz A, and Beck A
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- Adolescent, Analysis of Variance, Cerebral Cortex diagnostic imaging, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Judgment, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Oxygen blood, Reaction Time, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex physiology, Friends psychology, Interpersonal Relations, Self Concept
- Abstract
The formation of a coherent and unified self-concept represents a key developmental stage during adolescence. Imaging studies on self-referential processing in adolescents are rare, and it is not clear whether neural structures involved in self-reflection are also involved in reflections of familiar others. In the current study, 41 adolescents were asked to make judgments about trait adjectives during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): they had to indicate whether the word describes themselves, their friends, their teachers or politicians. Findings indicate a greater overlap in neural networks for responses to self- and friend-related judgments compared to teachers and politicians. In particular, classic self-reference structures such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and medial posterior parietal cortex also exhibited higher activation to judgments about friends. In contrast, brain responses towards judgments of teachers (familiar others) compared to politicians (unfamiliar others) did not significantly differ. Results support behavioral findings of a greater relevance of friends for the development of a self-concept during adolescence and indicate underlying functional brain processes. Hum Brain Mapp 38:987-996, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
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- 2017
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26. Reversal learning strategy in adolescence is associated with prefrontal cortex activation.
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Boehme R, Lorenz RC, Gleich T, Romund L, Pelz P, Golde S, Flemming E, Wold A, Deserno L, Behr J, Raufelder D, Heinz A, and Beck A
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- Adolescent, Aging, Female, Gyrus Cinguli physiology, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Reinforcement, Psychology, Reward, Brain Mapping, Executive Function physiology, Prefrontal Cortex physiology, Reversal Learning physiology
- Abstract
Adolescence is a critical maturation period for human cognitive control and executive function. In this study, a large sample of adolescents (n = 85) performed a reversal learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We analyzed behavioral data using a reinforcement learning model to provide individually fitted parameters and imaging data with regard to reward prediction errors (PE). Following a model-based approach, we formed two groups depending on whether individuals tended to update expectations predominantly for the chosen stimulus or also for the unchosen one. These groups significantly differed in their problem behavior score obtained using the child behavior checklist (CBCL) and in a measure of their developmental stage. Imaging results showed that dorsolateral striatal areas covaried with PE. Participants who relied less on learning based on task structure showed less prefrontal activation compared with participants who relied more on task structure. An exploratory analysis revealed that PE-related activity was associated with pubertal development in prefrontal areas, insula and anterior cingulate. These findings support the hypothesis that the prefrontal cortex is implicated in mediating flexible goal-directed behavioral control., (© 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2017
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27. Adolescents' Socio-Motivational Relationships With Teachers, Amygdala Response to Teacher's Negative Facial Expressions, and Test Anxiety.
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Raufelder D, Hoferichter F, Romund L, Golde S, Lorenz RC, and Beck A
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- Adolescent, Emotions, Humans, Motivation, School Teachers, Amygdala physiology, Anxiety, Facial Expression
- Abstract
The amygdala is essential for processing emotions, including the processing of aversive faces. The aim of this multimethodological study was to relate the amygdala reactivity of students (N = 88) toward teachers' fearful and angry faces, to students' relationship with their teachers. Furthermore, students' neural responses during the perception of teachers' faces were tested as predictors of test anxiety (controlling for neuroticism as a potential trait anxiety effect). Multiple regression analysis revealed that students reporting high-quality teacher-student relationships showed stronger amygdala activity toward fearful faces, which was related to worry. Furthermore, students with high levels of neuroticism tended to perceive their teachers as motivators and showed higher amygdala activity toward angry faces, which was related to the measures of emotionality., (© 2015 The Authors. Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2015 Society for Research on Adolescence.)
- Published
- 2016
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28. Maternal parenting behavior and emotion processing in adolescents-An fMRI study.
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Romund L, Raufelder D, Flemming E, Lorenz RC, Pelz P, Gleich T, Heinz A, and Beck A
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- Adolescent, Brain Mapping, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Amygdala physiology, Emotions physiology, Facial Expression, Maternal Behavior, Parenting, Psychology, Adolescent, Temporal Lobe physiology
- Abstract
Parenting is an essential factor within a child's development, yet the impact of normative variations of parenting on neural emotion processing has not been studied to date. The present study investigated 83 healthy adolescents using functional magnetic resonance imaging and an emotional face-matching paradigm. The faces paradigm elicited an increased amygdala response towards negative facial expressions (fearful and angry each compared to neutral faces) and a significant activation of fusiform gyrus to all emotions separately (fearful, happy, angry faces) compared to neutral faces. Moreover, we investigated associations between neural responses towards emotional faces and mother's parenting behavior (maternal warmth and support, psychological pressure and control behavior). High maternal warmth and support correlated with lower activation to fearful faces in the amygdala. Maternal supportive rather than control behavior seems to have an impact on neural emotion processing, which could also be the key factor for brain functional abnormalities in maltreated children. These results expand existent findings in maltreated children to healthy populations., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
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- 2016
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29. Neural correlates of training and transfer effects in working memory in older adults.
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Heinzel S, Lorenz RC, Pelz P, Heinz A, Walter H, Kathmann N, Rapp MA, and Stelzel C
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- Aged, Aging, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neuronal Plasticity physiology, Cerebral Cortex physiology, Learning physiology, Memory, Short-Term physiology, Mental Recall physiology, Task Performance and Analysis, Transfer, Psychology physiology
- Abstract
As indicated by previous research, aging is associated with a decline in working memory (WM) functioning, related to alterations in fronto-parietal neural activations. At the same time, previous studies showed that WM training in older adults may improve the performance in the trained task (training effect), and more importantly, also in untrained WM tasks (transfer effects). However, neural correlates of these transfer effects that would improve understanding of its underlying mechanisms, have not been shown in older participants as yet. In this study, we investigated blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes during n-back performance and an untrained delayed recognition (Sternberg) task following 12sessions (45min each) of adaptive n-back training in older adults. The Sternberg task used in this study allowed to test for neural training effects independent of specific task affordances of the trained task and to separate maintenance from updating processes. Thirty-two healthy older participants (60-75years) were assigned either to an n-back training or a no-contact control group. Before (t1) and after (t2) training/waiting period, both the n-back task and the Sternberg task were conducted while BOLD signal was measured using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in all participants. In addition, neuropsychological tests were performed outside the scanner. WM performance improved with training and behavioral transfer to tests measuring executive functions, processing speed, and fluid intelligence was found. In the training group, BOLD signal in the right lateral middle frontal gyrus/caudal superior frontal sulcus (Brodmann area, BA 6/8) decreased in both the trained n-back and the updating condition of the untrained Sternberg task at t2, compared to the control group. fMRI findings indicate a training-related increase in processing efficiency of WM networks, potentially related to the process of WM updating. Performance gains in untrained tasks suggest that transfer to other cognitive tasks remains possible in aging., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2016
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30. Does Feedback-Related Brain Response during Reinforcement Learning Predict Socio-motivational (In-)dependence in Adolescence?
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Raufelder D, Boehme R, Romund L, Golde S, Lorenz RC, Gleich T, and Beck A
- Abstract
This multi-methodological study applied functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural activation in a group of adolescent students (N = 88) during a probabilistic reinforcement learning task. We related patterns of emerging brain activity and individual learning rates to socio-motivational (in-)dependence manifested in four different motivation types (MTs): (1) peer-dependent MT, (2) teacher-dependent MT, (3) peer-and-teacher-dependent MT, (4) peer-and-teacher-independent MT. A multinomial regression analysis revealed that the individual learning rate predicts students' membership to the independent MT, or the peer-and-teacher-dependent MT. Additionally, the striatum, a brain region associated with behavioral adaptation and flexibility, showed increased learning-related activation in students with motivational independence. Moreover, the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in behavioral control, was more active in students of the peer-and-teacher-dependent MT. Overall, this study offers new insights into the interplay of motivation and learning with (1) a focus on inter-individual differences in the role of peers and teachers as source of students' individual motivation and (2) its potential neurobiological basis.
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- 2016
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31. Frontal glutamate and reward processing in adolescence and adulthood.
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Gleich T, Lorenz RC, Pöhland L, Raufelder D, Deserno L, Beck A, Heinz A, Kühn S, and Gallinat J
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Amygdala metabolism, Amygdala physiology, Attention physiology, Behavior Rating Scale, Female, Frontal Lobe metabolism, Frontal Lobe physiology, Glutamic Acid drug effects, Gyrus Cinguli metabolism, Gyrus Cinguli physiology, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging methods, Male, Neural Pathways physiology, Prefrontal Cortex metabolism, Prefrontal Cortex physiology, Ventral Striatum metabolism, Ventral Striatum physiology, Behavior physiology, Glutamic Acid metabolism, Reward
- Abstract
The fronto-limbic network interaction, driven by glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission, represents a core mechanism of motivated behavior and personality traits. Reward seeking behavior undergoes tremendous changes in adolescence paralleled by neurobiological changes of this network including the prefrontal cortex, striatum and amygdala. Since fronto-limbic dysfunctions also underlie major psychiatric diseases beginning in adolescence, this investigation focuses on network characteristics separating adolescents from adults. To investigate differences in network interactions, the brain reward system activity (slot machine task) together with frontal glutamate concentration (anterior cingulate cortex, ACC) was measured in 28 adolescents and 26 adults employing functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, respectively. An inverse coupling of glutamate concentrations in the ACC and activation of the ventral striatum was observed in adolescents. Further, amygdala response in adolescents was negatively correlated with the personality trait impulsivity. For adults, no significant associations of network components or correlations with impulsivity were found. The inverse association between frontal glutamate concentration and striatal activation in adolescents is in line with the triadic model of motivated behavior stressing the important role of frontal top-down inhibition on limbic structures. Our data identified glutamate as the mediating neurotransmitter of this inhibitory process and demonstrates the relevance of glutamate on the reward system and related behavioral traits like impulsivity. This fronto-limbic coupling may represent a vulnerability factor for psychiatric disorders starting in adolescence but not in adulthood.
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- 2015
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32. Interactions between glutamate, dopamine, and the neuronal signature of response inhibition in the human striatum.
- Author
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Lorenz RC, Gleich T, Buchert R, Schlagenhauf F, Kühn S, and Gallinat J
- Subjects
- Adult, Aging physiology, Brain Mapping, Caudate Nucleus cytology, Caudate Nucleus diagnostic imaging, Caudate Nucleus physiology, Corpus Striatum cytology, Corpus Striatum diagnostic imaging, Dopaminergic Neurons diagnostic imaging, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neurons diagnostic imaging, Positron-Emission Tomography, Psychomotor Performance physiology, Reaction Time physiology, Corpus Striatum physiology, Dopamine physiology, Dopaminergic Neurons physiology, Glutamic Acid physiology, Inhibition, Psychological, Neurons physiology
- Abstract
Response inhibition is a basic mechanism in cognitive control and dysfunctional in major psychiatric disorders. The neuronal mechanisms are in part driven by dopamine in the striatum. Animal data suggest a regulatory role of glutamate on the level of the striatum. We used a trimodal imaging procedure of the human striatum including F18-DOPA positron emission tomography, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and functional magnetic resonance imaging of a stop signal task. We investigated dopamine synthesis capacity and glutamate concentration in vivo and their relation to functional properties of response inhibition. A mediation analysis revealed a significant positive association between dopamine synthesis capacity and inhibition-related neural activity in the caudate nucleus. This relationship was significantly mediated by striatal glutamate concentration. Furthermore, stop signal reaction time was inversely related to striatal activity during inhibition. The data show, for the first time in humans, an interaction between dopamine, glutamate, and the neural signature of response inhibition in the striatum. This finding stresses the importance of the dopamine-glutamate interaction for behavior and may facilitate the understanding of psychiatric disorders characterized by impaired response inhibition., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
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- 2015
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33. Subjective illusion of control modulates striatal reward anticipation in adolescence.
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Lorenz RC, Gleich T, Kühn S, Pöhland L, Pelz P, Wüstenberg T, Raufelder D, Heinz A, and Beck A
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Female, Gambling, Games, Experimental, Humans, Impulsive Behavior physiology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Adolescent Development physiology, Anticipation, Psychological physiology, Brain Mapping methods, Illusions physiology, Internal-External Control, Prefrontal Cortex physiology, Reward, Ventral Striatum physiology
- Abstract
The perception of control over the environment constitutes a fundamental biological adaptive mechanism, especially during development. Previous studies comparing an active choice condition with a passive no-choice condition showed that the neural basis of this mechanism is associated with increased activity within the striatum and the prefrontal cortex. In the current study, we aimed to investigate whether subjective belief of control in an uncertain gambling situation induces elevated activation in a cortico-striatal network. We investigated 79 adolescents (age range: 13-16years) during reward anticipation with a slot machine task using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We assessed post-experimentally whether the participants experienced a subjective illusion of control on winning or losing in this task that was objectively not given. Nineteen adolescents experienced an illusion of control during slot machine gambling. This illusion of control group showed an increased neural activity during reward anticipation within a cortico-striatal network including ventral striatum (VS) as well as right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) relative to the group reporting no illusion of control. The rIFG activity was inversely associated with impulsivity in the no illusion of control group. The subjective belief about control led to an elevated ventral striatal activity, which is known to be involved in the processing of reward. This finding strengthens the notion that subjectively perceived control, not necessarily the objective presence of control, affects striatal reward-related processing., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2015
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34. Effect of brain structure and function on reward anticipation in children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder combined subtype.
- Author
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Kappel V, Lorenz RC, Streifling M, Renneberg B, Lehmkuhl U, Ströhle A, Salbach-Andrae H, and Beck A
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Brain Mapping, Child, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Reaction Time, Ventral Striatum pathology, Young Adult, Anticipation, Psychological, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity pathology, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity psychology, Brain pathology, Reward
- Abstract
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with decreased ventral-striatal responsiveness during reward anticipation. However, previous research mostly focused on adults with heterogeneous ADHD subtype and divers drug treatment status while studies in children with ADHD are sparse. Moreover, it remains unclear to what degree ADHD is characterized by a delay of normal brain structure or function maturation. We therefore attempt to determine whether results from structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are associated with childhood and adult ADHD combined subtype (ADHD-CT). This study used fMRI to compare VS structure and function of 30 participants with ADHD-CT (16 adults, 14 children) and 30 controls (20 adults, 10 children), using a monetary incentive delay task. Joint analyses of structural and functional imaging data were conducted with Biological Parametric Mapping. Reward anticipation elicited decreased ventral-striatal responsiveness in adults but not in children with ADHD-CT. Children and adults with ADHD showed reduced ventral-striatal volume. Taking these gray matter differences into account, the results remained the same. These results suggest that decreased ventral-striatal responsiveness during reward anticipation is present in adults but not in children with ADHD-CT, irrespective of structural characteristics. The question arises whether ventral-striatal hypoactivity is an ADHD correlate that develops during the course of illness., (© The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
- Published
- 2015
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35. Prefrontal and Striatal Glutamate Differently Relate to Striatal Dopamine: Potential Regulatory Mechanisms of Striatal Presynaptic Dopamine Function?
- Author
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Gleich T, Deserno L, Lorenz RC, Boehme R, Pankow A, Buchert R, Kühn S, Heinz A, Schlagenhauf F, and Gallinat J
- Subjects
- Adult, Corpus Striatum diagnostic imaging, Female, Fluorodeoxyglucose F18, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Male, Neural Pathways physiology, Positron-Emission Tomography, Prefrontal Cortex diagnostic imaging, Presynaptic Terminals diagnostic imaging, Statistics as Topic, Young Adult, Corpus Striatum metabolism, Dopamine metabolism, Glutamic Acid metabolism, Prefrontal Cortex metabolism, Presynaptic Terminals metabolism
- Abstract
Theoretical and animal work has proposed that prefrontal cortex (PFC) glutamate inhibits dopaminergic inputs to the ventral striatum (VS) indirectly, whereas direct VS glutamatergic afferents have been suggested to enhance dopaminergic inputs to the VS. In the present study, we aimed to investigate relationships of glutamate and dopamine measures in prefrontostriatal circuitries of healthy humans. We hypothesized that PFC and VS glutamate, as well as their balance, are differently associated with VS dopamine. Glutamate concentrations in the left lateral PFC and left striatum were assessed using 3-Tesla proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Striatal presynaptic dopamine synthesis capacity was measured by fluorine-18-l-dihydroxyphenylalanine (F-18-FDOPA) positron emission tomography. First, a negative relationship was observed between glutamate concentrations in lateral PFC and VS dopamine synthesis capacity (n = 28). Second, a positive relationship was revealed between striatal glutamate and VS dopamine synthesis capacity (n = 26). Additionally, the intraindividual difference between PFC and striatal glutamate concentrations correlated negatively with VS dopamine synthesis capacity (n = 24). The present results indicate an involvement of a balance in PFC and striatal glutamate in the regulation of VS dopamine synthesis capacity. This notion points toward a potential mechanism how VS presynaptic dopamine levels are kept in a fine-tuned range. A disruption of this mechanism may account for alterations in striatal dopamine turnover as observed in mental diseases (e.g., in schizophrenia)., Significance Statement: The present work demonstrates complementary relationships between prefrontal and striatal glutamate and ventral striatal presynaptic dopamine using human imaging measures: a negative correlation between prefrontal glutamate and presynaptic dopamine and a positive relationship between striatal glutamate and presynaptic dopamine are revealed. The results may reflect a regulatory role of prefrontal and striatal glutamate for ventral striatal presynaptic dopamine levels. Such glutamate-dopamine relationships improve our understanding of neurochemical interactions in prefrontostriatal circuits and have implications for the neurobiology of mental disease., (Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/359615-07$15.00/0.)
- Published
- 2015
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36. Video game training and the reward system.
- Author
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Lorenz RC, Gleich T, Gallinat J, and Kühn S
- Abstract
Video games contain elaborate reinforcement and reward schedules that have the potential to maximize motivation. Neuroimaging studies suggest that video games might have an influence on the reward system. However, it is not clear whether reward-related properties represent a precondition, which biases an individual toward playing video games, or if these changes are the result of playing video games. Therefore, we conducted a longitudinal study to explore reward-related functional predictors in relation to video gaming experience as well as functional changes in the brain in response to video game training. Fifty healthy participants were randomly assigned to a video game training (TG) or control group (CG). Before and after training/control period, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted using a non-video game related reward task. At pretest, both groups showed strongest activation in ventral striatum (VS) during reward anticipation. At posttest, the TG showed very similar VS activity compared to pretest. In the CG, the VS activity was significantly attenuated. This longitudinal study revealed that video game training may preserve reward responsiveness in the VS in a retest situation over time. We suggest that video games are able to keep striatal responses to reward flexible, a mechanism which might be of critical value for applications such as therapeutic cognitive training.
- Published
- 2015
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37. Chronic alcohol intake abolishes the relationship between dopamine synthesis capacity and learning signals in the ventral striatum.
- Author
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Deserno L, Beck A, Huys QJ, Lorenz RC, Buchert R, Buchholz HG, Plotkin M, Kumakara Y, Cumming P, Heinze HJ, Grace AA, Rapp MA, Schlagenhauf F, and Heinz A
- Subjects
- Adult, Alcoholism metabolism, Case-Control Studies, Corpus Striatum metabolism, Craving, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Reward, Signal Transduction, Alcoholism physiopathology, Corpus Striatum physiopathology, Dopamine metabolism, Learning
- Abstract
Drugs of abuse elicit dopamine release in the ventral striatum, possibly biasing dopamine-driven reinforcement learning towards drug-related reward at the expense of non-drug-related reward. Indeed, in alcohol-dependent patients, reactivity in dopaminergic target areas is shifted from non-drug-related stimuli towards drug-related stimuli. Such 'hijacked' dopamine signals may impair flexible learning from non-drug-related rewards, and thus promote craving for the drug of abuse. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure ventral striatal activation by reward prediction errors (RPEs) during a probabilistic reversal learning task in recently detoxified alcohol-dependent patients and healthy controls (N = 27). All participants also underwent 6-[(18) F]fluoro-DOPA positron emission tomography to assess ventral striatal dopamine synthesis capacity. Neither ventral striatal activation by RPEs nor striatal dopamine synthesis capacity differed between groups. However, ventral striatal coding of RPEs correlated inversely with craving in patients. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between ventral striatal coding of RPEs and dopamine synthesis capacity in healthy controls, but not in alcohol-dependent patients. Moderator analyses showed that the magnitude of the association between dopamine synthesis capacity and RPE coding depended on the amount of chronic, habitual alcohol intake. Despite the relatively small sample size, a power analysis supports the reported results. Using a multimodal imaging approach, this study suggests that dopaminergic modulation of neural learning signals is disrupted in alcohol dependence in proportion to long-term alcohol intake of patients. Alcohol intake may perpetuate itself by interfering with dopaminergic modulation of neural learning signals in the ventral striatum, thus increasing craving for habitual drug intake., (© 2014 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2015
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38. Reward anticipation in the adolescent and aging brain.
- Author
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Lorenz RC, Gleich T, Beck A, Pöhland L, Raufelder D, Sommer W, Rapp MA, Kühn S, and Gallinat J
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Brain blood supply, Female, Games, Experimental, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Linear Models, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Oxygen blood, Young Adult, Aging, Brain physiology, Brain Mapping, Motivation physiology, Reward
- Abstract
Processing of reward is the basis of adaptive behavior of the human being. Neural correlates of reward processing seem to be influenced by developmental changes from adolescence to late adulthood. The aim of this study is to uncover these neural correlates during a slot machine gambling task across the lifespan. Therefore, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate 102 volunteers in three different age groups: 34 adolescents, 34 younger adults, and 34 older adults. We focused on the core reward areas ventral striatum (VS) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), the valence processing associated areas, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula, as well as information integration associated areas, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Results showed that VS and VMPFC were characterized by a hyperactivation in adolescents compared with younger adults. Furthermore, the ACC and insula were characterized by a U-shape pattern (hypoactivation in younger adults compared with adolescents and older adults), whereas the DLPFC and IPL were characterized by a J-shaped form (hyperactivation in older adults compared with younger groups). Furthermore, a functional connectivity analysis revealed an elevated negative functional coupling between the inhibition-related area rIFG and VS in younger adults compared with adolescents. Results indicate that lifespan-related changes during reward anticipation are characterized by different trajectories in different reward network modules and support the hypothesis of an imbalance in maturation of striatal and prefrontal cortex in adolescents. Furthermore, these results suggest compensatory age-specific effects in fronto-parietal regions., (Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. Playing Super Mario induces structural brain plasticity: gray matter changes resulting from training with a commercial video game.
- Author
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Kühn S, Gleich T, Lorenz RC, Lindenberger U, and Gallinat J
- Subjects
- Female, Functional Laterality, Hippocampus anatomy & histology, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Motivation, Organ Size, Orientation, Prefrontal Cortex anatomy & histology, Space Perception, Surveys and Questionnaires, Thinking, Time Factors, Young Adult, Brain anatomy & histology, Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated, Neuronal Plasticity, Practice, Psychological, Video Games
- Abstract
Video gaming is a highly pervasive activity, providing a multitude of complex cognitive and motor demands. Gaming can be seen as an intense training of several skills. Associated cerebral structural plasticity induced has not been investigated so far. Comparing a control with a video gaming training group that was trained for 2 months for at least 30 min per day with a platformer game, we found significant gray matter (GM) increase in right hippocampal formation (HC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and bilateral cerebellum in the training group. The HC increase correlated with changes from egocentric to allocentric navigation strategy. GM increases in HC and DLPFC correlated with participants' desire for video gaming, evidence suggesting a predictive role of desire in volume change. Video game training augments GM in brain areas crucial for spatial navigation, strategic planning, working memory and motor performance going along with evidence for behavioral changes of navigation strategy. The presented video game training could therefore be used to counteract known risk factors for mental disease such as smaller hippocampus and prefrontal cortex volume in, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative disease.
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Working memory load-dependent brain response predicts behavioral training gains in older adults.
- Author
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Heinzel S, Lorenz RC, Brockhaus WR, Wüstenberg T, Kathmann N, Heinz A, and Rapp MA
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Young Adult, Aging physiology, Brain physiology, Memory, Short-Term physiology
- Abstract
In the domain of working memory (WM), a sigmoid-shaped relationship between WM load and brain activation patterns has been demonstrated in younger adults. It has been suggested that age-related alterations of this pattern are associated with changes in neural efficiency and capacity. At the same time, WM training studies have shown that some older adults are able to increase their WM performance through training. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging during an n-back WM task at different WM load levels was applied to compare blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses between younger and older participants and to predict gains in WM performance after a subsequent 12-session WM training procedure in older adults. We show that increased neural efficiency and capacity, as reflected by more "youth-like" brain response patterns in regions of interest of the frontoparietal WM network, were associated with better behavioral training outcome beyond the effects of age, sex, education, gray matter volume, and baseline WM performance. Furthermore, at low difficulty levels, decreases in BOLD response were found after WM training. Results indicate that both neural efficiency (i.e., decreased activation at comparable performance levels) and capacity (i.e., increasing activation with increasing WM load) of a WM-related network predict plasticity of the WM system, whereas WM training may specifically increase neural efficiency in older adults.
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. CID: a valid incentive delay paradigm for children.
- Author
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Kappel V, Koch A, Lorenz RC, Brühl R, Renneberg B, Lehmkuhl U, Salbach-Andrae H, and Beck A
- Subjects
- Adult, Child, Corpus Striatum physiology, Female, Humans, Male, Pilot Projects, Young Adult, Motivation physiology, Psychomotor Performance physiology, Reaction Time physiology, Reward
- Abstract
Despite several modifications and the wide use of the monetary incentive delay paradigm (MID; Knutson et al. in J Neurosci 21(16):RC159, 2001a) for assessing reward processing, evidence concerning its application in children is scarce. A first child-friendly MID modification has been introduced by Gotlib et al. (Arch Gen Psychiatry 67(4): 380-387, 2010); however, comparability in the results of different tasks and validity across different age groups remains unclear. We investigated the validity of a newly modified MID task for children (CID) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The CID comprises the integration of a more age appropriate feedback phase. We focused on reward anticipation and their neural correlates. Twenty healthy young adults completed the MID and the CID. Additionally, 10 healthy children completed the CID. As expected, both paradigms elicited significant ventral and dorsal striatal activity in young adults during reward anticipation. No differential effects of the tasks on reaction times, accuracy rates or on the total amount of gain were observed. Furthermore, the CID elicited significant ventral striatal activity in healthy children. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate evidence for the validity of the CID paradigm. The CID can be recommended for the application in future studies on reward processing in children, adolescents, and in adults.
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. The effect of novelty on reinforcement learning.
- Author
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Houillon A, Lorenz RC, Boehmer W, Rapp MA, Heinz A, Gallinat J, and Obermayer K
- Subjects
- Adult, Bias, Computer Simulation, Female, Humans, Individuality, Male, Markov Chains, Models, Neurological, Models, Psychological, Young Adult, Decision Making physiology, Exploratory Behavior physiology, Probability Learning, Reinforcement, Psychology
- Abstract
Recent research suggests that novelty has an influence on reward-related learning. Here, we showed that novel stimuli presented from a pre-familiarized category can accelerate or decelerate learning of the most rewarding category, depending on the condition. The extent of this influence depended on the individual trait of novelty seeking. Different reinforcement learning models were developed to quantify subjects' choices. We introduced a bias parameter to model explorative behavior toward novel stimuli and characterize individual variation in novelty response. The theoretical framework allowed us to test different assumptions, concerning the motivational value of novelty. The best fitting-model combined all novelty components and had a significant positive correlation with both the experimentally measured novelty bias and the independent novelty-seeking trait. Altogether, we have not only shown that novelty by itself enhances behavioral responses underlying reward processing, but also that novelty has a direct influence on reward-dependent learning processes, consistently with computational predictions., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Cue reactivity and its inhibition in pathological computer game players.
- Author
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Lorenz RC, Krüger JK, Neumann B, Schott BH, Kaufmann C, Heinz A, and Wüstenberg T
- Subjects
- Adult, Analysis of Variance, Brain Mapping, Case-Control Studies, Hippocampus physiopathology, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Internet, Linear Models, Magnetic Resonance Imaging methods, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Photic Stimulation methods, Reaction Time physiology, Time Factors, Young Adult, Attention physiology, Behavior, Addictive physiopathology, Cerebral Cortex physiopathology, Cues, Inhibition, Psychological, Video Games psychology
- Abstract
Despite a rising social relevance of pathological computer game playing, it remains unclear whether the neurobiological basis of this addiction-like behavioral disorder and substance-related addiction are comparable. In substance-related addiction, attentional bias and cue reactivity are often observed. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance study using a dot probe paradigm with short-presentation (attentional bias) and long-presentation (cue reactivity) trials in eight male pathological computer game players (PCGPs) and nine healthy controls (HCs). Computer game-related and neutral computer-generated pictures, as well as pictures from the International Affective Picture System with positive and neutral valence, served as stimuli. PCGPs showed an attentional bias toward both game-related and affective stimuli with positive valence. In contrast, HCs showed no attentional bias effect at all. PCGPs showed stronger brain responses in short-presentation trials compared with HCs in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and anterior cingulate gyrus and in long-presentation trials in lingual gyrus. In an exploratory post hoc functional connectivity analyses, for long-presentation trials, connectivity strength was higher between right inferior frontal gyrus, which was associated with inhibition processing in previous studies, and cue reactivity-related regions (left orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum) in PCGPs. We observed behavioral and neural effects in PCGPs, which are comparable with those found in substance-related addiction. However, cue-related brain responses were depending on duration of cue presentation. Together with the connectivity result, these findings suggest that top-down inhibitory processes might suppress the cue reactivity-related neural activity in long-presentation trials., (© 2012 The Authors, Addiction Biology © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.)
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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